Freight forwarding company is an important link and bridges the gap between a buyer and a seller. A freight forwarder is an important entity for a shipper. Without forwarders, shippers would face a massive logistical burden.

A freight forwarding company may provide service as a carrier of goods, warehousing professional, insurance, documentation, stewarding, customs procedures, formalities & more.
When it comes to transporting goods from point A to point B, the three ways it can be achieved is through Land, Air and Sea.
When it comes to air and sea, which is better?
Both air, as well as sea or some term it as ocean solutions, come with their own set of advantages and disadvantages, the final choice one makes will depend on a variety of factors.

Here we discuss four factors that can be considered while deciding the mode of transportation.

Shipping Cost
Cost is the foremost factor when choosing the type of shipping. Cost is somehow related to time. If you run a business, then timely delivery is important for you. In such cases, you would prefer to spend more and get the deliverables to the destination on time. But if you are an individual, then budget constraints come into the picture.
Normally sea freight charges are comparatively lesser than air freight charges. But in some cases, it might not be always true.
Charges primarily depend on the size and weight of the shipments. Sea freight carrier charges as per the container. If you are shipping a quantity equal to the standard container, then it is cheaper for you. If the quantity comes down to less than the container load, then the charges are applied on the cubic meter of the shipment. Whereas in air shipping, you are billed on the combination of the weight and size of a shipment. Sometimes if the consignment to be shipped is smaller, then the margin on charges between sea and air freight is almost negligible.
Apart from shipping charges, there are other additional charges like customer clearance, destination charges, warehousing fees( seaports are expensive than airports) and so on.

Freight Speed
When it comes to speed factor, air freights have always had the upper hand. But nowadays technology has advanced and even shipping time via sea carriers have come down from months to few days. Even the routes are cut short because of the canals being built on the sea route. Earlier sea freight would take months to arrive whereas air freight would take 1-2 days. For a business person time matters, so taking air freight service is convenient.

Consignment delays
As far as air freight is concerned, the delay for cargo shipment is shorter. As daily flights are flying back and forth, connecting to the major cities around the world, missing a flight doesn’t create much of a problem as next flights are flying to the same destination on the same day. For a business, this is important, as they have a time deadline and delays can incur extra costs. In sea freight transport, missing a schedule can lead to weeks of delays which can affect a business. So those for whom time delay is not an issue can opt for sea freight forwarding services as it comes cheaper.

Cargo safety
Safety of the cargo should always be a top priority. In air freight, this factor is taken care as a result of strict airport regulations where the handling and securing of the cargo as well as the proper storage is defined. So the safety of the goods is at the maximum level when it comes to airports.
On the other hand, sea freights can also provide safety of your cargo, but it entirely depends on the packing of the goods. As the cargo is shipped in big containers, packing is important. If not properly handled, then the goods can be severely damaged during the freight time.

So here are five factors on which you can decide which mode of transport is best for your freight. To know more about the best solutions in freight forwarding, you can always contact us.
G&P is a leading 3PL company based in Kuwait with 34+ years of experience in delivering logistics solutions in GCC and globally.
We have the facility of providing both tailored logistics solutions and generic services. We are determinedly committed in providing high quality, cost-effective and integrated solutions tailored to meet our customers’ needs.

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