Our Ocean Freight service is a popular one and we ship significant volumes every year, which enables us to offer you capacity, frequent departures and competitive rates.
We further offer a vast choice of destinations from every major port worldwide across both intercontinental and short sea routes.
We are ready to guide you through the complex port layouts, regulations and cultural norms to ship your cargo from port to port without undue hassles.
In addition, we assist our clients with a pickup or delivery service from their doorstep to anywhere in the world, so whether you need door-to-door or door-to-depot delivery, we combine our Sea Freight Services with our air, rail, truck and barge solutions to match your requirements and transit times.
Whether you have hazardous cargo, out-of-gauge freight or plain standard shipments, our network is designed to support and add value to your business.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between FCL and LCL?
Depending on the size of your shipment, you will either be able to fill an entire container with only your goods, or you may need to share a container with other people.
LCL
LCL (Less-Than-Container Load) shipments are used when the shipment is too small to fill an entire container. Instead of your goods being loaded into their own container, your goods are in a shared (or consolidated) container with other people’s goods. LCL is charged by cbm (cubic meter).
FCL
FCL (Full Container Load) shipments are for goods of a high enough volume to warrant being transported in their own container. FCL is charged as a flat fee per container.
Joveric 4 Africa will help adviser you on whether your shipment requires LCL or FCL.
What are the costs of sea freight?
Bear in mind that every stage in the process carries its own costs, and these add up to the final costs. Some of these costs may be borne by other parties, depending on the agreed Incoterms.
For the sake of clarity we have included all the main steps here:
- Packing (packaging of goods) at origin
- Collection and transport to port (this may include multiple steps like air / road / rail transport)
- Customs (port of departure)
- On the water (sailing to destination)
- Customs (destination port)
- If LCL, unpacking of containers
- Transport to final destination
Something else that is important to keep in mind is the fluctuation of sea freight rates, which are controlled by the shipping lines. Joveric 4 Africa leverages its relationships to negotiate the most favorable sea freight rates for its clients.
What is out-of-gauge freight?
Out of Gauge (OOG) cargo is cargo with dimensions exceeding those of the container, so the cargo can’t fit inside a shipping container. Shipping companies charge an OOG surcharge for lost slots because goods that protrude prevent them from loading containers in those slots.
What types of shipping containers are there?
The most popular shipping container the world over is the 20 foot long shipping container – designed to seamlessly transfer between trucks, trailers, port handling equipment, shipping vessels and railheads.
They exist in many variations, designed to handle different types of cargo. The most popular are:
- Dry cargo containers
- Refrigerated containers
- Open top containers
- Flat rack containers
What are Incoterms?
Incoterms are universally recognized trade terms that are officially published by the International Chamber of Commerce. These 3-letter terms were designed to transcend language barriers, thus make conducting international business easier and less prone to misinterpretation.
The 11 Incoterms related to sea freight are as follows:
- EXW (Ex Works) – this term states that pretty much everything is the buyer’s responsibility. The only responsibility the seller has is to make the goods available for collection.
- FCA (Free Carrier) – this means that the seller is required to deliver the goods to a named location for transfer to a carrier.
- FAS (Free alongside Ship) – this term states that the seller is responsible for getting the goods alongside the ship, ready for loading.
- FOB (Free on Board) – this term states that there is a fairly even split in costs and responsibilities between the buyer and seller.
- CFR (Cost and Freight) – this means that the seller pays for everything up to the destination port, after which the buyer assumes responsibility.
- CIF (Const, Insurance and Freight) – this is the same as CFR, but the seller also pays for insurance up to the destination port.
- CPT (Carriage Paid To) – this means the main carriage and all other risks and responsibilities are assumed by the seller until the good are delivered to a carrier.
- CIP (Carriage and Insurance Paid To) – the same as CPT, but also includes insurance up to delivery to the carrier.
- DPU (Delivered at Place Unloaded) – this means that the seller has to get the goods unloaded at a named place of destination, bearing all costs and risks up to this point.
- DAP (Delivered at Place) – the seller is responsible for costs and risk of delivery of goods to a named place, where goods are placed at the disposal of the buyer on the arriving means of transport.
- DDP (Delivered Duty Paid) – means that the seller is responsible for everything – customs, taxes, delivery, transport, from door to door.
Joveric 4 Africa is well versed in all the intricacies of import and export ocean freight and we look forward to assisting you with your needs.
