Ocean Freight Shipping
What is Ocean Freight Shipping? Here’s What You Need to Know
Ocean freight is considered to be the cheapest and the best mode of transportation especially for shipments that weigh more than a certain amount. Road, air and railway are also important methods of shipping and each has a role to play in the supply chain landscape for transporting light to heavy goods. However, when it comes to moving huge quantities of goods around the world, ocean freight is still the most accepted.
For cars to toys, from food to industrial chemicals, the goods that consumers rely on everyday often arrive through ocean freight shipping. The best thing is the more load you ship, the more you save and it is the general rule when sending freight by sea.
How Ocean Freight is Different from Other Modes of Transport
If you have not dealt with ocean freight before, you might need to be aware of some important things. To begin with, sending goods via sea is a little different from using a usual logistics provider. For independent shipping, you need to ensure that the carrier allows the required space for your goods. Furthermore, it can be tough and sometimes highly expensive to secure the carrier space hence, it is an ideal option to choose the services of a professional 3PL provider. Also you have to make special arrangements at the destination. For instance if the city you are shipping to doesn't have a port, make an arrangement for other carrier transport after the goods reach the nearest sea port.
Important Things to Know About Ocean Freight
Choosing a qualified international shipping company to handle custom freight through sea helps you understand all the viable options for instance container solutions, freight charges, any hidden fees, custom freight tracking and more. Before you start with marine Freight, here are some of the important things you need to know:
A whole shipping container may be too much for you
Most first-time shippers assume they will need full containers for their products. However, you must be aware that if your load is less than a particular weight, check if other freight forwarding companies can help you ship less-than-container loads. This means your goods will be consolidated with other shipments which would ultimately save you money.Costs are simpler that they sound
Importing and exporting goods across international borders might seem an expensive fair. However, ocean freight services are easier to price out than other transportation options such as air freight forwarding. Sharing containers or sending heavy loads at once are among various ways to manage charges.Be mindful of the hidden costs
International shipping freight companies may help you with hidden costs involved in transportation. One of the most obvious costs on your shipping invoice may be fuel charges. So don’t be afraid to ask about the fuel surcharges and get the freight costs from reliable freight forwarding companies.Take extra care of packaging your goods
It is essential to take care of some things regarding proper packaging of your goods. The container will have to be lifted on and off the ship, possibly with a crane, hence make sure you consider proper packaging while considering ocean freight shipping for transportation of goods.
If you choose the right shipping agency, ocean freight forwarding can be made easier. Find the most reliable company and consider all the factors carefully that are involved with shipping of goods.