Whether for personal or business use, there are choices to be made when sending a parcel. pallet, box or other medium, collectively freight, abroad.
Choice available, cost, speed, availability, collection or drop-off, personal choice, consignment contents - this is the mine field that has to be navigated through to send your shipment.
The decision can be an easy one - if the destination is only served by Air Freight - you have no choice. Other factors will be included such as the frequency of shipments - are you a manufacturing business that needs to make regular shipments ? or a person moving for a new life abroad who needs a one off shipment.
SPEED:
The urgency of your cargo is the first factor to consider in deciding between air freight and sea freight given the fundamental difference between sea freight and air freight is speed. Airfreight typically range from a 3 - 10 days, taking into consideration holding time at airports, routing and awaiting available aircraft and handling at origin and destination. Sea freight depends on distance and available services and range from a week to 70 days, with sea freight even time of year, seasonality and weather can be influencing factors.
COST:
With regards to business, cash can be most significant factor to think about. An air freight shipment is comparatively more costly than a similar volume of sea freight. This is for the most part because of the limited freight space on a plane, the higher fuel utilisation and operational expenses of a air freight. Due to the volume of load a boat can hold immediately, when contrasted with an air freight, the cargo cost via sea freight is a lot less expensive than air freight. However, a similar sea freight booking will most likely be unable to call at smaller ports because of size, which will then facilitate the need for freight forwarding services.
ENVIRONMENT:
There is no argument that with current aviation standards and airplanes, the carbon footprint is massively greater than that of sea freight. This is something that has to be factored in when choosing the shipping method. However, depending on the cargo being carried, it may be that the speed of transfer of the cargo necessitates a fast transfer, so the carbon effect has to be absorbed as a factor that cannot be mitigated.
WHAT NOW?
The choices and decisions you make concerning air freight versus sea freight issue will rely upon many factors as discussed. It is of key significance to know the upsides and downsides of every one of these alternatives and afterwards settle on your choice last.
At GCLParcel we have the experience and industry know-how to help you make the right choice, not only for your business, but for the environment, your customers and also your balance sheet.
Contact us today to see how we can help.
