The demand for freight carriers has spurred many companies to take on the job. These companies pride themselves on their logistical skills and their presence in the remotest of places that ensures a speedy and successful delivery to any corner of the world. The top 10 shipping lines that are provided below take up around 80% of the world market. Here’s looking at them.

1. Maersk – The Danish company is the world’s top carrier with a market share of 15% and has a presence in all of the world’s ports. Their ships are regularly seen entering and exiting the top ports in the world.

2. Federal Express – FedEx as it is commonly known is one of the most known and recognized shipping companies around. They ship hundreds of tons of cargo all around the world regularly and are a pioneer in this field.

3. United Parcel Services – UPS is also a very well recognized company and is one of the topmost shipping lines withnumerous ships and aircraft hauling tons of cargo all over the world.

4. Mediterranean Shipping Company – MSC is one of the leading global shipping lines of the world. Founded in 1970, it is a private organization and through their impeccable services has steadily grown to become one of the best shipping lines out there.

5. Hapag-Lloyd – The German company found in 1970 as a merger of two pre existing companies from the 19^th century is now one of the leading players of the shipping line industry. They are a go-to group for all  cargo shipping needs.

6. CMA CGM – The French company is the third largest container company in the world serving a network of over 200 shipping routes between 400 ports in over 150 countries.

7. Evergreen Line – Evergreen Line is the unified trade name for the five shipping companies of the Evergreen group.  It is the fourth largest shipping line in the world with over 180 ships in their fleet to meet customer demands.

8. APL – The Singapore based Neptune Orient Lines is a leading shipping line offering seamless global connectivity with highly competitive transit times.

9. COSCO Container Lines Americas – This shipping line has been active for more than 20 years now and has served thousands of customers and companies in the meanwhile delivering cargo on time and in intact condition.

10. NYK – Nippon Yusen Kaisha or NYK line is one of the leading shipping lines out there, which offers premium transport services for clients while providing the topmost standards of safety.

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Fax: 281-487-7003

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Over the past decade, the freight forwarding industry has emerged as one of the most successful sectors of the global logistics industry. The substantial growth of globalization has led manufacturing to locate to various remote locations around the world. The development of such new economies have increased the demand for international forwarding services due to which new companies have been popping up every day. These are the latest happenings that have taken place in this exciting and fast paced industry.

• A recent survey conducted in the United States has revealed that despite the recovering economy, 46% of the companies are preparing to invest in new product development to keep up with customer demands in the upcoming 18 months.

• Norbert Dentressangle or ND as it is most commonly known has announced a 39% rise in operation margin in the first half of 2010 following the acquisition of the US based freight forwarding company Schneider Logistics. French owned ND announced the take over of the air, ocean forwarding and customs house of Schneider on 31^st August of this year. The company also showed an increase in turnover of 3.9% and also a 7.3% increase in transport revenue. The company hopes that the acquisition of Schneider will see it through a fairly successful year and would put them ahead of their existing competitors.

• A dry cargo ship Damanta arriving from Russia’s Sakhalin sank on Tuesday the 9^th of November in the port of Wakkanai of Japan’s northernmost Hokkaido island. The coast guard officers reported that water had flooded the ship, and it sank slightly more than 10 meters away from the berth. There were seven Russian nationals aboard all of which were rescued. An oil spill developed at the site of the sinking, and the Japanese authorities have started looking into the incident.

• Five countries at the Fourth Acmecs Summit have agreed to support the development of the South Economic Corridor that will link the proposed sea port in the south of Burma to the south of Thailand and onwards to Malaysia as a new trade lane in the region.  The South-South Economic Corridor would also complement the US$6.66 billion railroad project with proposed financing by China from Nong Khai in the northeast of Thailand, through Bangkok and the south of Thailand to Padang Besar in Malaysia. It would be an extension of the railroad to be built in Laos to connect the south of China. The project aims to make the area a trade and logistics hub. Although the countries are optimistic about the project industry experts have raised their doubts about its successful completion owing to the project’s massive scale.

Shipping cargo overseas can be a stressful task. It involves everything from choosing the shipping company to figuring out the costs to keeping a track of your goods, and it is both time consuming and cumbersome. This is why people sometimes end up making mistakes for which they have to pay a lot more at the end. Here’s a list of the common mistakes that people make while shipping cargo overseas.

1) Choosing the wrong shipping company – It is very common for people to get lured towards a company by its advertisements and regretting the decision later due to the unprofessionalism of the chosen company. Thorough background checks need to be conducted on the company to make sure that it can be trusted to deliver your cargo safely and on time. Choosing the correct shipping company is the most important part of the whole shipping cargo procedure and if one gets it wrong one will definitely regret it later.

2) Lack of planning – Shipping cargo abroad is a complicated task and requires a lot of planning to get right. Ample time is required to choose the right shippers, to get all the forms in order and to work out all the finer details. When people don’t devote enough time to planning their shipments they end up compromising on one of the above factors.

3) Skipping on Insurance – When shipping personal stuff it is very important to get it insured by the shipping company concerned. Shipping insurance ensures that you get something back for your shipment if it is lost or damaged and is quite reasonably priced. Without it, you will be left with nothing in case anything goes wrong with your cargo in transit.

4) Compromising on the price factor – Everyone enjoys getting a good deal on freight shipping but sometimes people tend to compromise on the quality of the service for price. It should be noted that there are plenty of reliable companies out there so a little patience and perseverance will ensure that you bag the best deal and get maximum returns.

5) Reading the fine print – While signing the contracts with your shipping company it is very important to read the fine print of the document as it might contain something that you don’t know. The deal should be thoroughly checked before any commitments are made. It should also be checked whether the company offers reimbursement should anything go wrong at their end.

Shipping cargo overseas can be a testing task which is why people end up making trivial mistakes. Hope these above mentioned points helped you out in getting your cargo across safe and sound. If you experience any issues when shipping cargo from US then it is advisable to go to FMC.gov and find a resolution for your issue. FMC.gov is US official Federal Maritime Commissions website.

Shipping cargo overseas isn’t limited to just finding a carrier that does the job for you. It involves a lot of planning and accumulation of several forms that will be required at the different stages of the shipping process. Here are some of the most commonly used forms required for shipping the cargo overseas.

#1 Bill of Lading – It is a document that is issued by the carrier to the shipper acknowledging that the specified goods have been received on board as cargo for delivery to the point of delivery specified. It also lists the different modes of transport that will be used during shipping and in general serves as the contract between the carrier and the shipper.

#2 Bill of Export – It is the main document required by the customs department to allow shipment. It is issued by the shipping agent and represents some kind of certificates for all concerned parties. It also serves as a statistical record.

#3 Certified invoice – It is required when the exporter needs to certify on the invoice that the goods are of a particular origin or manufactured at a particular place and in accordance with the specified contract.

#4 Power of Attorney – Document used to provide your agent the right to act for you to accomplish the task of shipping your goods. This is a special power of attorney and is different from the general one in the sense that it is not as powerful as the general.

#5 Inventory/Packing list – It is a detailed list of the goods contained in each parcel/shipment. It is very important as it is your go to list for any and all referrals.

#6 Certificate of Inspection – It is a document that certifies that the shipped goods were in a good condition immediately prior to shipping. It is an inspection report and is required by importers in some countries.

#7 Certificate of Shipment – It is a document that is made available after the goods have been shipped signifying that a certain lot of goods has been shipped.

#8 Shipping Order – Issued by the shipping line which intimates the exporter about the reservation of space of shipment of cargo through the specific vessel from a specified port on a specified date.

#9 Manufacturer’s Certificate – It is required in addition to the Certificate of Origin to show where the goods shipped have been manufactured and when.

#10 Short Shipment Form – It is an application to the customs authorities at port, which advises short shipment of goods and is required for claiming the return.

Africa has lately been a growing market for industries and is considered an extremely logical destination for importing and exporting goods. This is why shipping cargo to the continent has seen a huge surge in recent years. However, Africa with all its multiple cultures and numerous nations is unlike any other continent so certain things must be taken into consideration before shipping to Africa.

1) Choosing the right company – Due to Africa’s large size not all shipping companies’ ship to all parts of the continents.  It should be made sure that the company you choose delivers direct to the country of your choice, or you will need to pay additional freight and taxes to use the services of another shipping company.

2) Tracking – Since your consignment will pass through a lot of hands and countries it is expected that you will be concerned about your cargo’s location. It is very important for you to be able to track your goods at all stages of the delivery process to keep your state of mind relaxed and not in a constant state of worry about the safety of your cargo.

3) Freight Forwarder Experience – It is very important that the company you choose for freight forwarding should be sufficiently experienced in shipping to Africa. This would mean that they would be well versed with the various laws governing the African countries and should know the transport system within the country inside out. This is crucial to the safety and timely delivery of your cargo.

4) Laws and Policies – African countries differ significantly from each others on the laws and policies governing the land. Each country has its own limitation on the types of goods that can be important. There could be significant difference in the import law for two neighbouring countries. It is important to research and find out if the cargo being shipped is allowed to pass through the countries customs before it is shipped.

5. Cost – Cost is one of the key factors in shipping cargo. Some companies might agree to ship your cargo at rock bottom prices they should be approached with caution. It is advisable to go with companies who have decent experience and competitive pricing structure.

Even though Africa might seem like a big strange land to ship to, by remembering these things and planning well in advance you can solidify a long lasting relationship with the continent.

If you are new to shipping cargo overseas, there are probably a lot of new terms that you may come across. Here’s a list of common terms that are used on a day to day basis when shipping overseas.

Whether you’re actively involved in the freight forwarding industry as a shipper or a carrier or are just interested in this industry, you must know that online blogs are a great way of keeping yourself updated. While many blogs exist both by individuals and by carrier companies not all offer an unbiased view of the market. Here is a handpicked selection of those blogs which do.

1) Zibb.com – Zibb.com contains a number of industrial blogs pertaining to several industries. This is their blog relating to the freight forwarding industry and is regularly updated with the latest news and happenings.

2) HandyshippingBlog.com – The blog offers a witty yet informative take on the latest happenings of the cargo shipping and forwarding industry. Although, it was rarely updated few months ago,  regular updates are now being made.

3) FreightBlog.com- The blog offers both new and older information about the freight forwarding industry. As the name suggests this blog is all about freight.

4) FreightDawg.com- This is maintained by an industry insider, with an experience of over 25 years this blog provides an industry’s insight on the key developments in the industry. The blog features both old and new details of the continuous changes to the freight forwarding industry.

5) FreightOption.com/blog- The blog is maintained by freightoption.com and it not only lets you catch up with the latest news but also helps getting the quotations on your shipments. It also lets companies give quotations on consumers’ requests.

6) FreightSavingTips.com – The site offers a number of tips to carriers and shippers alike to save on their freight forwarding. The news section is updated regularly as well and it provides an interesting read.

7) BlogCatalog.com/FreightForwarding – This blog is maintained by shippingdiscounts.com and it offers insights into the small package and freight forwarding industry according to its own definition. Even though the blog is only a year old it features plenty of information and news. Especially useful are the posts pertaining to key areas of the industry that are answered pretty regularly.

ShippingOverseasGuide.com – This site features a concise list of dos and don’ts when going through your freight forwarding exercise. It also features news and updates from the industry.

9) Tradeword.com/Blog – Even though the blog hasn’t been updated in three months the information available is plenty and detailed. Good for referring if historical information is important to you.

10) BlogCatalog.com/HeavyEquipment – The blog focuses on the trucking industry and heavy equipments used in freight forwarding.