Cargo particulars and task
Our customer needed to ship a used, self-propelled Sandvik DX800 drilling rig from Stokke, Norway to Luanda port, Angola. ENKEL coordinated the door-to-port movement, bringing together inland transport, cargo preparation, terminal handling and sea freight.
The unit weighed 17.6 tonnes, with initial transport dimensions of 11.30 × 2.45 × 3.30 m. A 40-foot flat-rack container provided the equipment for the sea leg, with the cargo handled as an out-of-gauge shipment.
Solution
The first carrier option could not be confirmed for this used-equipment shipment to Angola. ENKEL reviewed cargo acceptance and destination documentation with the parties involved and secured an alternative booking with Hapag-Lloyd.
We arranged collection with Vestfold Maskintransport and terminal preparation with Seafront Norsteve in Oslo. Coordinating the empty flat-rack release, road delivery and terminal slot was essential: the container had to be available before the machine arrived for loading.
Challenges
This move required more than a sea-freight booking. The used machine needed a cleaning stop in Porsgrunn before continuing to Oslo, while the road transport and terminal operations had to fit the container gate-in and VGM deadlines.
The rig also required a suitable loading method and a securing arrangement for its tracks and projecting drilling assembly. ENKEL coordinated the photographic evidence and securing details with Seafront and Hapag-Lloyd’s special-cargo team before shipment.
What was done
Vestfold collected the machine in Stokke on 28 September 2026. Following cleaning in Porsgrunn, it reached the Oslo terminal on 29 September and was driven directly from the machine trailer onto the flat-rack.
Through Seafront, ENKEL arranged flat-rack loading, lashing and securing with chains, tensioners, straps and timber supports. We coordinated the Norwegian export declaration and verified gross mass, alongside the return of the loaded container to the shipping line.
Result
The vessel departed on 4 October 2026, with the drilling rig shipped on the Hapag-Lloyd booking for Luanda. ENKEL also coordinated the approved bill of lading and arrangements for original documents to be printed at the destination office in Angola.
The project brought collection, cleaning, flat-rack preparation, export documentation and ocean booking into one coordinated movement. At publication, the sea shipment is underway.
Planning a shipment of used machinery or oversized equipment? Explore our flat-rack and open-top container shipping services or contact ENKEL Project Logistics with your cargo dimensions and route.