Sea freight costs are a complex and variable system that covers all kinds of costs incurred throughout the entire process from departure to destination. When choosing a sea freight service, it is recommended to understand the composition and calculation methods of various costs in detail in order to make an informed decision. At the same time, full communication with the carrier or freight forwarder to understand the cost details and preferential policies is also an effective way to reduce transportation costs.
Basic freight is the most important cost in sea freight, usually calculated based on the weight or volume of the goods and the transportation distance. Different routes and cargo categories may have different pricing standards. For bulk goods such as building materials and machinery, they may be priced by weight; while light and bulky goods such as household goods and textiles are mostly priced by volume.
Fuel surcharge: used to cope with fluctuations in fuel prices, usually charged at a certain percentage of the freight.
Port surcharge: includes fees such as terminal and port maintenance, which are related to the operation and maintenance costs of the port.
Congestion surcharge: an additional fee added under port congestion or loading and unloading conditions to alleviate port congestion problems.
Security surcharge: Fees incurred for the security of international ships and port facilities, used to improve shipping safety.
Unloading fees: Fees incurred by the port or carrier for unloading after the goods arrive at the destination port.
Customs clearance fees: Fees incurred when goods are cleared by customs at the destination port, including tariffs, VAT and other taxes and customs clearance fees.
Transshipment fees: If the goods need to be transshipped to other locations at the destination port, transshipment fees will be incurred.
Refrigeration fees: For goods that require refrigerated transportation, refrigeration service fees will be incurred.
Hazardous goods handling fees: For dangerous goods, additional dangerous goods handling fees will be incurred.
Other special services: Such as container unpacking, packing, reinforcement and other fees, calculated separately according to the service content and requirements.
Booking fees: Fees that may be incurred during the booking process, including booking commissions, etc.
Document fees: Including the costs of making and providing transportation documents (such as bills of lading, invoices, packing lists, etc.).
Seal fees: Fees used to fix container seals.
