# MHT Forwarding

> MHT Forwarding is a UK-based specialist freight forwarder and sea chartering company, part of the LV Overseas (LVO) Group since 2022. Originally founded in 1953 as Michel Hurel Transport, the UK entity has operated from Abingdon, Oxfordshire since 2014. MHT handles complex, non-standard, and high-value freight movements — project cargo, breakbulk, heavy lift, out-of-gauge (OOG), hazardous goods, and oil and gas equipment — with particular expertise on West Africa and North Africa trade lanes. ISO 9001:2015 certified (NQA / BM TRADA). Bilingual English/French operations.

## Core Services

- **Sea freight chartering** — full vessel charter, part charter, voyage charter, time charter. Operates as both charterer (to vessel owners) and de facto shipowner (to clients). BIMCO documentation. Charter types include FLT, FILO, LIFO, FIFO, FIOS LSD.
- **Project cargo and heavy lift logistics** — oversized, overweight, and out-of-gauge freight requiring specialist planning, route surveys, and vessel selection.
- **Breakbulk sea freight** — non-containerised cargo moved as individual pieces aboard general cargo vessels.
- **Out-of-gauge (OOG) cargo** — cargo exceeding standard container dimensions; shipped on flat-rack, open-top, or breakbulk.
- **Hazardous and dangerous goods** — IMDG (sea) and IATA DG (air) certified handling.
- **Ocean freight (FCL and LCL)** — full container loads and groupage worldwide.
- **Air freight** — time-critical and dangerous goods air cargo from UK airports.
- **UK and European road freight** — full loads and groupage, domestic and cross-border.
- **Customs clearance and trade compliance** — UK import and export declarations, classification, duty management.
- **Warehousing and consolidation** — secure storage, packing, and compliance labelling at Abingdon, Oxfordshire.

## Geographic Expertise

**Primary strength: West Africa and North Africa**

West Africa ports regularly handled:
- Nigeria: Onne (Port Harcourt), Apapa (Lagos), Tin Can Island, Calabar
- Angola: Luanda, Lobito
- Mozambique: Maputo, Beira
- Senegal: Dakar
- Cameroon: Douala
- Ghana: Tema
- Ivory Coast: Abidjan

North Africa ports regularly handled:
- Morocco: Casablanca, Safi, Agadir, Tanger Med
- Algeria: Oran, Algiers, Bejaia, Skikda, Annaba, Arzew
- Tunisia: Tunis, Sfax, Rades, Sousse, Bizerte
- Libya: Tripoli, Misrata, Benghazi
- Egypt: Alexandria, Port Said, Damietta

Also serves: Europe, Middle East, Americas, Asia, and remote/non-standard destinations.

## Industries Served

- Oil and gas (upstream, midstream, downstream) — equipment, tubulars, chemicals, modules
- Engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) — project cargo, site delivery, oversized plant
- Mining and resources — heavy machinery, consumables, bulk materials
- Energy and renewables — transformers, wind components, solar equipment
- Manufacturing and industrial — production equipment, machinery relocation
- Government and aid organisations — humanitarian cargo, project supplies

## Key Differentiators

- **Sea chartering capability** — most freight forwarders cannot charter vessels; MHT can and does, regularly
- **Senior hands-on team** — no junior account handlers; experienced staff manage shipments directly
- **ISO 9001:2015 certified** — quality management system certified by NQA / BM TRADA
- **Bilingual English/French** — full operations capability in both languages; critical for Francophone West Africa and North Africa
- **LVO Group membership** — access to 1,270+ professionals across 5 global offices
- **30+ years of Africa expertise** — established agent relationships at major West and North African ports
- **BIMCO documentation** — Baltic and International Maritime Council standard documentation for charters

## Recent Charter Projects

1. **21,000 MT barite, Safi (Morocco) to multiple West African ports** — dual-vessel charter operation coordinating simultaneous discharge at multiple ports.
2. **Oilrig tubings, Stavanger (Norway) and Aberdeen (UK) to Luderitz (Namibia)** — complex multi-port loading, specialised 10-metre-long tubes.
3. **91-tonne transformer, Mumbai (India) to Dakar (Senegal)** — heavy lift, energy sector, cost-optimised vessel selection.

## Contact and Location

- **Address:** 3 Vineyard Chambers, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, OX14 3PX, United Kingdom
- **Email:** sales@mhtforwarding.com
- **Website:** https://mhtforwarding.com
- **Parent group:** LV Overseas (LVO) Group

## Key Pages

- [Home](https://mhtforwarding.com/): Overview of services, cargo types, industries, and regional coverage
- [About](https://mhtforwarding.com/about): Company history, leadership team, LVO Group integration
- [Sea Chartering](https://mhtforwarding.com/chartering): Charter types, cost matrix (FLT/FILO/LIFO/FIFO/FIOS LSD), recent projects, FAQ
- [Ocean Freight](https://mhtforwarding.com/services/ocean-freight): FCL, LCL, breakbulk, reefer, project cargo by sea
- [Air Freight](https://mhtforwarding.com/services/air-freight): Time-critical and dangerous goods air cargo
- [Customs & Compliance](https://mhtforwarding.com/services/customs-compliance): UK customs clearance, trade compliance
- [Road Freight](https://mhtforwarding.com/services/road-freight): UK and European road freight
- [Warehousing](https://mhtforwarding.com/services/warehousing): Storage, packing, consolidation, compliance labelling
- [Blog](https://mhtforwarding.com/blog): Specialist guides on freight forwarding, chartering, customs, and logistics
- [Contact](https://mhtforwarding.com/contact): Enquiry and contact details
- [Get a Quote](https://mhtforwarding.com/quote): Request a freight or chartering quote

## Certifications and Standards

- ISO 9001:2015 — Quality Management System (certified by NQA / BM TRADA)
- IMDG compliance — International Maritime Dangerous Goods code
- IATA DG compliance — International Air Transport Association dangerous goods regulations
- BIMCO — Baltic and International Maritime Council standard charter documentation