Sea Freight
Sea freight moves the vast majority of world trade because it is by far the cheapest way to shift volume and weight. Transit is longer — 20–45 days on most lanes — but for anything non-urgent it is the default choice.
Get matched to sea freight forwarders →FCL vs LCL
Full Container Load (FCL) means you book a whole container — cheapest per unit once you fill it, faster and lower-risk. Less than Container Load (LCL) shares a container with other shippers, priced per cubic metre.
As a rule, below ~15 CBM, LCL beats a half-empty container; above it, move to FCL.
Planning around sea schedules
Ocean schedules are long and increasingly exposed to port congestion and blank sailings — build in buffer stock and book ahead in peak season.
Sea also emits a small fraction of the CO₂ of air per tonne-kilometre, making it the sustainable default for volume cargo.
FAQs
How long does sea freight take?
Typically 20–45 days port-to-port depending on the corridor and transhipments, plus trucking and customs on each end.
When should I use LCL instead of FCL?
Below roughly 15 CBM, sharing a container (LCL) is usually cheaper than paying for a half-empty full container.