Less than Container Load Transportation in Sea Containers

LCL – This type of maritime transport is designed to transport goods packed in boxes or on pallets that do not fill a full 20 or 40 ft container by volume or weight. Partial sea container transport has a number of advantages over full container transport. The biggest advantage of such transport is that the space in a 40-foot container is shared by several importers or exporters of the goods, so that the cost of the transport is divided accordingly between each customer according to the space occupied by the goods to be shipped in the full container. In most cases, the freight rates for goods transported in partial containers depend on the volume of the cargo, but in some cases, where the weight per cubic metre of the goods transported exceeds 1 000 kg, an additional charge, known as the LCL density fee, applies.

The goods ordered are grouped with other goods until the required weight/volume is collected and all goods are loaded for transport in one sea container (FCL). The container is then sent to the port of destination, where it is sorted and distributed to each customer individually.

Partial sea cargo (LCL) from the Baltic States is usually grouped together with pan-European cargo at the port of Hamburg due to the small volumes. Irrespective of the consolidation point, LCL sea freight is picked up by the shipping lines themselves from warehouses in Vilnius, Kaunas, Riga and Tallinn. However, our customers have more options to use LCL services for their transport via other European ports.

Import flows are sent to Lithuania via the port of Klaipėda, to Latvia via port of Riga and to Estonia via port of Tallinn. There are frequent arrivals of LCL containers from the seaports of New York (USA), Singapore (Singapore), Hong Kong (Hong Kong), Kaohsiung (Taiwan) and Shanghai (China). LCL may take up to 10 days longer than FCLs, because of consolidation and de-consolidation. However, this mode of transport is attractive to importers and exporters because of the possibility to transport cargo by sea from practically any seaport at very low cost. In the case of partial LCL imports, our specialists can offer you faster shipping routes via Southern or Western European ports to Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.

Sea freight transport by full container load (FCL)
Combined sea freight (sea + land)
Sea freight delivery by Viking and Vilnius Shuttle
Partial shipments from China, Taiwan, partial shipments from the United States of America (USA).

Useful:

– In maritime transport, 1 cubic metre is equivalent to 1000 kg.
– The liability of maritime carriers is limited to 2 SDR/kg and liability is defined by the Hague Rules of 1924 and its subsequent amendments.
– In maritime transport, a Bill of Lading is used.
– Klaipėda seaport online.
– Tracking of cargo by sea online.
– Types and dimensions of containers used in maritime transport.
– General ship casualty.

Questions? Contact us by email info.lt@a2cargo.com, info.lv@a2cargo.com or
call +370 5 215 13 52, +371 67 383655.
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