With the Chop Shop DLC, Rockstar Games has introduced some new heist-style robberies in GTA Online, giving players the chance to score serious in-game cash every week. You team up with the notorious Yusuf Amir from GTA IV for these robberies.
To get in on the action, you need to own the Salvage Yard business in GTA Online. However, you’re limited to three robberies per week. Once you’ve pulled off the job, you’ll have to wait a week before going back for more.
Each heist comes with bonus challenges. Nail one, and you pocket $10,000. Hit all three and you’re looking at an extra $20,000 bonus on top. So, adding it up, and you can get $50,000 by completing all the bonus challenges.
This guide is a comprehensive walkthrough for successfully completing The Cargo Ship Robbery in GTA Online, including tips for effectively handling the associated bonus challenges. There’s also a video guide embedded directly above.
Scope Out: Docks
You must take a picture of three points of interest at the Elysian Island docks.
Point of Interest 1
The first point of interest is a shipping manifest inside a small office cabin.
There is one guard outside the office. Even though he is facing away from the cabin, he will come after you once you get inside.
The best way to deal with this situation is to knock out the guard using a non-lethal melee weapon. Equip a melee weapon and wait for the guard to enter the cabin as you wait for him.
Once he gets inside, take him out before he can alert the others in the area.
Once the guard has been taken care of, you can take a picture of the shipping manifest and send it to Jamal to register your first point of interest.
Point of Interest 2
The second point of interest is the container lock. You will see a container with a blue arrow on the lock of the container.
Be careful of the vision cones of the workers and try not to stay in them for too long, or you will get detected.
Point of Interest 3
The third point of interest is the main set of containers on the ship.
Once you’ve taken the pictures of all the points of interest, return to the Salvage Yard to complete the scope out mission.
Tasks
Tasks are mandatory prep missions you must complete to do the final robbery. These are just as important as the planning works, which we will get to shortly. Tasks are considered one of the major prerequisites of the robbery, except the optional tasks, which are not mandatory.
You can see your tasks laid out on the planning screen. However, you cannot start your tasks from the planning screen. These are available for you to complete in free roam.
When you go to the task location, you will see a green highlighted circle on the ground.
Walk up to the green marker, and you will get an option to interact with it to start the task.
For the Cargo Ship robbery, you have three mandatory and one optional task.
Task 1: Bolt Cutters
In this task, you need to steal the bolt cutters from the marked site. You will see a yellow highlighted area on your minimap. The bolt cutters can be anywhere inside this area.
The most common building with bolt cutters is the long warehouse.
You might not be able to see the bolt cutters at first since it can be quite dark if the mission is at night time. But they are always on a table or a shelf inside the warehouse.
When you get closer to the bolt cutters, they are automatically located and highlighted on the map with a green duffle bag icon.
Once you grab the bolt cutters, some workers around the area will start to attack you, and you will get a 2-star wanted level.
Lose the cops and deliver the bolt cutters to your Salvage Yard to complete this task.
Task 2: Boat
In this task, you need to steal a boat from a storage facility.
When you get inside the storage facility, you will find a lot of enemies protecting the boats.
Once you get a notification about using one of the pickup trucks to hook onto a trailer carrying a boat, two more enemies will spawn behind you and approach you from the same location you came in from.
Once all the enemies are defeated, get into one of the pickup trucks and back it into one of the trailers carrying the boat. It will automatically hook to the trailer.
When you exit the storage facility, deliver the boat to your Salvage Yard to complete the mission.
The boat is needed to get to the cargo ship during the robbery. However, there is an easier method we will use to get on the cargo ship and also complete one of the bonus challenges. More on it below.
We are only doing this mission as it is a mandatory pre-requirement.
Task 3: Flares
In this task, you need to steal a flare box. For this task, you can get a random location.
You will get a yellow highlighted site, and you’re looking for a white flare box, which is somewhere in the middle of the highlighted area.
In the case of the docks (our location), the flare box was in the middle of the highlighted area on a stack of bricks.
If you get the beach as your location, you will find the box resting on the railing of a lifeguard tower.
Once you collect the flares, the surrounding workers will attack you.
Task 4: Masks (Optional)
The masks play zero role in the robbery. They are included only for the sake of just wearing the mask, which has become a part of the meta in GTA Online heists.
However, if you’re still interested in purchasing the mask and completing this task, you can head to the Vespucci Beach mask shop.
Purchase any mask set, and it will be registered as completed.
Planning Work
Planning missions are the most important preparatory missions for any Chop Shop robbery in GTA Online.
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You can start all your planning work missions from the planning screen by accessing the computer from your Salvage Yard.
Planning Work 1: Sabotage and Disguise
In this mission, you must destroy some critical records and steal the Coast Guard outfit for the robbery. For this, you must go to the marked LSPA (Los Santos Port Authority) office. The location you get is completely random.
So far, we’ve had one at the Del Perro Pier and the Elysian Island. In this guide, we got the Elysian Island LSPA office. Regardless of the location, the mission structure is exactly the same.
When you get to the LSPA office, you need to find a circuit box that is always nearby. You need to turn off the security cameras using the circuit box so you can enter the office.
Side note: if you get the Del Perro Pier as your location, you will find the circuit box behind a big blue stair wall.
When you get inside, you first need to make your way to the computer at the far end of the office and hack it.
After accessing the computer, click ‘My Computer’ and ‘External Device (J:).’
You will get a mini-game where you must freeze each column when the highlighted letter is within the horizontal blue strip.
Once you’ve completed the hack, it will wipe all digital records of the La’oub Princess, the cargo ship you will rob.
Next, you need to plant three explosives on the marked areas inside the office.
Finally, you need to go to the metal shelf to look for the Coast Guard outfit. You’re looking for a yellow duffle bag. It will be highlighted for you once you get close enough.
Once you’ve acquired the Coast Guard outfit, exit the LSPA office. Get inside your vehicle and get to a safe distance.
After blowing up the explosives, deliver the outfits to the Salvage Yard to complete this mission.
Planning Work 2: Skylift
This planning work can get a bit difficult, especially if you’re not prepared enough.
First, you need to go to a marked location to steal a Skylift. The location you get is completely random. So far, we’ve gotten Sandy Shores Airfield and Fort Zancudo.
In this guide, we got Sandy Shores Airfield. However, regardless of the location, the mission structure is exactly the same for both (or all) locations.
When you get to the location, take cover by any nearby options (sand-filled boxes or containers) and take out as many soldiers as possible.
Once you’ve eliminated enough soldiers, enemy attack choppers will spawn.
You must take out the choppers before you can steal the Skylift. You will get 2-3 enemy choppers. For some reason, we only got one in this playthrough.
We’re assuming that is because we started firing at the chopper from a fair distance as soon as the first one spawned.
After eliminating the enemy choppers, get into the Skylift and lose the cops.
After losing the cops, deliver the Skylift to the marked location.
Planning Work 3: Disrupt Air Support (Optional)
This is an optional mission, but we highly recommend doing this as it will reduce enemy air support during the robbery.
It will also make it easier for you to get the bonus challenge that requires the Skylift’s health to be above 80%. If there is a lack of enemy air support, the Skylift won’t receive a lot of damage.
Just like any other disruption mission, this one is also timed. So, we recommend either using an Oppressor Mark II or a Buzzard for this mission. You will have 10 minutes to complete it.
You will be directed to go to the pilot’s house. He will also have his own chopper parked outside of his house. Feel free to destroy it for fun.
Head inside the pilot’s house and eliminate him.
After that, interact with his computer to locate the other air supports.
Once located, you must fly to three different locations and destroy the enemy Mavericks.
After you’ve destroyed the third one, your disruption mission will be complete.
The Cargo Ship Robbery
Before you start this robbery, it is best to stock up on snacks and armor.
Once ready, you can start the robbery by using the computer from your Salvage Yard.
One of the bonus challenges of this mission is to getting to the bridge of the cargo ship without alerting the guards. You can achieve this easily by simply calling for your Buzzard and flying to the cargo ship.
You don’t have to drive to Elysian Island and take the Dinghy to the cargo ship. If you take the Dinghy, you’re at a higher risk of getting caught by the Coast Guards.
First, call in your CEO vehicle, the Buzzard, and fly to the cargo ship.
Make sure you fly high enough, or else you will be detected.
When you reach your marker, fly slightly ahead of the marker and the ship so the Buzzard crashes away from the cargo ship when you exit.
Jump and parachute onto the cargo ship.
After that, climb up the stairs and the ladder. Take out the first guard using your suppressed weapon.
Go to the right side, and you finally reach the bridge.
Head inside and take out the captain and the second guard. At this point, no matter what you do, the alarm will go off. But don’t worry, as you’ve already completed the bonus challenge, which was to reach the bridge without alerting the guards.
Once they’re dead, search the captain’s body to get the terminal codes.
Use the codes to access the terminal and locate the containers.
Now, some containers will be marked on the minimap for you to go to and check. Before you do anything, take out the enemy helicopter by climbing on the platform on the right side of the bridge.
While you’re here, take out as many enemies as possible from this vantage point.
Afterward, go down from the left side and be careful of the coast guards on the Dinghy.
There’s also one guard on the far right side of this level.
Take the stairs to the lower level and continue moving forward while taking out enemies.
From here, take a right turn and then go forward from the right side.
When you reach the second open area with ventilation units, check your left, as a guard will be on the platform to your left. There will be another one on the platform to your right.
Once you’ve taken these soldiers out, climb up to your first container and use the bolt cutters to open it up.
Remember, the BF Weevil spawns in a random container every time you do this mission.
The pathway to all the other containers is somewhat connected and you won’t have too much trouble getting to them. Just try not to jump down again.
Once you’ve located the container with the vehicle, go to either side of the container and interact with it to attach a flare.
After that, you need to get into one of the sparrows on the ship and protect the Skylift. This is one of the bonus challenges.
Fortunately, the enemy air support is minimal since we’ve completed the optional disruption planning mission.
Now, just deliver the BF Weevil to your Salvage Yard to complete this robbery mission.
That concludes our Cargo Ship Robbery with all the bonus challenges done!
Selling the Vehicle
You can now sell the BF Weevil to Yusuf Amir for the maximum score of $260,000 or salvage it for a quick $208,000. This vehicle has a lower value than some of the vehicles found in other robbery missions, such as The Gangbanger Robbery.
We always recommend selling it to Yusuf, whether you’re doing the Gangbanger Robbery or the Duggan Robbery, always sell the vehicle to Yusuf Amir.
If you choose to sell it, Yusuf, you must drive the vehicle to the docks terminal.
Cash Reward
- Selling to Yusuf: $260,000
- Salvaging Parts: $208,000
Bonus Challenges
The following are the bonus challenges covered in this robbery:
- No lives lost: $10,000
- Reach the bridge undetected: $10,000
- Over 80% Skylift health remaining: $10,000
- All Challenges Completed: $20,000
Feel free to check out our guides on how to complete The Gangbanger Robbery, The Duggan Robbery, The Podium Robbery, and The McTony Robbery with all the bonus challenges.
