There is no unified international mandatory standard for oversized cargo in Middle East sea freight. The criteria mainly follow the regulations of major ports such as the UAE and Saudi Arabia, as well as carrier-specific requirements. In most cases, the benchmark is the size and weight capacity of a 40-foot container.
United Arab Emirates (UAE):
As the core logistics hub of the Middle East, UAE standards are highly representative. In terms of size, any cargo exceeding the dimensions of a 40-foot container is considered oversized. Regarding weight, beginning in 2024, the cargo weight limit has been adjusted to 65 tons; anything above this is categorized as oversized or overweight cargo. Ports such as Dubai and Abu Dhabi follow this standard. Additionally, cargo exceeding 5 meters in height or 2.6 meters in width requires prior approval from the local Road and Transport Authority for onward inland transport.
Saudi Arabia:
Saudi Arabia frequently handles oversized cargo, especially oil drilling equipment. Although no unified national threshold for oversized sea freight is officially stated, the industry generally classifies cargo weighing ≥50 tons per unit as oversized. For example, transporting an oil drilling rig weighing 150 tons and measuring 12m × 4m × 5m requires a special sea freight solution and further coordination for modular trailer transport after port discharge.
Carrier-specific requirements:
Different shipping lines also impose additional criteria. For example:
- Maersk considers cargo above 3.5 tons per unit as special oversized cargo requiring special handling.
- COSCO Shipping uses 4.2 tons as its threshold, and exceeding it requires prior declaration.
- For open-top or flat-rack containers, shipping lines such as Maersk classify cargo that exceeds the container’s designed dimensions as OOG (Out-of-Gauge) cargo, which must be pre-declared with a dedicated transport plan prepared in advance.
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