Ocean Shipping

The majority of goods

bulk materials moving across oceans

Service Options

Liner service

by ships that travel on regularly scheduled voyages

following fixed routes with predetermined ports of call

Charter service

The ship owner essentially leases the vessel to a charterer (the customer) who uses the ship to move its own cargo.

time charters for a specific period of time

Private service

are owned or leased on a long-term basis by the exporter or importer.

Equipment Types

Containerships

moving standardized 20-foot and 40-foot oceangoing containers

Break-bulk ships

multipurpose vessels that transport shipments of unusual sizes

tend to be smaller and have onboard
cranes

Roll-on/roll-off (RORO) ships

to move wheeled vehicles such as cars, trucks, farm equipment,,...

has many decks to store the cargo

Bulk carriers

to the transport of a specific bulk commodity on a voyage basis.

constitute a catch-all category for ships

on long-term time charters and travel a stable
schedule

Combination ships

multipurpose vessels that can handle different types of commodities

have their own cranes and other equipment

Rate Structure

are impacted by carrier cost structure, commodity,
freight volume, origin and destination points, and ancillary services required.

The Ocean Shipping Reform Act (OSRA)

  • expanded the ability of shippers to negotiate private,

confidentialservice contracts

liner rates

determined collectively by a group of carriers

service contracts.

mandatory surcharges,

extra services

a basic rate

TEU