Sea freight shipping to/from China

By Pay Forwarder 2022-11-01 0 comment

Ship your goods by sea freight from or to China

Do you want to ship your goods by sea freight from or to China? Here are our explanations that could help you import or export your goods by ocean freight from or to China.

Little reminder: China is the 4th largest country in the world with an area of 9,596,960 km², it has 14 neighboring countries, North Korea, Russia, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Burma , Laos and Vietnam and has 1.4 billion inhabitants, making it the most populous country in the world. Despite its extension, China has only one time zone. There are 7 major Chinese languages spoken: Mandarin, Wu, Cantonese, Min, Xiang, Hakka and Gan, but do not worry most Chinese suppliers speak English.

China is the world's leading merchandise exporter with a volume of $ 2,157,000,000 (2017 figure).

Freight Forwarders in China

China is the country with the largest number of shipping forwarders, over 5,000 according to some sources.

The Chinese shipping forwarder is very competitive, it will very often be cheaper than a European or American shipping forwarder.

Chinese freight forwarders speak English, so you will have no trouble communicating with a Chinese shipping forwarder Shanghai, Shenzhen, Ningbo, Beijing etc ...

However European and American shipping forwarders have partnerships with Chinese freight forwarders and can also offer you great ocean freight rates.

Our platform has serious ocean freight forwarders in China, we recommend that you contact Premium sea freight forwarder in China.

China Transportation Services by Sea

Chinese freight forwarders can offer you all types of services.

Sea Freight or Ocean Freight is the most popular and widely used transportation method for importers / exporters worldwide as it is also the most economical, however the shipping times are quite long, they can vary between 10 and 35 days according to the place of destination.

There are several types of sea transport but the most used is the container. Depending on how much merchandise you need to ship, choose between 20FT, 40GP, 40HQ or 45HQ.

The dimensions of the containers:

Depending on the quantities of goods you can share your container with other companies (LCL Less Container Loading) or load a full container (FCL Full Container Loading). It is best to seek advice from your shipping forwarder in China to optimize your load and get the best sea shipping price.

Shipment Type - FCL and LCL

FCL or Full Container Loading, which means that you fully load the 20FT, 40GP, 40HQ or 45HQ container. This is for imports in large quantities, it reduces the cost per unit of goods. This is also recommended for goods with large volumes such as sofas etc ...

You pay the full cost of the container and the price depends on the season. Know that you can load the goods in several factories, at different places. You have to organize this logistics with your suppliers or Chinese freight forwarder.

LCL or Less Container Loading, which means that you share the container with other companies and with an identical unloading location.

This option should be considered if your volume of goods does not exceed 10 or 15m3. Beyond this volume this option is often less advantageous financially in some situations.

The cost of the sea freight shipment calculated at the volume (m3) and the weight of the goods, it is necessary to contact your sea freight forwarder and to give him all the details of the goods in order to obtain an exact ocean freight tariff.

Since the goods are shared with other companies and your goods can be stored in different warehouses, we suggest if possible to put your goods on pallets and protect your cartons inside and outside as much as possible. Negotiating this with your suppliers, the service is often free. Some forwarding agents in China may offer you to protect your cartons, but probably with an additional cost.

Pallets size:
Europe : 1200*1000mm or 1200*800mm
Australia : 1140*1140mm
U.S. : 40*48 inches (1016*1219mm)

Incoterm EXW, CIF or FOB

The most frequently used incoterm is FOB or Free On Board. This means that the cost of your goods includes the cost of transportation from the factory to the Chinese loading port. So it is the supplier who calls a carrier. Then the Chinese freight forwarder offers you a sea freight rate to the port of discharge or to final destination.

Incoterm EXW or Exworks means that the supplier makes the goods available at the factory and you have to find a carrier in China who delivers the goods to the loading port in China. Then the freight forwarder in China you choose will offer you an ocean freight rate to the port of discharge or to the final destination.

The CIF incoterm or Cost Insurance and Freight means that the Chinese freight forwarder offers you a sea freight rate from the factory to the port of discharge, including insurance.

Marine Insurance

Marine insurance is not mandatory but it is very important to insure your goods in case of damage or loss. It is not impossible that the vessel sinks or that the packages are damaged in a warehouse or that the cartons have molded with moisture. The cost of marine insurance is cheap, it varies between 40 and 100 USD depending on the amount of the shipping invoice. Attention, the marine insurance does not cover defects of merchandise or quantity.

Peak Season

Sea freight rates fluctuate throughout the year. Depending on the season the sea freight rate can be three times cheaper or three times more expensive. So depending on your activity, it is important to choose the right moment to import your goods, ask your sea forwarding agent for advice.

For example, 2 months before the Chinese New Year, importers are busy getting space on the vessel, as spaces are becoming scarce and ocean freight prices are increasing considerably. Ocean freight rates will drop from March and will become reasonable until July. Then at this time the prices of ocean freight will increase until September because exports will be very strong due to the holiday season, Halloween and Christmas.

Chinese Shipping Company

Cosco shipping lines is the largest Chinese shipowner, it is present in 85 countries, it has more than 361 vessels and delivers nearly 267 ports.

In 2018 COSCO buys OOCL for $ 6.3 billion and becomes the 3rd largest shipowner in the world.

Chinese Sea Ports

China has more than 2000 sea ports, including 16 main ports with a capacity of more than 50 million tons per year.

The main China sea ports are: Beihai, Canton, Dalian, Dandong, Fuzhou, Haikou, Hankou, Huangpu, Jiujiang, Lianyungang, Nankin, Nantong, Ningbo, Qingdao, Rizhao, Sanya, Shanghai, Shantou, Shenzhen, Tianjin, Weihai, Wenzhou, Xiamen, Yangzhou, Yantai and Zhanjiang.

Ocean freight shipping from Shanghai port

The port of Shanghai is the largest sea port in China and the world in tonnage, in front of the port of Singapore. In 2017 container traffic reached 40.25 million TEUs.

Obviously there are differences in sea freight rates depending on the shipping port and the port of Shanghai is a competitive port.

From the sea port of Shanghai you can ship your goods by sea to most ports of the world. You can contact our ocean freight forwarders in Shanghai to get a sea freight rate from Shanghai port. But you can also post a request for sea freight price from the port of Shanghai.

Here are some shipping companies leaving the port of Shanghai:

COSCO
MSC
OOCL
SEASPAN YZJ LTD
HAPAG-LLOYD

Here are the average delivery times from the port of Shanghai:

To North America: Between 20 and 30 days
To South America: Between 30 and 45 days
To Europe: Between 20 and 30 days
To Australia: About 15 days
To India: About 15 days
To South Asia: About 9 days
To Japan / South Korea: Between 3 and 4 days
To Africa: Between 30 and 40 days

Ocean freight shipping from Ningbo port

Established in 2016, Ningbo Port is the largest seaport in China and the world in volume of goods with more than 900 million tons. It is located in Zhejiang Province, not far from the

To obtain an ocean freight rate from Ningbo port you can contact our Premium sea freight forwarders in Ningbo. Or post a request for sea freight price from the port of Ningbo.

Here are the average delivery times from the port of Ningbo:

To North America: Between 20 and 30 days
To South America: Between 30 and 45 days
To Europe: Between 20 and 30 days
To Australia: About 15 days
To India: About 15 days
To South Asia: About 9 days
To Japan / South Korea: Between 3 and 4 days
To Africa: Between 30 and 40 days

Here are some shipping companies leaving the port of Ningbo:

CMA CGM
COSCO
MOL
APL
MSC
OOCL
HAPAG-LLOYD
MAERSK

Ocean freight shipping from Shenzhen port

The port of Shenzhen is China's fastest growing port in southern China, reaching 25.7 million TEU in 2018. It is located in Guangdong Province and not far from Hong Kong. This port is much appreciated by importers of furniture and textiles. Indeed this region is well known for its multitudes of furniture factories and textiles. Also held in the Canton area, the most famous and largest fair in the world, called Canton Fair.

Very good ocean shipping forwarders are in Shenzhen, you will find some in this link. And you can contact them for get an ocean freight rate from Shenzhen port. Not far away is also Yantian port, we advise you to make a comparison of sea freight tariff with the port of Shenzhen. Many ocean shipping forwarders are based in Yantian, you can contact a sea shipping forwarder in Yantian to get a sea freight rate from Yantian Port.

Here are the average delivery times from the port of Shenzhen:

To North America: Between 20 and 30 days
To South America: Between 30 and 45 days
To Europe: Between 20 and 30 days
To Australia: About 15 days
To India: About 15 days
To South Asia: About 9 days
To Japan / South Korea: Between 3 and 4 days
To Africa: Between 30 and 40 days

Here are some shipping companies leaving the port of Shenzhen:

YML
EVERGREEN
CMA CGM
COSCO
APL
MSC
OOCL
HAPAG-LLOYD
MAERSK

Ocean freight shipping from Qingdao port

Qingdao Port is located in Shandong Province in northeastern China. It is one of the largest sea ports of China, in 2016 the annual merchandise traffic accounted for more than 443 million tons. The port of Qingdao is the 1st national oil port and 1st world iron ore port.

Here is a link to find the best ocean shipping forwarders in Qingdao and get the best sea freight rates from Qingdao Port.

Nearby is another big port, the port of Yantai. You can also do sea freight quotes from Yantai port, contacting some ocean shipping forwarders around Yantai port.

Here are the average delivery times from the port of Qingdao:

To North America: Between 20 and 30 days
To South America: Between 30 and 45 days
To Europe: Between 20 and 30 days
To Australia: About 15 days
To India: About 15 days
To South Asia: About 9 days
To Japan / South Korea: Between 3 and 4 days
To Africa: Between 30 and 40 days

Here are some shipping companies leaving the port of Qingdao:

YML
IS CONTAINER PTE LTD
EVERGREEN
HAPAG-LLOYD
CMA CGM
COSCO
MAERSK

Ocean freight shipping from Tianjin port

Tianjin Port is located in northeastern China near Beijing. Tianjin Port is the third largest in China, in 2016 the annual cargo traffic accounted for more than 428 million tons.

On August 12, 2015 a major explosion in a warehouse in the port city of Tianjin impacted for some time the inflow and outflow of goods.

If you are looking for an ocean shipping forwarder in Tianjin, here is a list of sea forwarding agents in Tianjin to get the best sea freight rates from Tianjin port.

Here are the average delivery times from the port of Tianjin:

To North America: Between 20 and 30 days
To South America: Between 30 and 45 days
To Europe: Between 20 and 30 days
To Australia: About 15 days
To India: About 15 days
To South Asia: About 9 days
To Japan / South Korea: Between 3 and 4 days
To Africa: Between 30 and 40 days

Here are some shipping companies leaving the port of Tianjin:

HAMBURG SUD
COSCO
HMM
APL
MSC
OOCL
HAPAG-LLOYD
ZIM

We hope we were able to make things clear for you. If you wish to add details to this article, do not hesitate to contact our team.