Sea freight is the most common means of transport for importers and exporters living in the USA. It also accounts for 90% of all goods transported globally. Sea freight from China to USA makes up a more significant percentage of all sea freight entering the USA. Even though common, sea freight is not as easy as you may think. If you plan to export goods or even stock for your business, here are 10 solid reasons why sea freight is common in the USA.
- Cost-effective
The charges on sea freight generally vary depending on several factors such as type of container (FLC and LCL) and to-door delivery. However, sea freight shipping is the most cost-effective form of transport thanks to the low fuel consumption over long distances.
- Reliability
Sea freight is highly reliable and accurate in delivering goods. First, everything from packaging to delivery is done from just a phone call. You don’t need to oversee everything. There is also no delay because of traffic as with roads or other unforeseen circumstances that would hinder shipping. The shipping is also not affected by weather conditions or time of the year.
- Safety
Sea freight is the safest means of shipping. There are fewer chances of accidents happening and a few recorded cases of theft. The shipping containers are designed to handle everything, including hazardous cargo. The staff is also well trained to handle different load, and there are well-established regulations put in place to enhance safety.
- High-quality service
There are a lot of sea freight service companies in the market, meaning each service provider prices their services competitively. You are guaranteed high-quality service at reasonable prices thanks to the high competition among service providers.
- Variety of shipping types
When dealing with sea freight from China to the USA, there are two common shipping types; FCL and LCL. Full container load means that your goods are packed in a full container. Less container load implies that your goods and goods from other sellers to importers generally are packaged from the same loading port you the same destination. LCL goods are challenging to track, making it easy for damage, theft, or misplacement to occur. When importing a large number of goods, freight charges and costs will be lower per unit when using FCL, and you are also guaranteed the security of your freight.
- Great haulage space
Shipping vessels used in sea freight offer more haulage space compared to other means of shipping. These containers can accommodate any size of shipping because they are designed to handle large volumes of cargo. If you are planning on a large shipment, sea freight is the best option.
- Ideal for heavy goods
For most large and bulky goods, the only way to get them from abroad is through sea freight. Shipping containers are again designed to hold heavy, oversized, and overweight goods, otherwise impossible to ship via air freight.
- Flexibility
Sea freight is relatively flexible as it can be used any time of the hear o ship any amount of goods. Apart from pocket-friendly rates, the containers can also be used to further transport the goods to your doorstep. You don’t need to worry about finding another means of transport from the port to your location, especially when transporting dangerous pr hazardous goods. You can simply arrange with your freight forwarder to have the goods delivered to your doorstep at an extra cost.
- Eco-friendly
Sea shipping is the eco-friendliest mode of transportation. With more and more companies looking for the greenest practices, sea freight has risen in popularity because of its environmentally friendly.
- More time for documentation
Documentation is a significant concern in shipping goods from abroad. Proper documentation is essential to ensure minimal disturbance throughout shipping. Complete-accurate-timely (CAT) documentation is a necessary process in the shipping industry that guarantees timely deliveries and hassle-free shipping. While air freight is fast, it doesn’t allow time for proper and complete documentation. Sea freight provides for more time to go through the documentation process, which is quite complicated to avoid future delays related to documentation. You can take advantage of the more extended shipping period to get documentation in check for faster and stress-free shipping.
