There are many ways of international cargo transportation, including Sea, Railroad, Air, River, Postal, Road, Pipeline, Continental Bridge, and
International Multimodal, combined with various modes of transportation. Here’s the guide to the several standard international modes.
Sea
The most widely used method of international cargo transportation is sea transport.
Advantages of sea transportation
- Sea transportation is carried out by natural waterways, which are not limited by roads and tracks and have a greater passage capacity.
- With the change in political, economic, and trade environment and natural conditions, it is possible to adjust and change the route to complete the task of transportation.
- It can carry a large volume of products; hence this low-cost and high-volume transportation method is recommended.
Disadvantages of ocean transport
- Ocean transport is the slowest mode of transport in various means of transport. As ocean transport is at sea, it is subject to natural conditions, such as typhoons, that will get the shop to the bottom of the sea and let the ship’s container for tilt.
- In addition, it is also subject to pirate attacks.
Compared to the past years, 2020 and 2021, ocean freight rates are more than ten times higher than before because of severe congestion in the ports of various countries, and each port has added many additional costs. In the case of high export volume, many containers will be dumped, and even containers will be left in the port for more than a month.
Rail
Rail transport is the primary mode of international cargo transportation after sea transport, and it has become more widespread, especially for China’s imports and export to the European market. Most of the cargoes imported and exported by sea transportation are also concentrated and dispersed by rail transport.
The adAdvantages of railroad transportation
- Large delivery volume
- Faster
- Lower cost
- Less affected by the natural environment
- Less floor space
- Suitable for transporting large and bulky items
- Ideal for regular transport.
Disadvantages of railroad transportation
- Reach time is slower compared to the airplane and other transportation
- Less and unreasonable layout
- High fixed cost
- Large original investment
- Long construction period
- Higher cargo loss rate.
Air
Air transport is a modern form of transportation, and it is most suitable for transporting urgently needed materials, fresh commodities, precision instruments, and valuable items.
Advantages of air transportation
- It has fast transportation speed with high-quality freight.
- It is not limited by ground conditions, unlike ocean transportation and railroad transportation.
- It is also very suitable for transporting samples with time blocks, and customers can receive the goods the first time for the next step of feedback.
Disadvantages of air transport
- The most significant disadvantage is that the cost is very high, even more than ten times higher than other transport.
- Moreover, the accuracy and regularity of transportation are affected by the limitations of climatic conditions.
- Need airport facilities, so the accessibility is poor, some countries are not allowed to receive air parts, hence, need to transit again.
- High cost of facilities and high maintenance cost
- Small transportation capacity and high energy consumption for transportation.
- Small transportation capacity and high energy consumption for transportation.
Road, inland waterway, and parcel transport
(1) Road transportation
Road transport (road transportation) is a modern mode of transportation that can directly transport in or out foreign trade goods and is an essential means of collecting and distributing import and export goods at stations, ports, and airports.
It is mobile and flexible, with fast turnover, convenient loading and unloading, and highly adaptable to various natural conditions.
The disadvantages are small capacity, more energy consumption, high cost, more expensive freight, and not all places can be reached, owing to more restrictive conditions.
(2) Inland waterway transport
Inland water transportation is an integral part of water transportation and links the inland hinterland with coastal areas. It plays a vital role in transporting and distributing import and export cargo.
(3) Package shipping
Parcel transport (parcel post transport) is an easier way of transportation. There are
Parcel transport (parcel post transport) is an easier way of transportation. There are agreements and contracts between the postal departments of various countries. The mail parcels of multiple countries can be delivered to each other, thus forming an international parcel transport network.
Because international parcel transport has the nature of international multimodal transport and “door-to-door” transport, coupled with simple procedures and low cost, it has become a commonly used transport method in international trade.
5、Container transport and international multimodal transport
(1) Container transportation
Container transport (container transport) is a modern and advanced mode of transport with containers as the transport unit of automated cargo transportation. It can be applied to ocean transport, railroad transport, and international multimodal transport.
(2) International multimodal transport
International multimodal transport is in container transport based on the emergence and development of a comprehensive and coherent mode of transportation.
It is generally to set the price of the container, the sea, land, and air all kinds of a traditional single mode of transport organically combined, composed of a coherent international transport.
Conclusion
Whichever method you choose, we will advise you on the most reasonable and suitable way of transportation while ensuring appropriate timeliness and cost. The above techniques apply to many toys such as toy cars, inflatable, marine, remote control, baby, imported wooden, most toys, etc.