Benefits of Sea Shipping vs. Land

1. Different Modes of Shipping – What Is Optimal for Your Business?
2. Shipping Over Land
3. Benefits of land transport
4. Ocean Freight
5. Benefits of Ocean Freight
6. What Factors Should You Consider When Choosing a Mode of Shipping?
7. Freight cost
8. Type of goods
9. Speed
10. Safety
11. Conclusion

Shipping is a crucial factor for just about any business owner. Whether it is transporting goods across oceans or overland routes, there are many benefits associated with each mode of transport.

However, not all modes of transport are created equal. There are various types of shipping available, including ocean freight, road haulage and rail transport.

Each mode of transport has characteristic advantages that also can vary by situation. Which mode of transport should you choose?

Different Modes of Shipping – What Is Optimal for Your Business?

There are two main modes of transport used today – land transport and ocean freight. Both

modes of transport have upsides and downsides, but which one is best for you and your business needs?

Shipping Over Land

This includes everything from trucks to trains. There are important differences between the various modes of land transport available.

A truck is a large vehicle designed to carry heavy loads. They are usually driven by a single person who sits inside the cab. Trucks are generally used for long-distance journeys.

Trains are similar to trucks except that they run along fixed tracks rather than roads. Trains these days usually run on electricity, although diesel is also still used. Trains are most often used for relatively short distances.

Benefits of land transport

There are some clear benefits of land transport compared to the other types of shipping.

• Reliable – Land transport is more reliable than sea transport because it has less chance of getting stuck in bad weather conditions. Also, land transport requires fewer resources, such as fuel, maintenance, and specialized manpower.
• Flexible – Land transport, at least by trucks or other road vehicles, is much more flexible than sea transport because you can drive anywhere you want to go. If you need to move something from one place to another, you just drive to where you want it to go. Train transport is more dependent on where stations and tracks are located. In similar ways, also sea transport is more constrained by where ports are located.
• Can be easily customized – Land transport is easier to customize than sea transport in the sense that it is easier to vary one's choice of land vehicles at short notice according to what a given shipment requires. The loading and unloading of ships requires more lead time, and there is often less choice of ships and carriers available.

Ocean Freight

A ship is a vessel that travels through water. Ships come in various sizes – both cargo vessels and much larger bulk carriers are used for goods transport.

Cargo ships are used for carrying goods. Bulk carriers are used for carrying big shipments of dry goods such as grains, coal, ore, cement, fertilizers, and chemicals.

Benefits of Ocean Freight

• Faster – sea transport is faster than land transport, at least on average, because ships move at much higher speeds and over longer distances than land vehicles do. The average speed of container ships is now around 30 knots, compared to 10 knots back in the 1960s. Ships also do not need to stop for traffic lights, although port congestion at both embarkation and destination ports can also cause delays.
• Cheaper – Sea transport is cheaper than land transport for a number of different reasons. One main reason for this is that shipping routes require no infrastructure to be maintained in the ways that roads and rails do. Another reason has to do with economies of scale. Container ships allow for large amounts of goods to be shipped at once, which makes them much less expensive than transporting items one at a time.
• Can handle large quantities of cargo – Container ships were invented in 1956, and since then, they have become much larger. The largest container ship today can carry around 18,000 TEU in total, which means it has space for up to 18,000 20-foot containers. A ship of this size is about twice as large as the biggest cargo ships that used to be built for transporting oil.
• Safer –Sea transport is safer than land transport because ships are much bigger than cars or trains and are built for safety. The size of ships also means that they are less likely to tip over or crash into each other – there is more room for manoeuvring on the open sea than on roads or tracks. Statistically, major accidents at sea are much rarer than accidents involving land vehicles.

What Factors Should You Consider When Choosing a Mode of Shipping?

Making the right choices here determines whether your customers get their items quickly and safely. Making the right choice here can save you both time and money.

Freight cost

Freight costs vary depending on the weight of the package, the distance it has to travel, and the method used to ship it. For instance, if you're sending something across the country by land, you'll need to factor in the cost of fuel and the amount of time it takes to drive there.

If freight cost is a major factor for you and sea routes are available to your goods' destination, sea transport will often be your best choice.

Type of goods

If you sell electronics, then you might want to evaluate using expedited shipping methods.

These options are usually available only for large orders. However, if you're selling books, clothing, or furniture, standard shipping may be sufficient.

Expedited shipping of large orders is often best done by sea. For other types of goods and shipments, land transport can however be just as good or better.

Speed

Depending on the size of the order, some shipments take longer to arrive than others. Smaller packages generally go faster than larger ones.

If speed is a major factor for you, and if bulk is also high, sea transport is preferable to land transport. However, for smaller shipments and shorter distances, the flexibility of land transport may make it quicker and more optimal.

Safety

Some countries require certain safety standards to be met before a shipment leaves the warehouse. For example, many countries require that all shipments must be packed securely. Also, some countries require special packaging materials.

Such requirements, of course, apply both to land and sea transport. However, to maximize safety, sea transport is generally preferable as long as it is logistically feasible.

Conclusion

Shipping modes should be chosen as carefully as anything else. Many factors need to be weighed in when you decide. Once you've made your choice, go with it all the way!

Professionals can help you choose wisely. For more information, consult A1 Auto Transport, a renowned company in the transport industry!