How Much Does The Sea Freight Cost?

The benefits of Sea Freight for non-urgent shipments can’t be overstated. Regardless of whether you’re shipping a single pallet or a full container load, Sea Freight will offer impressive value for your money. But despite all these benefits, one still has that question coming up all the time. “How much does the sea freight cost?”

The costs for sea freight vary depending on the sender’s postcode and the destination country, as well as the number and weight of the goods to be delivered and the type of service, economy, premium, air express, etc. that is opted for by the customer. In the case of consignments that are not urgent, you can choose to send your goods by sea freight due to its reduced price, especially for large and heavy shipments.

Sea freight isn’t just cheaper than air freight, it has a much smaller carbon footprint, making it a more environment-friendly choice.

Looking at all the above points it is always a good idea to use sea freight services from a reputed freight company.

Now just coming back to the original question about the sea freight cost. We need to consider a lot of things while calculating the cost. One needs to do the complete sea freight cost breakdown and then determine the final price.

Nowadays, there are a few options available, like the sea freight shipping cost calculator, which helps to ease things for you. This calculator proves to be an excellent sea freight cost estimator, that could provide an estimation for your shipping cost.

Now let us just understand what a sea freight shipping cost calculator is and if it is a good option to calculate the sea freight cost using this.

The sea freight shipping cost calculator acts as a reasonably good sea freight cost estimator for your sea transportation.

In simple terms, this calculator provides you with an instant estimation of the shipping rates. The shipper of today wants everything quick and fast, so a turnaround time of two days for shipping rates is no longer good enough. This problem can be solved by using a sea freight shipping cost calculator that provides instant shipping quotes.

Below are some benefits of using a sea freight shipping cost calculator.

• Instantly compare multiple rates.
• Find the best rates on containers from the major carriers.
• Some of these platforms provide you with an option of saving your quotes, using which, you will be able to perform future searches with ease.
• Get customised quotes by choosing the services that you need
• Review the sea freight cost breakdown in detail
• Obtain a global quote anytime, anywhere
• You can get a quote and book your shipment in seconds

Now let us understand what sea freight cost breakdown is and how it helps one understand the actual cost.

Newcomers to ocean shipping and associated freight costs may find it difficult to manoeuvre through the maze of fees, charges, and surcharges. Several factors affect freight rates, including the form of the cargo, mode of transportation, weight, and distance to the delivery address.

You will have to consider whether you will use a Full Container Load (FCL) or a Less Than Container Load (LCL) to determine the cost. A full container load (FCL) costs a flat rate, while a less-than-container load (LCL) costs you based only on the amount of space used.

But additional charges will be broken down further into three broad categories mentioned below

1. Charges associated with pre-carriage transport
2. Shipment charges for carriage
3. Charges for post-carriage

Let us understand these sea freight cost breakdown charges in brief.

1. Shipment charges for carriage

The term ‘pre-carriage ‘refers to any movement occurring inland before the container is loaded at the loading port. An activity like this can take place at the same place as the port of loading or near it. 

Charges that fall under this category include (but are not limited to)

• Utilisation surcharge for chassis
• Added fuel surcharge
• Charges associated with packing
• Passing through customs
• Dockage Charges
• Charges for documents

2. Shipment charges for carriage

The term ‘carriage’ refers to the movement of the cargo by sea by the shipping line from the port of loading to the port of discharge. The shipping service price list for each carrier will list the applicable charges based on the type of service and contract of carriage agreed to between the carrier and the shipper.

The list below includes some of the most common charges:

• Rates associated with ocean freight
• Bunker adjustment factor – used in the steamship industry to compensate for fluctuations in fuel costs
• There is also an International Security Port Surcharge, which pertains to the security of the vessel and container at the port
• Fee for handling exports at the terminal
• Charges for Bills of Lading
• Fees associated with exports
• Fees for documentation
• Surcharge for emergency bunkers added to freight to cover fuel costs
• Charges imposed by the destination port for the protection of the environment
• Surcharge for relocating equipment
• An increase in general rates
• Hazardous materials or goods are charged a surcharge
• There is an overweight surcharge
• Surcharge for piracy
• Surcharge for the peak season
• Dues at the port
• Delivery charges at the destination
• Penalties for detentions and demurrages

3. Charges for post-carriage

Post carriage is used for any inland movement that occurs after a container has been discharged from a port. Depending on its nature, it may be carried out by both the carrier and the merchant via road or rail.

Below are the charges that it may include:

• Surcharges related to chassis utilisation
• Charges for cartage
• Surcharge for fuel
• Charges associated with packing
• Passing through customs
• Dockage Charges
• Charges for documents
• Receiving charge for container yards
• Charge for delivery to a destination
• Penalties for detentions and demurrages
• Handling charges for destination terminals
• Transportation, storage, and packaging charges
• Fees for release

The above points just explained the sea freight cost breakdown to consider when looking to use sea freight as your option. You also came to know how the sea freight calculator acts as a perfect sea freight cost estimator, which could help give you an approximate estimation of the charges that you would have to pay while using sea freight. So, after reading this, you could probably use a method of sea freight cost estimator, such as the sea freight calculator, that could help ease your calculation part. And get a complete sea freight cost breakdown for you to consider.