Sea freight shipping is a method of transporting goods by sea, which is implemented under an agreement between the consignor (the client) and the charter provider (carrier). The main condition is to charter a vessel. The contract specifies the route, cost, terms of loading, the destination and delivery time. Additional services are determined by the agreement of the parties.
The term “freight” is borrowed from the German language. It emerged in the Russian language at the end of the 17th century to designate transportation of goods by sea vessels. Today, this term is also used for land and air transport. In simple words, freight, or charter of a vessel, is your payment for shipping services.
Cost of freight
The cost of freight under the contract depends on a number of parameters: the distance from point of departure to point of dispatch, the weight, dimensions of the goods, the season, the type of transportation (domestic, international, intercontinental), duties for crossing certain territories – for example, the Panama Canal; the nature of the goods – shipping dangerous or non-standard goods will cost more; and any additional services such as loading and unloading operations, cargo handling at the port, preparation of all the necessary documents and other services.
Advantages and disadvantages of sea freight
Shipping by sea is an in-demand service. The main advantages are its low cost, the ability to transport goods in large quantities ensuring complete integrity and safety. Generally, sea transportation involves the use of containers that can be easily transshipped from one mode of transport to another.
The main disadvantage is the transit time. Shipping takes about 30-50 days. Bad weather conditions can increase these time intervals. This method does not provide for door-to-door delivery; it is usually part of multimodal transportation, which requires the use of other modes of transport.
To receive quality service, contact trusted and reliable professionals. For more than ten years MW-Trade has been successfully carrying out international sea transportation, outsourcing foreign trade activity on a turnkey basis and supporting clients at various stages of international transactions. We have transported hundreds of tons of goods for our customers around the world; many of them have become our regular customers.
