Red Sea Rerouting Hits Project Cargo Hardest: Every OOG Booking Now a Case-by-Case File

Since late 2023, attacks on merchant shipping around the southern Red Sea have forced carriers to reroute between Asia, the Red Sea, the Gulf and East Africa — and for shippers of oversized and project cargo, the disruption cuts deeper than any headline container rate move. That is the core warning from Delia Qu, Deputy General Manager at Dalian Yihang Shipping Agency, a Class-1 international freight forwarder, NVOCC and AEO Advanced Certified customs broker in Dalian, China, writing in Container News.

The public debate has centred on standard containers and spot rates. Machinery, generators, steel structures and plant modules — cargo that depends on special equipment, careful planning and a thin roster of options — faces a different problem. Qu's piece declines to predict when conditions normalise. Instead it maps the practical questions her team now works through on every out-of-gauge file headed to these regions.

Suez or the Cape: why oversized cargo cannot simply go the long way?

Many carriers moving Asia–Europe and Asia–Mediterranean freight have chosen the Cape of Good Hope over the Suez Canal, adding sailing days and reshuffling port rotations. For cargo whose destination sits on the Red Sea itself — Jeddah, Port Sudan, Aqaba or Hodeidah — the Cape diversion is no answer at all. The question becomes which carriers still call, how they call, and through which hub.

The consequence is structural: routing decisions are made shipment by shipment rather than lane by lane. A routing that worked last quarter may no longer be offered; the same carrier may treat different destination ports differently. Qu is blunt about what shippers must demand: for oversized cargo, which often has a fixed site date and limited equipment availability, a quote should state the actual routing and carrier. A generic transit time is not enough.

What does each extra transhipment cost a flat rack?

When direct calls are withdrawn, cargo moves through a transhipment hub and onward by feeder or regional service. For standard boxes, that mostly means time. For project cargo, every extra lift is a risk: a flat rack carrying an over-width unit must be handled, stowed and lashed correctly at each terminal, and not every hub or feeder vessel suits out-of-gauge units.

Qu's team asks three questions before booking: Will the hub accept the unit's dimensions and weight? Can the connecting vessel stow it on or under deck as required? How long will the unit likely wait for a connection? A hub switch after booking can trigger a fresh acceptance process — so acceptance must be confirmed with the carrier for the full routing, not just the first leg.

Equipment is part of the same equation. Flat racks and open-top containers are not evenly distributed; when services change, empty special equipment can end up in the wrong place. Shippers should ask early whether the required gear sits at the loading port for the intended sailing, and plan production schedules around that answer.

Where container acceptance of out-of-gauge units is limited, breakbulk — or a container-breakbulk combination — becomes a real option. For some units, conventional or multipurpose vessels offer a more direct route than a container network redesigned around the disruption. The right answer, Qu notes, depends on dimensions, weight, destination port facilities and timing.

Who pays when war-risk surcharges land after booking?

Carriers may apply war-risk or emergency surcharges on affected lanes; marine insurers may add premiums for voyages through listed areas. Both can change at short notice. Qu tells shippers to check three points:

• Does the freight quote include or exclude these surcharges?
• Does the cargo insurance policy cover the actual routing, including listed areas?
• Who bears the cost under the agreed Incoterm if surcharges appear after booking?

Clear agreement in the sales contract, she argues, avoids disputes later.

Documentation is the quieter failure point. Bills of lading must reflect the actual port of discharge and agreed place of delivery. Packing lists for project cargo should give accurate dimensions and weights for every piece, plus lifting points and centre-of-gravity details where relevant. Several Red Sea, Gulf and East African destinations impose their own import documentation, pre-shipment certification or registration requirements — to be confirmed with the consignee and destination agent before cargo leaves origin, not after it arrives.

What can shippers do now?

Qu's prescription is earlier, more detailed planning:

• Get routing and carrier details in writing for the specific destination port.
• Confirm out-of-gauge acceptance for every leg, including the hub.
• Check special equipment availability before fixing production dates.
• Compare container and breakbulk options for oversized units.
• Clarify war-risk surcharges and insurance cover against the actual routing.
• Confirm destination document requirements before shipment.

Conditions on these lanes may continue to shift, and Qu declines to forecast how or when. What does not change is that project cargo rewards careful preparation — shippers who ask these questions early keep more options open when routings move again.