Ocean freight, or sea freight, is the means of shipping goods via the ocean. It is a crucial component of cross-border trade that enables people to transport products between nations on different continents. Approximately 90% of goods shipped around the world are shipped by water.
For various commodities, there are numerous shipping alternatives available. Container shipping, often known as containerization, is one of the most common. With this option, products are carried in containers that typically range in size from 20 to 40 feet.
Besides ocean freight, other international freight transportation options, include courier, express air freight, and standard air freight. All of these shipping methods use the air, making them much faster than ocean freight which usually take one to two weeks. However, they can only accommodate smaller shipments and are far more expensive than ocean freight.
Types of ocean freight services
One of the most common methods for exporting goods by the ocean is container shipping, as mentioned above. This is partly because of its handling simplicity and relative safety. Moving containers is relatively simple and wont affect the shipment of the products. They are, however, only a viable solution for specific products, such as dry or packaged items.
There are two shipping service categories available for container shipping:
FCL (Full Container Load)
FCL shipments essentially entail transporting your goods in one or more containers. The container will hold only your items, ensuring that your shipment wont be disturbed until you open it. This choice makes the most sense when you have items that can fill or almost fill a container.
LTL (Less Container Load)
In this kind of shipment, the quantity of items being transported is typically less than what is required to fill a container. Therefore, you can split the cost and share the container with items belonging to other people rather than renting a whole container which can be rather expensive. However, one disadvantage of choosing this option is that while traveling your items are more susceptible to damage or improper handling.
Ocean freight is the most common method of transporting goods especially between continents. Whether to ship FCL or LTL depends on the quantity of goods your shipping and the delicacy of them.
