One of the most significant benefits of booking ocean freight shipments from a reputable team like WTA is the extra flexibility, efficiency, and transparency you gain. Ocean freight forwardings offered by WTA allow you to focus on your services and business while our team covers the complex details. This article explains everything you need to know to book and follow out an ocean shipment with WTA.
WTA's team of experts have years of experience delivering imports and exports for our clients. As specialists, our job is to solve all problems that may arise with your transaction, from customs issues to choosing the right shipping company.
What to do before ocean shipping
Preparation is key in the days before your goods start their journey and can make a significant impact on the time frame of your shipment. By ensuring all paperwork is ready (including shipping documents and commercial documents), WTA will be able to get your products moving as quickly as possible.
Once you have secured your booking with us, WTA will assign your booking to a dedicated account manager; this account manager will send you a confirmation email outlining the essential details of your ocean freight shipment. They may contact you via phone or email if they have any questions regarding your booking.
If you've had a reservation made for you, it can be complicated to handle the rest of the process – this is what WTA can do for you. We will send reminders if you have not submitted any documentation and reviewed it. WTA's team of ocean freight professionals will ensure the rest of the documentation procedure goes as smoothly as possible.
All reservations submitted via WTA go through a quality control team to ensure all requested information has been submitted correctly and on time.
Once your necessary documents are uploaded, our operations team will use them to generate a Bill of Lading. Once you have verified that the information listed is accurate, we will send it to the shipping carrier.
Depending on your location, local arrangements for destination clearance and transportation can be made by WTA or by our network of trusted partner agents.
WTA Global will send your reservation details and instructions to the relocation coordinator at your destination. Your coordinator will be your liaison at the destination; they can help you with customs clearance, payment of everything import duties to taxes, the handling of shipment retrieval, and anything else that you need.
This all may seem complicated, but WTA connects your complex logistic processes into a centralised location, giving you visibility, precision and transparency of costs with real-time data analysis. From Air, Sea or Overland Freight, we can assist you in streamlining your logistics.
What happens with loading and transporting at Origin for Ocean Freight?
Generally, the first part of the shipping timeline is loading and transport at the point of origin. The time this takes is determined by your supplier, the type of goods and the location.
When you book your freight shipping with the WTA, we take care of all transportation and delivery aspects. Our goal is to make shipping and buying more accessible and help keep you competitive in the marketplace.
When shipping a Less Container Load, your goods will be collected and transported to the port of export within the same day.
When shipping a Full Container Load (FCL), a container is dropped at a designated location to allow loading.
If you choose live load, you will have one hour of "Free Time" to load the container. If that time runs out, an additional invoice will be settled at the end of the process.
Exporting by Sea Freight and Customs Clearances
Being prepared for customs is essential. Luckily, preparing documents required to facilitate exports and imports into a country is something WTA Global has years of experience to help you accomplish.
For many shipments, the export customs clearance process is faster than the import customs clearance process; this is because getting information about your company from local and foreign trade officials can take time. You will need to allow one day to complete this step in the shipping process. It is rare for a shipment to go on hold as a result of extra information.
Cut Off Times for Ocean Shipping
Cut off times refer to the date and time your shipment will no longer be available for departure with a scheduled carrier. All processing of your goods and documentation (including any necessary customs clearance) must be completed by this time.
Freight Transit Times for Ocean
Freight transit times are the planned travelling time from one port to another. These times come detailed in your shipping quotes. Schedules are provided to you beforehand.
It is essential to check with WTA whether any issues may impact the freight transit time before booking. Your forwarder will be able to explore different services and options available to you.
If you're shipping with us, we can clear your goods through customs in transit - while the ship is at sea; this means that when your container arrives at the port, we can access it immediately.
Offloading at Arrival of Ocean Freight
Door to door times are unpredictable and can be affected by several factors such as loading, transportation, and unloading. One significant factor is the port; this becomes account-specific and depends on the volume you send through the port and your forwarders' knowledge. Forwarders may also need different access times at various ports around the world.
What happens with Quarantine and Border inspection for ocean freight
Quarantine and border inspections can be unpredictable and costly. If you are shipping for the first time or have moved to a new forwarder, your goods will likely go on an automatic border hold whilst all shipment information is inspected. This is likely to cause a delay of one to two days, so it's essential to be prepared for this.
What happens with ocean freight transport and Offloading at Destination
Once your goods are cleared and made available for shipping, we will transport them to your selected delivery point. As with loading, air shipments and LCL (Less-than-Container Load), your shipments will be offloaded within the same day.
At WTA, your logistical supply chain is not only backed by technology but also by a designated supply-chain professional who will be working with you every step of the way.
