One of the easy and safe communication ways to move any goods or even passengers is sea transportation. This type of transportation is done by various types of floating devices such as ships and boats. Some of the goods cannot be transported by other methods due to their heavy weight, so the sea transportation method becomes very important.
Sea freight
Moving cargo through waterways is an international maritime transportation method. This method of transporting goods can be much more economical than other ways, which can be done in different ways.
Sea transportation has a special importance in the history of trade of countries. So that today, the sea transportation method for international trade is one of the main ways of moving goods and has taken a high percentage of the world’s trade.
Shipping cost by ship
In general, it should be said that the cheap and affordable cost of this method is one of its advantages. But the sea freight cost depends on various factors. These factors include the type of goods, cargo volume, shipping method, warehousing, and sea transportation method.
Types of sea transportation
The import and export of goods by water is done in different ways, which shows the importance of sea transportation in world trade. In the following, we discuss some types of sea shipping methods.
Cross-Staffing method
This method is used during sanctions and in small ports; For example, when the destination port does not have the ability to dock large ships. In this situation, the big ship docks somewhere else and the cargo is unloaded into a smaller ship and transferred to the destination port. This sea transportation method plays a role in both export and import of goods.
Transfer method
This method is used when some countries cannot transport their goods by sea due to lack of access to open waters. In this type of sea transportation, cargoes are often stopped at a port near the destination and then transported by land or air.
Groupage method
The owner of the means of transportation loads common goods produced by different sellers and directed to the same destination on a ship and obtains a group bill of lading.
Chartering method
This method is used when the product has a large volume and weight or does not contain special packaging. In such a case, the shipper can charter the entire ship, or in other words, let it be complete.
Advantages of sea transportation
- Among the advantages of this method of transportation, we can mention its reasonable and affordable cost. This feature is one of the reasons why most people prefer to import and export goods.
- Sea transportation can be very suitable for loads that have high weight and volume. This way can be used when it is not possible to move by air or land.
- The amount of environmental pollution is reduced.
- In this method, safety is increased and the amount of damage to the cargo is reduced.
- In this type of transportation, fares are fixed and people can manage expenses with confidence.
- The flexibility of sea transportation in this method is high due to the variety of ship types.
Disadvantages of water transportation
In fact, sea transportation does not have many disadvantages. In general, some of these disadvantages are:
- Longer shipping time than other methods
- Weather conditions are also one of the reasons that can cause delays in shipping.
- Ground transportation of cargo to the main destination after arriving at the port
- In this type of shipping method, it may be more difficult to track the goods than other ways.
Reasons for using sea transportation in Iran
Among the reasons for importing and exporting goods by sea in Iran is the proximity to open waters such as the Persian Gulf, the Oman Sea, and the Caspian Sea. Due to the many advantages of this method, which have already been mentioned, people choose the sea route due to conditions such as cheap price and large volume of goods. Iran’s position in having open waters is one of the reasons that, in addition to other goods, massive oil products are sent to other countries daily.
What kind of goods is suitable for shipping by sea?
Different types of products are transported by water. In general, goods can be divided into several categories based on the type of packaging. In this section, we discuss some types of cargo:
- container
It is used to carry goods such as electrical appliances, toys, food and other products. Containers have a very high carrying capacity due to their good features. The metal walls of the container protect the goods well from damage.
- dry bulk
These products do not need container packaging. Vessels with proper storage for dry bulk cargo should be used. This load can include sand, gravel, grain, coal, cement, sugar, minerals, etc.
- bulk liquid
In order to transport these types of products, ships with tankers are needed. This includes vegetable oil, gasoline and other liquid products.
International sea transportation services
To carry out all the steps related to the export and import of goods by sea, people need to receive advice from skilled and experienced professionals before any action. You can communicate with our consultants at Ghasil Kalai Shargh to get the necessary guidance regarding the transportation of your goods.
Laws of international maritime transport
- Every registered ship must obey the rules.
- The owner of the ship must pay all damages, debts to the crew, taxes even in case of bankruptcy.
- Regarding the ship mortgage, it should be said that the lessor must comply with all regulations and pay a fine in case of violation.
- The captain of a ship is obliged to issue the bill of lading, transport and deliver the cargo correctly and safely.
- The carrier of a ship containing passengers must bring all people to their destination correctly and provide the necessary equipment for adequate security.
