On rare occasions shipping lines and airlines may have to leave cargo off the intended sailing vessel or flight. This can be due to a number of issues including needing to make the correct mix of cargo weights on a vessel, insufficient space on the ships deck for certain cargoes or incompatible hazardous cargoes.

LCL is less than a container load, whereas FCL is a full container load. You would opt for FCL when your goods fill a whole container – normally either a 20’ or a 40’ container.

We will arrange for your container to be delivered by the shipping line to your premises or your chosen collection address. You will then need equipment to load your cargo into your container. If you don’t have the necessary facilities to do this we can organise for your cargo to be packed, palletised and secured into the container should you need this.

The shipping of a complete contract over a predetermined time period, often with oversize cargo, usually involving door to door logistics arrangements.

It stands for out-of-gauge cargo which exceeds the dimensions of a 20’ or 40’ container. Depending on dimensions OOG cargo is loaded onto a flatrack or open top container.

Our rule of thumb is as soon as you are even asked to tender for a contract, because we can help optimise the logistics solutions so that your own bid is cost effective for the elements that we can help you with. We can also advise upfront about some of the issues that may impact on your ability to deliver i.e. port locations and facilities, routes to site etc.

An open top container is especially for over-dimensional cargo. The container does not have a top or a “roof” and instead consists of removable tarpaulin. This allows easy crane access to pack or unpack the container from above. Roof bows on an open-top container not only support the tarpaulin but also contribute to container stability. Flatracks are therefore more suitable for over height cargoes. An open top will usually have to be planned in advance with shipping lines stowage plans to ensure it is stacked last onto the vessel’s other containers.

Flat Rack containers, Open Top containers, cargo packed in cases on non-containerised vessels, mafi trailers on a Ro Ro vessel.

Yes, you do need one because a storage plan is used to calculate how much space your cargo will take up in a container. The results will identify which type of container you will need. We can help you organize this.

This will depend on the weight and dimensions of your cargo. We can help you work this out, with storage plans.

Verified Gross Mass (VGM) is the weight of the cargo including dunnage and bracing plus the tare weight of the container carrying this cargo for ocean freight. Since 2016, all shipping lines have requested the VGM weight to comply with the IMO’s (International Maritime Organisation) new SOLAS (Saftey of Life at Sea) convention.

If you are a VGM Approved Weigher by registering with Maritime and Coastguard agency, you can declare your own cargo weight. You will need specialist equipment to weigh the container and the cargo. Otherwise we will arrange for the exit port terminal to do this on your behalf. There are VGM port charges, even if you are a registered weigher.

Ocean freight, in general, is cheaper than air freight. Ocean shipping helps traders to reduce logistics costs significantly compared with air freight. If you are shipping less than a container load, your price is often determined by cubic meter. With larger and heavier shipments, it is often much cheaper to ship by sea. Of course air freight is a quicker form of transport.

Cargo that is non-containerised shipped by sea on a Break bulk vessel.

A storage plan is a map of containers on a vessel devised by the shipping line based on the weights and size of the containers.You can also have a storage plan for the contents of a container. A storage plan is used to calculate how much space your cargo will take up in a container. The results will identify which type of container you will need.