Ocean (Sea) Freight vs Air Freight
When shipping goods internationally, there are many factors to consider. One of the biggest is what mode of transport you are going to use while planning international logistics for your cargo. In such situations deciding between sea and air freight is extremely important. It is important to know the difference between air freight and sea freight because both have different characteristics and appeal to different types of requirements. Understanding these differences will help you to make a better choice when you are planning international logistics. Some of the factors that will help you make a suitable choice between them when choosing a digital freight forwarder are as follows:
- Cost — No matter your budget or your circumstances, the cost will have an influence on your decision-making when you are planning for international shipping. It is typically thought that sea freight is the cheaper of the two and while that may be the case in a lot of situations, it’s not for all. Ensure that you shop around and get quotes for both modes of transport with different logistics companies before deciding on one.
- Speed — If you have a time restriction on when you need your goods to get to their final destination then we would strongly advise that you consider air freight. International ocean freight companies can take as long as a month to deliver the goods, whilst air freight can be there in a day or two. If you are shipping for business, the time and convenience of your goods getting there in such a quick time frame may more than make up for the cost of air freight. If you don’t require a quick time frame it could make a lot more sense to send it via Ocean (sea) freight.
- Reliability — When we’re deciding on the right logistic company for their services, we want them to be reliable and it is no different here. When it comes to sea freight logistics, companies have had a much longer history and time to perfect their processes so they would be more reliable. However, airlines are very keen to stay on top of schedules with much fewer delays and cancellations, making them highly reliable & competent.
- Environment — With the ever-increasing issue of climate change pressing on the world, there’s no better time than now to make more environmentally friendly choices to help preserve our planet. As social awareness is growing, digital freight forwarders are also trying to do their bit to provide more eco-friendly business solutions. With occasional oil and chemical spills, sea freight does impact the water ecosystems and might not be the best solution in terms of environmental preservation.
- Less Restrictions — Sea freight does not have as many restrictions of what companies can import, in terms of size and amount as other methods do. Bigger items such as furniture or vehicles aren’t going to be so much of a problem by sea as they would by air. Therefore it is important to choose a digital freight brokerage firm that can help deliver the cargo as per your requirement.
- Good Value on Smaller Deliveries — Air freight is charged based on weight as opposed to volume which makes it more cost-effective to send smaller deliveries via air freight than by sea.
- Accessibility — A digital freight platform is pretty much accessible from anywhere in the world. Therefore, whether a cargo is sent by sea or air, we need to make sure to pick a forwarder or brokerage firm that operates digitally and offers transparent services like making their dashboards and real-time tracking accessible. Digital freight logistics are more easily traceable which can give businesses more peace of mind.
- Less Potential to Damage Shipment — Providing the goods are correctly packaged, air freight is usually a better way of shipping fragile items as damage is less likely compared to sea freight. In sea freight, owing to rough seas cargo can be damaged in transit which is less likely in air freight.
Conclusion
In recent months, shippers have been facing a lot of challenges like the unavailability of container space in the shipping lines on the desired dates, delays, unexpected route changes, sky-rocketing shipping rates, and a lot more. Amidst this chaos, many are turning to air freight to address their urgent shipping needs. It’s essential to keep an eye on the air and ocean markets as both are highly volatile. A readily available rate, data for benchmarking, and market intelligence for both markets will make tendering and negotiations for procurement professionals more efficient. In many cases, depending on how market rates are moving and other market dynamics, one mode of transport can be chosen over the other. Choosing between these transportation options can leave you wondering which one might be the best. The best advice here would be to choose digital freight logistics according to the situation, because not every type of freight is suitable for every situation and every cargo.
