A Bill of Lading is a document issued by a Carrier (somebody who transports and delivers goods) to a Shipper (someone who supplies and/or owns the goods – also known as a Consignor), confirming goods were received in an acceptable condition and are ready to be shipped. Those goods will then be delivered by the carrier to a Consignee (the person who bought the goods in the first place). A Bill of Lading is essentially a contract of carriage between the Shipper, Consignee, and Carrier stating the terms and conditions of carriage.
What Is In a Bill of Lading?
Typically, a bill of lading will include the names and addresses of the shipper (consigner) and receiver (consignee), shipment date, quantity, exact weight, value, and freight classification. Additionally, a complete description of the items including whether they’re classified as hazardous, type of packaging used, any specific instructions for the carrier, and any special order tracking numbers are included.
What To Include In a Bill of Lading
The BOL should include specific information such as:
The number of units to be shipped.
The precise weight of the shipment (multiple freight units call for each item’s weight to be listed).
Shipper and receiver names and addresses.
The date of shipment.
The carrier’s unique instructions.
The kind of packaging (ex: pallets, drums, skids, cartons).
The stated value of the cargo being shipped.
A complete description of the item being shipped, with specifics about the common name and the material used to manufacture it.
The freight classification.
Account number or PO used for order tracking between companies.
A note explaining whether the freight is a DoT hazardous material. (If so, there are specific rules and regulations about shipping such materials.)
KEY TAKEAWAYS
A bill of lading is a legal document issued by a carrier to a shipper that details the type, quantity, and destination of the goods being carried.
A bill of lading is a document of title, a receipt for shipped goods, and a contract between a carrier and shipper.
This document must accompany the shipped goods and must be signed by an authorized representative from the carrier, shipper, and receiver.
If managed and reviewed properly, a bill of lading can help prevent asset theft.
The Importance of Bills of Lading
The carrier need not require all originals to be submitted before delivery. It is therefore essential that the exporter retains control over the full set of the originals until payment is effected or a bill of exchange is accepted or some other assurance for payment has been made to him.
A bill of lading, therefore, is a very important issue when making shipments to move the cargo or freight from one point to the other. On one hand, it is a contract between a carrier and shipper for the transportation of goods and on the other hand, it serves as a receipt issued by a carrier to the shipper.
Hence, the bill of lading is considered a legal document which provides all the vital details to the shipper and the carrier to conveniently process the freight shipment through different maritime countries and invoice it correctly.
The original copy of the bill of lading is provided to the carrier, and a copy of the same should also be ascribed to the packaged freight.
Different Types Of Bills Of Lading
There are many different types of Bills of Lading. They differ based on many factors such as the:
Issuer of the BoL,
The purpose of the BoL,
Its form of transmission,
The relationship between buyer and seller,
The protection it offers to the buyer.
The main types of bill of lading dealt with for international transport are Ocean Bill of Lading, Seaway Bill of Lading, House Bill of Lading, Master Air Way Bill of Lading, House Air Way Bill of Lading and occasionally Switch Bill of Lading. We will cover each one of them below. But first, there are two main categories that bills of ladings fall in that you need to know: negotiable and non-negotiable.
Negotiable and Non-negotiable bill of lading?
Negotiable bill of lading: In this type of bill, clear instruction is provided to make the delivery of the goods to anyone having the possession of the original copy of the bill, which itself signifies the title and control of the freight. In this type of bill, the buyer/ receiver or his/her agent has to acquire and present an original copy of the bill of lading at the discharge port. In the absence of original bill copy, the freight will not be released.
Non-negotiable bill: This type of bill of lading fixes a specific consignee/name of the receiver to whom the freights will be shipped and delivered. It, however, does not itself serve the ownership of the goods. Under this type of bill, the assigned receiver/ buyers can claim the cargo by confirming their identity.
The National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage
If you are a worker aged 23 and over, and not in your first year of an apprenticeship, you are legally entitled to at least the National Living Wage of £8.91 per hour.
Not sure what your current hourly wage rate is? Use this calculator to check.
It is illegal for your employer to pay you below the National Living Wage, so check your pay and talk to your manager to make sure you’re getting the wages you are entitled to.
Feel uncomfortable talking to your manager? Call the Acas helpline for confidential advice and support.
Think you are being underpaid? Register a confidential complaint with HMRC. Your details will not be shared with your employer.
If you’re an employer, by law from 1 April you must pay workers aged 23 and over the legal National Living Wage 2021 pay rate.
National Living Wage
The National Living Wage (NLW) is a higher rate of pay afforded to workers aged 23 or over. Until April 2021, the NLW was only a requirement for workers who have reached the age of 25. It is different to the Living Wage, which has no legal basis and is calculated each year by the Living Wage Foundation based on the average cost of living in the UK.
If you are 23 and over:
If you are a worker aged 23 and over, and not in your first year of an apprenticeship, you are legally entitled to at least the National Living Wage of £8.91 per hour.
Not sure what your current hourly wage rate is? Use this calculator to check.
It is illegal for your employer to pay you below the National Living Wage, so check your pay and talk to your manager to make sure you’re getting the wages you are entitled to.
Feel uncomfortable talking to your manager? Call the Acas helpline for confidential advice and support.
Think you are being underpaid? Register a confidential complaint with HMRC. Your details will not be shared with your employer.
If you’re an employer, by law from 1 April you must pay workers aged 23 and over the legal National Living Wage 2021 pay rate.
National Minimum Wage
The UK National Minimum Wage is a legal requirement, so all employers must be aware of how much they need to pay each employee to ensure compliance.
The rates vary depending on the age of the employee and the type of contract they have. For example, apprentices can be paid a lower minimum wage, regardless of their age.
The rates also change slightly each year at the start of the new financial year. This has increased to the minimum hourly rate that employers must pay from the 1st of April each year.
If you are under 23:
If you are a worker aged under 23, or an apprentice, you are legally entitled to at least the National Minimum Wage rate.
Not sure what your current hourly minimum wage pay rate is? Use this calculator to check.
Your average hourly pay is worked out over a period called the ‘pay reference period’. This is usually the period of time that you are actually paid for. For example, if you are paid weekly your pay reference period is one week; if you are paid monthly it is one month. A pay reference period can’t be longer than 31 days.
The pay that counts may not just be the pay you receive during the pay reference period. It also includes pay which you earn during that period, but don’t receive until the next one. For example, if you are paid monthly and do some overtime near the end of July you might not be paid for it until August. The overtime pay will still count towards your July pay.
To find out whether you are getting the NMW you need to know what elements of pay count towards the NMW. You also need to know which hours you are entitled to be paid for. This depends on which of the four types of work under the NMW rules you are:
Over 300,000 people working for almost 9,000 real Living Wage Employers throughout the country are set for a vital pay boost as the new Living Wage rates rise to £9.90 across the UK (40p increase), and £11.05 in London (20p increase), supporting workers and families. The Living Wage rates are the only rates independently calculated based on what people need to live on.
Pay that counts towards the National Minimum Wage
The pay you receive that can be used to calculate the NMW is known as your NMW pay.
NMW pay is calculated on gross pay (before tax and National Insurance have been taken off). Your gross pay includes your basic pay for the work you have done and other types of pay which count towards the NMW. For example, sales commission, performance-related pay or other payments based on how well you do your job.
Some payments don’t count towards NMW pay. You should deduct these from your total pay before working out whether you are getting the NMW. Payments which don’t count include:
loans
advances of wages
pension payments
retirement lump sums
redundancy payments
rewards under staff suggestion schemes
any premium element (in other words, anything you are paid on top of your basic pay) for working at special times, for example overtime or on bank holidays
allowances on top of your basic pay, for example for working unsocial hours, in a particular area (for example, London Weighting), in dangerous conditions, ‘on call’, or performing special duties over and above your normal ones
tips, gratuities, service charges and cover charges
Deductions from your pay and payments to your employer
Some deductions and payments reduce NMW pay. However, your employer cannot make any deductions from your pay, or take payments from you, unless certain conditions are met.
Deductions and payments which do not reduce NMW pay are:
penalties for misconduct – as long as these penalties are in your employment contract
paying back an advance of wages
paying back an accidental overpayment of wages
the costs of any shares or securities which you have chosen to buy in your firm
money you choose to have deducted from your pay (for example, a pension contribution or trade union subscription), as long as the deduction isn’t required as part of your work and isn’t for your employer’s own use and benefit
payments you choose to make to your employer to buy goods or services from them, for example, if you spend some of your wages on meals in the staff canteen
Service charges, tips, gratuities and cover charges don’t make up your National Minimum Wage pay. To find out what this means if you receive tips as part of your pay and what responsibilities your employer has, visit:
refunds of any money you spent in connection with your work, for example the cost of purchasing tools or uniform
refunds of any expenses you incurred doing your job, such as travel costs
deductions to cover the cost of items your employer supplied to you that are needed for your job, for example, tools or uniform
deductions for your employer’s own use and benefit for goods and services, for example transport they provide to and from work, regardless of whether you have the option of using the goods or services
‘Benefits in kind’
Benefits in kind are anything your employer provides for your benefit apart from pay. Employers may offer you benefits in kind. However, an equivalent value in money for a benefit in kind can’t be counted towards NMW pay, except for a set amount for accommodation.
Examples of benefits in kind which don’t count towards NMW pay are:
meals
fuel
a car
your employer’s contribution to your pension fund
help with removals
medical insurance
lunch vouchers
child care vouchers
National Minimum Wage: accommodation
If your employer provides you with accommodation, they can count some of its value towards National Minimum Wage (NMW) pay. This is called the accommodation offset. Your employer cannot count more than the accommodation offset rate which is in force at any given time.
From April 2021, the offset rate for accommodation charges is £58.52 per week (£8.36 a day).
What is The World’s Biggest and Most Powerful Combustion Engine in 2022?
The Wärtsilä RT-flex96C is a turbocharged, two-stroke reciprocating diesel engine designed to power large container ships and is the world’s largest engine. Built in the Aioi Works of Japan’s Diesel United, Ltd, it has a length of 27 metres (88 ft 7 in), is 13.5 metres (44 ft 4 in) high and weighs over 2,300 tonnes.
Using improved fuel injection methods, which have done away with traditional camshaft, chain gear, fuel pumps and hydraulic actuators, the power output of the 14 cylinder version has, in 2008, attained 84.42 Megawatts (114,800 bhp [brake horsepower]).
Thus it has achieved better performance with lower fuel consumption and lower harmful emissions. The engine powers the MV Emma Maersk, one of the world’s largest container ship.
In any case, you’ll need a very long ladder if you want to see the top of the engine as it’s three stories up in the air at around 45 feet. When it’s installed in a container ship it gains stairs and railings so that engineers and workers can move around the engine.
Engine capacity is equally impressive; 25,500 liters, as is the weight of the unit at 2300 tons.
The 14-cylinder version first entered commercial service in September 2006 aboard the Emma Mærsk. The design is similar to the older RTA96C engine, but with common rail technology (in place of traditional camshaft, chain gear, fuel pump and hydraulic actuator systems). This provides maximum performance at lower revolutions per minute (rpm), reduces fuel consumption and emits lower levels of harmful emissions.
The engine has crosshead bearings so the always-vertical piston rods create a tight seal under the pistons. Consequently, the lubrication of the engine is split: the cylinders and the crankcase use different lubricants, each being specialised for its designated role. The cylinders are lubricated by continuous timed injection of consumable lubricant, formulated to protect the cylinders from wear and to neutralise the acids formed during combustion of the high-sulfur fuels commonly used. The crosshead design reduces sideways forces on the piston, keeping diametral cylinder liner wear down to about 0.03 mm per 1000 hours.
Massive Turbocharger
This massive turbo belongs to one of the biggest and strongest engines in the world, the Wärtsilä RT-flex96C.
Northern Ireland’s economy is closely bound to that of the rest of the United Kingdom. Although historically the economic links between Northern Ireland and its closest neighbour, the republic of Ireland, were remarkably underdeveloped, trade between the two has grown substantially.
Compared with the rest of the United Kingdom, the economy of Northern Ireland has long suffered, largely a result of political and social turmoil. To spur economic development, in the 1980s the British and Irish governments created the International Fund for Ireland, which disburses economic assistance to the entire island, with significant resources going to Northern Ireland.
Northern Ireland also receives economic assistance from the European Union.
NI Economic output increased over the quarter and the year.
The NICEI indicates that economic output increased by 3.1% over the quarter to June 2021. Meanwhile economic output in the year to June 2021 increased by 22.2% in real terms compared to the same period in the previous year i.e. Quarter 2 2020.
Economic Growth of Northern Ireland in 2021
Northern Ireland has the smallest economy of any of the twelve NUTS 1 regions of the United Kingdom, at £27.4bn . However, this is partly because Northern Ireland has the smallest population; at £15,200 Northern Ireland has a greater GDP per capita than both North East England and Wales.
Rural areas including the North West are particularly deprived. It suffers from the highest unemployment and highest poverty rates in Northern Ireland.
Throughout the 1990s, the Northern Irish economy grew faster than the rest of the UK, due in part to the rapid growth of the economy of the Republic of Ireland and the so-called “peace dividend”. An April 2007 survey found Northern Ireland’s average house price to one of the highest in the UK, behind London, the South East and the South West. It also found Northern Ireland to have all of the top ten property “hot spots”, with the Craigavon and Newtownards areas increasing by 55%.
However, as of 2018 Northern Ireland house prices are the lowest on average in the UK approx 40% lower than before the bubble burst in 2008
Projected Economic Growth of Northern Ireland in 2022
Northern Ireland GDP is projected to grow by 5.9% this year following a fall of 10.1% in 2020. The recovery is expected to continue into 2022 with growth of 4.1% projected.
Employment Statistics of Northern Ireland in 2021
The number of employee jobs in June 2021 was estimated at 771,680. This was an increase of 1,190 jobs (+0.2%) over the quarter and a decrease of 4,860 jobs (-0.6%) over the year. Neither the quarterly nor the annual changes in employee jobs were found to be statistically significant.
June 2021 marked the second consecutive quarterly increase in employee jobs, following four previous quarters of decline. The first annual decline in employee jobs since 2012 was noted in September 2020 and since then there have been four consecutive quarters of annual decline.
The annualised growth rate of total employee jobs has fallen every quarter between March 2018 (+2.3%) and June 2021 (-1.0%). June 2021 marked the third consecutive quarter of negative annualised growth.
In the last five years, employee jobs have increased by 5.0% (+37,090 jobs). There has been an increase of 11.6% (+80,520 jobs) from the low in March 2012.
Quarterly increases in employee jobs were seen within the services (+1,360 jobs), manufacturing (+310 jobs) and other industries (+40 jobs) sectors to June 2021. The construction sector reported a decrease over the quarter (-520 jobs).
All four broad industry sectors experienced decreases in employee jobs over the year to June 2021, with the services sector reporting the biggest annual decline (-2,910 jobs).
Private sector jobs increased marginally over the quarter (+0.1% or +740 jobs) but decreased over the year (-1.1% or -6,310 jobs) to 556,820 jobs in June 2021. Public sector jobs increased over both the quarter (+0.3% or +580 jobs) and the year (+0.6% or +1,250 jobs) to 214,710 jobs in June 2021.
Investments to Northern Ireland
Foreign direct investment was restrained by The Troubles. Since the signing of the Good Friday Agreement, investment in Northern Ireland has increased significantly.Most investment has been focused in Greater Belfast and to a lesser extent Greater Derry. Major projects include the Victoria Square Shopping Centre Belfast City Centre.
Titanic Quarter is a waterfront development under construction. The Laganside Corporation was previously at the forefront of the redevelopment along the banks of the River Lagan. The Cathedral Quarter has also seen substantial investment. In Derry, the ILEX Urban Regeneration Company no longer exists. The area is 12th in terms of funding despite it being the second city.
Manufacturing and Production in Northern Ireland
Heavy industry is concentrated in and around Belfast, although other major towns and cities also have heavy manufacturing areas. Machinery and equipment manufacturing, food processing, textile and electronics manufacturing are the leading industries. Other industries such as papermaking, furniture manufacturing, aerospace and shipbuilding are also important, concentrated mostly in the eastern parts of Northern Ireland.
Although its share of economic output has declined, manufacturing output in Northern Ireland has remained almost unchanged over the past five years, after a period of steep manufacturing growth between 1998 and 2001. However, this overall picture of health hides a shift in manufacturing priorities, with the decline of traditional industries, such as textiles and shipbuilding, at the expense of high tech and capital-intensive industries. In 2005, chemicals and engineering were the only two manufacturing sub-sectors to record growth, whilst output of textiles fell by 18%.
Engineering is the largest manufacturing sub-sector in Northern Ireland, particularly in the fields of aerospace and heavy machinery. Spirit Aerosystems is the province’s largest industrial employer, with 5,400 workers at five sites in the Greater Belfast area. Other major engineering employers in Northern Ireland include Caterpillar, Emerson Electric, Fujitsu, Allstate NI, Seagate and NACCO. Many of these enjoy close academic and business links with Queen’s University Belfast and Ulster University. The former ranks as one of the best British universities for all engineering courses.
Harland and Wolff, which in the early 20th century was the world’s biggest shipbuilder, suffered from intense international competition during the 1970s and 1980s and declined rapidly. During the 1990s the company diversified into civil engineering and industrial fabrication, manufacturing bridges and oil platforms. The vast works on Queen’s Island were downsized, with much of the land (including the slipway where RMS Titanic was built) sold off for redevelopment in the 2000s as the Titanic Quarter. The modern, smaller yard employs only 800 people. H&W has not built a ship since 2003, but has seen workload increase through shipbreaking, ship repair and maintenance and conversion work. The company has also been active in the design and construction of offshore power generation equipment- both wind turbines and wave-action turbines.
Latest News from Northern Ireland 2022
The Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (Nisra) said employee numbers hit its highest record in July at 762,000.
It is the second month in a row numbers surpassed March 2020 pre-Covid levels.
HM Revenue and Customs payroll data is the most timely and best single overall indicator of the labour market.
The figures showed an estimated 762,600 employees in July – that is 1.3% higher than March 2020 and 3.1% higher than the same time last year.
It includes furloughed employees, who numbered about 44,000 at the end of June.
What Is The National Minimum Wage and Living Wage In 2022?
Considering expected energy price increases and inflation causing the cost of various household items to rise, the minimum wage is being increased accordingly.
MINIMUM WAGE 2021/2022
National Minimum Wage rates apply to employees up to the age of 22.
National Living Wage (NLW) rates apply to employees 23 and over.
The Apprentice rate applies to apprentices under 19, or 19 and over in the first year of apprenticeship.
Penalties apply to employers who fail to pay minimum wages.
From April 2021, the minimum wage and living wage rates are:
Age
Current rates
23 and over (NLW)
£8.91
21 to 22
£8.36
18 to 20
£6.56
Under 18
£4.62
Apprentice*
£4.30
*If under 19 or in first year of apprenticeship (otherwise refer to age bands). The apprenticeship rate does not apply to Higher Level Apprenticeships.
Entitlement to the National Minimum Wage (NMW)
Most workers in the UK over compulsory school leaving age are legally entitled to be paid at least the NMW and all employers have to pay it to you if you are entitled to it. It makes no difference:
if you are paid weekly or monthly, by cheque, in cash or in another way
if you work full time, part time or any other working pattern
if you work at your employer’s own premises or elsewhere
what size your employer is
where you work in the UK
To find out if you’re entitled to the National Minimum Wage, visit:
Work experience can be paid or unpaid, depending on the arrangements you have with your employer. Find out if you are entitled to be paid the National Minimum Wage (NMW) when doing work experience.
Agricultural workers in Northern Ireland are entitled to the Agricultural Minimum Wage rates, rather than the NMW or NLW, unless the NMW or NLW rate is higher.
No worker can be paid less than the NMW or NLW, but some agricultural workers must be paid more than the NMW or NLW because there is a higher Agricultural Minimum Wage rate. The rates change in April each year.
Grade
Rates from April 2021
Grade 1 – minimum rate applicable for the first 40 weeks cumulative
£6.95
Grade 2 – standard worker
£7.49
Grade 3 – lead worker
£8.91
Grade 4 – craft grade
£9.58
Grade 5 – supervisory grade
£10.09
Grade 6 – farm management grade
£10.95
*These are the minimum hourly rates before tax and national insurance deductions.
Where at any time the NMW becomes higher than the hourly rate set out above, then the minimum rate shall be equal to the NMW.
When overtime is to be applied after 39 hours of work, it will be applied at time and a half.
The National Minimum Wage was last raised on April 1, 2021 and is not due to increase again this year.
This was also the first year that the National Living Wage was extended to 23 and 24-year-olds – before it was for those aged 25 and over.
Each year on April 1, the National Minimum Wage is adjusted by the UK government.
News came out on October 25th that the National Living Wage is set to rise from £8.91 per hour to £9.50 in the Budget, which will be announced next week.
In addition, the National Minimum Wage for young people aged 21-22 will rise from £8.36 to £9.18 an hour and the Apprentice Rate will rise from £4.30 to £4.81 an hour.
According to Chancellor Rishi Sunak, the expected increase “ensures we’re making work pay and keeps us on track to meet our target to end low pay by the end of this Parliament”.
However, the increase has come under criticism from the Opposition, with Labour’s shadow chief secretary to the Treasury Bridget Phillipson describing it as an “underwhelming offer” that wouldn’t go far enough to compensate for tax rises, universal credit cuts, and higher energy bills.
What are the best international shipping companies in UK in 2022?
In this article, we presented a list of the top UK international shipping and container shipping companies we recommend based on quality of value service, reputation, price and destination.
The A.P. Moller-Maersk Group is a Danish business conglomerate and the largest supply vessel- and container ship operator in the world. The company has several core subsidiaries (including Maersk Line, APM Terminals, and Maersk Container Industries) that provide transport and logistic services. Subsidiaries that serve the energy sector include Maersk Supply Services, Maersk Oil, Maersk Drilling, and Maersk Tankers.
A.P Moller-Maersk operates in 130 countries and ships around $675 billion worth of goods per year. The company has a fleet of five Maersk Triple E-class container ships. Each one can carry more than 18,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU). This container ship was the largest in the world before the CSCL Globe surpassed it in 2013.
Mediterranean Shipping Company is a privately owned and global provider of shipping and logistics solutions. With their fleet of more than 500 container vessels and a capacity of approximately 3 million TEU, MSC facilitates international trade between the world’s major economies and emerging markets.
The company stops at 500 ports on 200 trade routes around the world and delivers dry cargo as well as reefer cargo. MSC also offers intermodal transportation services that include door to door, factory to consumer, and a combination of transport solutions to fulfill their delivery obligations.
MSC’s services include overland transportation logistics, and the company has a growing portfolio of port terminal investments.
Hapag-Lloyd is based in Germany and is the country’s largest ocean liner with five regional headquarters in Piscataway, Hamburg, Valparaiso, and Singapore. The company serves 128 countries through 399 offices, and it has a total capacity of just under 1,7 Million TEU.
With its modern reefer container fleet of 237 ships, Hapag-Lloyd offers a total of 118 liner services throughout the world.
The Hapag-Lloyd fleet stops at 600 ports on all continents to provide fast and reliable international trade connections. The company is also an ocean carrier for Latin America, Intra-America, Middle-East, and Transatlantic trades.
Ocean Network Express started trading in April 2018 and is a joint venture between Nippon Yusen Kaisha, Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, and K-Line. Despite being a relatively young company, ONE has a sizable fleet that consists of 240 container vessels and 31 container ships. Each has a capacity of 20,000 TEU. Currently, ONE has more than 14,000 reefer containers.
ONE’s global headquarters is in Singapore, and it has a holding office in Tokyo, Japan. The company’s regional headquarters are in London, Richmond, Hong Kong, and Sao Paulo. ONE also has local offices in 90 countries that take care of corporate and sales activities.
EVERGREEN MARINE CORPORATION
TEU: 1,303,420
Founded: 1968HQ: Taoyuan City, TaiwanRevenue: NTD 124.47bnEmployees: >10,000 employees
The Evergreen Marine Corporation is an established Taiwanese shipping and container transportation company. Evergreen Group’s divisions include Uniglory Marine Corporation, Evergreen UK Ltd, and Italia Marittima S.p.A.
The company’s primary trade routes are between the Far East and countries in the southern hemisphere, the Americas, and northern Europe and the East Mediterranean. Additional routes are between Europe and the east coast of North America and between Asia and the Middle East.
Evergreen’s fleet consists of more than 200 container ships, and the company calls on 240 ports throughout the world.
Yang Ming Marine Transport Corporation are a Taiwanese shipping company founded in 1972, transporting load both domestically and overseas and cover Asia, Australia, Europe and America.
They own over 100 vessels, transporting 640,000 TEU in capacity annually. Yang Ming are ranked ninth for the number of containers imported and exported to and from the US. As members of The Alliance, they collaboratively work with their allies in providing shipping services across 80 ports worldwide. Asides from transport and logistics, they also offer warehouse services and the repair and lease of containers.
If you’re an importer or exporter looking for an experienced company that offers a seamless shipping process, this is a company to consider. They help with the shipping of goods to and from the UK and advise you on the best option if you’re a first-timer.
They support you throughout the process whether you’re a private or commercial shipper transporting personal effects, pallets, baggage, or plant machinery to or from the UK. It’s good to know that they also assist with customs clearance and documentation issues.
Tropical Shipping
Tropical shipping is a transport and logistics company based in West Palm Beach, Florida, providing door-to-door shipping and intermodal services for container shipments as well as less than container loads (LCL).
They have 50 years of experience shipping internationally across 30 locations for both personal and business use, using integrated real-time shipment tracking services and marine insurance covered by Sea Seas for added piece of mind.
At PSS we use Tropical for shipping from the UK to the Caribbean & Bahamas.
DAL – Deutsche Afrika Linien
DAL are a privately owned German shipping company, run by the Essberger/Von Rantzau family and headquartered in Hamburg, Germany.
DAL provides both container and general freight services, with its shipping network covering Africa, Europe, Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean (though its main focus is that of East and South Africa). DAL owns 4 vessels, totalling just over 21,000 TEU in capacity, and is one of the first shipping companies in history to trade to and from Africa.
DAL frequently trades to and from South Africa and the Canary Islands (including Tenerife) so we find them very useful if you’re moving there.
How to Choose the Best International Shipping Company
Here are some factors that you should consider when deciding on the companies to entrust your global eCommerce shipments.
Delivery Speed: For faster deliveries, working with an international carrier that can handle mission-critical deliveries through overnight shipping or expedited air freight can be a lifesaver when handling critical situations. For slow deliveries, working with international shipping companies that provide excellent ocean or LTL shipping will do the trick. Whatever the case, keep in mind that working with the fastest international shipping company comes with additional shipping rates, while the cheapest international shipping courier may have favorable rates, but slower speeds.
Shipping Restrictions: Shipping restrictions take several forms. You’ll want to consider hazardous material handling, as not all companies will work with products containing materials considered dangerous. Additionally, there are weight limits and size restrictions. You need to be familiar with the size and weight limits for the shipping companies you are considering to work with.
Weekend Delivery: Sometimes, your buyers’ delivery dates coincide with weekends, and if an international carrier doesn’t deliver on weekends, they will have to wait two additional days until Monday — the next week. It helps to know whether the carriers whose services you are considering deliver on Saturdays.
Insurance: What will happen if your package gets lost or damaged in transit? International shipping is rife with risk, much more than domestic shipping, making insurance coverage a necessity. Many shipping companies offer insurance coveage, but, if not, it’s wise to take out your own policy. Easyship offers you insurance of up to $5,000 to secure your cargo in transit.
Tracking: International shipping takes longer than domestic deliveries, and the long wait can turn out into a nightmare of frustrations to your buyers when they can’t see what is happening to their precious items in transit. This makes package tracking capabilities a critical factor to consider when deciding on the best international shipping services.
Shipping Rates: Finding a cheap option to send packages overseas can be a game-changer for your bottom line.You need to know and compare the types of rates and discounts offered by various international shipping couriers. Make sure to strike a balance between shipping rates and other factors, as the cheapest options may not have the same speed or customer services as the pricier ones.
Remote area delivery: International shipping means that you are sending packages to buyers in different countries, and they may not be located near big cities. You need to know whether your carrier delivers to remote, rural areas to the various destinations where you want to ship. If they partner with a third party carrier to handle last-mile deliveries in rural areas, you need to know how that affects the quality of service and package tracking capabilities so that you don’t end up with dissatisfied customers.
Customer Service: Customer support cannot be left out of the equation when choosing a company to handle your worldwide deliveries. If your courier is unresponsive or is otherwise unhelpful it can not only be frustrating for you but also for your customer and could even leave them with a negative impression of your business post-purchase.
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