Break Bulk
Break bulk is any commodity that because of its weight, dimension or incompatibility with other
cargo must be shipped loose, loaded individually on a vessel and stowed directly in the ship's hold. As
opposed to containerized cargo, break bulk requires special packaging which can withstand all types of
heavy handling both during transport and at the loading facilities in rail yards and shipyards.
Our 25 ton crane capacity, interior dock well and team of packaging experts can crate and
package oversized cargo which may fall under this category. For cargo exceeding our crane capacity, we
can also provide off site lifting; crating and loading by way of our extensive network of rigging and
warehousing affiliates. Whatever your break bulk requirements, Brent Packaging can ensure your oversized
cargo is crated and packaged to the highest standards.
Break Bulk Cargo or General Cargo
In shipping, break bulk cargo or general cargo is a term that covers
a great variety of goods that must be loaded individually, and not in intermodal containers nor in bulkas
with oil or grain. Ships that carry this sort of cargo are often called general cargo ships. The term
break bulk derives from the phrase breaking bulk — the extraction of a portion
of the cargo of a ship or the beginning of the unloading process from the ship’s holds. These goods may
be in shipping containers (bags, boxes, crates, drums,barrels). Unit loads of items secured to a pallet
or skid are also used.
A break-in-bulk point is a place where goods are transferred from one mode of transport to
another, for example the docks where goods transfer from ship to truck.
Break bulk was the most common form of cargo for most of the history of shipping. Since the late 1960s the
volume of break bulk cargo has declined dramatically worldwide as containerization
has grown. Moving cargo on and off ship in containers is much more efficient, allowing ships to spend less
time in port. Break bulk cargo also suffered from greater theft and damage.
