Which is better when it comes to convenience and savings? Does it really matter if we decide between sea or air? There are so many options when it comes to international shipping and among them, the frequent choices are either via ocean or air. Whether you’re involved in an industry that’s importing or exporting all the time or you’re planning to move the office to another country, making a decision whether to ship via ocean or air freight is a conundrum Offshore Back Office Solutions may help you with.
Listed below are the pros and the cons of both.
The price of shipping
Before deciding which to use, always keep in mind the amount of money you will have to shell out. Obviously, you’re going to choose which costs less whether it’s by air or by sea. Most of the time, shipping via ocean is more affordable than shipping by air. This may be true at times— however, this may not always be the case.
To make an educated decision, ask yourself about how much carriers charge for international shipping. Airlines shippers base their rates on chargeable weight. Chargeable weight is often charged on the size and weight of your shipment. Sea carriers, on the other hand, base their rate on containers. While weight may sometimes be a factor, the price you’ll be charged of is based on occupied space. If you are shipping goods that contains less than a container load, the price is based on the cubic meters the goods take up. That is why for large and heavy shipments choose the sea, and for smaller cargos, it would be a more rational and practical decision to ship by air.
How fast do they deliver?
If we’ll be talking about how fast your products will reach their destination, air freight takes the vote hands down. This factor makes the higher cost reasonable. Shipping to distant destinations may take months to arrive where air shipment only takes a day or two. If speed is a priority or if shipping perishables, choose to go by air.
Which is more reliable?
Reliability is something that should all look at when we choose products or services. How do ocean and airfare against each other in this category? Flights may get canceled by weather and other factors we are powerless against, but airlines are very efficient when it comes to crisis management. However, ships may also be encounter delays in shipment. For most industries, a single day of delay won’t hurt; but for many businesses, even a short delay may hurt their ROI. If you choose to ship via air, there are daily flights between major cities across the globe. Because of this, a flight missed will not cause much hassle for your shipment. Ocean liners, on the other hand, usually adhere to weekly schedules— because of this, missing cutoffs may bring about costly delays.
Which is cleaner and greener?
Whatever type of business you are involved with, you still live in this planet have a shared responsibility to take care of the Earth. Air freight is known to have higher emissions of CO2 and leaves a bigger carbon footprint in stark contrast to sea freight. But ocean liners are also notorious for accidents that may lead to oil spills.
For your shipping needs, putting these four factors into consideration really helps. If you find it challenging to make the right choice, you can always ask back office offshoring services to give you a hand in making the decision.
