Common booking methods and types of export freight

Booking is when the shipper or its agent applies to the carrier, that is, the liner company, business organization, etc. to apply for cargo transportation. Unlike charter transportation, after selecting the appropriate ship as the carrier, the carrier and the shipper usually make an appointment for liner transportation by oral or booking letter. So what are the ways and types of booking? Let's take a look together.



Booking method
There are three main booking methods:
1. Offline booking
Offline booking is mainly by fax, telephone or E. Mail, EDI and other ways to achieve. Online offline booking can use offline booking software for booking, and then send an email to the carrier to complete the booking.

2. Online booking
Online booking is also known as electronic booking. It can provide customers with a trading platform. Through the Internet, the customer's asking price and the service provider's quotation are online to make the two parties reach a transaction.

3. Booking at the place of unloading
The usual booking is booking at the place of loading, that is, booking by the exporter, and booking at the place of unloading, that is, booking by the importer. When the trade terms use group F or group E, the foreign buyer, the importer, is responsible for signing a transportation contract, but they generally do not book a cabin by themselves, but entrust an international freight forwarder to book the cabin, and usually also specify a carrier's means of transportation. The sources of such designated cargo notifications can be divided into agent-designated cargo notifications and shipper-designated cargo notifications.

Booking type
Bookings are divided into the following two categories according to nature:

1.Temporary booking
Temporary booking is when the shipper or international freight forwarding company makes a booking with the carrier only for the purpose of booking a space and there is no specific cargo to be carried. Sea transportation is a booking made a period of time (such as a month) before the ship arrives in port. Temporary booking is adopted because of fear of tight space. In many countries, in addition to the transportation of dangerous goods, the oral booking of the shipper is allowed.

Because the actual cargo volume may not be as much as booked when the carrier is stowage, that is, the booked space is not used and becomes "blown away" booking space, that is, empty space. Therefore, the carrier usually overbook the transport space by 10% ~ 20% to cope with such uncertainty. Although it is uncertain to some extent, it can make the carrier understand the situation of the source of goods in the future, and lay a foundation for the carrier's freight organization and management.

2. Confirm booking
Confirmation of booking is that the consignor selects the appropriate ship according to the requirements of the letter of credit or the contract and the time when the goods are shipped. A booking made orally or in writing to the carrier or his agent prior to the shipping schedule or the closing date specified in air transport.

As far as shipping is concerned, it contains the exact information of the source of the cargo: the name of the booking vessel, the place of receipt, the port of loading, the port of discharge, the place of delivery, the name of the cargo agent, the name of the cargo, the quantity, the packaging, the weight, the method of receiving Delivery method, required number of empty boxes, packing location, etc. It is generally confirmed with the shipping company that the booking is made 7 days before the cut-off Et, because usually the shipping company will not release the cabin until then.