Executive summary
In late January, a customer faced an urgent disruption: their incumbent logistics provider fell through just days before three oversized reels needed to move on a fixed barge schedule. With no flexibility on the inland departure date — and ocean and export steps still unsecured — Loadflex engineered and executed an end-to-end solution in under a week.
Loadflex aligned the barge-to-terminal transfer, secured terminal berthing and labor, coordinated specialized floating crane services, and locked in a breakbulk ocean departure on an MSC sailing from the Port of New York and New Jersey. The project was executed without missed milestones, delays or unplanned storage exposure, protecting the customer from high-cost port dwell and schedule failure.
The challenge
The customer had a committed barge move scheduled to deliver oversized reels to the port on January 28. Due to the nature of the barge operation, the cargo had to depart on 1/28, even though the downstream plan — terminal handling and ocean booking to Germany — was not fully secured at the time. This created a high-risk situation:
- Oversized cargo requiring specialized lifting and handling
- A narrow window to secure port access, berthing, labor and lashing
- Risk of delays, storage exposure and downstream missed sailings
- The need for a breakbulk solution compatible with cargo size and weight restrictions
Loadflex solution
Loadflex built a cohesive export plan that solved for both the immovable constraint (the barge schedule) and the critical dependencies (port handling and vessel confirmation). The solution included:
- Ocean freight: breakbulk service confirmed on an MSC sailing departing 2/4 from the New Jersey port
- Port transfer and heavy lift: floating crane services coordinated with Don Jon to offload the reels from barge to terminal dock
- Terminal coordination: direct engagement with PNCT to secure:
- A berthing slip
- A dedicated labor team for oversized handling
- Lashing and securing the reels to MAFI trailers
- On-site execution oversight: two senior Loadflex executives arranged a port escort and were physically present to ensure:
- Proper unload procedures
- Correct lashing and securement
- Controlled storage positioning and readiness for sailing