Air Freight vs. Ocean Freight Shipping – Planning an International Move

international-move

Moving and relocating is part of daily life. We all move for one reason or another. Such moving can pose numerous challenges when it comes to the logistical nightmare of transporting your property with you. This is why you need to plan on the logistics of what you need to do when planning to move, especially how you would handle your goods. When it comes to the choices available for facilitating international moving, there are only two viable options namely:-

  • Air freight
  • Ocean freight

The choice of either of these options is influenced by several factors, and each poses its pros and cons over the other.

Pros of air freight of household goods.

This method is advantageous in numerous ways:

Speeds

Air freight is fast enough if your target is to have a swift move from one location to overseas. Such speeds can save you time and money.

Convenience

When it comes to facilitating convenience when moving, air freight can achieve this objective with ease. Convenience comes in because there are lots of air transport hubs such as airports and airstrips around the world where your goods can be shipped through. This ensures that the goods get as close to your new destination as possible.

Lower insurance costs

When planning that international move, you want to have your goods secured when on freight. Air freight is convenient for is cheaper when it comes to the insurance premiums payable since the time of travel is relatively short as compared to ocean freight.

Cons of air freight of household goods

High risks of loss

Air transport is relatively risky as a minor glitch in an aircraft can mean a catastrophic accident which would cost the whole freight.

Lesser volumes of transit goods

Air transport offers limited spaces on which you can have your goods transported. This could mean that you may have to take numerous flights to ship all your cargo.

Delicate schedules

Air transport is affected by numerous conditions such as weather. A slight adjustment in schedules can impact the arrival times, causing unprecedented delays.

Pros of oceanic freight of goods

Huge volumes of cargo

Ships can carry huge volumes of cargo in containers, therefore offering you a platform to carry all your cargo at a go. This can save costs if the goods are voluminous.

Lower transport costs

It is approximated that the costs of oceanic freight are 50% cheaper, therefore offering you with a cost-saving platform.

Fewer risks

Whereas not entirely risk-free, oceanic freight offers you lesser risks where the weather has little or no impact. The risk of accidents and consequent loss of your goods is for instance, minimal.

Cons of oceanic freight of goods

Inconvenient

When shipping via the ocean, your goods can only get from harbor to harbor. You would, therefore, need additional transportation to your designation.

Slow speeds

Air transportation is often time-consuming due to the slow speeds that ships are limited to. A trip from Australia, to New York, may, for instance, take a month, a journey that would take a day on air freight.

Your method preference is therefore affected by the above-outlined modalities.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *