Sending goods via sea freight: pros and cons

If you need to send goods abroad, you have no urgent time restrictions and you're looking for a greener and more economical shipping solution, sending goods via sea freight could be the best choice for you. Sea freight is usually cheapest when you are sending a high volume of goods, so it's perfect if you're moving to another country or you're shipping a large amount of stock to be sold overseas. 

Sea Freight Pros and Cons 

The biggest advantage of sending goods via sea is the price: it's often much cheaper than air freight, especially for large volumes. It's also a greener shipping option - opting for sea freight over air freight will significantly reduce your carbon footprint, and, if you're shipping for business reasons, this may be something your customers will appreciate. 

The main disadvantage of sea freight compared to express delivery options such as air freight is, unsurprisingly, the transit time. If you need goods to be delivered urgently, sea freight will not be the shipping option for you: it takes longer and, in most cases, needs more advance planning. If you're shipping goods because you are emigrating, it's usually possible to plan this in advance and, given that when you're sending personal effects there is no commercial need for a speedy delivery, sea freight is a great shipping solution.

Sea freight versus air freight

Typically, air freight services have been used for the shipment of high value goods but the recent slump in the air cargo industry coupled with a relative rise in sea freight volumes shows that, in the current economic climate, many companies are opting to send goods via less expensive sea freight options. If you think sea freight may be for you, you can easily compare both sea and air freight quotations via the Transglobal Express website.