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Sea—Rail Intermodal Transport for Heavy Engineering Equipment to Western Siberia

Delivering high-value oilfield equipment from China to Russia's inland energy hub through a fully controlled door-to-door solution.

Case Snapshot

Project Goal

Establish a stable export route for motorcycle products from Chongqing, China to Mexico, constructing a replicable multimodal path that balances transit time and cost.

Project Challenges

Complex inland transport links involving river and rail options, with significant transit time impacts from Three Gorges Dam navigation restrictions.

Solution

Designed a multi-path intermodal system (River / Rail / Feeder combinations) and provided detour optimization for Three Gorges bottlenecks to ensure stability and efficiency.

Project Outcomes

Achieved stable shipments across multiple batches, effectively shortened lead times, and enhanced overall supply chain flexibility for the client.

Providing Chongqing-to-Mexico multimodal solutions for motorcycle exports, optimizing inland routes and breaking through Three Gorges transit bottlenecks.

Core Operational Challenges

Lead Time Control Difficulties

  • Significant navigation bottlenecks at the Three Gorges Dam
  • Dynamic balance between multi-route transit times and costs
  • High complexity in cross-regional coordination

Multiple transshipments between river, rail, feeder, and ocean freight require precise milestone synchronization to avoid delays and extra costs.

Diverse & Flexible Inland Path Requirements

Multiple executable routes designed based on delivery needs:

  • Chongqing → Shanghai (Yangtze River Waterway) → Mexico
  • Chongqing → Ningbo (Rail) → Mexico
  • Chongqing → Qinzhou (Rail) → Hong Kong (Feeder) → Mexico

High Intermodal Coordination Demands:

  • Precise management of transshipment nodes between river, rail, feeder, and ocean freight is essential to minimize idle time and operational overhead.
Customs coordination

Our Operational Intervention

  1. 1
    Multi-Route Intermodal Design Established three primary transport paths, allowing flexible switching based on space, lead time, and cost requirements to enhance supply chain resilience.
  2. 2
    Three Gorges Node Optimization During dam maintenance or congestion, activated the "Small Vessel Express" mode: ① Bypass ship locks via passenger lifts ② Zero waiting time for lockage ③ Saved approx. 20 days of transit time, significantly boosting efficiency.
  3. 3
    Fine-tuned Intermodal Management Strict control over milestones across river, rail, and ocean segments to ensure seamless handover at every stage.
  4. 4
    Resource Integration of Main & Feeder Lines Integrated export resources across Shanghai, Ningbo, South China, and Hong Kong to guarantee stable ocean space and schedules.
  5. 5
    End-to-End Visibility & Communication Established a unified information management and feedback mechanism for a transparent and controllable transport process.
Rail and cargo execution

Project Outcomes

  • Successfully established a stable export corridor from Chongqing to Mexico for motorcycles
  • Flexible multi-route switching significantly enhanced transport stability
  • Three Gorges detour solution saved the client approximately 20 days in transit time
  • Smooth execution of multiple batch shipments with obvious lead time optimization
  • Client's supply chain risk resistance and response speed were significantly improved
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