420 tons, more than 20 meters high, 930 nautical miles

07.10.2026 Tuzla & İskenderun , Türkiye Author: Sebastian Mißler, Product Marketing Manager Port

World's largest material handler at sea: SENNEBOGEN 895 E transported in one piece

Weighing 420 tonnes, standing more than 20 metres high and travelling 930 nautical miles, the used SENNEBOGEN 895 E presented an exceptional logistics challenge. For its relocation, the Turkish freight agency Partner Maritime Services developed a special transport concept. Instead of dismantling the material handler and using around 18 heavy-duty trucks, the fully assembled machine travelled in one piece on a pontoon from Tuzla to İskenderun. The greatest technical challenge arose during unloading, when a quay more than 5.40 metres above the water had to be overcome without a suitable RoRo ramp.

Facts About Full-load shipping

Key Figure	Project Value
Machine	SENNEBOGEN 895 E
Dimensions	420 tons curb weight, over 20 meters in height
Route	From Tuzla to İskenderun via the Sea of Marmara and the Mediterranean Sea
Marine distance and duration	Approximately 930 nautical miles in ten days
Means of transport	A 60 meter long and 19 meter wide pontoon with a tugboat
Road alternative	Disassembly into components and approximately 18 heavy-duty trucks
Challenge at the destination	Quay edge more than 5.40 meters above the water surface; the pontoon alone spanned about three meters
Solution at the destination	Separate floating dock with controlled ballasting operations

Why wasn't road transport a suitable solution?

A tugboat tows the pontoon loaded with the SENNEBOGEN 895 E into the port of İskenderun after a 930-nautical-mile journey. — After traveling 930 nautical miles, the barge and the tugboat arrive at the port of İskenderun in southern Turkey.

For road transport, the SENNEBOGEN 895 E would have had to be disassembled into individual components. This would have required about 18 heavy-duty trucks. In addition, there would have been costs and time involved in disassembly and reassembly. Bridges, road widths, and clearance heights would have further restricted route planning.

The 895 E had previously been in service at a subcontractor of a large steel mill. After the contract ended, the used machine was sold to a customer in İskenderun. A solution needed to be found for this relocation that would avoid the effort of disassembly.

Transportation by sea as a whole unit instead of disassembly

Partners Maritime Services planned the transport of the fully assembled machine on a barge. The plan took into account the machine’s weight of 420 tons, its height of more than 20 meters, and the need for stability and secure load fastening throughout the entire sea voyage.

A SENNEBOGEN 895 E drives onto the 60-meter-long pontoon via a RoRo ramp at the Port of Tuzla. — The SENNEBOGEN 895 E drove onto the pontoon under its own power in the Port of Tuzla. During loading, the height relative to the quay edge was constantly monitored and continuously adjusted using the ballast tanks inside the pontoon.

How did the loading go in Tuzla?

Loading began at Anadoluport in Tuzla. There, the SENNEBOGEN 895 E drove under its own power up a RoRo ramp onto the 60 meter long and 19 meter wide pontoon. Meanwhile, water was carefully pumped out of the ballast tanks to maintain a stable height between the pontoon and the quay wall.

Once in position, the machine was secured using prepared lashing devices. Stability calculations and load securing were checked and approved before departure. A tugboat then towed the pontoon across the Sea of Marmara and the Mediterranean Sea. After approximately 930 nautical miles and ten days, the transport reached İskenderun.

A SENNEBOGEN 895 E on the pontoon in front of the separate floating dock, which compensates for the difference in height relative to the quay wall. — To compensate for the more than five-meter difference in elevation between sea level and the quay wall, a separate floating dock was needed.

The floating dock spans the quay edge, which is more than 5.40 meters high

The sea voyage went according to plan. The main technical challenge arose during unloading: There was no suitable RoRo ramp at the destination port, and the quay edge was more than 5.40 meters above the water’s surface. The pontoon alone could only compensate for a height difference of about three meters.

“The most difficult part of the project was not the sea voyage, but the unloading process in İskenderun.”
Sahin Aktan, founder and managing director of Partner Maritime Services

A floating dock lifts the pontoon and the SENNEBOGEN 895 E to the level of the quay wall by controlled de-ballasting. — The floating dock was positioned at the pier and lowered by filling the ballast tanks. After the pontoon had been maneuvered into the floating dock, ballast was continuously released until the pontoon’s deck was even with the pier wall.

Partner Maritime Services therefore positioned a separate floating dock at the pier and flooded its ballast tanks until it sank below the water’s surface. The pontoon, loaded with the 895 E, was then maneuvered into the floating dock. During controlled deballasting, the floating dock rose together with the pontoon and the machine. The combined height of the pontoon deck and the floating dock brought the driving surface up to the level of the quay wall.

“By docking the loaded pontoon inside the floating dock and using controlled ballasting procedures, we created a customized solution that effectively bridged the gap between the water level and the quay,” explains Sahin Aktan.

Results and Outlook

After leveling off, the SENNEBOGEN 895 E drove safely onto the dock. From there, it continued its journey by land to its new operator, Tosyali. At its new location, the machine joins an already extensive SENNEBOGEN fleet of 41 material handlers.

When is maritime transport a cost-effective alternative?

The project demonstrates that, for exceptionally large used machines, a complete shipment by sea can be a cost-effective alternative to traditional road transport - especially when it eliminates the need to disassemble the machine, use numerous heavy-duty trucks, and reassemble it upon arrival. This requires precise transport planning, verified stability calculations, robust load securing, and a solution for the infrastructure at the destination port. In İskenderun, the combination of a pontoon and a floating dock enabled safe unloading despite the quay edge being more than 5.40 meters high.