The Heavy Lift Group: navigating a new reality in project cargo logistics

Escalating geopolitical tensions and regional conflicts are having a profound impact on international trade, subjecting supply chains to intense operational volatility, rigid compliance demands, and significant financial pressures. Out of necessity, logistics providers are taking a more selective, risk-averse approach when preparing and executing their business plans.

For The Heavy Lift Group (THLG), a global alliance of specialised heavy transport companies, caution and pragmatism have become the foundation for every operational decision.

“Periods of instability are not the moment for experimental logistics strategies,” explains Elisabeth Cosmatos, President of THLG and Chief Executive Officer of Cosmatos Group. “In project cargo and heavy-lift transport, miscalculations can have serious operational and financial consequences.”

Cosmatos’s prudent mindset is reflected throughout the network. DCS Liburnus Project CEO Alessio Bianchi, who serves as Admissions Officer on THLG’s Executive Committee (Ex Com), reveals the growing scope of the company’s risk assessments. “We have decided to be more selective in bidding,” he says. “Taking into consideration not only technical and commercial factors, we focus on political exposure, sanctions, and payment risks.”

Amid intensifying security and compliance requirements, documentation is also more detailed and critical than ever, Bianchi adds: “Mistakes today can stop a project in its tracks – not just delay it.”

Industry leaders within THLG are also unequivocal in their assessment that this high-risk climate is here to stay – and that the operational adaptations it has driven are now a permanent fixture of the heavy-lift sector.

“I believe that what we are seeing is not temporary,” asserts Cosmatos. “Global trade is going through a structural adjustment. For years, supply chains were built around maximum efficiency and cost optimisation. Now, the focus is shifting towards resilience and reliability.”

According to Hacklin Logistics Managing Director Marianne Blechingberg, an Ex Com member responsible for THLG’s Business Development, this evolution is also evident in the actions of clients – with many reconfiguring their supply chains and supplier networks to mitigate risk.

“Clients now clearly acknowledge that the business landscape has fundamentally changed,” she notes. “They recognise that prioritising resilience and reliability is crucial for safeguarding their operations over the long term – even if this approach occasionally incurs higher costs compared to the most direct or efficient routes.”

Blechingberg adds that “there is a growing appreciation for logistics solutions that emphasise security, continuity, and predictability”, with clients viewing these options “not simply as extra expenses but as strategic forms of insurance that bolster their long-term competitiveness in a volatile environment”.

While clients today are increasingly willing to pay a premium for predictability, heavy-lift forwarders still face immediate cash-flow challenges due to the necessity of paying carriers, terminals, and subcontractors up front. This financial strain is exacerbated by tightening credit limits and shortening payment terms.

Cosmatos notes that in Greece, for example, major service providers are revising their traditional open accounts and extended credit lines “to protect themselves from increased financial uncertainty”. With many clients expecting the same favourable credit conditions as before, forwarders face a difficult choice: accept higher financial exposure or risk losing the customer.

Matters are further complicated when projects take place in and around conflict zones. As Colin D’Abreo, THLG Ex Com Treasurer and Vice President Director of Rhenus Logistics Global, points out, finance remains a critical obstacle even if all other requirements are met. “If payments are to originate from these regions, will there be any stipulations, bank closures, or blockades?” he asks.

Financial hurdles and banking blockades are symptomatic of a broader regulatory tightening – one that, according to D’Abreo, underlines the value of a “robust trade compliance department”. He explains: “Today’s ever-changing geopolitics and sanctions mean that compliance can no longer be a back-office function; rather, it needs to be a company’s primary consideration – probably even ahead of deciding whether to enter a new market or take on a new client.”

To minimise risk and maintain compliance throughout complex multimodal projects, operators are embracing digital tools on an unprecedented scale. Cosmatos explains: “Staying aligned with technological developments allows companies to improve coordination, visibility, and overall operational performance.”

Yet even with digital technology enhancing operational agility, no single company can handle every aspect of a major heavy-lift assignment alone.

“Large industrial projects today involve many stakeholders, including freight forwarders, carriers, engineering companies, local transport specialists, and port operators,” Cosmatos adds. “Strong partnerships and trusted networks are therefore critical.”

Echoing this sentiment, Blechingberg stresses that open and collaborative relationships foster the mutual trust needed to navigate complex international logistics smoothly. It is this collective network strength, she concludes, that enables heavy-lift operators to overcome prevailing uncertainties and secure long-term success.