Transatlantic export of an 11.5-metre Axopar 37 XC adventure cruiser, from cradle preparation and US export clearance through flat-rack ocean carriage and a Mediterranean transshipment, to a final handover in Mallorca.
An Axopar 37 XC made the crossing from Fort Lauderdale to Palma de Mallorca, moving from one of America’s busiest yachting hubs to the heart of the Balearic boating season. At 11.5 metres long and roughly 3.35 metres on the beam, this is a boat that will not fit inside a standard shipping container, so the crossing was planned around its true dimensions from the first phone call.
Fort Lauderdale to Mallorca is a well-worn yacht relocation route, but for a flat-rack export it isn’t a single sailing. There is no scheduled flat-rack or container liner service running direct between Fort Lauderdale and Palma — that direct port pairing exists only for the specialist charter and float-on/float-off yacht carriers. Moving the Axopar as flat-rack cargo meant routing it across the Atlantic to a Mediterranean hub port first, then on by feeder or short-sea service to Mallorca. Exporting a boat from the United States also means US export filing, a hull secured for weeks of open-ocean movement across two legs rather than one, and a handover in Spain.
Atlantic Project Cargo coordinated the export side of that journey: preparing and cradling the hull, booking suitable ocean space, assembling the export and shipping documents, and arranging the arrival handover in Palma.
The things that shaped this export were mostly settled before the boat ever moved: the hull’s size, how it was cradled and protected, how the US export was cleared, and what waited on the Spanish side.
The boat’s size rules out a container. At 11.5 metres long and about 3.35 metres wide, the Axopar 37 XC is well beyond the internal width of a standard container. That single fact drives the method: the hull travels cradled and secured rather than boxed, which shapes cost, booking, and handling from the outset.
A cradle is engineering, not packaging. A hull is not a crate. It has to be supported along its structural points and braced so it cannot shift, settle, or chafe across an Atlantic crossing. The cradle is built to the boat, and the securing plan assumes weeks of vessel motion.
Export starts with US filing. Moving a boat out of the United States is a formal export. The shipment needs the correct US export declaration and a document set that matches the hull, the buyer or owner, and the declared value. Atlantic Project Cargo prepared and filed the US export declaration (AES/EEI) on the owner’s behalf.
Palma is an import as much as a destination. Arriving in Spain means meeting EU and Spanish import formalities before the boat is free to use. The arrival handover was planned around that reality, not just the berth. The destination scope covered port-to-port release in Palma with import clearance handled by a local Spanish agent.
Weather protection matters on deck cargo. A boat carried on open deck or on a flat rack is exposed to salt, spray, and sun for the whole voyage. Protecting the hull, fittings, and any vulnerable surfaces is part of preparation, not an afterthought at the quay.
Condition is recorded before it leaves. A high-value hull needs a clear pre-shipment condition record and identifying details, so its exact state on departure is documented and there is a factual baseline for the arrival.
There’s no direct sailing to Palma. Palma de Mallorca isn’t served by a scheduled transatlantic flat-rack service – that direct pairing exists only for specialist yacht carriers. This export routed across the Atlantic to a Mediterranean hub port first, then on to the island by feeder/short-sea service.
Shipping a boat this size across the Atlantic carries four practical dangers: a hull damaged in transit, a US export held up on paperwork, a boat left exposed to the elements, and a costly snag at the Spanish border. Each was planned for.
A boat that is badly supported or loosely secured can crack gelcoat, stress its hull, or shift on the vessel. On a crossing measured in weeks, a small movement repeated thousands of times becomes real damage.
The Axopar was set into a cradle matched to its hull and braced so it could not move during handling or at sea. The cradle was a steel-and-timber frame profiled to the hull’s deadrise, with the vessel chained and lashed to the flat rack at reinforced structural points.
An incomplete or inconsistent export filing can hold a boat at origin, cause it to miss its vessel, and push the whole timeline back, with storage building up while the paperwork is corrected.
The US export declaration and the supporting documents were prepared to match the hull, ownership, and value before booking cut-off. Atlantic Project Cargo filed the US Electronic Export Information (EEI) through AES and assembled it alongside the commercial invoice, bill of sale, and title/registration documents.
Carried on deck or on a flat rack, the boat faces salt spray, UV, and moving air for the length of the crossing, which can mark surfaces and corrode fittings if the hull is unprotected.
The hull and vulnerable fittings were protected for open-ocean carriage before loading, so the boat was covered against the conditions it would meet. Shrink-wrap over a padded frame protected the hull and superstructure, with deck fittings, electronics, and glass individually wrapped.
A boat can reach the Mediterranean and still sit, if the onward connection to Palma or the import formalities are not ready. Missing or mismatched documents at the EU border, or a missed feeder connection, can mean storage, demurrage, and a delayed launch.
The export documents and shipping paperwork were assembled so the boat arrived ready for the agreed destination handling, with the onward feeder connection to Palma booked to align with the transatlantic leg’s arrival at the Mediterranean hub port. A Palma-based customs agent handled Spanish import clearance, with launch coordinated locally at the receiving marina.
The export ran through eight stages, from the first booking through to the handover in Palma.
Route, ocean option, and the boat’s dimensions confirmed
1 weekHull condition and identifying details documented
2 daysBoat cradled, braced, and protected for the crossing
3 daysExport declaration and shipping documents completed
2 daysBoat loaded and secured aboard the vessel at Fort Lauderdale
1 dayCarried from Fort Lauderdale to Palma de Mallorca
3 weeksTrans-shipped by feeder/short-sea service to Palma de Mallorca.
1 weekReleased in Palma for destination handling.
4 daysThree phases held the real work of this export: preparing and cradling the hull, clearing it out of the United States, and getting it across and handed over in Palma.
Before the Axopar left the yard, its condition was recorded and its identifying details captured, giving a documented starting point for the crossing. The hull was then set into a cradle matched to its shape and braced so it could not move, with vulnerable surfaces and fittings protected against salt, spray, and sun for the open-ocean leg.
The aim through this phase was to hand the vessel to the carrier already prepared, so nothing about the boat’s readiness was left to the terminal. The cradle was a steel-and-timber frame built to the hull’s lines, with shrink-wrap and padded protection applied by Atlantic Project Cargo’s yard team ahead of loading.
Condition record — Pre-shipment documentation of the hull’s state, supporting the arrival baseline and any insurance need.
Hull identification — Boat details captured and checked against the commercial and shipping documents.
Cradle and bracing — Set into a hull-matched cradle and braced against movement in transit.
Exporting the boat out of the United States meant preparing the export filing and a document set consistent with the hull, its ownership, and its declared value. The paperwork was assembled and checked ahead of the vessel’s cut-off, so the shipment was ready to load rather than waiting on corrections.
Atlantic Project Cargo completed the US export declaration.
Export declaration — US export filing prepared to match the hull and value, and filed by Atlantic Project Cargo.
Document package — Commercial invoice, ownership documentation, and shipping papers assembled and checked.
Booking alignment — Documents readied against the ocean booking and its cut-off.
With the boat loaded and secured, the Axopar crossed from Fort Lauderdale to a Mediterranean hub port, where it was transshipped onward by feeder/short-sea service to Palma de Mallorca. On the Spanish side, the boat was handed over for the agreed destination handling, which is where EU and Spanish import formalities apply before an owner can use the vessel.
A Palma-based customs agent handled Spanish import clearance, with launch and final delivery to the owner’s berth coordinated locally.
Ocean carriage — Booked and carried on a service suited to a cradled hull of this size.
Shipment tracking — Followed from departure at Fort Lauderdale to arrival in Palma.
Destination handover — Released per the agreed scope. A Palma-based customs agent handled Spanish import clearance, with launch and final delivery coordinated at the receiving marina.
Atlantic Project Cargo coordinates international boat and yacht shipping for owners, dealers, and builders, including hull preparation and cradling, ocean booking, export documentation, and arrival coordination. Marine cargo insurance can be arranged for the crossing.
Every phase of the shipment, what happened in it, and how long it took — door to door.
The Axopar 37 XC was prepared, cradled, and documented for export, loaded at Fort Lauderdale, carried by sea via a Mediterranean hub port, and transshipped to Palma de Mallorca, where it was handed over according to the agreed destination scope.
Hull surveyed, cradled, and protected for the Atlantic crossing
Prepared for US export with a matching document set (filing responsibility: Atlantic Project Cargo)
Followed from departure at Fort Lauderdale, via a Mediterranean hub port, to arrival in Palma
Released in Palma per the agreed scope (import clearance: local Spanish customs agent; launch: coordinated with receiving marina)
A JLG boom lift bought at auction in the United States needed to reach a buyer in India, and the challenge was not the distance but the shape of the machine. A boom lift is tall, long, and awkward, and in its working configuration it does not fit inside a standard shipping container. Left as […]
Shipped United States → Greece
This case follows the export of a John Deere CP690 cotton picker from Alabama, USA to Thessaloniki, Greece — combining inland lowboy transport, mechanical disassembly, and strict EU phytosanitary compliance, executed via flat rack container since no direct RoRo route exists on this lane. Weighing in at roughly 55,000–65,000 pounds even in its disassembled shipping […]
Shipped United States → Brazil
Moving a single piece of massive agricultural machinery across the world involves standard logistical hurdles. Moving a fleet of CP690 and CP770 units simultaneously multiplies those hurdles exponentially — Brazil enforces some of the strictest agricultural import regulations globally, and risk multiplies with every additional unit on the manifest. The objective: full compliance with Brazilian […]
