International Ocean Shipping

International ocean shipping refers to the act of transporting cargo by sea from the port of one country to the port of another country. Maritime freight transport is the most important and cheapest mode of transport in international trade. More than two-thirds of China's import and export goods are shipped by sea.

What kind of containers have?

Goods shipped from China normally use the following 3 types of containers:

20 'Feet (20GP):
• Length: Inside 5.9 meters
• Width: Interior 2.34 meters
• Height: Interior 2.37 meters
• Load capacity: 26 tons
• Cargo volume: 28 cubic meters


40 'Feet (40GP):
• Length: Interior 11.9 meters
• Width: Interior 2.34 meters
• Height: Interior 2.37 meters
• Load capacity: 26 tons
• Cargo volume: 58 cubic meters


40´High Cube (40HQ): Container most common in China 
• Length: Interior 11.9 meters
• Width: Interior 2.34 meters
• Height: Interior 2.67 meters
• Load capacity: 28 tons.
• Cargo volume: 68 cubic meters

* Containers more than 18 tons are classified as heavy containers, which freight is USD200 higher.

Do I have to reserve the full container?

Maritime cargo is divided into: FCL and LCL
• FCL (Full Container): it is suitable when the goods fill a container.
• LCL (Consolidated Cargo): Bulk cargo, maritime groupage, consolidated container, consolidated merchandise

When the full container is not filled, tend to group goods between different importers. All importers put their merchandise in the same container and share the space. When the container arrives at the destination port, the destination port logistics operator unconsolidates the container, separate the goods so that each one can carry out their own customs import clearance process. 

Minimum LCL load: 1 cubic meter

 

Advantage of LCL:
For low volume goods, LCL freight is cheaper than FCL freight.

Disadvantage of LCL:
• Sometimes the goods in the consolidated container are not for the same port of destination, they need to deconsolidate and unload the goods at the transshipment port, then wait for another ship and reload the goods. It leads to lengthen the transit of the shipment and is not suitable for the shipment of fragile goods.
• The port charges of the destination port are usually higher than FCL.

How much is the sea freight from China?

The following factors influence the freight of container from China:
• Container type (20GP, 40GP, 40HQ)
• Transit time
• Cargo weight
• Incoterm (FOB or EXW)
• Carrier (There is a difference of freight USD50-USD150 between different shipping companies)
• Market demand (In high season, the freight may double)

Which port to choose to ship from China?                       

China's 8 basic ports are: Qingdao, Dalian, Tianjin, Ningbo, Shanghai, Xiamen, Shenzhen, Hong Kong. 
Ships shipped from small ports in China for example Guangzhou, Foshan, Chongqing, Nanjing, Qinghuangdao have to arrive at the basic port of China first, and then change to the larger ship and depart from China to all over the world.
* The transit time embarked from the basic port is always 1 week faster
* The international sea freight of basic ports is usually USD100 less

Transit time from China?

The following table shows the estimated transit times for basic ports: Qingdao, Tianjin, Ningbo, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Hong Kong from China to North Africa, Middle East, Red Sea,South Africa, East Africa and West Africa .

DESTINATION PORT	COUNTRY	TRANSIT TIME
Algeria	Alger	40 days
Tunisia	Tunis	61 days
Morocco	Casablanca	38 days
Saudi Arabia	Riyadh	34 days
UAE	Dubai	20 days
Saudi Arabia	Jeddah	21 days
Jordan	Aqaba	27 days
Egypt	Port Said	27 days
South Africa	Durban	27 days
Tanzania	Dar es Salaam	28 days
Kenya	Mombasa	22 days
Ghana	Tema	37 days
Benin	Cotonou	42 days
Nigeria	Lagos	38 days

What is the operation process of international Ocean shipping?
1. Preparation of merchandise
2. Sea freight quote request
3. Container reservation
4. Goods receipt in our warehouse 
5. Container loading  
6. Customs export declaration from China
7. Waiting for export customs clearance
8. Waiting for the ship in line
9. Sea freight payment 
10.Delivery of the B/L to the abroad or to your supplier
11. Notification of the arrival of goods at the destination port
12. Recipient delivers nationalization documents to customs officials of the destination
13. Customs clearance release
14. The consignee or his customs agent goes to the port to collect the merchandise
15. Ground transportation of the goods from the port to the recipient's warehouse

What is included in our international ocean shipping service?

Our maritime transport services from China to all the world cover the international freight transport process, from the collection of goods to the export documents (Insurance, Certificate of Origin). We cooperate in very good relations with the shipping companies MSK, COSCO, WHL, HBS , YML, APL, MSC, CMA to guarantee the most competitive ocean freight from China in the market!

Storage of merchandise

Container loading

Declaration to Chinese Customs

Documentation