Autoclave Relocation to Thailand

When our overseas partner contacted us in the very beginning for a quotation, this seemed like a straightforward shipment. But as is often the case with project cargo & abnormal loads there is no such thing as straightforward.

After the quotation stage, the final client obviously had a lot of matters to consider for this shipment. As this was relocation from one operational facility in the UK to another site on the other side of the world in Laem Chabang, Thailand. So it was not until the building surrounding the Autoclave had already been broken down that the client actually contracted Hemisphere, through our overseas partner.

Once the outer building had been removed the pressure was on to secure the necessary road transport permits and finalise the matching ocean vessel booking, for prompt shipment.

After attending a meeting at the UK site with the client, our project manager had a greater understanding of the complexities of the factory removal operation and the road transport issues.

Not only was the building around the Autoclave already dismantled, but the access road to the factory site was undergoing extensive alterations which would have caused major problems for the transport route for such a wide piece.

Hemisphere’s project managers worked quickly to contract the necessary trucking services/permits, arrange the sea freight vessel booking for this piece as breakbulk cargo in a protected underdeck position, and all details were finalised within a little over one week.

With all arrangements in place, our project manager attended the loading from factory and port operations. Due to the size of the cargo, the transport permits would only allow for us to move the Autoclave on a Sunday morning, to minimise the impact on traffic. Especially because the operation at the factory meant that a narrow access road to other businesses had to be closed in order for our truck to be loaded.