Stranded bike fleet in Baltimore: 25 containers, demurrage settled and $550K in duties recovered
The challenge
25 containers of electric bicycles arrived at the Port of Baltimore for a municipal contract, cleared customs and were drayed to a holding warehouse to await deployment. Then the contract fell through and the parent company went through a complete administrative change, leaving the project stranded.
Demurrage was accumulating with the shipping line, 3,550 bicycles sat in limbo, every unit contained a lithium battery that complicated disposal, and hundreds of thousands of dollars in paid duties had no product rollout behind them. The client needed a partner to take control, resolve the liabilities and recover value.
What we did
Container drayage
Removal of all 25 containers from the port to warehouse storage.
Unpack, skid and stack
All 3,550 bicycles offloaded and staged for storage.
Long-term storage
Five months of warehouse space secured and managed while new plans were finalized.
Deconstruction crew
Labor mobilized to disassemble bicycles, extract lithium batteries safely and prepare units for scrapping.
Transport to certified recyclers
Documented moves to certified scrap and battery recycling facilities.
Financial recovery
All paperwork monitored and processed for US Customs duty drawback.
Results
Demurrage contained: more than $300,000 in charges managed and settled directly with the shipping line, stopping further accumulation.
Capital recovered: more than $550,000 in duties returned to the client through duty drawback despite the failed contract.
Every lithium battery extracted and delivered to certified recyclers under documented safety protocols, with Total Connection managing each phase from port to scrap facility.
Have a program like this one?
Send the dimensions, weights, origin, destination and dates. A project coordinator replies with equipment, permits and a plan. 732-817-0401