International Export Shipping

In one of our previous blogs, “A Guide to International Shipping”, we talked about the procedures, processes, and players in the shipping industry from the shipper up to the consolidating warehouse. In this blog, we continue talking about the procedures, processes, and players in international export shipping, from the export port to the destination port.

 

The Export Port

The Export Port is the physical location where the container filled with export cargo goods is brought. It should be mentioned that it is already loaded and sealed at the consolidating warehouse, and ready to be loaded onto the ship. It should be noted what is of importance is that the export port fees or terminal handling charges, which are normally referred to as either “Origin Port Fees” or “Origin Terminal Handling Charges (OTHC)” are usually included in the shipping quote sent to the shipper for international export shipping. There is usually no charge included that refers to  “From Port” as your goods are transferred to the port from a warehouse already loaded into the respective shipping container. Furthermore they have been sealed and cleared by Customs authorities too. Thus, the only charge that may be present between the Warehouse and Export Port would be any transportation cost “from the Warehouse”.

The Shipping Line

The shipping line in international export shipping is the company that owns the ship in which the export cargo will be carried from its port of origin or export port to the destination port. They will in turn issue what is known as a “Master Bill of Lading”, also often referred to as a “Seaway Bill of Lading”. Whilst this process is done unbeknownst to you, it should be noted that there are certain rules and regulations that a shipping line possess which your freight forwarder will handle on your behalf.  It should be mentioned that the Shipping Line is often also the Container Line, and they work on a highest priority basis whereby household goods are often considered the lowest priority.

The Container Line

Much like the shipping line, the container line is the company that possesses ownership of the containers that are holding the cargo in the international export shipping. They also rent out containers. The factor of ownership does not matter in your international export shipping process, but it is known to the freight forwarder.

The Destination Port

The Destination Port is the point in which the cargo is unloaded within the destination country. Usually, you as the shipper will not have any dealings with them though you will need to pay them the likes of “Destination Port Fees” or “Destination Terminal Handling Charges” much like that at the Export Port. Often your international export shipping quote will feature this.