Getting started
Your first sea freight import: what to agree before ordering
Prepare your first import from supplier discussions to warehouse delivery. Check quotation data, documents, responsibilities and costs.
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Practical answers before booking, in transit and after delivery.
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Step-by-step instructions for the load planner and charges calculator, with examples.
Transport articles
Results: 40
Getting started
Your first sea freight export: prepare before the port
Cargo being ready does not mean the shipment is ready.
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Getting started
What to send a forwarder for a useful sea freight quote
A quotation answers the information you provide.
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Getting started
How to compare two sea freight quotes
A lower ocean freight rate does not necessarily mean a cheaper delivery.
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Getting started
FCL or LCL: how to choose for your shipment
FCL uses a whole container for the shipment; LCL shares container space with other consignments.
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Getting started
20DV, 40DV or 40HC? Choose around your cargo
Check internal space, door clearance, weight and loading access before ordering equipment.
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Getting started
Carton and pallet CBM: calculate the finished shipment
Calculate package, batch and mixed-cargo volume without counting the same packaging twice.
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Documents and terms
EXW, FCA and FOB: what to agree with your supplier
Define the handover point and separate loading, clearance, costs and risk before importing.
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Documents and terms
CFR and CIF: supplier-paid freight is only part of the import
Check ports, arrival charges and insurance when the seller arranges ocean freight.
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Quotes and costs
“Seven free days”: questions to ask before booking
Clarify the charge scope, counting events and empty return before accepting the offer.
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Shipment operations
VGM, SI and cut-offs: build the pre-sailing schedule
Separate document deadlines, verified mass and container gate-in instead of watching only the vessel date.
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Documents and terms
Original B/L, sea waybill and telex release: agree cargo release
Separate the transport document from the release procedure before shipping or paying the supplier.
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Shipment operations
Forty days at sea: when will cargo reach the warehouse?
Build a schedule from cargo readiness through unloading and empty return, with explicit assumptions.
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Documents and terms
Import and export documents: who needs which information?
Build a consistent commercial, transport and customs file for the actual cargo and route.
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Cargo and equipment
Preparing cargo for a container: checks before closing the doors
Check packaging, equipment condition, moisture and loading arrangements, and retain evidence.
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Quotes and costs
THC, DOC, BAF and PSS: checking the extras in a freight quote
Turn freight abbreviations into clear costs with units, currencies, scope and conditions before accepting a quotation.
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Quotes and costs
Rate valid until month end: which date determines the price?
Clarify the event behind a freight quote's expiry date and what happens when a sailing moves into the following month.
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Quotes and costs
Freight prepaid and collect: identify the payer and the scope
Check which costs prepaid or collect covers, identify the payer and reconcile billing instructions with the freight documents.
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Quotes and costs
Changing or cancelling a booking: check the consequences first
Review scope, container status, possible charges and confirmations before changing or cancelling a shipping booking.
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Quotes and costs
Transport invoice higher than the quote: investigate the difference
Reconcile quote and invoice line by line, check quantities and currencies, and prepare an evidence-based discrepancy enquiry.
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Shipment operations
Container did not sail despite a confirmed booking: what to check
Establish the facts behind a container left behind, check the next transport plan and avoid promising an unconfirmed delivery date.
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Shipment operations
Blank sailing: rebuild the shipment plan after a cancelled voyage
Check the scope of a cancelled sailing, compare alternatives and update equipment, document and inland arrangements.
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Shipment operations
Container waiting at a transshipment port: check the onward sailing
Read transshipment events, verify assignment to the next vessel and obtain an onward plan with clear uncertainties.
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Shipment operations
Vessel arrived but the container cannot be collected: what to check
Check discharge, terminal availability, releases, payments and collection arrangements before dispatching a truck on an ETA alone.
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Shipment operations
Distant empty-return depot: agree the full route before delivery
Confirm the return depot, permission to change it, acceptance requirements and full transport cost before delivery.
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Cargo and equipment
Non-stackable cargo: data for the quote and loading plan
Describe packed dimensions, weight, orientation and top-loading restrictions instead of supplying only CBM.
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Cargo and equipment
Open top or flat rack? Prepare an oversized cargo enquiry
Prepare transport dimensions, weights, drawings and handling requirements for an oversized cargo assessment.
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Cargo and equipment
Reefer booking: agree the transport conditions first
Prepare product requirements, temperature instructions, ventilation, power and monitoring arrangements before booking a reefer.
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Cargo and equipment
Heavy cargo with little volume: check the whole route
Why container payload alone cannot approve heavy cargo: support, inland transport, terminal handling and unloading.
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Cargo and equipment
Dangerous goods: prepare an enquiry for specialist review
Collect classification, packaging, documents and route information for assessment of dangerous goods in a container.
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Documents and terms
Shipper, consignee and notify party: agree the document parties
Identify bill of lading parties, distinguish them from invoice details and check house/master arrangements before submitting instructions.
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Documents and terms
Bill of lading error: request and verify a correction
Compare the draft with confirmed instructions, describe each amendment and verify the document and related filing updates.
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Documents and terms
Cargo insurance and carrier liability: what to check
Distinguish cargo insurance from carrier liability and compare scope, limits, exclusions and claims procedures.
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Cargo and equipment
Damaged cargo in a container: document the condition at receipt
Record the observed condition safely, organise photographs and documents, and notify the relevant parties under the applicable procedure.
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Documents and terms
DAP or DDP? Before promising door delivery
Agree the delivery point, import clearance, taxes and unloading before committing to DAP or DDP Incoterms 2020.
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Shipment operations
Several suppliers, one container: plan the consolidation
Collect supplier readiness, cargo details and documents, and agree what happens if one batch is late.
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Shipment operations
Truck or rail from the port? Compare the whole delivery
Compare inland delivery including the inland terminal, final road leg, availability and empty-container return.
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Cargo and equipment
Container seals: checking numbers and handling discrepancies
Check a container seal against the documents, record discrepancies and agree the next steps before opening.
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Cargo and equipment
SOC or COC: your container or carrier-provided equipment
Compare SOC and COC transport through equipment acceptance, documentation, total costs and the plan after delivery.
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Shipment operations
Container tracking: understanding statuses and dates
Distinguish plans, estimates and actual events, and check whether a status concerns a vessel, container or document.
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