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One of the oldest practices of transporting goods is sea freight. It's also known as ocean or maritime freight. Along with road and air freight, it's among the services provided by DocShipper and GenX Freight.
When sea freight transport services come to mind, perhaps you imagine countless shipping containers on a big boat. Such imagery would be accurate, but there's a lot more that goes into the logistics.
In this article, we'll talk a little more about how sea freight works. But we'll primarily focus on the significant benefits of choosing this mode of freight transport over any other.
What Is Sea Freight, and How Does It Work?
Essentially, sea freight forwarding is the process of organizing the shipping of goods on carrier ships. Shipping companies pack the goods into metal containers and load them onto the vessel.
Typically, one cargo ship might carry close to 18,000 containers. This fact alone makes sea freight a cost-effective solution for transporting large quantities of goods, especially over long distances.
Keep in mind that sea freight is only one of the cogs in the larger machine, which is the supply chain management system. What GenX Freight can do for their clients is listen to their needs and make the decisions that best work for them.
DocShipper Tips : It's not just about reaching for the established network of contacts but rather customizing the services that deliver the best results. In order to guarantee these results the wisest way is to contact the professionalsÂ
Types of Sea Freight Transport
There are several categories of cargo transported by sea.
First, container cargo represents shipping items such as:
Computers
Clothing
Toys
Meat and food
Liquid bulk is another category and includes things like:
Fuel oil
Crude oil
Petrol
These vessels need to be monitored frequently and be subjected to vetting inspections.
Dry bulk freight includes:
Sand
Coal
Cement
Grain
Salt
Sugar
Dry bulk freight also involves fertilizers, minerals, etc. These, too, require special measures and visual monitoring.
Break bulk is the final category of sea freight. It defines shipping items such as:
Furniture
Art
Motor parts
Farm machinery
These items are usually loaded into crates, barrels, and boxes.
Tip DocShipper : In case you need assistance during your expedition contact a team of professionals who will help you manage your project's workflow
The Major Benefits of Sea Freight Transport
Now you understand how sea freight transport works, we should also highlight why it might be the best option for your business.
Every method of freight forwarding has its unique benefits and downsides, so let's focus on sea freight specifically.
Sea Freight Is Economical
One of the main reasons small to medium-sized businesses might need sea freight transport services is budgetary limitations.
If you need to ship something far away, air freight might be too expensive. Sea freight costs are incredibly competitive and usually the best solution for shipping large goods long distances.
Sea Freight Is Efficient
When you need to ship something via sea, there are several ways to go about it. Smaller shipments are easily put together with other freight to fill a container, for example.
It allows for cost-sharing services. On the other hand, if you need an entire vessel for a shipment, that can be arranged too.
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Sea Freight Is Safe
One of the reasons why so many business owners choose sea freight is safety precautions. When you have hazardous material to transport, the sea is the best option.
The entire sea freight forwarding industry, such as DocShipper and GenX Freight, is incredibly well-versed in handling such goods. Regulations in the sea freight industry have come a long way, and the containers are safe and sealed during transport.
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Sea Freight Is Environmentally Friendly
Many business owners are understandably worried about the environmental impact of cargo transport. Road and air freight, in particular, will likely need to be closely regulated in the future to minimize the effect on climate change and the environment.
In comparison, sea freight has a much lower carbon footprint, which puts it at an advantage over the other two methods.
DocShipper Advice : It's cost-effective, safe, and environmentally friendly, among other things. Contact DocShipper Freight, in order to get more information about our sea freight transport services.
The Sea Can Transport Your Goods Anywhere
For domestic freight forwarding or from the UK to another European country, road freight is the usual go-to option. However, when you need to ship to somewhere far away, like the US or Asia, sea freight comes with many benefits.
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FAQ | The Advantages of Sea Freight Transport Services
What is the difference between FCL and LCL ?
The sea freight is divided between two modes : FCL vs LCL. The first one is simply meaning Full container load and designates the fact of using the entire container for one shipment or one client. The second one is made for those who have smaller volume but want to use the sea freight mostly because it is too big for planes or for economic reason. So the LCL consists in a container shared by different users with different shipments that are not linked between them. So if you want to ship a small volume that is too big for airplanes, chose the LCL. The only inconvenient is that the manutention operations of loading and unloading can be an additionnal cost. That's why from 13/14CBM even if you won't feel the totality of the container, it is cheaper to choose the FCL because there is no manutention costs.
What are thedifferent methods for special cargo in sea freight ?
You're willing to transport special cargo and you're not ure it would fit in a regular container ? There is many different ways of transporting special products. Well known from the one that are transporting fruits, meat, medicine or perishable goods, the reefer containers have a regulated temperature and can keep the good conditions for your goods. The RORO containers are made for the vehicles mainly, in front or at the back of the boat they allow to store vehicles from cars to boat and are easier to move thanks to the rolling system. Bulk transport are made for huge amount of goods that are in bulk like for example coal or cement, and they are usually in the ship's hold to be protected from weather conditions. Don't hesitate to contact us to request one these special mode of transport.
How to go through the custom clearance ?
If you're an importer, you might already know that a product needs to go through customs clearance in the import country to be able to enter. For those that just heard the term of custom clearance here is the explanation. The customs will require documents depending on the nature of the product, including the invoice, packing list, some certificates, MSDS if it's a dangerous good. If one of these is missing you'll have to find a way to clear the parcel from customs. At docshipper, we are experts in customs clearance since we have experience and good relations with the customs around the world. Don't hesitate to conatct us to know more about our service.
Is there a way to track my shipment ?
Like when for uber, people are willing to follow the way of te deliveryman, it is normal that you want to track your shipment. At Docshipper, thanks to the personnalized agent we'll provide you, you'll be free to contact him at any time so that he can give your the location of the cargo in real time.
DocShipper Advise : We help you with the entire sourcing process so don't hesitate to contact us if you have any questions!
- Having trouble finding the appropriate product? Enjoy our sourcing services, we directly find the right suppliers for you!
- You don't trust your supplier? Ask our experts to do quality control to guarantee the condition of your goods!
- Do you need help with the logistics? Our international freight department supports you with door to door services!
- You don't want to handle distribution? Our 3PL department will handle the storage, order fulfillment, and last-mile delivery!
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