A cross-border, out-of-gauge shipment of heavy industrial kettles weighing 13,000 kg highlights their project forwarding expertise
Killick Martin, the member of the Globalia Logistics Network in Bristol, UK, earned finalist recognition in the Project Forwarding category at the 2025 BIFA Awards after successfully executing a complex oversized shipment from the UK to Mexico.
Originally founded in 1861 by Captain James Killick and James Henry Martin, Killick Martin entered a new phase in 2019 when it was reimagined as a global logistics provider under the Atlantic Pacific Group. While the company’s current focus is on innovation, process improvement, and digitalization across customer supply chains, it continues to draw on deep operational expertise built over more than 150 years.
The project involved transporting four industrial kettles from Manchester to Torreón, Mexico, for one of the world’s largest metallurgical mining operations. Each unit measured 4.22 x 4.22 x 3.1 metres and weighed 13,000 kg, making the cargo significantly out of gauge and requiring careful coordination across road, port, and sea transport.
Working in close cooperation with their partners in Mexico, they reviewed multiple routing options from the UK and Northern Europe to Mexico’s east coast. They selected a Maersk service via Bremerhaven to the Port of Altamira to meet the client’s operational timeline. They completed route planning, pricing approval, and confirmation within a short timeframe.
To manage height restrictions and infrastructure constraints, they moved the kettles onto low-loaders to the Port of Felixstowe before loading them onto container flat racks for the ocean leg. The operation involved detailed planning around crane capacity, lashing and securing methods, and multiple transloading points at both UK and Mexican ports.
Globalia Bristol also coordinated all regulatory requirements, including police escorts, highway and bridge permits, and VR1 submissions through the ESDAL system. They secured approval within a week, enabling two escorted vehicles, each carrying two kettles valued at £70,000 per unit, to move as scheduled.
Commenting on the recognition, Sarah Parsons, Managing Director, said: “Becoming a finalist at the BIFA Awards reflects the level of planning, collaboration, and attention to detail required on complex project movements like this. These shipments demand precision at every stage, and this project was a strong example of that approach in practice.”
Congratulations and all the best for their upcoming projects!