Often, your cargo just doesn’t get on the ship. Usually this means the entire container that had your cargo in it, was not loaded onto the ship it was intended for. This is when your cargo gets classified as rolled cargo. There are various reasons as to why your cargo came to be rolled cargo. Keep reading to find out more.
This kind of thing is most often known to occur at transshipment hubs or at end destinations to lesser-known ports, whereby the cargo in question needs to be loaded onto different vessels a few times which increases the chances of getting rolled onto the correct vessels and thus missing the connection.
Containers become rolled cargo due to a number of reasons which can include any of the following;
- Overbooking
- Vessel omissions (which means when a vessel skips a port of call)
- Vessel weight issues
- Mechanical issues
- Customs problems
- Missed cut-off days
- Problems with documentation
- Pending title validation (with concern to auto shipments)
Whilst there are some reasons for rolled cargo being out of your control, there are some preventative measures that can be taken to ensure your cargo gets rolled onto the correct vessel. If your rolled cargo is due to an issue with the carrier, then the carrier is will schedule your shipment and load it onto the next vessel to depart to the next destination, and any extra costs will be borne by the carrier.
In the event the rolled cargo is due to paperwork discrepancies, customs, or compliance issues, the charges will fall on you as the shipper. It should also be noted that rolled over costs are by standard higher than the standard rates of ocean freight.
When your container becomes rolled cargo, the first item on the docket should be to find out the root cause of the matter. In the event that the cause for the rolled cargo is overbooking or vessel omission then it’s a matter of waiting. However, if the problem is paperwork or customs related then it is crucial that you resolve the problem at hand before the next sailing date to avoid further delays to your supply chain. We at Transco Cargo, can assist you in ensuing that the latter doesn’t occur.