The Ultimate Guide to Sea Freight Shipping- Process, Advantages and Disadvantages

People who are thinking to transport their cargo through the ocean must know everything that is associated with sea freight. You first need to compare it with all the other methods of shipping. After 2012, the sea freight costs have fallen significantly and the companies are expected to exceed the space in cargo until 2020. All this is making ocean freight a great choice for sending your products.

How cargo is sent through oceans?

In ocean freight, goods are first loaded in the shipping container and then you have to book the space in the container to place your goods. This shipment then moves to the ports where it has to pass through customs. Goods are either loaded in full containers or on the shared container (when goods are too little to fill the container) and then put in the ships for transportation.

After reaching the destination, the goods have to again pass through the customs. All this has to be taken care of by you, you must know about the duties and taxes otherwise your shipment can be held for days or weeks. In the end, the goods are delivered to the receiver.

The time taken by freight to reach its destination depends upon several factors. Sometimes the goods have to go through several steps before reaching the vessel and after leaving the vessel. The goods can also take time to reach you if they are held at customs in case of misinformation or insufficient documents.

You can easily send sea freight Australia and overseas with the help of freight forwarders. They take care of the shipment, from loading your shipment to unloading it at the destination and passing it through the customs, everything is their headache. After understanding ocean freight processing, it’s time to learn about the advantages and disadvantages of ocean freight transportation.

Inexpensive

They provide the most competitive freight rates as compared to other modes of shipment. Airfreight is six to seven times more expensive than ocean freight. Therefore, ocean freight provides the most reasonable means to transport your shipment.

Ideal for heavy transport

Don’t worry if you want to transport bulky cargo like large equipment and construction materials. Shipping companies can carry large or oversized cargo efficiently.

Safe

Ships are designed to carry dangerous materials safely. The shipping industry is skilled in handling such type of hazardous cargos, they have regulations to ensure the safety of the crew, cargo, vessel, and the environment.

Moreover, the cargo lost during transportation through ships has reduced, making sea freight through Australia safe.

Eco -friendly

Ocean freight leaves fewer carbon footprints as compared to other forms of transportation. There already less carbon emission continued to move downward as advanced technologies are being utilized in the ships.

Though sea freight has fewer disadvantages, it still needs to be discussed. Ocean transportation takes more time as compared to air freight. Transportation through the air takes only 2-3 days, however sending cargo through the sea can take up to 2 to 3 months. In addition to this, some parts of the world might not have ports and facilities to receive cargo from large ships. If you are interested in sending your goods through the sea, TSL Australia can help you send your cargo. We have a skilled team that will assist you at every step of the process. For more information, get in touch.