Shipping to the EU - What is the cheapest option?

Ocean freight should be considered when sending large amounts of freight. You can find everything you need to know about ocean shipping, from determining the right mode to calculating costs.

Ocean Freight Meaning: What Is Ocean Freight?

The ocean freight transport is the shipping of goods by sea in shipping containers.

Transport by ocean is the most common mode for importers and exporters. 9 out of 10 shipments are sent by ocean freight or sea freight. Other modes of international freight transport (courier, standard air freight, express air freight) are also faster, but more expensive. In general, these other methods are used for smaller shipments, or for products of high value.

For shipments that are too expensive by air or too slow by ocean, some freight forwarders offer express courier services. As fast as air freight, but at a lower price, this is often the most cost-effective option. This method streamlines ocean freight processes and ties in the faster ocean services with premium trucking services.

Why Ship By Sea?

Capacity and value One container holds 10000 beer bottles! And ocean freight is cheaper. To Ship Any shipment weighing more than 500 kg is too expensive 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. FBX provides live international shipping rates.

The number of restrictions on the transport of dangerous goods is lessened through the harmonisation of international law, national law, and regulations of individual carriers. As a general rule, air cargo is more restricted than ocean freight, including: gases (e.g. lamp bulbs), all things flammable (e.g. ), toxic or corrosive items (e.g. batteries), magnetic substances (e.g. Speakers), oxidizers, and biochemical products (for instance, chemical medicines), and public health risks (for example, pollution). untanned hides). You can find more information in the Hazardous Material Table.

Compared to air freight, ocean freight is a significant source of CO2 emissions. In this study, 2 tonnes shipped by ocean freight will lead to 150 kg of CO2 emissions while 2 tonnes shipped air freight will cause 6605 kg of CO2 emissions.

ocean freight

What Are The Downsides Of Ocean Freight?

There is about a 30x difference in average speed between airplanes and ocean liners; passenger jets travel at 575 mph, while slow-steaming ocean liners move at 16-18 mph. The air freight route from China to the US, therefore, usually takes at least 20 days longer than 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. Tracking technology used for air freight is sometimes more advanced than that used for ocean freight. Thus, ocean freight is more likely to go missing than air freight. Shipments less than a container load are especially costly. Due to digitization, ocean freight has become more reliable.

Ocean freight is more likely to be damaged or destroyed than air cargo. 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. In reality, around 546 of the 120 million container movements per year fall in the water. Even less likely is piracy. Horn of Africa, Gulf of Guinea, and the Malacca Strait have been hotspots in recent years.

Ocean Freight Services

A full container load (FCL) and a less than container load (LCL) are two additional options in ocean and sea freight services. A LCL container contains several shipments packed together. For the forwarder, it involves more paperwork as well as the physical work of consolidating various shipments into a container before the main transit and de-consolidating those shipments at the other end. This gives LCL three disadvantages:

Shipments in LCL take longer to arrive than those in FCL. It's usually recommended to allow an additional one or two weeks for LCL.

Having LCL increases the risk for damage, misplacement, and loss.

LCL costs more per cubic meter.

As shipping rates are lower for FCL, you may want to use a full container once your shipment reaches a certain size, even if your goods don't fill the container. There is around a 15 cubic meter point for upgrading from less than container load to full container load.

Sea Freight Rates per kg

In general, LCL is priced per volume of goods, and not per weight.

For most products, use these guidelines when determining the most cost-effective mode of shipping:

Shipments over 500 kg are not economically feasible by air.

Shipments from China to the US take 30-40 days and cost around $2-$4 / kg.

A China-US shipment between 150 kg and 500 kg is economically transportable by air freight, and it will take 8-10 days.

While express air freight is faster, it's also more expensive.

The cost of couriering a package less than 150 kg is economic (express freight).

Costs, rates, and charges for ocean and sea freight quotes:

These items will be included on ocean freight quotes and invoices: