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.