5x40HQ Urgent Machinery Export to Vietnam
Shipping second-hand machinery combined with mixed consumables involves navigating complex customs classifications and managing extensive documentation.
This case study details how GWT Shipping assisted a Dongguan-based enterprise with a time-critical export project.
By utilizing a direct non-alliance vessel and managing a massive volume of multi-supplier documentation, we ensured the shipment arrived in Haiphong within a strict one-week deadline.
Project Snapshot
Route: Dongguan (China) ➔ Vietnam (Haiphong)
Cargo: Second-hand Machinery & Consumables
Container: 5 x 40HQ
Service Type: Port-to-Port (Export)
Key Factors: Urgent 1-Week Deadline, Non-Alliance Direct Vessel, Complex Consolidation (10 sets of documents).
Background & Challenges
In late December 2022, a manufacturing enterprise in Dongguan commissioned us to export 5 containers of equipment to a Vietnamese factory.
The client faced a critical time constraint: the goods needed to arrive at the destination port within one week. After reviewing the shipment, we identified three main operational hurdles:
Inadequate Standard Schedules: Major shipping alliance carriers typically require 5-7 days just for booking and loading, which would cause the client to miss their deadline.
Complex Consolidation: Although there were only 5 containers, the cargo originated from 3 different domestic companies and included a mix of new and used goods.
Documentation Overload: The consolidation required splitting the shipment into 10 separate Bills of Lading, requiring 10 separate customs declarations and insurance policies.
GWT Shipping's Solution & Actions
To ensure the shipment met the client’s urgent timeline and complex documentation requirements, our team implemented the following steps:
1. Strategic Carrier Selection (Non-Alliance Direct Ship)
Recognizing that standard carriers were too slow, GWT leveraged our local resources to book a direct non-alliance vessel from Dongguan to Haiphong.
Result: We secured the Shipping Order (SO) on the same day and coordinated the trucking fleet to load all containers at the factory within 24 hours.
2. Massive Documentation Management
The project required handling “10 sets of everything” for just 5 containers. Our team meticulously drafted 10 Bills of Lading, 10 insurance policies, and 10 customs entries.
Reasoning: We verified every draft with the client immediately upon receipt of the cargo data to ensure zero errors before uploading the SI (Shipping Instructions) and VGM.
3. Crisis Customs Intervention
During the declaration process, one of the shipments triggered a customs system alert/inspection, threatening to hold back the entire batch.
Result: Our customs department immediately engaged with local officials. We compressed a process that usually takes 2-3 days into just 1 day, ensuring the cargo caught the vessel before it sailed.
GWT Expert Insight
Note for Machinery Shippers: When exporting second-hand machinery, the “Condition” declaration and valuation are critical triggers for customs inspections.
Furthermore, when consolidating goods from multiple shippers into single containers (Buyer’s Consolidation), precise segmentation of Bills of Lading is required to ensure the consignee can clear customs smoothly in Vietnam.
Project Outcomes
Through meticulous planning and resource coordination, we delivered the following results:
Speed: The shipment arrived in Haiphong smoothly after the New Year holiday, meeting the 1-week transit requirement.
Operational Excellence: We successfully managed the complexity of 10 B/Ls, 10 Declarations, and 10 Insurance policies without delaying the shipment.
Exclusive Partnership: Impressed by the efficiency, the client has appointed GWT as their designated exclusive agent for all future air and sea exports from China.
By securing a direct vessel and expediting the complex customs process, GWT Shipping ensured the factory equipment reached Vietnam on time.
The smooth handling of this complex consolidation allowed the client to maintain their production schedule.
Client Review
The complexity of handling 10 sets of documents for 5 containers was overwhelming, but GWT handled it with precision.
They solved the customs delay in one day and got our urgent machinery to Vietnam on time. We now trust them with all our logistics.
— Our Manufacturing Partner in Dongguan
Founded in 2004, Shenzhen Guanwutong International Freight Forwarding Co., Ltd. (GWT) is a WCA- and AEO-certified global logistics provider offering end-to-end air, ocean, rail, express, and DDP solutions.
With bonded warehouses in Shenzhen, Dongguan, and Fuzhou, plus 24/7 customs brokerage and real-time tracking, we deliver reliable, compliant, and tailored freight services to 3000+ clients across 190+ countries.
Need Logistics Support for Vietnam?
If you have time-sensitive machinery or complex consolidations destined for Southeast Asia, GWT Shipping provides professional and compliant solutions.
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