A high-stakes charter flight recently delivered 73 elite Irish Thoroughbreds from Europe to China, marking a noteworthy logistical feat for global carrier COSCO SHIPPING Europe.
The horses, destined for a new life in Shanxi province, were transported via a dedicated charter that traversed Eurasian skies. Behind the scenes, it was a time-sensitive, cross-continental operation that tested the limits of coordination, compliance, and care—everything that defines complex project logistics.
Despite facing a three-hour flight delay, teams from COSCO SHIPPING Europe, its offices in Tianjin and Beijing, and handlers at BGS Cargo Terminal in Beijing moved swiftly. Each animal was offloaded with precision, given immediate health checks, cleared through Chinese customs, and trucked under controlled conditions to a designated quarantine facility in Tianjin.
This type of transport, involving live animals, demands more than the typical checklist. It’s about timing, temperature control, and a high level of animal welfare oversight. Horses aren’t like crates or containers—they react, they stress, and their wellbeing has a direct impact on the entire operation.
Once at the Tianjin quarantine station, the animals were monitored through their mandatory hold period. After successful inspections, disinfection processes under the watch of customs officials confirmed the end of a tightly regulated journey. The horses are now fully settled in Shanxi, cleared and ready for their next chapter.
The COSCO SHIPPING Europe marketing team played a critical coordination role, bridging time zones and processes, ensuring not a single step slipped through the cracks.
