As the world has become more interconnected, cargo transportation overseas is now increasingly common, through ocean freight. Ocean freight has long been the most used shipment method sought by people around the globe. In fact, around 90% of global trade happens through the use of ocean freight. To get started with ocean freight, one needs to choose a trusted ocean freight services provider such as Shipco to help you navigate any complications regarding collection, delivery, storage, and more.
There are a few factors that contribute to the growth and popularity of ocean freight over its air and land counterparts. Some prominent reasons include the possibility to transport any type of cargo – even hazardous ones, the economical aspect, and ocean freight being more flexible regarding its shipping solutions.
What is ocean freight
The term ocean freight refers to any type of transportation in which cargo is moved via sea. This makes ocean freight worldwide by definition and is one of the most popular and exclusively used routes of international transport.
Reasons for using ocean freight
Ever since maritime channels and ocean shipping routes have been established, ocean freight is now the method of choice for transporting cargo and goods. Below, we have listed a few popular benefits of ocean freight shipping.
Comparatively more economical
Compared to air and land freight, ocean freight is a lot cheaper and more economical to use. In fact, you may wind up paying six times the rate of sea freight when you transport the same thing via air. The comparative affordability of ocean freight has made it a suitable option for small, medium, and even large businesses. After all, using ocean freight is a fantastic way to cut down on unnecessary costs. This is critical for a lot of enterprises, as they must save money when shipping their goods so that their end products can be sold to consumers at low and affordable prices. This way, companies can keep up with their competition.
Efficient to use
When you think of transporting your shipment using air freight, it comes with immense restrictions and constraints. This is the same when you are shipping via land freight. Fortunately, ocean freight does not suffer the same issues. You can effectively ship any quantity of goods in a single trip via sea freight. The two choices that shippers only need to consider are less than container load (LCL) or a Full container load (FCL). The one a shipper will pick will depend on the size and volume of the shipment they are transporting. This means that there are effectively no limitations when concerning cargo, streamlining the shipping process. Unfortunately, other shipping methods lack this particular efficiency.
Can transport oversized goods
When it comes to transporting cargo via sea, shippers do not need to be worried about limitations regarding the size, weight, and shape of their cargo. This is not true when transporting things via air and land. Overall, sea freight allows shippers to ship their heavy, oversized, and bulky cargo to any location via the sea. Furthermore, the cost of shipping cargo is a lot cheaper than air freight. This is why so many companies choose to use ocean freight when it comes to transporting shipments such as heavy machinery, heavy-lift items, industrial units, and more.
More environmentally friendly
As people have become more conscious of how their actions may affect the environment around them, consumers and brands are now choosing ways to help reduce their carbon footprint when it comes to doing business. For shippers looking for a greener way to transport their cargo, they may want to consider using ocean freight. This is because ships are fuel-efficient, so their emissions are fewer when compared to aircraft. This means ocean freight has a much lower carbon footprint, which is great for people striving to protect the environment.
Fewer maintenance costs
On the whole, maintaining a ship is much easier and cheaper when compared to maintaining an aircraft. As an aircraft operates in the air, it has to be in tip-top shape all the time. In order to maintain an aircraft, a provider must keep in mind the costs of frequent repair and recondition activities, as well as any labor costs. All these fees can eventually compound and add up. In turn, the fee for using air freight also goes up. Fortunately, maintaining a ship is not so costly, meaning the fee for ocean freight is also lower.
Safer transportation methods
One of the top benefits when it comes to using ocean freight is shipping hazardous and dangerous cargo safely. By observing high safety standards and precautions, ocean freight helps to guarantee the safe shipment of these dangerous materials. In fact, accidents do not often happen when transporting goods via ocean freight, compared to other modes of shipping. As such, ocean freight is an internationally approved means of transporting almost all items possible.