One of the premier sporting events taking place on U.S. soil this summer was the ICC (International Cricket Council) Men’s T20 World Cup, a series of cricket matches hosted in the New York City suburbs. But while Long Island’s Nassau County is known for its lawns and beaches, the native grass was deemed insufficient for international play.
That’s where global cargo logistics specialist DP World came into the picture. To make up for the native turf’s shortcomings, the Dubai-based company hauled 10 “pitches” of Florida-grown Bermuda grass 1,250 miles to the 34,000-seat cricket stadium and the nearby practice venue this spring. For those unfamiliar with the game of cricket, each pitch consists of a 60- by nine-foot strip of grass that’s situated in a bigger, 200,000-square-foot playing field.
The pitches were a particularly sensitive payload. Not only were they large and weighty (each pitch had to be cut into two pieces and hoisted onto trucks via crane), but the grass also had to be kept in top condition during its two-day journey. DP World says each individual pitch was meticulously prepared for transit and wrapped in order to prevent degradation en route to New York.
And the challenges didn’t end there. DP World was also responsible for coordinating a fleet of more than 20 vehicles and 40 drivers to transport the loads as well as for monitoring the condition of the pitches, which were outfitted with moisture and temperature probes, throughout the trip.
