Cargo particulars and task
Our customer needed to move a used Komatsu PW160 wheeled excavator from Watford to London Gateway and prepare it for onward container shipping. The consignment also included a separate excavator bucket and hydraulic hammer.
ENKEL coordinated the UK inland and terminal stages: collection by machine trailer, empty equipment arrangements, loading onto a 40-foot flat-rack, lashing and securing, and the information needed to release the loaded unit for vessel loading.
Solution
We arranged road transport and coordinated flat-rack preparation at London Gateway. The operational excavator could be driven onto the transport platform, while its loose attachments needed space and separate handling arrangements.
The empty flat-rack had to be released from an off-port depot and brought to the terminal before loading. ENKEL coordinated the equipment release, cargo delivery and terminal booking so that the road and container stages worked together.
Challenges
The shipment required both physical cargo preparation and accurate terminal records. After loading, the terminal team reported 148 cm of overheight and 6 cm of overwidth on each side. These out-of-gauge measurements were passed to the customer for the container record.
The separate bucket and hydraulic hammer needed suitable supports and individual securing. The terminal also required the VGM record to be updated to the terminal-weighing option before it could apply the verified gross mass and clear the associated hold.
What was done
The excavator was collected in Watford on 22 July 2025. ENKEL supplied the driver and delivery details to the terminal in advance and coordinated access to the port’s out-of-gauge cargo area.
On 24 July, the terminal team confirmed that flat-rack loading was complete and supplied photographs of the secured cargo. The photographs show lashing straps, ratchets and timber supports securing the machine and its attachments. ENKEL then coordinated the OOG dimensions and VGM record update with the customer and terminal.
Result
On 28 July 2025, the terminal team confirmed that the loaded unit was off hold and ready for the vessel. ENKEL also obtained the terminal’s lashing certificate and forwarded it to the customer on 29 July.
The completed scope brought UK collection, port delivery, flat-rack loading, cargo securing and terminal documentation into one coordinated operation, preparing the excavator and its attachments for the onward sea shipment.
Preparing machinery for export through a UK port? Explore our flat-rack and open-top container shipping services or contact ENKEL Project Logistics with your cargo details and route.