How to make booking of Ocean Export Cargo to Forwarder?Explained the procedure of FCL Sea Shipment

When you want to export a cargo to overseas by sea shipment, how do you proceed the shipment? You may have an experiences of sending a small cargo by courier service such as EMS or DHL, but there is not so much opportunity to send a cargo by sea shipment at the individual level.

This time we will explain procedures and cargo flow when we export a cargo by sea shipment. Be noted it is describe for FCL shipment.

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Animation movie Lgistics Flow by Sea Shipment

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1. Send Booking Request to Forwarder

If you want to export a cargo overseas, you should inform the Forwarder of the reservation. Basically the booking request should be informed by e-mail. However, in the case of emergency booking, we can accept the request by LINE chat or requested by telephone, we will ask you to send the formal request by e-mail later for the booking record.[br num=”2″]

Required information for Booking Request
1. Cargo: name & type (general cargo, dangerous goods cargo, refrigerated cargo)
 2. Place of Loading
 3. Place of Destination
 4. Container type (20 ft, 40 ft, 40 HC)
5. Number of containers
 6. Cargo weight
 7. Schedule desired
 8. Desired shipping company
 9. Other Special Requests

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Example of Booking Request to Forwarder

 1. Cargo: Car Parts
 2. POL: Bangkok
 3. POD: Tokyo
 4 & 5. Container: 40HC x 2, 20dry x 4
 6. Cargo Weight: about 15ton / container
 7. Schedule: ETD BKK 24th Mar
 8. Carrier: TS Line
 9. Remark: free time 21days[br num=”2″]

Please write down the points briefly in this way and contact us by e-mail. As for the vessel schedule, please contact the forwarder in advance.

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 2. Forwarder makes booking to Shipping Line

Based on the information that the Shipper makes booking, the Forwarder send the booking request to the Shipping Line. In this case, the space on the vessel is important. If it is not the urgent shipment, it may not be a big problem. But it will be a big problem for the case of urgent shipment and no space on the vessel.[br num=”2″]

The importance of getting space is described in this article
How to find Good Forwarder?

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3. Receive Booking Confirmation

If the Forwarder can get the space of the vessel, the booking is confirmed by the Shipping Line. Please check the Booking Confirmation example.[br num=”2″]

Booking Confirmation shows
・Shipper Name
・Cnee Name
・Vessel Name
・Container Size and Quantity
・ETD/ETA
・POL/POD
・CY Date
・CY Cut Off Date(Closing Date)
・Shipping Line Name
・Remarks[br num=”2″]

And Booking Confirmation is sent from the Forwarder to the Shipper. The ship space is not committed until we issue the Booking Confirmation.

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4. Submit the official booking document to the forwarder

We take the above procedures for managing the logistics which is urgent booking case and uncertain booking case but the official booking request is required with the following documents. [br num=”2″]

· Shipping Instruction (Called “S.I”)
· Invoice
· Packing List

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5. Request custom clearance and Truck arrangement

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Export Custom Clearance

When exporting cargo by sea shipment, it is necessary to do “export custom clearance”. Forwarder has to prepare customs clearance in advance since the export permission or some official documents from Thai government are required depending on the cargo. If we do not prepare the right documents, the cargo cannot be exported or the cargo will not pass the import custom clearance at the destination.

It is better to inform the Forwarder in the case if you export the cargo first time. Forwarder will check the required documents for export and import custom clearance in advance.

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Booking Trailer

In addition to arranging the custom clearance, a trailer is also required in order to bring containers to the factory. We have to manage the time of cut off and the actual loading time.

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6. Arrange the empty container

Before the empty containers arrive at the customer at the requested date and time, Forwarder arrange to take the empty container from the container depot in advance. In the case of the loading in the morning, Forwarder pick up an empty container on the evening of the previous day and it heads to the customer’s factory on the next morning.

In the container depot, a container is allocated, but sometimes the quality of the container may not be good (hole on the roof, dirty, rust etc.). If bad quality containers is allocated, the truck driver refuses to pick up and go back behind the line of the cue to pick up a new container again.[br num=”2″]

If the containers do not arrive at the factory on time, this kind of problems in the container depots is supposed to occur.

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7. Load cargo

Generally cargo loading is conducted by the Shipper since the Loading method differs from the customer’s cargo. Truck driver will not load the cargo on behalf of the Shipper except the special request.

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Trailer loading time

Trailer over time charge may occur if cargo loading takes so long time. Free loading time of trailer is basically 2 to 4 hours but it depend on the truck supplier. We are providing with 4 hours free loading time.

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Submit VGM(Verified Gross Mass)

VGM is a rule to report the correct gross weight of cargo to Shipping Line. There is a deadline to submit VGM, and the customer have to inform the forwarder of the actual weight of the cargo by the deadline.

The method of VGM submission is different from the Shipping Lines. Some Shipping Lines require the signature of the Shipper in a specific form. And other Shipping Lines accept Forwarder to enter the gross weight in the system.

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8. Delivery container to Terminal

We carry the container that has loaded the cargo to the port.

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CY Cut (Cut off /Return /Closing)

The terminal for the container delivery is called CY (Container Yard), and there is a deadline of devliery the cargo to CY. It is called “CY Cut”. The cargo has to arrive at the CY in advance to be loaded on the booked vessel. It is like a deadline for boarding reservation time of an airplane. CY Cut is also used in the words “Cut off”, “Return” and “Closing”.

CY Cut is “extendable” for some of the special case. ※ we cannot guarantee to extend it every time. Sometimes, it may take long time to loading the cargo into the container. And Sometimes, it may get the caught up in the traffic to the port. If you find that it is difficult to return the cargo on time, please ask the Forwarder to extend the cut off.

Please note if the container arrives after the Cut Off deadline without informing the forwarder, the container will not be accepted to be loaded.

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9. The vessel leaves port

The vessel carrying the cargo will depart from the port of Thailand.

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10. B/L is issued

After the vessel departs from the port, B/L will be issued from the Shipping Line. It will be issued basically the next day after departure date or two days later. If you are in a hurry to receive B/L, please inform the forwarder in advance.

The role and handling of B/L is described in this article
What is B/L in Logistics? Explained B/L role and flow with illustrations

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Summary

This is the basic booking process for ocean export. As long as you understand the brief process of export, you can prepare for the documents and potential problems. If you have any question, please feel free to contact our staff.