1,336 Tons of BV A Shipbuilding Material to Uganda for a Lake Victoria Ro-Ro Ferry

In Uganda, a project of regional strategic importance is under way in Entebbe. The client has been commissioned to build a 1,000-ton, 96-metre roll-on/roll-off ferry. Once in service, the ferry will link Port Bell in Uganda with Mwanza South Port in Tanzania, greatly boosting cross-border trade on Lake Victoria.

1,336 Tons of BV A Shipbuilding Material to Uganda for a Lake Victoria Ro-Ro Ferry

I. Project Background: Breaking the Road Freight Bottleneck on Lake Victoria

In Uganda, a project of regional strategic importance is under way in Entebbe. The client has been commissioned to build a 1,000-ton, 96-metre roll-on/roll-off ferry. Once in service, the ferry will link Port Bell in Uganda with Mwanza South Port in Tanzania, greatly boosting cross-border trade on Lake Victoria.

Previously, goods from neighbouring countries mostly travelled by road, taking three to four days around the lake. With the ferry in service, the crossing will take only about 24 hours, transforming logistics in East Africa and providing a safer, scheduled freight service.

PAC has supplied this client for more than three years. Thanks to reliable product quality and service, when materials were urgently needed for this project the client again entrusted us with the task, purchasing a total of 1,336 tons of BV A shipbuilding plate and BV A bulb flats (bulb plate).

II. The Challenge: Rapid Production and Landlocked Logistics

This delivery faced two major difficulties:

  1. Urgent lead time: the shipbuilding schedule could not wait; the client needed structural materials such as bulb flats on site immediately.
  2. Difficult transport: Uganda is landlocked, so the steel had to be shipped across the sea to an East African port and then trucked overland to Entebbe. Multiple transfers greatly increase the risk of cargo damage.

III. On Site: PAC's Hard-Core Delivery Plan

To honour its commitment to the client, the PAC team ran a rapid relay:

Figure 1: FCL loading on site and mixed loading of heavy plate and coils in a breakbulk vessel hold
Figure 1: FCL loading on site and mixed loading of heavy plate and coils in a breakbulk vessel hold
Figure 2: Heavy steel plates neatly stacked on an IVECO heavy truck, ready for overland delivery to the Entebbe shipyard
Figure 2: Heavy steel plates neatly stacked on an IVECO heavy truck, ready for overland delivery to the Entebbe shipyard
  1. Prioritised production, direct FCL shipment: in line with the client's urgent needs, we coordinated with the mill in advance and prioritised the bulb flat production schedule. To keep this material absolutely safe through the long multimodal journey and avoid the risk of repeated container consolidation and reloading, PAC chose FCL (full container load) shipping. As the photos show, the containers are packed full with very high space utilisation.
  2. Fully protected against moisture and impact: the greatest risks in multimodal transport are inadequate moisture protection and impact damage. All long sections and coils were wrapped in heavy black/white moisture-proof woven film, then secured to wooden pallets with high-strength strapping. Timber was used to separate pipes from plates and layer from layer, ensuring that the flatness of the BV A shipbuilding plate remained perfect even after dozens of days of road and sea transport.
  3. Scientific handling, rock-solid stowage: when loading the heavy plates and coils at the port, we used a strict zoned dunnage plan with large numbers of timber battens for anti-slip and load distribution, ensuring that nothing shifted in the hold during the rough Indian Ocean crossing. For the overland leg, the massive heavy plates were neatly stacked on trucks for the journey into Uganda and on to the Entebbe shipyard.

IV. Client Feedback and Project Significance

The client said: "PAC's best-quality steel products and excellent service are why we chose you again."

This is the greatest endorsement we could receive. Three years of smooth cooperation is more than a buyer-seller relationship: it is trust. These 1,336 tons of steel, certified by Bureau Veritas (BV), will become the strong keel and hull of this East African giant, cutting through the waves of Lake Victoria and bearing witness to the prosperity of China-Africa trade.

V. Conclusion

Whether urgent production, multimodal transport or door-to-door delivery to a landlocked country, PAC has the resources and experience to clear every obstacle for you.

PAC Steel core advantages:

  • Global classification society certification: a full range of BV / ABS / LR / DNV certified shipbuilding plate, bulb flats and sections.
  • Outstanding delivery capability: fast lead times, reliable packing and direct delivery from mill to project sites in landlocked countries.
  • One-stop shipping support: worry-free cross-border logistics and multimodal transport to support your shipbuilding.

Entrust your next overseas shipbuilding and heavy material project to us for a worry-free, time-saving and more reliable experience!
Fast response to global project enquiries: preliminary quotation and logistics plan within 48 hours. Contact us at any time.

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