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Star Shipping Pakistan completed the overland transport of four auto transformers and two shunt reactors from Karachi Port to Nokhar Grid Station in Lahore in April 2026, moving a combined 640 tons of power equipment through congested corridors and active highway construction zones.
The shipment comprised four transformer main bodies weighing 125 tons each and two shunt reactors at 70 tons each. All six units qualified as out of gauge cargo, with the largest pieces measuring approximately 31 feet long, 14 feet wide, and 13 feet high. The equipment was received as direct delivery packages at Karachi Port and loaded onto conventional super low bed trailers for the roughly 1,200-kilometre journey north.
Highway construction complicates route
The delivery faced route constraints caused by ongoing construction on Pakistan’s N5 National Highway, the country’s main north-south artery linking Karachi to Lahore. Road closures and heavy urban traffic through Lahore, Pakistan’s second-largest city, added complexity to the movement of oversized loads that required coordinated escort and traffic management.
Star Shipping Pakistan said its heavy lift team completed the delivery within the contracted lead time despite the disruptions. The company handled the operation under what it described as a one window logistics model, managing port receiving, inland haulage, and final placement at the grid station under a single contract.
Manual unloading at grid station
At Nokhar Grid Station, crews used hydraulic jacks and chain rigging systems to manually unload and skid the transformers and reactors onto their foundations. The operation followed health, safety, and environment requirements set by the Chinese client overseeing the grid station project.
The movement reflects continued demand for heavy lift and project cargo services on the Karachi to Lahore corridor, where power infrastructure investment is driving regular flows of oversized electrical equipment. Pakistan’s energy sector expansion has sustained a pipeline of transformer and reactor deliveries to grid stations across Punjab province.
Power cargo demand persists
Star Shipping Pakistan said it maintains relationships with vessel owners for competitive ocean freight rates and is investing in equipment upgrades and workforce training to handle growing project cargo volumes. The company cited its fleet of trailers, cranes, and warehousing network as key assets supporting its operations across Pakistan.
