When shipping cargo long distances, the consignee has several options to choose from. A person can choose to use air transport, road transport or rail transport. Choosing a particular option largely depends on how the sender gets satisfaction from that service. When shipping goods over long distances, especially from one country to another, or from one continent to another, the best option would be maritime transport. Goods can be shipped unaccompanied and will be delivered safe and sound, along with your friendly ocean freight rates. Fees are normally determined based on a number of different factors including the following;
First, the distance to be traveled is considered. Shipments that must be shipped over very long distances, especially from one continent to another, will have higher rates. Goods destined for short distances, such as from one neighboring country to another, will have much cheaper ocean freight rates. Long distances will cause the transport company to consume more fuel and have its staff working longer. Therefore, this calls for higher ocean freight rates compared to cargo destined for shorter distances. Therefore, distance becomes an important determining factor when charging ocean freight rates.
Although maritime transport is intended to transport very heavy goods, the weight goes up to a certain limit. Any shipment that exceeds the maximum allowed will have additional charges included in the shipping rates. Very heavy shipments like crude oil and machinery have their special ocean freight rates that are based on a certain scale. Therefore, additional fees apply to shipments that exceed the stated weight limit. As small as the size of the cargo, the weight is much more important, since the ship cannot exceed a certain tonnage.
In addition, the nature of the goods to be transported also helps determine ocean freight rates. Perishable goods are not included in this category since the ship cannot travel at very fast speeds like air transport. Goods that require special services such as refrigeration while still in transit will require additional fees to be included in the rates. Although other products are not necessarily perishable, they must be kept refrigerated in order to stay fresh. A good example are some medicines that need relatively lower temperatures. In addition, risky goods for transport also have their special rates. Things like explosives need special arrangements to be safely transported to their destination and this requires fees in addition to ocean freight rates.
In addition, the value that the recipient obtains from the use of maritime transport is also taken into account. If the shipper gets maximum benefits from using the service, the ocean freight rates will be a bit higher. This mainly deals with high value items like jewelry and other precious stones. Such assets require strict security around them as they are prone to theft. This means that the shipping company has to employ additional security to take care of them, therefore the shipping rates are higher.