Rates, Quotes and Fees for Ocean & Sea Freight Shipping: TopAlpha

You should consider ocean freight when shipping in high volumes. From choosing the mode that's right for you to calculating transit times and costs, here is your guide to everything ocean.

Ocean Freight Meaning: What Is Ocean Freight?
Ocean freight transport involves shipping goods via shipping containers by sea.

Transport by ocean is the most common mode for importers and exporters. In fact, 90% of everything is sent by sea and ocean freight. In contrast, the other modes of international freight transport (courier, regular air freight, express air freight) are not only slower, but also more expensive. These other modes are usually used for shipments of small sizes or for those with high values.

In cases where ocean freight would be too slow and air freight too expensive, some freight forwarders offer express shipping. Although nearly as fast as air freight, this option may be less expensive. The system streamlines ocean freight processes and ties in with only the fastest ocean services and premium trucking services.

Why Ship By Sea?
A container can hold 10000 beer bottles! And ocean freight is cheaper. Generally, air freight is too expensive for shipments weighing more than 500 kilograms. If your shipment is light, you can use this chargeable weight calculator to determine whether you will be charged by actual weight or by dimensional weight. Please refer to our FBX index for the latest international shipping rates.
Less restrictions International law, national law, carrier organization regulations, and individual carrier regulations all play a role in defining what goods can be transported. As a general rule, air cargo is more restricted than ocean freight, including: gases (e.g. lamp bulbs), all things flammable (e.g. As well as toxic or corrosive items (e.g., perfumes, Samsung Galaxy Note 7), etc. batteries), magnetic substances (e.g. In addition to speakers, oxidizers, biochemical products (e.g. chemical medicines), and public health risks (e.g. untanned hides). To learn more, refer to the Hazardous Material Table.
As compared with air freight, ocean freight's CO2 emissions are minuscule. According to this research, when 2 tonnes are transported 5000 kilometers over water, it will emit 150 kg of CO2, while air freight will emit 6605 kg.

ocean freight
What Are The Downsides Of Ocean Freight?
Speed aircraft are about 30 times faster than ocean liners; passenger jets cruise at 575 mph, while ocean liners steam 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.
Ocean freight generally takes more time than air freight because of congestion at ports, customs delays, and 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 get lost than air freight. container Freight rates In particular, this is true when the ocean shipment is less than a container load. Digitalization is making ocean freight more reliable.
Ocean freight has a higher likelihood of getting damaged or destroyed than air freight. It's because it takes a lot longer to get to its destination, and because ships move a lot more. However, you shouldn't be worried about ocean cargo falling off ships. A common myth claims that the container movement is lost 10000 times per year, but it is actually 546 of the 120 million movements that go down the drain. Even less likely is piracy. The Horn of Africa, the Gulf of Guinea, and the Malacca Straits are hotspots in recent years.
Ocean Freight Services
Ocean and sea freight services are further divided into two categories: full container loads (FCL) and less than container loads (LCLs). LCL involves packing several shipments into one container. 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:


A LCL shipment takes longer to arrive than an FCL shipment. A couple of extra weeks is recommended for LCL.
The use of LCL comes with an increased risk of damage, misplacement, and loss.
LCL costs more per cubic meter.
As shipping rates are lower for FCL, it may be worth using a full container once your shipment is large enough, even if you do not intend to fill the container completely. The tipping point for upgrading from LCL to FCL (the smallest container is a 20 footer) is around 15 cubic meters.

Sea Freight Rates per kg
In general, LCL is priced per volume of goods, and not per weight.

The following are some guidelines to help you select the most cost-effective mode for most products:

When it comes to shipments weighing over 500 kilograms, air freight becomes uneconomic.
Shipments from China to the United States take about 30-40 days by ocean freight.
An air freight shipment between China and the US of about 150 kg and 500 kg costs about $5-8 per kilo and takes around 8-10 days.
Express air freight can be faster, but is more expensive.
Those packages weighing less than 150 kg are best transported by courier (express freight).

Freight rates, charges, and costs in your ocean and sea freight quote include:
On ocean freight quotes and invoices, you can expect to see the following items:

Public Last updated: 2021-11-17 01:18:48 AM