Most of the ship loaders are fixed installations, which cannot be removed from the quay, but there are also mobile versions. The challenge of mobile shiploaders is to bring the material from the quay in a short stretch to the height of the ship's deck to the hatch. In order to transport the material with conveyor belts over steep inclines reaching angles of up to 50° the material is sandwiched between two conveyor belts to prevent it from dumpling down.

An example of a large mobile ship loader can be found in the Port of Adelaide, Australia. It is used to load a variety of high value ores from trucks to ship. Materials for export is trucked to the dock and dumped onto a special trap loader type feeder. The ore is fed continuously and uniformly onto the mobile snake's receiving chute. The snake ship loader elevates the bulk over the ship's deck to the hatch where it is discharged into the ship's hold.