A Master Guide to Shipping Structural & Raw Materials Globally

The global transport of structural and raw materials is the lifeblood of the construction, energy, and manufacturing sectors. This is not standard freight. Moving steel beams, large pipe sections, concrete precasts, raw timber logs, or uncut stone blocks is a project logistics challenge. These items are frequently Out-of-Gauge (OOG) and subject to complex, fast-changing international regulations, such as anti-dumping duties and biosecurity (quarantine) rules.

This type of transport demands a logistics partner with proven, hands-on expertise across multiple cargo types. Ocean Cargo, with over 25 years of experience in OOG and high-compliance freight, provides this specialist, end-to-end service. We manage the entire process, from OOG lashing and biosecurity compliance to final-site delivery, ensuring your materials arrive safely, on schedule, and fully compliant.

How Ocean Cargo Manages Raw Material Logistics End-to-End

Ocean Cargo provides a comprehensive, single-point-of-contact service for your material shipments. Our project logistics process is built on meticulous planning, proactive communication, and two decades of expertise.

1. Initial Consultation and Feasibility: Our work begins with a detailed analysis of your cargo. We review the packing list, dimensions, and weight. We also immediately identify the compliance requirements: Is it steel subject to quotas? Is it timber requiring fumigation? Is it stone requiring A-frames?
2. Detailed Transport Planning: Once confirmed, our project team designs the optimal transport plan. We determine the correct equipment (e.g., 40ft flat rack, extendable trailer, Break Bulk vessel) and the most efficient shipping route. We create a detailed method statement for lashing and securing the cargo.
3. Execution and Proactive Monitoring: We oversee the critical execution phase, ensuring the material is professionally loaded and secured at the port, yard, or quarry. Whether it is lashed to a flat rack, stowed in a custom cradle, or loaded as Break Bulk, our team ensures all procedures meet the highest safety standards.
4. Customs and Compliance Management: Our in-house customs compliance team manages all complex export and import formalities in advance, ensuring all anti-dumping duties are declared and all phytosanitary certificates are secured.
5. Final Delivery and Handover: Upon arrival at the destination port, our trusted global partners manage the customs release and coordinate the final inland delivery to the project site, factory, or stone yard.

Transport Modes for Structural & Raw Materials

Choosing the correct transport mode is the most critical decision in balancing cost, speed, and safety. Ocean Cargo is multimodal, meaning we are not tied to a single solution.

Sea Freight: The Cost-Effective Backbone

For most structural and raw materials, sea freight offers the most viable and cost-effective solution. Major global ports are well-equipped to handle this type of OOG cargo.

• Out-of-Gauge (OOG) on Flat Racks: This is the most common solution for steel beams, pipe sections, concrete precasts, and timber. The cargo is loaded onto a 20ft or 40ft flat rack container (a container base with no sides or roof). This allows long items to overhang the ends.
• Break Bulk: For exceptionally large-volume projects (e.g., an entire shipment of timber logs or pipe sections) or extremely heavy items (like uncut marble blocks). The cargo is lifted (Lift-On/Lift-Off or Lo-Lo) directly into the vessel’s hold. Ocean Cargo can manage a full or partial vessel charter for your project.
• Standard Containers (FCL/LCL): For smaller, cut-to-size materials, fixings, or components that can be safely loaded into a standard 20ft or 40ft container.

Specialised Road Freight: The Essential First and Last Mile

Every shipment begins and ends on the road. Our integrated road freight service manages this crucial link. We deploy specialised extendable flatbed trailers, low-loaders, and "pole" trailers (for logs) to safely collect and deliver materials, managing all road permits and escorts for OOG movements.

Air Freight: For Critical Project Requirements

While prohibitively expensive for most raw materials, air freight is a vital tool for the construction sector. If a project is halted waiting for a specific, high-value component or a unique fixing, Ocean Cargo can move this critical cargo globally in 24-72 hours, minimising project downtime.

Material-Specific Handling & Compliance

Shipping steel is not the same as shipping timber or stone. Each requires a specialist approach to handling and compliance, all of which Ocean Cargo manages.

1. Steel Beams & Pipe Sections

• OOG Pricing: The primary cost factor for OOG steel beams is the "lost slots". A 15-metre beam on a 40ft (12m) flat rack will overhang. The shipping line will charge for the 40ft flat rack *plus* all the container slots in front and behind it that are no longer available. Our project team plans the stowage to minimise these lost slots and reduce your cost.
• Customs: Anti-Dumping Duties & Quotas: This is the critical compliance challenge. The global steel market is highly regulated. Many countries impose strict import quotas or heavy anti-dumping duties on steel from certain origins. Our customs compliance team stays abreast of these complex, fast-changing regulations, ensuring your shipment is correctly declared and that you are aware of all potential duties before you ship.
• Securing: Long pipe sections cannot be strapped to a flat rack; their cylindrical shape makes them unstable. We design and build custom timber or steel cradles to securely hold pipes, preventing any rolling or shifting.

2. Timber & Logs

• Biosecurity (Quarantine) Compliance: This is the number one risk. Many countries (like Australia) have a zero-tolerance policy for pests. Raw timber & logs must be treated and certified. Ocean Cargo manages this critical process, which includes:
  • Fumigation: Arranging for the cargo to be treated (e.g., with Methyl Bromide).
  • Phytosanitary Certificate: Liaising with the origin country’s plant health authority (NPPO) to get the official, mandatory "phyto" certificate that proves the cargo is pest-free. Failure to provide this will result in your cargo being destroyed or re-exported at your cost.
• ISPM15 Compliance: All "dunnage" (timber braces) used to secure the logs must be ISPM15 heat-treated and stamped with the "wheat stamp" logo to be compliant.

3. Uncut Stone & Marble Blocks

• The Handling Challenge: Stone and marble blocks are dense, heavy, and extremely brittle. Slabs, in particular, can crack with the slightest torsion or impact.
• Specialist Securing (A-Frames): Finished slabs of uncut stone & marble are never shipped flat. The vibration would crack them. They are always packed and shipped vertically on specialist "A-frame" structures. These A-frames are then loaded into an open-top container or secured to a flat rack. Ocean Cargo ensures this specialist equipment and packing method is used to protect your high-value cargo.
• Handling: Large, raw blocks are often shipped as Break Bulk, lifted by specialist heavy-lift cranes using heavy-duty, non-abrasive slings to prevent damage.

4. Concrete Precasts

• The Challenge: Concrete precasts (beams, blocks, slabs) are heavy, often OOG, and can be brittle.
• Handling: These items must be lifted only by their designated, engineered lifting points to prevent stress fractures.
• Securing: We load and secure precast elements onto flat racks or MAFI trailers, using high-tensile lashing and ISPM15-compliant timber chocking to ensure they cannot move, shift, or impact each other during transit.

Risk Mitigation & Insurance

Protecting your cargo is our top priority. Our risk mitigation strategy is built on decades of hands-on experience.

• Expert Lashing and Securing (OOG): Improperly secured OOG cargo is a major risk. Our port teams and partners are experts in lashing and choking heavy, high-risk cargo, from building custom cradles for pipes to correctly choking (bracing) steel beams with timber.
• Comprehensive Cargo Insurance: It is crucial to understand that standard carrier liability is minimal and calculated by weight, not value. It will not cover the true cost of your fabricated steel or prime-grade timber. Ocean Cargo can arrange comprehensive, all-risk cargo insurance policies that protect your investment from door to door.

Digital Visibility, Milestones, and Communication

When your valuable, project-critical assets are in transit, clear and proactive communication is essential. Ocean Cargo provides a dedicated 24/7 support contact for all project cargo, ensuring you always speak to someone who knows your shipment’s exact status.

Key Tracking Milestones

Our system tracks every critical event, including:

• Booking Confirmation: Your shipment is planned, and space is secured.
• Compliance Complete: We confirm your Phytosanitary Certificate is secured (for timber) or your anti-dumping duty liability is confirmed (for steel).
• Cargo Collected: Your material is on its way from your site/quarry/mill.
• Secured at Port: We provide confirmation (and often photos) that your OOG cargo is correctly lashed (e.g., in its cradle or on its A-frame).
• Export Customs Cleared: Your export declaration is approved.
• Vessel Departed: Your cargo is on the water.
• Vessel Arrived: Your cargo has reached the destination port.
• Import Customs Cleared: Your shipment has been released by local customs.
• On-Carriage for Delivery: The local OOG trailer is loaded and en route to the final project site.
• Proof of Delivery (POD): The shipment is complete, and a signed POD is available.

Sustainability Levers in Material Transport

Ocean Cargo is committed to providing responsible logistics solutions. We actively work with clients to reduce the carbon footprint of their heavy freight transport.

• Modal Choice: We prioritise sea freight (Ro-Ro and Lo-Lo) over air freight wherever possible, as it offers dramatically lower emissions per tonne-mile.
• Load and Route Optimisation: Our advanced load planning ensures we use vessel and vehicle space efficiently. We will plan the stowage of your beams on a flat rack to minimise the OOG "lost slots" where possible, improving efficiency.
• Carrier Selection: We partner with shipping lines and carriers that are investing heavily in sustainability, from using Very Low Sulphur Fuel Oil (VLSFO) to pioneering new technologies like LNG-powered vessels.