Ways of transportation of containers from China to Ukraine

All countries of the world establish trade relations with each other and are engaged in import and export of goods. Delivery of products from one point of the world to another is a solvable task. In fact, 90% of manufactured goods are delivered in containers, which are convenient to move by rail, road and water transport. For this reason, they are a key tool in the logistics chain between producer and consumer.

China is the largest exporter, as thousands of containers are shipped worldwide every day from its territory. These containers can contain everything from food to machinery and industrial equipment. In recent years, China has mastered the proper distribution of logistics cargo flows. Let's understand what ways of shipping containers from China exist and what nuances they have.

What kind of containers are there?

Basically, special ships or trains are used for transportation. There are approved sizes of containers that allow you to optimally place the cargo on the platforms. Among the variety of proposals, the most popular are containers of two sizes:

• 20-foot

• 40-foot containers

Their main difference is the length of the container, which affects the maximum weight and volume of goods that can be placed inside the container. Depending on the type of goods and their quantity, a suitable option is chosen.
 

How are containers transported?

There are several ways of transportation:

• Sea way
• Railroad transportation
• Combination of different modes of transportation.
   

Depending on the customer's wishes and location, the best option is chosen. For example, if the importer is located in the Far East or Europe, it is more economical to send the container by sea for prompt delivery. In the cities of central Eurasia, it is better to use the railroad, which will allow for quick delivery, but the cost of delivery will be higher.

Each mode of transportation has its own advantages and disadvantages that need to be taken into account. Therefore, the choice of method of transportation depends on the characteristics of the product.

Participants of transportation:

In the direction of container transportation from China, it is customary to distinguish 3 parties:
 

• Importer - a person who orders products from another country

• Exporter - a seller who sells the goods

• Transportation company - is engaged in delivery of cargo from one person to another;

There are also secondary participants of transportation, which accelerate and simplify the process, for example, forwarders, port workers and others.

The process of exporting from China

To understand how the transaction goes, let's look at an example. You have decided to buy a shipment of goods in China. After packing, it will go to a warehouse and wait to be loaded into a container. Depending on the quantity of goods, full or partial loading of the container can be applied, the so-called shipment of cargo as part of a prefabricated container, when one container is loaded with cargoes of several importers. After that the work of the agent and the freight forwarder begins, who deal with all the issues that have arisen. After loading the products into the container, the forwarder is given a seal with the number and data of the warehouse where the container should be delivered. The carrier registers the data on the quantity of goods in the bill of lading (the basic transportation document for the transportation of goods in a container, without which it will not be possible to receive the goods at the port of destination). After registration, the bill of lading is handed over to the shipper of the cargo and then sent to the consignee. The bill of lading is an important paper confirming the legal right to receive the goods. Then there is the execution of related documentation, customs clearance and inspection.

All methods of shipping containers from China have their own peculiarities:

Sea transportation: In this method, when the ship arrives at the port of destination, the containers are unloaded at the berth of the seaport. To pick up the container from the port, the original bill of lading must be provided to the shipowner's representative. After that, the container is delivered to the customs terminal, where the customs broker submits a customs cargo declaration to the customs office. The goods brought in are subject to taxes (Duty and VAT). After payment of taxes and closing of the customs cargo declaration, the goods are released into free circulation. The freight forwarder contacts the consignee to clarify the desired time of pickup at the warehouse. Once the container is picked up, it is sent to the consignee by ground transportation, where the goods are unloaded at the consignee's warehouse. Then the freight forwarder picks up the container and moves it to a special place where it will be reserved for further transportation of other goods.

Rail transportation: The process of transportation by train is not very different from that by sea vessel. Containers are shipped from the seller's warehouse to the designated station and moved to the terminal. Before shipment by train, special machinery loads them on the rail platform. When planning transportation, it is necessary to determine the route. You should also take into account the time required to transfer the container from the Chinese train to transit locomotives. The queue at the border is also important as the time for checking documents may vary. The main document for transportation is the rail waybill. Once the container arrives at the destination station, the process of un-crediting, customs clearance and further delivery, usually by road, from the railway station to the warehouse of the recipient begins.

Multimodal transportation: Methods of shipping containers from China are diverse, but multimodal transportation is in demand. Delivery of a container can be carried out by one mode of transportation or combined by several. When a container is delivered by several modes of transportation to the final recipient, such transportation is called multimodal. For example, in China, the container is loaded on board a ship, delivered to the port of destination, such as Odessa, then the container is loaded on a railroad platform, which delivers the container to Kiev. If two or more modes of transportation are used for transportation, but one carrier (freight forwarder) is responsible for the cargo and logistic routes. Transportation is considered multimodal from the moment the goods are accepted until they are delivered to the specified location.