Cavity pumps delivered to Colombia. Break bulk, three countries.
11 oversized crates of industrial cavity pump equipment moved from Edmonton to Cartagena, Colombia, two weeks ahead of deadline and without a single incident.
MQB coordinated the export of 11 oversized crates of industrial cavity pump equipment for MANTL Canada, from origin pickup in Edmonton through cross-border trucking and a Houston ocean gateway to an on-schedule departure for Cartagena, Colombia, delivering two weeks ahead of deadline with zero cargo damage.
- 2 weeks
- Ahead of deadline
- 11
- Oversized crates
- Zero
- Damage or delays
Client at a glance
- Client
- MANTL Canada Inc.
- Industry
- Oil & Gas · Progressive Cavity Pump systems
- Shipment
- Ocean Break Bulk Out of Gauge · 11 crates
- Origin
- Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
- US gateway
- Houston, Texas
- Destination
- Cartagena, Colombia
- Ocean carrier
- SAL Intermarine
- Cargo
- 46.33 CBM · 89,792.79 kg
- Shipment value
- Approx. USD $500,000
- Relationship
- New client, now an ongoing MQB relationship
The challenge
The ask. MANTL Canada Inc. is a Canadian oil and gas company specializing in Progressive Cavity Pump (PCP) systems, supplying cavity pumps and rod services to major oil and gas basins around the world. They needed to export 11 oversized crates of delicate industrial cavity pumps and accessories from Edmonton, Alberta to Cartagena, Colombia for an active field project.
The complication. The cargo could not move on a standard container. It was oversized, heavy, and required Break Bulk ocean freight, a mode that demands precise coordination between specialized road transport, cross-border documentation, port receiving windows and vessel scheduling. Any gap in that chain means missed sailings, storage costs and project delays on the ground in Colombia.
The route. The route itself spanned three countries: Canada to the United States by specialized truck, across the Canada-US border with oversize load permits, south to Houston, Texas, and then ocean to Cartagena via SAL Intermarine. MQB had to own the entire chain, from the Edmonton pickup to the vessel loading in Houston, as a single coordinated operation.
The test. MANTL came to MQB specifically for its knowledge of industrial logistics from North America into the Latin American market. This was their first shipment with MQB. They needed to know whether MQB could handle a complex, multi-country move without a single breakdown, and deliver on time.
What was at stake
Break Bulk cargo moving across three countries on a tight vessel schedule leaves very little margin. For MANTL, the consequences of failure were concrete:
- Missed vessel sailing at HoustonNext slot weeks away
- Port storage & handling on 11 cratesCosts accumulate daily
- Rescheduling oversize transport & permitsAdded cost and delay
- Field operations waiting in CartagenaProject timeline disrupted
Beyond the operational costs, the reputational stakes were high. MANTL was evaluating MQB as a long-term partner for their Latin American logistics, on a first shipment with no track record to fall back on. A failed first move would have ended that conversation.
Potential cost exposure
11 crates, three countries, one vessel window, approximately $500,000 in cargo on a first-time relationship.
The MQB approach
Every piece in place before the vessel arrived.
Route planning & specialized transport
MQB developed the full multimodal transportation plan from Edmonton to Cartagena, selecting Houston as the ocean gateway based on SAL Intermarine's Break Bulk vessel schedule and the best overland routing for oversized cargo. Specialized heavy transport was coordinated from Edmonton, vehicles and equipment configured to safely carry all 11 oversized crates south across the Canadian prairies and into the United States.
Permits & cross-border coordination
Moving oversized cargo from Canada into the United States requires oversized load permits, routing approvals and coordinated Canada-US border documentation timed with the movement of the vehicles. MQB managed all cross-border requirements in advance, so the specialized trucks could move efficiently from Edmonton across the border and continue toward Houston without delays at customs or regulatory checkpoints.
Houston CFS warehouse & vessel coordination
MQB closely monitored each truck's progress in real time and coordinated their arrival at MQB's CFS warehouse partner at the Port of Houston against the terminal's receiving window and the SAL Intermarine sailing schedule. When transit timing shifted mid-route, a reality on any long-distance oversized move, MQB adapted the delivery coordination in real time, keeping the cargo aligned with the vessel schedule.
Ocean loading & end-to-end visibility
Once all 11 crates were received at the Houston warehouse, MQB coordinated the loading process with SAL Intermarine at the Port of Houston. The cargo shipped via Break Bulk ocean freight to Cartagena, with MQB monitoring the movement through departure and delivery, and keeping MANTL informed at every stage.
The results
Executed without a single delay, unexpected cost, or disruption.
For a first-time client on a high-complexity, three-country Break Bulk export, with delicate oil and gas equipment and a hard field deadline in Colombia, the result was exactly what the operation required: precise, proactive and ahead of schedule.
In their own words
“Thank you for providing excellent support throughout this complex shipment. Your proactive communication, attention to detail, and ability to coordinate the oversized cargo across multiple transportation modes gave us confidence that the shipment was in good hands.”
MANTL Canada Inc. · Progressive Cavity Pump systems manufacturer
Why it worked
Break Bulk project cargo across three countries is not a freight booking, it is a project. It requires a single operator who can own the plan end to end: the trucks, the permits, the border crossing, the port window and the vessel schedule. When one element shifts, and on a long-distance oversized move something always shifts, the response has to be immediate and informed.
MQB's project cargo team, specialized trucking network, CFS warehouse relationships in Houston, and established experience in North America-to-Latin America trade lanes gave MANTL something they couldn't find elsewhere: a partner who spoke the language of oil and gas logistics and could execute without hand-holding. The relationship that started with one test shipment is now ongoing.
Capabilities demonstrated
- Break Bulk Out of Gauge project cargo
- Full export management, origin pickup to destination port
- Specialized oversize trucking, Alberta to Texas
- Canada-US cross-border coordination, permits, routing & customs
- CFS warehouse operations, Houston, Texas
- Ocean freight coordination, Port of Houston to Cartagena
- Real-time transit monitoring & adaptive coordination
- North America to Latin America trade lane expertise
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