Beyond the box: Mastering Special Cargo at Hapag-Lloyd
Shipping cargo that does not fit into a standard container requires more than just expertise – it demands creativity, precision, and teamwork. At Hapag-Lloyd, the Special Cargo division handles everything from massive industrial equipment to fragile custom shipments, ensuring every load arrives safely and efficiently. David Piel, Senior Manager in the Special Cargo division, shares insights into the challenges and triumphs of transporting extraordinary cargo.
A meeting with David Piel can sometimes be postponed at short notice: shortly before the meeting begins, a customer contacts him with an urgent request. But when the meeting does take place, it is bound to be an exciting hour of conversation. Sitting across from Piel, it is clear you are talking to someone who is not only passionate about his work but also deeply committed to Hapag-Lloyd’s mission. Piel began his career at Hapag-Lloyd in 2004 as a Ship Mechanic Apprentice. He later pursued studies to earn both a nautical and a technical ship license, and from 2011 on, he worked as a Second Officer. For more than eleven years now, he has been serving as Senior Manager in the Special Cargo division at Hapag-Lloyd. But what exactly does Special Cargo entail, and why is it so complex?
The guiding question for Piel's work and his colleagues in the Special Cargo department is always: “Can we take this with us and, if so, how – how do we get it from A to B?” Then the planning begins, and a wide range of departments are involved. Rates have to be created, it has to be checked where and how the cargo gets on the ship, how it is stowed on board, and which form of transport is the right one. „Communication and cooperation between all departments is crucial when transporting the most demanding Special Cargoes. Our teams work well together, which ultimately ensures the best possible quality of transportation for us and for the customer“, says Ahmed Ibrahim, who is part of the Pricing Desk for Special Cargo in Dubai.
Piel is in his element when he describes the wide range of possibilities for shipping goods outside of a standard container. First and foremost, any items that do not fit into a standard general-purpose (GP) container are classified as “Out of Gauge” (OOG). Within OOG, there are two main categories: “pre-lashed” and “break bulk". Pre-lashed cargo includes items transported in specialized containers like Open Top or Hard Top containers or on Flatracks (Platforms). These containers are designed for oversized items and can be loaded directly by gantry cranes in standard container slots. The cargo is already secured with lashing equipment, making it relatively straightforward to transport.
For items that are too large, tall, wide, or heavy even for pre-lashed equipment, the solution is break bulk. "This could include exceptionally large items like train parts, wind turbine components, or industrial machinery," Piel explains. With break bulk, a tween deck is constructed within the cargo hold by using flatrack containers to accommodate the load. Gantry, mobile, or floating cranes then lift the cargo onto this specially prepared area, where stevedores secure it on board. This method requires highly coordinated logistics and advanced stowage planning, often tailored for each specific shipment.
Approximately 80% of the requests that arrive in the Special Cargo Department involve out-of-gauge transports, reflecting the wide diversity of cargo that Hapag-Lloyd handles. "The variety is astonishing: one day it might be a fleet of tractors, the next, parts of an airplane," Piel says. From combine harvesters and tractors to train and aircraft parts or entire boats, Hapag-Lloyd has transported everything. And loads of up to 500 tons of individual weight are possible if the port can handle this capacity. “For me, heavy starts at 30 tons,” Piel remarks.
Special Cargo is a sector where Hapag-Lloyd leads as an industry gold standard: no other shipping company allows a higher maximum payload on Flatracks for example, giving Hapag-Lloyd clients the flexibility to transport some of the heaviest loads globally. "Our motto, 'We care. We move. We deliver.', is not just a slogan – it is embedded in our work processes. We are proud of that," Piel adds. "When I see the extraordinary shipments, we have managed to make possible, I think it is fair to say that we at Hapag-Lloyd have done an excellent job."
In addition to oversized loads, there are special commodities, i.e. Special Cargoes that also need to be transported safely: these can be non-dangerous liquids in a flexitank, but also metal scrap, floating glass or steel coils. Special commodities are special although they are not loaded in an Open Top OT/Hard Top HT or on a flatrack. Due to their characteristics, weight or surface texture, they require special attention throughout the entire documentation and operational process. In some cases they require a special stowage position and specific approval of the vessel planner or partner lines.
In all Special Cargo operations, the CTU Code of Practice – an international cargo care guideline – is the standard. This code, formally known as the "Code of Practice for Packing of Cargo Transport Units," outlines strict protocols to ensure that cargo arrives safely and undamaged. "This is not just about getting the cargo from A to B, but ensuring it arrives in one piece, with no damage. That is why we have many experts in our teams who ensure that this is the case," says Jana Luenstedt, who works in Customer Service for Special Cargo at the Hamburg headquarters. By following these practices rigorously, Hapag-Lloyd has earned the trust of many repeat customers. "There are clients who rely on us weekly for their Special Cargo needs, knowing that we offer the expertise and reliability they need. We naturally want to achieve the best possible results for our customers and try to fulfill every wish. Sometimes that is difficult, but on the whole it works very well," remarks Shraddha Kamble, Senior Manager of Sales Execution in Mumbai, who deals daily with the diverse requests for shipping Special Cargo.
For David Piel and the Special Cargo team, every successful delivery represents not just a job well done, but a commitment to clients who depend on Hapag-Lloyd’s expertise for their complex logistics needs. It is a daily challenge that they embrace with pride, reinforcing Hapag-Lloyd’s reputation as the leading choice for Special Cargo transport.
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