Siberian tiger 
Setting up a new petro-chemical plant in Tobolsk is a massive logistics challenge for the Sibur corporation. ITJ correspondent André Ballin was on hand to see it haul the heavy consignments. more
Land, air and water
Russia’s Volga-Dnepr Airlines recently transported coast guard vessels from the European part of Russia to eastern Siberia. But things did not end with the air transport. more
Heavylift medley takes to the skies
The chief designer of the new Airbus special transporter describes his enormous baby as a bit of a “mish-mash” – but not in a derogative way. Nasa is still transporting space freight using a wide-bodied aircraft whose technology was first introduced 51 years ago. The... more
It’s in the mix
Size is not always everything, as Raymond Fisch, BBC Chartering’s senior vice-president for strategic projects, told Christian Doepgen recently. Efficiency and proximity to markets are also key, amongst other things. more
A range of services comes up trumps
It does not always have to be the major players. The fact that medium-sized enterprises are often more effective and quicker to react to changing market conditions can also be observed in the heavylift sector. Ross Grosskopf of the SME Dako Worldwide Transport, spoke to... more
Old heavylift dreams flying high again
The first step is always the hardest. The British founders of Hybrid Air Vehicles must have taken frequent recourse to this old saying in the ten years of their company history. When an order from compatriots Straightline Aviation came in in March it seemed like a breakthrough... more
Prepared for changes
The market for heavylift shipping companies is in stormy seas at present. Chipolbrok is currently renewing part of its fleet. Christian Doepgen spoke to Zhou Jinglai and Radoslaw Chmielinski, the two chief executive officers of the Sino-Polish joint venture, about technical... more
Tanks for Saudi Arabia
Close cooperation between a group of Dutch enterprises in February saw BigLift Shipping’s heavylift vessel the «Happy Delta» loaded with 13 steel storage tanks destined for Saudi Arabia. The ship’s journey from Rotterdam, across the windswept Bay of Biscay and through the Suez... more
«Glocal cooperation»
The expectation that the heavylift market will remain mediocre through to 2017 was confirmed recently by Drewry. There will nevertheless be some opportunities, as Kyriacos Panayides, managing director of AAL, told Christian Doepgen. more
Powerpacks to replace lorries
Up until now the haulage of exceptionally large consignments weighing more than 2,000 t usually required a number of trucks working in combination; some at the front, pulling and steering, others at the back, pushing and braking. This limits their manoeuvrability. Mammoet and... more