Your Best Freight Forwarder Agent For Sea Freight

Sea Freight | A Complete FAQ Guide

Introduction

Sea freight forwarding has been rising at its root worldwide for a long time.

Many years have passed but sea freight still remains the same because of the low shipping costs and the sea freight services.

For business purposes, you need to ship goods from the port of origin to the port of destination.

You need to understand first about the sea shipping methods if you want to save extra charges.

This FAQ guide will help you to learn about sea shipping, sea freight services, and freight forwarding methods.

Table Of Contents

1. What Is Sea Freight And Why We Use It?
2. How Does Sea Freight Work?
3. How Long Does It Take For Shipping Ocean Freight?
4. What Are The Differences Between International Sea Freight And Air Freight?
5. What Is Incoterm And How Does It Affect On Your Sea Freight Shipping Cost?
6. How Much Does It Cost To Ship Via Sea Freight?
7. Is Shipping Via Sea Freight The Cheapest Method Of All?
8. What Are Sea Freight Services?
9. What Are The Prohibited Items That You Cannot Ship Via Sea Freight?
10. How Can I Calculate The Sea Freight Cost?
11. What Are The Major Companies That Ship Via Sea Freight?
12. Is There A Weight Limit When Shipping Ocean Freight?
13. Can I Track My Container When Shipping Via Sea Freight?
14. How Many Methods Are There To Ship Via Sea Freight?
15. What Are The Documentation Required When Shipping Ocean Freight?
16. Which One Should I Choose Between FCL And LCL When Shipping Via Sea Freight?
17. What Do I Get From Ocean Freight Forwarding Services?
18. Does Sea Freight Do Door To Door Shipping Internationally?
19. Does The International Shipping Companies Do Sea Freight Forwarding Services?
20. What Are The Advantages And Disadvantages Of Shipping Ocean Freight?
21. If I Take Sea Freight Forwarding Services, Do I Have To Go Through Customs?

1. What Is Sea Freight And Why We Use It?

Sea freight is a shipping method where you freight forward your shipment through the sea from one port to another.

You will see many seaports are providing international sea freight services.

You use sea freight to reduce your shipping cost when delivering goods.

There are a lot of sea freight logistics that can help you out to ship your container worldwide.

You can always come to HART Worldwide Logistics Limited for sea shipping.

We can freight forward your shipment worldwide with the lowest budget possible and in time with strict regulations.

Knock us anytime when you’re in need of shipping ocean freight.

2. How Does Sea Freight Work?

When you ship using the sea freight method, there are certain steps that are followed.

There are two types of containers that you will find, a 20-foot container, and a 40-foot container.

Also, you can ship your goods using the sea freight services by two methods, full container load (FCL) or less than a container load (LCL).

You have to book a container first before you ship your goods.

After booking, your shipment is sent to the port.

When your products reach the port, they have to go through clearing the customs.

Then shipment gets into the container and after filling up it gets placed into the ship.

After filling all the other containers, the sea freight starts moving towards the destination.

This is how sea freight works when shipping worldwide.

Here is a link that will help you to understand the sea freight logistics flow-

3. How Long Does It Take For Shipping Ocean Freight?

On average the transit time for shipping ocean freight takes around 21-60 days, which means 3-8 weeks.

This shipping time depends on different aspects.

The factors are different shipping methods, different ports, door to door services, different continent shipping, customs, natural calamities, etc.

An example can be given, FCL shipping takes far less time than LCL shipping.

This means it can take more time to ship via LCL shipping than FCL.

Also as there are different ports, some are close and some are far.

So the time changes a lot because of that.

Thus, after all the calculations, the estimated time has been mentioned above.

4. What Are The Differences Between International Sea Freight And Air Freight?

Although sea freight and air freight have their own benefits, there are a lot of differences between sea freight and air freight.

Here, the differences are shown below-

Sea Freight	Air Freight
Sea freight charges are lower than air freight	Airfreight costs more than sea freight.
It takes a lot of time to ship your sea freight worldwide.	Airfreight is the fastest shipping method that you can use.
The capacity and value a sea freight container can hold are a lot.	Air freight cannot hold as much as sea freight.
There are fewer restrictions for shipping ocean freight.	There are a lot of restrictions if you do air shipping.

These are some of the major differences that you can find while shipping.

5. What Is Incoterm And How Does It Affect On Your Sea Freight Shipping Cost?

Incoterm is a rulebook where every term has a specific set of rules and responsibilities that you have to follow.

The incoterm has made a great influence on understanding trading and made it simpler.

There are different incoterms that affect international sea freight shipping,

They are FOB (Free On Board), EXW (Ex Works), CIF (Cost Insurance and Freight), FCA(Free Carrier), FAS(Free Alongside Ship), etc.

Every Incoterm has its own rule to follow, and by using them, you can get influenced too.

The costs get divided between the buyer and the seller depending on these incoterms.

It depends on which incoterm you want to choose.

Depending on the incoterm, your cost can get ups and downs.

6. How Much Does It Cost To Ship Via Sea Freight?

As international sea freight has two types of shipping methods, the cost for shipping is also different.

The cost of shipping a container via the FCL method differs for the container size.

A 20-foot container can cost around $2,000- $3,000 on average.

On the other hand, a 40-foot container can cost around $3,000-$4,000 on average.

This is only for your FCL shipping method cost.

The LCL shipping method depends on per CBM (Cubic meter).

For per CBM, the LCL shipping cost is estimated at around $300-$400 for shipping worldwide by international sea freight.

These costs can change for different aspects too.

Like the port, you are choosing to ship in, door to door service, insurance cost, freight forwarder cost, etc.

7. Is Shipping Via Sea Freight The Cheapest Method Of All?

Undoubtedly, shipping via sea freight is the cheapest method of all.

Shipping large product quantities via air freight can cost you a lot of money, as per kg can cost around an estimated $4-$6.

When you ship a large number of goods, the cost can rise too.

But sea freight methods made the shipping cost lessen.

You can go for FCL shipping for large shipping and can save a lot of money.

If you are running a small business and want to ship your goods, air freight will not be a good option.

Most of your money can go to bring your goods to your destination place.

But sea freight made it easier to handle.

Shipping ocean freight can help you out to bring a big container where you can load as much as the container can fill.

These are some of the reasons why you can say sea freight forwarding services are the cheapest method of all.

8. What Are Sea Freight Services?

When you ship from the source to the destination via international sea freight, you should be aware of the sea freight services.

Your shipments are carried out through large containers and vessels for transportation.

They are closely monitored by the authorities of shipping to ensure safety and security while shipping your goods.

These are some of the sea freight services that you can learn about.

There are a lot of sea freight forwarding services too.

You can have any sea freight logistics to do the freight forwarding for you.

There are customs brokers who provide services for customs clearance.

These are all the sea freight services you can get when shipping.

9. What Are The Prohibited Items That You Cannot Ship Via Sea Freight?

When you do international sea freight shipping, you will find out some restrictions.

There are some prohibited items that you cannot ship when you are taking sea freight services.

Here is the list of prohibited items that cannot be shipped via sea freight-

• Flammable and toxic items
• Plants and animals
• Illegal items
• Firearms
• Ammunition
• Drugs and medications without prescriptions, etc.

These are some of the enlisted prohibited items that you should not ship via international sea freight.

10. How Can I Calculate The Sea Freight Cost?

Mainly the sea freight cost is calculated per CBM when you ship via LCL.

For many products, the rules of thumb to select the most cost-effective mode is used.

As you know the shipping time can go more than 5 weeks via sea freight, still, the cost is worth going by.

Now, to calculate sea freight costs, you need to learn all the other costs that come with it.

Here are all the aspects that come with the shipping costs-

• Customs cost
• Insurance cost
• Surcharges
• Routing charges
• Container freight station (Only apply for LCL)

 These are also calculated when you calculate the sea freight cost.

11. What Are The Major Companies That Ship Via Sea Freight?

When you ship via sea freight, you will find many major companies that do the freight forwarding for you.
The top 10 major companies that do sea freight forwarding services are given below-

• COSCO
• Maersk
• ZIM
• GMA CGM
• ET
• TK
• EK
• MSC
• Evergreen
• Yang Ming, etc.

These are the major companies that uphold a big part of the sea shipping industry.

12. Is There A Weight Limit When Shipping Ocean Freight?

You cannot ship as much as you want via sea freight, because there is a limit to how much you can ship.

As there are two types of containers, the maximum weight limit can differ too.

The weight limit is measured by CBM which is also known as cubic meters.

If you ship by a 20-foot container, the internal volume that you can fill maximum is 33-34 CBM, which is 19,000-20,000 kg.

On the other hand, if you ship a 40-foot container, the maximum internal volume you can get on average 75-76 CBM, which can contain 26,000-27,000 kg.

You can calculate the maximum rates by using these volumes and weights.

Here is a link that can give you information about weight limits-

13. Can I Track My Container When Shipping Via Sea Freight?

Yes, you can easily track your container while shipping via international sea freight.

A container tracking method is a great addition for you to get your shipment status all the time.

You can easily get access to the location of your container by using a tracking device.

The tracking method always gives you the port details and where it is located.

In order to track a container, you need to gain the container number or bill of lading, or booking number.

By using these numbers you can get access to the location of your container.

You can immediately get the status of your container if you use a tracking system.

There are many online container tracking systems available that you can use to track your container.

Or you can simply ask your freight forwarder to give you access to learn about the location of your shipment.

14. How Many Methods Are There To Ship Via Sea Freight?

There are different methods to ship via sea freight.

These are-

• FCL (Full Container Load)
• LCL (Less than a Container Load)
• RORO (Roll-On Roll-Off)
• Dry bulk shipping.

FCL shipping method is a method where you can ship your products using the whole container by yourself.

In this method, the shipment of other individuals will not be loaded.

LCL shipping is a method where your products fill part of a container with the kinds of stuff from other companies.

In this method, you have to wait for your shipment longer than other methods because of the loading period.

RORO is also known as roll on roll off is a method where you ship your products by the same vehicle from the supplier.

In this method, you do not need a container to ship.

The last method is known as shipping dry bulk.

This method is used when the ship holds the product instead of a container.

These are the methods you will see when you ship your products by sea freight.

15. What Are The Documentation Required When Shipping Ocean Freight?

It is important to keep the documents ready when you ship via sea freight.

You can also take sea freight services as a logistics to help you out with the documentation issues.

The documents are essential to clear your customs.

Here are all the documents that you need for shipping ocean freight-

• Invoice list
• Certificate of origin
• Bill of lading
• Import or export customs declaration
• Packing list
• Arrival notice, etc.

If you have all these documents with you, you can easily ship your container via sea freight without breaking a sweat.

16. Which One Should I Choose Between FCL And LCL When Shipping Via Sea Freight?

FCL and LCL are two different methods of sea freight shipping.

They have their own benefits when you need to ship.

You should learn about them to utilize them to the fullest.

FCL shipping basically means the shipping method where you can load the whole container by your product.

In this method, you just have to pay the sea freight service shipping charge and the container charge.

So you can load as many products as you can.

The price will not get that high for shipping via FCL.

On the other hand, LCL shipping is a shipping method where you can ship your products besides the products of other people.

In this method, if you don’t have a lot of products you can ship them using the LCL shipping method.

The cost can go high and low depending on your product’s dimensions.

Also, LCL shipping takes quite a long time to load than FCL shipping.

Because as soon as your products are filled in the container, the shipper starts loading the container in the ship.

Again, for small shipping, you should be advised to go with LCL shipping.

As for FCL, even if your container is not totally filled, they will charge for the whole container.

So, depending on the situation, you can choose either of the methods you want.

17. What Do I Get From Ocean Freight Forwarding Services?

There are a lot of benefits you can get from sea freight forwarding services.

Ocean freight forwarding services ship your container from one place to another with a lot of facilities.

You can track your shipment via inland transportation when shipping international sea freight.

Along with that, you can get facilities like export documentation, warehousing, negotiable freight charges, freight consolidation, container insurance, etc.

You can also gain the filling of insurance claims when shipping international sea freight.

Sea freight services play an important role on top of that.

You can book container space if you take sea freight forwarding services.

There are more facilities like the freight forwarder fills up all the documentation needed for sea shipping.

You can have a look at HART Worldwide Logistics Limited.

You can get the best sea freight services if you choose us.

18. Does Sea Freight Do Door To Door Shipping Internationally?

Yes, door to door sea freight services is open internationally.

If you want, you can do door-to-door shipping via sea freight.

Unlike port-to-port shipping, door-to-door shipping provides you with more benefits.

There are several express shipping companies like DHL, FedEx, UPS, etc who provide services like door to door.

You can even ask your freight forwarder to do door-to-door shipping for you and certainly, you can get the facilities.

The process is actually simple.

At first, your freight forwarder will receive the products from the supplier.

Then the freight forwarder will ship via sea, arrive at the final destination port.

After clearing customs, he will transport your goods to your premises.

This is the process of how door-to-door shipping works via sea freight.

19. Does The International Shipping Companies Do Sea Freight Forwarding Services?

Yes, most of the international shipping companies do sea freight forwarding services.

What they will do is, they will ship your products from the port of origin to the port of destination.

There are various sea lines they take when they ship your products.

20. What Are The Advantages And Disadvantages Of Shipping Ocean Freight?

As there are advantages for shipping ocean freight, there are some demerits too.

Here the advantages and the disadvantages are given below-

Advantages

• Sea freight is less costly than other freight forwarding services.
• If you want to ship tonnes of goods in bulk, sea freight is the most viable option.
• The safety guarantee is top-notch as the security is tight and secured.
• Sea freight services give a lot of benefits if you know the proper use of them.
• Your duties and VAT are less than other shipping methods, as they are calculated as a total percentage cost.

Disadvantages

• The transit time takes a lot when shipping via sea freight.
• Some of the incoterms from sea freight services can cost you a lot of money.
• There are possibilities of your shipments damage as it takes quite a long time to ship via sea freight.

Although there are some disadvantages, sea freight is one of the best freight forwarding options you can get.

21. If I Take Sea Freight Forwarding Services, Do I Have To Go Through Customs?

Yes, every container or cargo that is getting shipped from one port to another has to go through customs clearance.

It is your duty if you ship something from one port to another, then you have to pay the duties and taxes.

It does not matter how you are shipping your goods, you have to pay customs and you cannot avoid that.

If you do not want to clear the customs by yourself, you can always ask the freight forwarder who is shipping your goods.

Without paying customs duties, VAT, taxes, and proper documentation, you cannot ship your products inside the port of destination.

Final Words

Hope this FAQ guide can help you out to learn about sea freight, its usage, and the rates.

Also hope you got an idea about sea freight services and how they work.

If you have any other queries that are not mentioned here, you can always knock HART, we will gladly help you with that.

Tell us when you are ready to ship.