Wallis Shipping Services is the freight forwarder of choice for many UK and global manufacturers and retailers. Our bread and butter of what we do, and have done for the last 30 years, is sea freight to and from short sea and deep sea locations, for export, import and cross-trade shipments of all shapes and sizes.
Ocean Freight
Our ocean shipping services for full container load (FCL) and less than container load (LCL) are consistently reliable and competitive. We have developed strong relationships with all the major shipping lines over our 30 years in freight forwarding, meaning we can pass on the best rates with priority vessel space and equipment.
Our international freight management team will work out the best routes for you to get your goods from A to B in the fastest transit time possible. We can help advise you on the most suitable mode of transport, work out your stowage plans, assist with your export documentation, customs formalities and your export packing requirements. We’ll even help you get paid for exports when you utilise our specialist Letter of Credit services. Once you are ready to ship we can offer you the most cost effective and reliable services to meet your customer’s demands.
DELIVERING A LOCAL SERVICE ON A GLOBAL SCALE
Wallis are a UK freight forwarder with a global footprint, we can assist exporters and importers of all shapes and sizes to deliver their sales to the end customer. We operate across the world’s major economic regions, and serve all the main trade routes to Europe, Asia, North America, South America, Africa and Australasia. In addition, we work with a carefully selected group of global partners, chosen for their ability to deliver highly flexible services and the solutions you need to meet the requirements of your business and your markets. In summary, our seafreight services give you both the highest levels of service and total peace of mind.
Wallis Shipping are uniquely placed in the East of England, on the border of Essex and Suffolk, within equal reach of the UK’s largest ocean freight ports – Felixstowe, Lowestoft, Harwich and DP World London Gateway. At Wallis Shipping we are recognised by the logistics industry as one of the top freight forwarding companies in the UK for ocean freight container and LCL services.
What Wallis Shipping can arrange for you with your ocean freight:
- Full container loads (FCL)
- Less than container loads (LCL) and consolidation
- Refrigerated and reefer containers
- Out-of-gauge (OOG) / non-containerised cargo
- Ro-Ro (Roll on, Roll off)
- Cargo collection and delivery
- Warehousing and packing / unpacking services
- VGM container weighing services
- Logistics management & consultancy
- Freight marine insurance
- Commercial documentation and customs clearance
- Letter of Credit services
- Hazardous cargo
We take the headache out transporting cargo – instead of you using multiple touch points between shipping lines, packing firms, customs, and hauliers, we act as your single line of logistics communication. Whether you are a new or existing customer, we get to know you and your company to fully understand your systems so we can integrate as part of your supply chain. Importing and exporting goods can create complex processes, systems and documentation, but with our highly skilled team at wallis and our in-house bespoke Exportease freight software we can take the time and hassle out of these logistics challenges for you. What’s more we pride ourselves on speed of service (with cargo and communication), offering you the quickest transit times possible and excellent customer service, keeping in touch along the way with container tracking while your cargo moves from A to B.
LCL is less than a container load, whereas FCL is a full container load. You would opt for FCL when your goods fill a whole container – normally either a 20’ or a 40’ container.
This will depend on the weight and dimensions of your cargo. We can help you work this out, with stowage plans.
Ocean freight, in general, is cheaper than air freight. Ocean shipping helps traders to reduce logistics costs significantly compared with air freight. If you are shipping less than a container load, your price is often determined by cubic meter. With larger and heavier shipments, it is often much cheaper to ship by sea. Of course air freight is a quicker form of transport.
We will arrange for your container to be delivered by the shipping line to your premises or your chosen collection address. You will then need equipment to load your cargo into your container. If you don’t have the necessary facilities to do this we can organise for your cargo to be packed, palletised and secured into the container should you need this.
Verified Gross Mass (VGM) is the weight of the cargo including dunnage and bracing plus the tare weight of the container carrying this cargo for ocean freight. Since 2016, all shipping lines have requested the VGM weight to comply with the IMO’s (International Maritime Organisation) new SOLAS (Saftey of Life at Sea) convention.
If you are a VGM Approved Weigher by registering with Maritime and Coastguard agency, you can declare your own cargo weight. You will need specialist equipment to weigh the container and the cargo. Otherwise we will arrange for the exit port terminal to do this on your behalf. There are VGM port charges, even if you are a registered weigher.
Yes you do need one because a stowage plan is used to calculate how much space your cargo will take up in a container. The results will identify which type of container you will need. We can help you organise this.
We can arrange your full container or LCL shipment, for exports or imports. Contact us for sea freight rates today.