Sea Freight

Sea freight services have a complicated logistics process that requires a reliable international freight forwarding company to get your cargo shipment to your required destination.

Such are the complexities of freight forwarding by sea, it is important that businesses choose the right freight forwarding agent to ensure the delivery of their goods within the agreed transit times.

Choosing a sea freight company that fits your specific requirements can prove to be tricky, even more so if you are using such sea freight services for the first time.

Having the certification for working in the industry is obviously a primary criteria, but there are other three other vital elements worth considering before hiring any shipping company.

International customs, port shutdowns, transit times and warehouse management are pertinent issues that a sea freight company should be thoroughly knowledgeable of and capable of addressing in order to offer a smooth shipping service.

These are matters that require experience and encompass the need to have an extensive network of agents in the destination country, as local knowledge is massively important.

Having a well-distributed network is crucial because it is an integral part of ensuring seamless and quick shipping for the clients

While lower rates are always a factor to consider, it should not overshadow the need for getting quality cargo forwarding services.

"You Get What You Pay For" - let this statement linger at the back of your mind as you consider the rates of various sea freight services.

The problem with selecting a company at the cheaper end of the price scale is that there is a reason they are cheaper than other companies and it generally comes down to service and additional costs.

Sending shipments of goods overseas is not always a smooth process and with many different stakeholders involved things often go wrong and when they do the cheaper companies simply cannot afford to put them right, meaning that these costs, often substantial, are passed on to the client!

Sea shipping, or ocean freight, enables a business to transport their goods internationally for sale in global markets.

International freight sea shipping involves the use of container ships that traverse the seas carrying billions of tonnes of cargo every year and whilst the individual unit costs are exorbitant, economies of scale make it an affordable way to move goods as full container load (FCL) are shared by multiple companies.

All the goods are packed into containers, in which transit space is booked through a freight forwarding company, and loaded onto a container ship, which then sails across the sea to its specified destination.

Upon reaching the destination port the goods are unloaded and with taxes and port duties settled by the shipping agent, are passed through customs and onward to the end destination.

In comparison ocean freight is charged per container and containers can be shared and the costs split which generally makes it more cost-effective.

Unlike by air, when you ship by sea weight is not usually a consideration - it is all about the size of the goods and how much space they take up.

In shared containers the costs are calculated on volume - often by the cubic metre.

So, the larger and heavier your shipping cargo the more likely it is to be cheaper to ship by sea, but as the size of the required shipment gets smaller, the differences in price reduce and in some circumstances it can actually end up being more expensive to send by sea!

The unqualified answer is it is cheaper to ship by sea than to use air, however there are many qualifications to this depending on size and volume of the shipments, destination, required transit time and various other considerations.

To be able to make an informed decision it is necessary to understand the different charging rates for air and ocean cargoes.

The complexity of factors influencing these rates means it is extremely important to hire an experienced and knowledgeable freight forwarding company to help you.

When sending goods by air freight the cost will be billed based on the 'chargeable weight'.

Chargeable weight depends on the size and weight of the object(s).

The easiest way is to call a freight-forwarding company and they will take care of it for you.

As a freight-forwarder, TE Shipping deal with all the logistics of sea transportation, communicating with all the different parties that are involved in the international shipping of goods.

We will liaise with the shipping line who are carrying your cargo, we will also make sure that all the relevant documentation and clearances are in order for customs at both the export and import end of the journey.

Finally we will arrange the unloading, warehousing and transportation, usually by road, to the end-user's destination.

As you can see there is a lot to deal with when shipping overseas and to avoid expensive mistakes you will definitely need a good, reliable freight-forwarder with lots of contacts and experience of shipping to your chosen destination.

Essential Tips To Choose A Sea Freight Company

Sea Freight Services

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