Shipping

We offer global airfreight shipping which is typically the service of choice for smaller components. We will send you a quote in under 24 hours, and we’ll usually provide two comparative rates for urgent and non-urgent shipments.

Our air freight service includes:

• Global door-to-door airfreight
• Door-to-airport
• Warehouse/Storage facilities
• Tracking of goods
• Customs export/import clearance
• Air Freight Insurance

We offer RORO (roll-on/roll-off) shipping globally and this is the simplest and most economical method of shipping piling rigs bigger than 12m long, 2.3m wide or over 30,000kgs. RORO ships are designed to carry wheeled and tracked machinery by efficiently rolling them on and off the ship using ramps and/or tracks by trained professionals.

Contact us today to check availability and pricing of this shipping to the destination of your choice.

Containers provide a cost effective, reliable, and secure method of shipping drilling buckets, augers, in-gauge Kelly bars and Rotary drilling heads. We understand exactly what is loading in each container, and in what order, to maximise the space efficiency and minimise the shipment cost.

Depending on the machines, we use 20 or 40 foot containers, high cube, open top or flat rack equipment and all loading costs are included in our shipping quotes. We handle the entire logistics process from collection of equipment, through haulage, dismantling and packing, to monitoring the shipment progress and updating clients.

Services include:

• Container release and haulage
• Stevedoring: Lashing and loading
• Crane Hire
• VGM
• Customs Clearance

Organising every stage of the shipment ensures that your delivery arrives not only on time, but on the most cost-effective route with real time updates throughout the shipment process.

Sometimes a unit may be slightly oversized to fit into a container but machine dismantling can solve this problem and you can then make use of a container. This can significantly reduce costs and is an option if you are able to reassemble at the final destination.

Often, a combination of RORO and container shipping is the only viable option for piling rig shipment. To achieve this, usually a certain amount of dismantling must be done.

Please ask us for quotations to dismantle and pack machines for container transit.

Additional service all taken care of:

• Storage in yard if needed
• Machine cleaning
• Packed into container
• Pre Shipment manufacturer inspections
• In port repairs – if needed
• Machine servicing

Breakbulk shipping is a common method used to successfully transport cargo or goods that cannot fit in standard-size shipping containers or cargo bins or goods that are tedious to break down. Instead, cargo is transported in bags, boxes, crates, drums, barrels, other handling equipment, or is simply rolled, lifted, or pushed onto a ship or barge.

Examples of common breakbulk goods include reels and rolls, steel girders, structural steel, heavy or oversized goods, manufacturing equipment, construction equipment and vehicles.

Benefits of breakbulk shipping:

• The ability to move oversized and overweight items that won’t fit in a container or cargo.
• Reduction in time spent on deconstruction and reconstruction so that items are ready for dispatch.
• Goods can enter smaller ports that typically would be unable to accommodate larger container ships or tankers.
• Goods don’t have to be combined in a container; therefore, items can be shipped separately.
• Breakbulk is deliverable to most ports around the world and requires little to no deconsolidation or reconsolidation. When loading and discharging goods at a port, equipment is already available on the ship, which saves time in transporting products.

Transporting piling and drilling rigs to port for shipment is a necessary part of any shipping consignment. We understand that planning ahead and delivering a unit in a timely manner is extremely important, and so our team utilise major transport companies and trusted local road haulage companies across the UK and Europe to obtain the most reliable, cost reducing and efficient service.

Through this we can provide for any road transport needs:

• Full Load or Part Load transport
• Heavy haulage
• Abnormal loads which includes wide loads
• Hazardous and non-hazardous
• A Diverse range of equipment
• Transport permits

Depending on the size and destination of your goods, road transport is often superior in price and transit time; bypassing the need for ocean freight. Our relationships with companies that can organise road permits and transport documentation is beneficial when it comes to arranging your shipment and we will liaise with these companies on your behalf to organise collection and loading. We make sure that all permits are in place and that your goods meet all road regulations for the relevant countries they will be going to, whilst keeping you up to date with the progress of the transport until it arrives safely at its final destination.

Flat rack shipping containers are similar to standard shipping containers as they are used to store and transport goods and come in standard 20ft and 40ft lengths, but their basic structure is very different. They have open sides and no roof, and collapsible ends (although fixed ends types are also manufactured).

Flat racks are commonly used for transporting exporting bulky and oversized cargo, such as:

• Vehicles
• Heavy machinery
• Large industrial parts
• Drums and barrels

As they have no roof, open sides and collapsible ends, they can be loaded with a crane, unlike standard containers. Once loaded, cargo can be secured by using lashing rings with straps or chains, which are fixed to the floor and corner posts.

Like all other shipping containers, flat racks are built to withstand heavy loads and harsh conditions, therefore are made of high quality weather proof steel and heavy duty, marine timber flooring. They are interlocking and empty can be stacked together and shipped back as a single cargo container, which lowers transportation costs significantly.

We are very fussy about who does our shipping for us. We have our own in house shipping agent who deals exclusively with our machines, we do not use brokers or middle men and we always deal directly with the shipping lines in order to maintain full control  all of the way through the process. This includes having our own technician on the port when the machinery loads to make sure it is done safely  and without damage and extends to the way we pack our units for transport.

All of our shipments are fully insured.

We handle the entire purchase, payment and collection process, ensuring complete safety and peace of mind for you. A small handling fee will apply to this service, to provide you with complete funds security. We are also more than happy to run checks on a company for you before you purchase a machine.

Goods Packaging

Where goods require packaging for shipment, we can build export grade crates and packaging to ensure safe and secure transit for items. Shipment packaging can be built to accommodate the size and shape of the item. This will be incorporated with lifting and handling points to enable quick and risk-free movement.

Pre-shipment inspection

We perform routine pre-shipment inspections, either on behalf of our clients to ensure the equipment is in acceptable working condition, or to satisfy Import Customs regulations in the country of destination.

On request of a condition report, we can use either a highly experienced technician, or arrange a visual and operating inspection with the manufacturers of the equipment. Our extensive contacts allow us to arrange inspections at short notice, and gain access to sites where access ability is restricted.

Sigma support infrastructure projects that impact regionally. Our clients are focused on speed of construction, quality and cost. We are focused on reliability, technical capability and cost of equipment. Piling and Foundation equipment is our specialism, and we aim to add value to your operation by the machines we propose. Recent projects we have supplied machines for are as follows:

• ADNOC underground oil storage facility, Manous, Fujairah, UAE
• New wharf, Rothera Research Station, Antarctica
• Wheeled Bitelli paver shipped from Southampton, UK to Port Klang, Malaysia
• CAT D7R bulldozer shipped from Antwerp to Lagos, Nigeria
• CAT D8R bulldozer shipped from Houston, Texas to Tema, Ghana
• Wheeled Caterpillar excavator shipped from Germany to Djibouti for onward transport to Ethiopia, with the National Carrier, Ethiopian Shipping Lines
• Rough Terrain crane from Scandinavia to Walvis Bay, Namibia

With years of in-house experience exporting across the globe, rest assured we’ve got it covered. We have gained our robust reputation through building strong relationships with key freight and haulage companies, giving us access to competitive pricing and timescales.

Whether shipping a 57 tonne Junttan PM20 or a bold Bauer BG28V weighing in at 76000kgs, we know how to break a piling rig down for cost effective transportation.

From hiring the right people and equipment for loading to accurate completion of all paperwork first time, we take our responsibility seriously. We assume full accountability to safeguard the movement of your piling rig is handled in an appropriate and timely manner and we are always happy to discuss the most efficient way of shipping any equipment you have.

We will often price-check several different shipping providers to ensure that you get the most cost-effective price possible. In the case that there is no alternative shipping routes for foundation equipment of a certain size, we will try and find an option on timescale or a close destination, and provide a comparison to make sure you get the best deal.