Is TopAlpha's shipping service the best option from the EU?
The time to consider ocean freight comes when you are shipping freight in high volumes. Here are your directions on everything related to shipping by ocean, from picking the mode that's right for you to calculating transit times and costs.
Ocean Freight Meaning: What Is Ocean Freight?
Ocean freight transport involves shipping goods via shipping containers by sea.
Importers and exporters most frequently use ocean freight. 90 percent of all shipments are made by ocean freight and sea freight. There are other modes of international freight transport (courier, standard air freight, express air freight) that are faster, but they are also more expensive. Smaller shipments, and products with high values, are typically sent via these other modes.
For those whose air freight is too expensive but ocean shipping too slow, freight forwarders offer express shipping. Faster and less expensive than air freight, this service can be nearly as expedient as air freight. This method streamlines ocean freight processes and ties in the faster ocean services with premium trucking services.
Why Ship By Sea?
One container can hold up to ten thousand beer bottles! And ocean freight is cheaper. Any shipment weighing more than 500 kg is generally too heavy for air freight. You can use this chargeable weight calculator to find out whether your shipment will be charged by actual weight or dimensional weight if it is light. Our FBX index provides live rates for international shipping.
In recent times, there have been fewer restrictions on what goods are considered dangerous and what goods are not. International law, national law, carrier organization regulations, and individual carrier regulations all contribute to defining and restricting what goods are considered dangerous. A greater number of products are restricted as air cargo than ocean freight, including: gases (e. lamp bulbs), all things flammable (e.g. As an example, perfume, the Samsung Galaxy Note 7), toxic or corrosive items (e.g. batteries), magnetic substances (e.g. Public health risks (such as speakers), oxidizers, and biochemical products (such as chemical medicines) are all included in the report. untanned hides). Visit the Hazardous Material Table to find out more.
Seaborne CO2 emissions are minuscule in comparison with airborne CO2 emissions. Using this research as an example, 2 tonnes sent by ocean freight for 5000 kilometers will result in 150 kg of CO2 emissions, versus 6605 kg of CO2 emissions by air freight.
ocean freight
What Are The Downsides Of Ocean Freight?
Planes are 30 times faster than ocean liners. Aircraft can cruise at 575 mph, while ocean liners operate at 16-18 mph. Therefore, it is no surprise that shipping by air freight from China to the US usually takes at least 20 days longer than shipping by ocean freight.
There are generally more days spent on ocean freight than on air freight due to port congestion, customs delays, and bad weather conditions. It is often the case that tracking technologies available for air freight are more advanced than those available for ocean freight. The result is that ocean freight is more likely to get lost than air freight. It is especially true when the shipment is less than a container load. Despite this, digitization makes ocean freight more reliable.
The risk of damage or destruction of ocean freight is higher than that of air freight. This is because it is in transit for a much longer time, and because ships move more easily. You don't need to worry about ocean cargo falling off ships too much. According to urban myth, ten thousand containers per year are lost in the drink, but actually it's more like 546 of 120 million movements per year. Even less likely is piracy. Among the hotspots in recent years have been the Horn of Africa, the Gulf of Guinea, and the Malacca Straits.
Ocean Freight Services
Two further options under ocean and sea freight are a full container load (FCL) and a less than container load (LCL). The LCL method involves packing multiple shipments into one container. This leads to more work for the forwarder, as there is more paperwork involved as well as actual physical work involved with consolidating shipments and re-consolidating them after the main transit. This gives LCL three disadvantages:
Delivery of LCL shipments takes longer than FCL shipments. Normally, it is recommended that you allow one or two weeks for LCL.
LCL increases the likelihood of damage, misplacement, and loss.
LCL costs more per cubic meter.
Once your shipment is large enough, and shipping rates are cheaper for FCL, it might be worth sending a full container, even if you don't fill the entire container. The tipping point between LCL and FCL (the smallest sized container is a 20 footer) is somewhere around 15 cubic meters.
Sea Freight Rates per kg
A majority of LCL shipments are priced based on volume rather than weight, with the exception of particularly heavy goods.
You can use the following rules as a guide to selecting the most cost-effective mode for most products:
For shipments of 500 kg and more, air freight is no longer economical.
China-US shipments take around 30-40 days by sea, and ocean freight is around $2-$4 a kg.
For about $5-8 per kilogram, a US-China shipment between 150 kg and 500 kg can be economically shipped via air freight and take 8-10 days.
Air Shipment Track Air freight by express is faster but more expensive.
A package weighing less than 150 kg can be shipped by courier (express freight).
Your freight quote will include the following ocean and sea freight costs, rates, and charges:
Here are the items you can expect to see on ocean freight quotes and invoices: