Cathay Expert is Cathay Cargo’s solution for anything and everything that is oversized or fragile. Using Cathay’s dedicated teams, this solution includes bespoke shipment plans and handling, making it ideal for anything from unique hypercars and delicate art pieces, to oil drilling machines and helicopters.

The Zhengzhou, Shanghai and Chongqing teams all aboard to ship marine crankshafts

The challenge: 25 tonnes

Cathay Expert was chosen to ship semi-assembled crankshafts, which are used to transfer power from the engine to the propeller on diesel-powered ships. The Cathay Expert teams were able to precisely measure the crankshafts, customise the build-up and assembly plans, and supervise the loading process. These were complex and irregularly shaped items requiring an embroidery of straps and ties to secure the shipment. To make sure the crankshafts were loaded properly, the teams in Shanghai and Chongqing also supported the Zhengzhou team with their manpower and expertise to execute a difficult but safe operation.

Breaking the record by going to extra lengths

The challenge: 13.2 metres in length

The Cathay Cargo team at Zhengzhou received another extra-large, outsized shipment, a 13.2-meter-long piece of cargo, one of the longer Cathay Expert shipments. This transpired to be the longest ever handled by any of Cathay Cargo's teams on the Chinese Mainland. It required nose loading at Los Angeles for the Boeing 747-400F freighter and two cargo loaders, and the same process was reversed at Zhengzhou. Because of the bespoke nature of Cathay Expert, all the requirements for such a large shipment were easily accommodated, and most importantly, delivered quickly and safely.

The missing piece of the pipeline

The challenge: 12.6-metre-long pipe weighing four tonnes

Recently, using the Cathay Expert solution, the Cathay Cargo team in Miami successfully packed and transported a 12.6-meter-long steel pipe weighing four tonnes destined for Penang. In order to even approach loading such a large shipment, two main-deck loaders had to be used simultaneously for loading and unloading, which is an extraordinary feat requiring extraordinary skill. However, due to the meticulous attention to detail and precision, the Cargo teams were able to coordinate with local authorities and GHAs to guarantee the pipe’s seamless delivery to its destination.

The Houston team knows the drill for oilfield urgency

The challenge: Four pieces of equipment of more than 18 tonnes, and one large piece weighing more than 17 tonnes

Time is money in the oil business, and so some large shipments, such as these oil drilling equipment, which might otherwise be more at home on a boat, can find themselves on the main deck of an aircraft. Because of the heavy nature of these different pieces of machinery, Cathay Expert was chosen to facilitate safe transit. Cathay Cargo did three onsite visits to examine the shipment and make sure it was being built up to standard. Such was the bespoke nature of the shipment that a three-dimensional CAD model was made for the packer so that they could precisely and accurately build up the shipment. Ultimately, the equipment had to be built up three times more on the last day before the shipment to fulfill the space and handling requirements, but due to the actions of our dedicated staff it reached its destination safely and on time.

Keeping the engine of commerce trucking on

The challenge: 20 tonnes of dump truck engine

In early July, five dump truck engines were scheduled to be shipped from a seller in Jakarta to a buyer in Brussels, with stops at Hong Kong and Frankfurt en route. While the shipment seemed straightforward enough at first glance, the dump truck engines had very small contact areas and no fitting points, so an onsite service team was deployed to observe and measure the shipment in person to ensure that the shipment could be safely secured to ULDs and the main deck of the aircraft. Once assured by the site visit, the handling teams were able to load, secure and ship the engines safely.