WORLD BREAKBULK EXPO (WBX) 2025
A recap of China's Breakbulk & Heavy Lift cargo event
Over 8,000 professionals from 50 different countries and 150 exhibitors, including 26 international companies participated in the World Breakbulk Expo in Shanghai, China. Swire Projects exhibited at this event for the third consecutive year. Together with Swire Shipping and Swire Bulk, our colleagues Namir Khanbabi (General Manager), Dmitry Pismenny (Marketing & Tenders Manager), Henry Si, and Frank Cao (Commercial Managers) attended this annual event.
In the bottom left picture, from left to right, the Swire Projects team: Frank Cao, Dmitry Pismenny, Namir Khanbabi and Henry Si
Every year WBX attracts key players from the breakbulk, heavy lift transportation, logistics, and supply chain industries. This year, our team had the opportunity to network with many visitors from a range of industry segments including some from our key sectors, including the Wind Turbine Generator (WTG) and Energy Storage Systems (ESS) markets. For these players, we regularly transport their heavy lift, and oversized cargo such as blades and other wind energy equipment, transformers, and energy storage units from China to Canada, USA and Western Australia on our Transpacific (NOPAC) and Western Australia Express (WAX) services.
Increasing frequency of oversized & heavy lift cargo shipments to Indonesia
Since the beginning of the year, there has been a rising trend in oversized and heavy lift cargo shipments across Southeast Asia, particularly driven by industrial projects with investments from Chinese enterprises in Indonesia. The increasing frequency of large-scale shipments presents a favourable opportunity for our heavy lift vessel services.
Solutions to the heavy lift, project and breakbulk cargo industry
Swire Projects can effectively cater to the client needs in the breakbulk and heavy lift market, particularly within the Southeast Asia, Western Australia (WAX) and West Coast North America regions (NOPAC). For heavy lift cargo transportation, we utilise our multipurpose heavy lift vessels on the WAX service to manage these shipments. When cargo volumes are small, these shipments can supplement our WAX service, optimising vessel capacity. For larger cargo volumes, we can mobilise additional WAX heavy lift vessels, providing extended cargo consolidation time and enhancing business opportunities.
Renewable energy shipments are on the rise
The event highlighted that wind energy cargo, energy storage systems (ESS), and other new energy-related shipments are projected to experience growth in the foreseeable future. This trend presents significant commercial opportunities for our multipurpose vessels.
We have already seen some successes in these areas. One notable example is the recent shipment from Dafeng, China to Vung An, Vietnam for the Hai Anh 40MW Wind Power Project. The Swire Projects team shipped four complete windmill sets, totaling 34,000 cbm. Read more about this project here.
Takeaways and plans for 2026
Our team had the opportunity to engage with many clients, showcasing both the NOPAC and WAX services and continue to raise our brand awareness in the local market. These strategic engagements are expected to yield tangible outcomes in the near future. Additionally, we are seeing more foreign visitors and exhibitors at the WBX event, which highlights the growing number of companies and the high quality of visitors at the event.
In short, WBX has provided us with a valuable platform to promote our company's services, enhance our brand image, and engage in effective communication with visiting clients. China is an important market for Swire Projects, and we believe that participating in such exhibitions is crucial for the development of our business operations and the promotion of the Swire Projects brand. Our team is already looking forward to the 2026 edition. Many thanks to the WBX organisation and see you next year!
Do you want to learn more about how Swire Projects can support you with breakbulk, heavy lift, and project cargo to and from China and other parts of Asia and West Coast North America (USA and Canada)? Get in touch with us at chartering@swireprojects.com - we're happy to help!
