FULL CONTAINER LOAD
FCL (Full Container Load) – is an ocean shipping mode, in which the entire container is intended for one supplier and occupies a full container (regardless of size). FCL transportation can be filled directly at the supplier’s warehouse, and then sent to the container yard (container cargo station in the port). The container can be unloaded at the port of destination or the carrier can deliver to the recipient's warehouse.
The difference between container transportation and carriage in bulk
More than 80% of everything we eat, wear, and use is shipped by sea. Since the 1950s, container shipping has become very popular among shippers due to their standardization and efficiency. Container transportation allows for uninterrupted delivery of cargo from the consignor to the consignee, thereby reducing the volume of intermediate transshipment operations.
Advantages over other types of shipping
It is advantageous to use sea containers for transportation of goods for a number of reasons
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There are more opportunities for computerizing the management of the process of cargo delivery
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There is no need to overload the goods when changing the mode of transport
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The goods will be once loaded into the container at the sender and unloaded at the recipient in the warehouse
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The pace of loading and unloading is accelerating
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Requires less packaging costs for the goods
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Transport documentation and forwarding operations have been simplified and unified
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Goods are well stored
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Simplified the process of delivery of goods to the recipient's warehouse
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As a result, delivery times are reducede
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Transportation of general cargoes
For relatively large quantities of goods, it is more advantageous to use a certain number of containers than to transport cargo on board the vessel. Before the beginning of containerization, general cargoes were transported separately on board ships. Loading / unloading for general cargoes is more labor and time consuming . With coming of containers, the process of transporting this type of goods was strongly optimized.
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Transportation of non-standard cargoes
When transporting a consolidated cargo, you do not need to worry about returning the container after its delivery. Since along with your cargo in the container the goods of other shippers are transported, the return of the container becomes a problem of the container line. Senders of LCL need only worry about the cargo that is to be transported, and more about nothing.
It should be noted that dangerous goods are never accepted for the transport of consolidated cargoes (falling under the IMO classification and having UN number - that is, flammable, combustible, explosive, radioactive, etc.)
