Transshipment
Crane transshipment for heavy and awkward cargo
Some cargo cannot be moved with a forklift or a grab — it is too heavy, too long or has no place to put the forks. In those cases the transfer between wagons is done with a mobile crane, lifting the piece from one wagon and setting it on the other. We do this with 50 and 80 tonne cranes at our terminal in Dornești.
When a crane is the only option
Most cargo crossing the gauge break is handled by forklift, grab or tipping. A crane comes in when none of that works.
- The piece weighs more than a forklift can take.
- It is a single indivisible unit — a machine, a transformer, a tank, a structural section.
- There is nowhere to insert forks and no way to sling it low.
- It is long or bulky and needs to be lifted clear rather than dragged.
- It has to be set down precisely rather than dropped.
How it runs on site
The wagon arrives on one gauge and is positioned so the crane can reach it. The load is rigged, lifted, swung across and set on the receiving wagon or truck, then secured for the onward leg.
Where the receiving wagon is not yet there, the piece goes into storage and is loaded later. That is often the more sensible sequence, because it decouples the two legs.
What we need to know before quoting
- Weight of the heaviest single piece.
- Dimensions — length, width, height.
- Where the lifting points are, and whether the piece has any.
- How it arrives and how it leaves.
- Whether it is fragile, top-heavy or has a centre of gravity that is not central.
- Whether you supply rigging or we do.
The weight and the geometry decide which crane is used. We will not commit to a lift before we have those two numbers.
What we do not do
We do not design lifting plans for third-party sites, we do not certify slings you bring, and we do not lift anything whose weight we have been told to guess. If the paperwork does not state a weight, it gets weighed or it does not get lifted.
Frequently asked questions
Frequently asked questions
What is the heaviest piece you can lift?
Our cranes are 50 and 80 tonnes. The usable capacity for a given lift depends on the radius, so tell us the weight and the geometry and we will confirm.
Can you do wagon to truck?
Yes, in either direction, and wagon to wagon between the two gauges.
Do you provide slings and shackles?
Ask when you enquire. For some cargo we use our own rigging, for others the shipper supplies it.
Can the load be stored between the two legs?
Yes. Lifting into storage and loading later is often simpler than matching two wagons on the same day.
Do you go to the customer's site?
The cranes work at our terminal and can also be sent out. Tell us the location and access when you enquire.
Have a piece that needs a crane?
Send the weight and the dimensions and we will tell you whether it can be lifted here.