Chinese Bike Fleet — Baltimore, MD
Chinese bike rental manufacturer with a municipal contract for the City of Baltimore. 25 containers of electric bicycles shipped to Port of Baltimore for deployment.
What they were up against.
A Chinese bike rental manufacturer shipped 25 containers of electric bicycles into the Port of Baltimore to fulfill a municipal contract with the City of Baltimore. Shortly after arrival and customs clearance, the containers were drayed to a holding warehouse to await deployment.
When the contract unexpectedly fell through and the Chinese parent company underwent a complete administrative change, the entire project was left stranded. Rising demurrage costs with shipping lines while containers sat unclaimed. 3,550 bicycles in limbo with uncertain inventory status. Complex disposal requirements due to lithium batteries in every unit. Financial exposure of hundreds of thousands of dollars in paid duties with no product rollout.
The client needed a partner to take control, resolve liabilities, and extract value from what had become a failed deployment.
How Total Connection solved it.
Total Connection stepped in to manage the project end-to-end:
Container Drayage: Coordinated removal of 25 containers from the port to warehouse storage.
Unpack, Skid & Stack: Offloaded and staged all 3,550 bicycles for storage.
Long-Term Storage: Secured and managed five months of warehouse space while new plans were finalized.
Deconstruction Crew: Mobilized labor to disassemble bicycles, safely extract lithium batteries, and prepare units for scrapping.
Transportation to Scrap Facility: Coordinated secure, documented moves to certified recyclers.
Financial Recovery: Monitored and processed all paperwork for U.S. Customs duty drawback, returning over $550,000 in duties to the client.
The Results.
Containers Managed
Demurrage Settled
Duty Drawback Recovered
What changed.
Demurrage liabilities contained — $300,000+ in charges managed and settled directly with the shipping line, preventing further accumulation.
Assets recovered — client regained significant capital through successful duty drawback, returning over $550,000 in duties despite the failed contract.
Environmental compliance ensured — all lithium batteries safely extracted and delivered to certified recyclers under strict safety protocols.
Operational continuity — Total Connection provided a structured path forward after complete administrative upheaval overseas, managing every phase from port to scrap facility.
From stranded cargo to financial recovery, Total Connection provides end-to-end logistics and compliance solutions that protect client investments and turn setbacks into recoveries.
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