LCL

Less than Container Load

Where the quantity for shipment does not justify the use of a complete container, it’s possible to combine your goods with those of other shippers. In this case, you pay only for what you ship, not for the whole container. This is an especially cost effective way of shipping smaller consignments and is also known as a groupage or consolidation service. Groupage services usually operate between the carrier’s warehouse in the country of origin and another in the country of destination.

FCL – Full Container Load

If you have sufficient goods to send, this is the optimum way to ship cargo as the cost per unit shipped reduces as the quantity increases. There are generally two types of containers available – 20 foot and 40 foot containers – and in most cases they can carry over 20 tonnes. The movement of containers can be tracked as they travel across the oceans from one continent to another and the goods travel in one unit from supplier to customer without intermediary handling.

Out of Gauge Seafreight and Heavy Loads

Some large items are too big or too heavy to put into standard shipping containers. This type of consignment often involves the use of special road vehicles to carry heavy or very large goods. If it’s not possible to deliver overland, special arrangements have to be made to lift goods on and off ocean vessels which, in turn, are adapted for carrying this type of cargo. Some mobile equipment, such as wheeled or tracked vehicles, can be moved by Roll-On / Roll-Off ships and this avoids the need to lift large or heavy items on and off vessels – see below.

Roll-On / Roll-Off

Roll-On / Roll-Off vessels are used for both local and inter-continental sea journies to carry mobile equipment and road vehicles. As the title suggests, vehicles are rolled on and rolled off, either under their own power or using a slave tractor. This system allows road vehicles and similar equipment to move to and from one country to another and is an alternative to using containers which must be lifted on and lifted off vessels.

Must Fly

Must Fly is a title which attaches to time-critical shipments and describes the need to ensure that goods are flown on the first available flight and by the most direct route. This involves meeting strict deadlines for collection, airport handling, documentary and security procedures in order to get goods airborne, usually on a scheduled flight operated by one of the mainstream airlines.

Consols

An abbreviation for Consolidations, this service is intended to provide a balance between speed and cost. Space is bought on certain flights and this is then made available to numerous shippers and these shipments are then consolidated into one shipment from airport to airport. These services are perhaps not quite as frequent as those operated by scheduled airlines, but they offer significant savings on costs.

Heavy Lift Air Freight

The size and weight of some urgent goods means that they cannot be sent on normal general purpose aircraft and it may be necessary to use aircraft which are specially designed to accommodate large and heavy goods. Although some of these aircraft operate on regular routes and according to fixed schedules, there are times when it is necessary to make special arrangements to charter an aircraft for a specific journey. Arrangements must then be made to co-ordinate the positioning of both the goods and aircraft in order to complete the movement of the goods.

If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact us on +44(0)121 713 7250 or by email on info@westhavenww.co.uk