WHAT SHOULD I EXPECT ON MY OCEAN FREIGHT SHIPMENT?
This topic is suggested to first-time shippers involved in an international shipment from or to the USA by sea.
IMPORTANT: Do not confuse service offered by an International transportation company (Freight Forwarder, NVOCC, VOCC) with service provided by an International moving company.
A. USING SERVICES FROM INTERNATIONAL MOVING COMPANIES
International moving companies are always required to be licensed or furnish you with a proof of license of international transportation company (Freight Forwarder, NVOCC, VOCC) that will be used on your sea freight on their behalf. The international sea freight shipment offered by unlicensed international moving companies (rogue movers) can result in unanticipated problems and unexpected expense.
DO NOT USE SERVICE OFFERED BY ROGUE MOVERS!
Besides of sea freight, international moving companies, in general, will take responsibilities on packing and loading of your goods shipped from or to the USA. International moving companies may also be directly involved in deliveries of your ocean freight “to door” at the final destination of your sea freight.
If you involve an International moving company in your sea freight, then we suggest always obtaining complete price quote on shipping of your import or export in advance. Unsure that the total shipping cost in the quote from an International moving company is separated by:
· Cost for packing and labeling
· Inland transportation of your sea freight to a seaport at origin
· Customs formalities at origin and the origin THC (Terminal Handling Charges)
· Actual ocean freight price
· Cost of recovery of your sea freight at the destination (Customs, THC, Cargo release etc)
· Cost of delivery of your export or import “to door” of your consignee (recipient).
Also we suggest finding in advance a level on liability of the International moving company on your sea freight shipment or its ability to insure your international shipment.
B. USING SERVICES FROM AN INTERNATIONAL TRANSPORTATION COMPANY (FREIGHT FORWARDER, NVOCC, VOCC).
International transportation companies (Freight Forwarder, NVOCC, VOCC) are always required to be licensed on providing sea freight service.
The advantage of using direct service offered by international transportation companies vs. international moving companies is the much lower shipping cost of your international shipment. However, if you involve an international transportation company in your export or import, then unlike with an international moving company YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE ON PROPER PACKING AND LABELING OF YOUR SHIPPED GOODS.
Compare typical shipping cost FOB on your ocean freight with an international transportation company against shipping cost from an international moving company:
· Cost for packing and labeling – NOT INCLUDED
· Inland transportation of your sea freight to a seaport at origin – DEPENDING ON SERVICE REQUESTED
· Customs formalities at origin and the origin THC (Terminal Handling Charges) - INCLUDED
· Actual ocean freight price - INCLUDED
· Cost of recovery of your sea freight at the destination (Customs, THC, Cargo release etc) – NOT INCLUDED
· Cost of delivery of your export or import “to door” of your consignee (recipient) - NOT INCLUDED
That in general means that with international transportation companies SHIPPERS ARE HELD RESPONSIBLE ON PACKING AND RECOVERY OF THEIR CARGO AT THE DESTINATION AFTER GOODS WILL BE ENTERED IN COMMERCE ZONE OF DESTINATION COUNTRY.
Regarding the recovery of ocean freight at destinations: Most of the time international transportation companies are not involved in cargo recoveries at destinations. However the ocean freight bill of lading should show complete carrier’s destination agent contact information. The destination agent should guide the consignee (recipient of goods) in complexity of destination country formalities on the import or export recovery. The consignee may also conduct delivery business with the destination agent directly. Otherwise he/she may to pick up recovered ocean freight or use any local cartage company on the delivery. I.e. unlike with international moving companies, with international transportation companies there are no adding costs on top of actual price of recovery of sea freight shipments (if included in total shipping cost from an international moving company).
C. DOING BUSINESS WITH A.M.I.D. ("AMERICAN MULTIMODAL INTERNATIONAL DELIVERIES") - AMID Logistics, LLC
AMID Logistics, LLC is the U.S. OTI, i.e. licensed and bonded U.S. Ocean Transportation Intermediary - Freight Forwarder and NVOCC.
We understand that an international shipment by sea is a significant event that can be stressful, even in the best of circumstances.
However, using our online sea freight shipping system, wide library of shipping references and affordable ocean freight rates from reliable carriers, we believe that even an inexperienced first-time shipper should obtain the whole picture of his/her perspective international sea freight shipment and predict the total shipping cost.
BEFORE YOU BEGIN CONSIDERING YOUR INTERNATIONAL SHIPMENT BY SEA WE SUGGEST YOU ANSWER FOR YOURSELF TO FOLLOWING QUESTIONS AND READ LINKS RELATED TO YOUR ANSWERS:
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What type of service do you require?
- LCL (Less than Container load). I.e. shipping boxed, crated or/and palletized cargo by sea.
- FCL (Full Container Load). I.e. shipping entire sea freight containers (20’, 40’ or 40HC).
- Shipping cars from US in containers or Ro-Ro.
You may also refer to the variety of payment options on LCL shipments and FCL or Shipping cars from US. Read about our cancellation and return policy as well.
We also strongly recommend you to get through topics in the upper menu of each page of our website: FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions), REFERENCES and DOCUMENTS.
Then obtain an instant price quote online in the upper HOW MUCH menu:
After obtaining a sea freight price quote in our website and reading these FAQ, REFERENCES and DOCUMENTS, all your questions should be answered and you are prepared to your international shipment.
However, if you will still have questions, then please do not hesitate to contact us. We speak English, French, Portuguese, Spanish and Russian. |