RORO vs Breakbulk vs Containers: Shipping Oversized Cargo by Sea from the UAE
Most guides on UAE sea freight stop at "FCL or LCL?" — but that question assumes your cargo fits in a container in the first place. For vehicles, heavy machinery, or oversized industrial equipment, the right answer is often neither. RORO (Roll-on/Roll-off) is built for wheeled cargo — cars, trucks, construction vehicles, trailers. Instead of being loaded into a container, the vehicle is driven directly onto the vessel and secured on deck. This skips the cost and risk of crating, and it's typically cheaper than FCL for a single vehicle shipment. Breakbulk covers cargo too large, heavy, or oddly shaped for any standard container — generators, steel coils, prefabricated structures, turbine parts. It's loaded and secured individually using cranes, with specific lashing and dunnage plans for each piece. The decision usually comes down to three questions: Does it have wheels and can it be driven? → RORO Does it exceed standard container dimensions (40ft length, 2.4...