Goods shipped in this sector more often than not exceed the dimensions and the weight limit of a container. “Nevertheless, it might be beneficial to ship oversized and overweight cargo via container vessel”, says Florian Straßer, Director Business Development.
A reliable shipping schedule
Reliability regarding shipping dates is important when talking about transports of project and break bulk cargo. “We often handle cargo for construction projects for the new building or expansion of factories. These are planned in detail and have a fixed timetable and the goods’ transport process, of course, needs to adhere to these”, our project specialist says. “Container vessels operate in liner services – that allows for a reliable and long-term planning of ocean freight shipping.”
Fixed transit times of container vessels facilitate exact pre-plannings for transports.
High frequency of departures
Container vessels in liner service have a comparatively high sailing frequency. “Multipurpose vessels depart less frequently – for example only once a month, depending on their route and destination”, Florian Straßer explains. Container vessels have fixed routes. “They do not change their routes or call additional ports on short notice as it may happen when shipping via tramp break bulk services”, our expert says. “Thus, container vessels have fixed transit times compared to many break bulk vessels – which, of course, facilitates exact pre-planning for project cargo transports.”
All-in-one-shipping
Project shipments often consist of numerous components. “Oversized and heavy components need to be shipped as well as smaller freight pieces, stowed in a container”, Florian Straßer explains. “Ideally, all cargo parts of a shipment can be loaded on a container vessel and shipped on the same vessel, so that there is no need to split the freight for shipping in different part lots.” For some shipping projects, this is even mandatory: How cargo must or must not be shipped (in one or more lots) may be regulated in a contract – keyword: Letter of credit (LC). In other cases, shipping all freight pieces at one go might be the most cost-efficient way – keyword: Zero-License.