Shipping Coke Drums and Delayed Coker Vessels
Coke drums are the tall cyclic vessels at the center of a refinery delayed coker unit, where heavy residue is thermally cracked into petroleum coke. They are large-diameter, thick-walled, and among the heaviest single pieces in a refinery, which makes each one a heavy-lift move in its own right. Texas International Freight ships coke drums worldwide from the US Gulf as breakbulk and project cargo. Are you delivering a replacement drum during a turnaround, or exporting a full coker package to a new refinery?
Coke Drums We Ship
We move delayed coker vessels and the equipment that ships around them, from the drum shell to the structure that supports it.
- Delayed coker drums and coke drum shells
- Drum skirts, support rings, and heads
- Overhead vapor lines and switch valves
- Structural steel for coker frames and platforms
- Bottom unheading and top deheading equipment
- Associated heat exchangers, piping spools, and instrumentation
Because a coke drum combines great length with heavy wall thickness, its diameter, height, and weight drive every decision about equipment, routing, and lift planning.
How Coke Drums Ship
A coke drum is a classic heavy-lift and out-of-gauge piece, so it moves as breakbulk or on a chartered vessel with the deck strength and cranes to handle it. Skirts, valves, structural steel, and piping spools ship on flat rack and open-top equipment or in containers with full blocking and bracing. We plan lift points, saddles, and routing around the drum diameter, length, and weight.
Our team handles export packing, protection for machined flange faces and nozzles, and cradle or saddle support for the drum shell. We block, brace, and lash every piece for ocean transit and engineer the load-out and stowage for the heavy-lift move. Because a coker vessel is a project in itself, we run the project logistics from fabrication yard through heavy-lift port handling to site delivery. Coke drums usually ship alongside pressure vessels and columns and other coker equipment. New drums ship clean as general cargo, so dangerous goods handling is not normally required.
Documentation and Customs
Each shipment travels with a commercial invoice, packing list, and ocean bill of lading. We prepare a certificate of origin where the destination requires one and assign the correct Harmonized System code to the vessel, structural steel, and valves so duties are assessed accurately. Acting as your customs broker, we manage clearance at origin and destination and keep the paperwork aligned with a heavy-lift schedule.
Texas International Freight ships coke drums worldwide from our Houston base at 11511 Katy Fwy #320, Houston, TX 77079. Call +1 877-489-9184, email ship@txintlfreight.com, or use our contact page for a quote.
How is a coke drum shipped overseas?
A coke drum is a heavy-lift, out-of-gauge piece. It moves as breakbulk or on a chartered vessel with the deck strength and cranes to handle it, supported on cradles or saddles and lashed for ocean transit.
Can you ship a complete coker package?
Yes. We consolidate drums, structural steel, valves, piping spools, and exchangers into one project shipment and coordinate fabrication yard collection, heavy-lift port handling, and site delivery.
How do you protect a coke drum in transit?
We support the shell on cradles or saddles, protect machined flange faces and nozzles, and block, brace, and lash the vessel with stowage engineered for the load.
What documents are needed to ship a coke drum?
A commercial invoice, packing list, and bill of lading, plus a certificate of origin where required and the correct Harmonized System code for the vessel and its parts.
Where does Texas International Freight ship coke drums from?
From the US Gulf, handled through our Houston base, to refineries and coker units worldwide.
