Large goods are shipped overseas by seaborne vessels. Every day these ships deliver goods at distant ports around the world where they are picked up by their carriers. The cargoes finish the last lap of their journey by land. That’s the short summarized version of how sea freight work. But if you are among the curious types who like to get into the details of things and learn everything about how they work, then here is a brief description of that. Take a skimming look through and learn all about how sea freight works around the world.
How Ocean Shipping Is Normally Done
Ocean freight companies often make use of shipping specialists to do sea cargo shipping. This involves moving the goods safely from the supplier’s hub. The reason companies resort to using third parties is that customs processes are normally winding and prolonged which means the smallest mistake makes the biggest difference. Those little things make the process all the costlier and longer. Shipping agents being pros are immensely helpful in evading those mistakes and managing other risks. Their job is to ensure that the shipping goes as smoothly as possible.
How It Works
At the customer’s end, shipping a cargo through the best sea cargo company Dubai is both fast and easy. It involves a few steps. Here is how it goes:
- Start by picking a shipping company. Request for a service quote for your concerned shipment and if you agree to their price then go forth and make contacts.
- In most cases, shipping companies collect the goods from the supplier’s hub, but if you are planning to drop it off at their warehouse, ask them about that.
- Your goods will be shipped out with the next freight. They will first be taken to the port where customs have to be first cleared before the ship gets permission to set sail.
- Once customs is cleared, the goods are then loaded into the containers. Sometimes, the sea freight forwarding companies use FCL which is the carrier’s own container and other times, they use LCL which is a shared container. The container is then boarded on the ship.
- Once the ship has reached the designated port, it has show custom documentation and required customs clearance at the new port. The shipping agent takes care of this. Duty and taxes have to be cleared at the port of entry.
- Next they are picked up by company trucks that complete the final leg of the journey delivering goods directly to the addresses one by one.
Time Taken to Ship Freight by Sea
It really depends on the distance, the amount of goods, the shipping package you have picked and more. Usually, moving goods by sea takes significantly longer than that by air. It’s not just the time the cargo is in the sea. It also takes some additional time to move them from the warehouse to the port and vice versa. Then customs takes some more time. So depending on where you are sending your goods, it will be in transit for days.