How does sea freight from Vietnam to the USA work?

With the demand for high-quality goods, the demand for imported goods is increasing day by day. Sea freight is the optimal choice for businesses who want to transport large quantities of goods while still saving costs for their company. In VietNam, almost all goods including: household & electrical appliances, agricultural products, seafood, etc are transported to the US via sea every year. But do we really understand what sea freight is? How to properly understand it? How can it be calculated?

Sea freight is a type of cross-border transportation by sea. By loading packages into containers, these containers will then be loaded onto TEU vessels. Vessels with 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs) typically hold up to 18,000 containers, making this delivery method economical when transporting large volumes of cargo. 
Sailing for the first time around the 5th century and used to this day shows that trading by ships has never been obsolete. The biggest advantage of sea freight is the large and diverse volume of goods, in fact 90% of goods are transported by sea. With more than 40 seaports, Vietnam is continuing to promote import and export trade with the US. With its reputation in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, Vietnam continues to receive more mandates from Western countries.

Sea freight is the optimal choice to transport large quantities of goods while still saving costs

What is the difference between sea freight & air freight?

There is a clear correlation between sea freight and air freight. For air freight, goods must be transported early because they cannot be preserved for long. Air transport saves businesses a lot of time but also costs a lot of money and cannot load as much as sea freight. 

For sea freight transportation, goods take longer to arrive, so required products must be usable after the shipping process. But it helps businesses minimize shipping costs while they can pack up to several thousand tons of goods.

However, with the development of technology, especially refrigeration technology, the transportation of goods by sea freight has now met both for fresh products, which need to be delivered in a particularly short time. This has made it easier than ever to transport. goods around the globe. 

The advantage of sea freight compared to air freight is no longer reflected in the fact that sea freight allows the transportation of bulky, large-sized and heavy-weight goods such as industrial machinery, components, etc. Sea freight makes it possible for countries to import machinery to modernize their industries.

While using sea freight, the enterprise must calculate a specific schedule in advance

How is the volume of the cargo calculated while using the sea freight method?

Depending on the type of transportation (sea freight, air freight, road transport), the calculation of the cost of using these methods will be different. Businesses should find out their expenses before using the appropriate mode of transportation. 

For sea freight transportation, take the volumetric weight constant of 1000 kgs/cbm.

For example, 10 packages need to be shipped with constant dimensions of 130 cm x 110 cm x 150 cm. While each package weighs up to 400kg.

• First, calculate the total weight of the above goods: 400(kg) x 10(package) =4000kg
• Next, find the volume of the package: 1.3m x 1.1m x 1.5m = 2.145cbm
• So the total volume of the parcel is: 2.145cbm x 10 = 21.45cbm
• Use a fixed volumetric weight constant to calculate the volume of the above shipment: 21.45cbm x 1000 = 21,450kgs

Since the volumetric weight (21,450kgs) is higher than the cargo weight (4000kg), the volumetric weight should be used to calculate the cost for this shipment. 

Notice for choosing sea freight transportation

Sea freight is widely used but here are some notes for businesses when they choose to use sea freight.

Enterprises need to carefully study the procedures and regulations on goods before using sea freight. Businesses can contact reputable sea freight service providers such as Letrans.net for detailed advice on this information.

Sea freight takes a long time, so businesses must calculate a specific schedule in advance so as not to slow down the international sales cycle or waste the product's shelf life.