We offer tailor-made sea freight adapted to your specific needs. Our vision is always to work proactively, provide personal service, and meet new conditions when they arise. Allow us to assist you in shipping your goods across the world's oceans through our international sea freight services. Contact Bertling today to discover how we can tailor our sea freight solutions to accommodate your specific requirements.
Sea freight with Bertling
Bertling is recognized for its rapid, adaptable, and customized services in sea freight logistics. We offer cost-effective, high-capacity transportation solutions customized to meet your requirements. Our sea freight shipping within our global network ensures the safe and timely delivery of goods with competitive pricing and flexible solutions.
Bertling's experience in chartering and brokerage dates back to the company's foundation. Shipping and brokerage experts worldwide select and charter the ideal vessel for each cargo requirement.
Bertling also provides liaison with local marine authorities, cost management and control, operating policies and procedures, vessel scheduling, and ship chandler's services for all marine vessels. This encompasses the management and support of AHTS, pipe-laying and heavy-lift barges, hovercraft, crew change vessels, and diving support vessels.
Our sea freight shipping options
We offer the following services for our sea freight logistics:
Take control of your supply chain. From real-time shipment tracking to complete supply chain visibility, our BLU4U platform ensures efficiency, transparency, and confidence in every link.
In addition to shipping by sea, we offer air, rail, and road freight.
Import/Export
Exporting refers to sending goods or services out of a country. Within the EU, no customs borders exist between member states; a standard customs policy is applied externally. Importing involves bringing goods or services into a country from abroad.
Door-to-door shipping
Door-to-door shipping covers the entire transport process from the sender's location to the recipient's, including pickup, logistics, customs clearance, and delivery, offering a seamless end-to-end solution.
FCL (Full Container Load)
FCL stands for “Full Container Load,” which means booking an entire container. Goods that do not fill a whole container are instead counted as LCL. However, shipping smaller goods in an FCL container is possible and sometimes, this may be a better option.
LCL (Less Container Load)
If using an entire container is not cost-effective, you can opt for LCL (Less Container Load), sharing space with other freight to optimize costs. You simply assess your transport needs and buy the required cubic meters. With LCL shipping, the goods arrive palletized and ready at your delivery address, making handling easier upon arrival.
Break bulk
When container shipping is not suitable, break bulk shipping is the ideal alternative. At Bertling, our extensive experience with break bulk cargo ensures we excel at devising innovative solutions to transport even the most unconventional items to destinations worldwide.
Multimodal transport
Multimodal transport involves using various modes of transportation in one booking. This means moving goods from origin to destination using multiple modes of transport under a single contract. The same transport company is responsible for moving the shipment the entire way, utilizing all modes of transport.
Cross trade shipping
Cross-trade shipping involves organizing a shipment between two countries, neither of which hosts the seller locally. Cross-trade shipping is also referred to as foreign-to-foreign, third-party shipments or, more commonly, triangle shipments.
Customs service
The customs service handles all processes and formalities for clearing goods through international customs barriers. This service is crucial because it ensures that all legal and regulatory requirements are met for importing and exporting goods.
Warehouse management
Warehouse management covers the fundamentals and procedures required to oversee daily operations within a warehouse. This service involves receiving goods, organizing storage space, coordinating workforce schedules, handling inventory, and processing orders.
What is sea freight?
Sea freight is an efficient method of shipping goods and cargo across the world's oceans. This method facilitates national and international transport of various goods, including bulk items, vehicles, and containers.
Sea freight is central in transporting large volumes of goods across the ocean. It is an advantageous method with high cargo capacity while being environmentally friendly and offering flexibility. This thanks to an extensive network of ports worldwide. Although there are challenges, such as longer transport times and weather-related obstacles, shipping remains a critical factor in global trade.
Bertling has an extensive network of sea freight shipping companies worldwide and can offer solutions for your shipping needs, whether for small or large quantities of goods.
Read about our other transport options: air, rail, and road freight.
Sea freight forwarding services
Bertling offers sea freight forwarding, which involves planning and executing international goods transportation via ocean routes. Sea freight forwarders act as intermediaries, handling processes, documentation, regulations, and customs protocols.
Our sea freight forwarders ensure seamless cargo movement between countries by booking cargo space, managing paperwork, and providing updates. These experts are crucial in global trade, making ocean shipping efficient and hassle-free.
Competitive sea shipping
Bertling's expertise in shipping and logistics dates back to the company's founding. In addition to its rich history, Bertling collaborates closely with local shipping authorities, customs operations, carriers, terminals, and shipping companies to ensure compliance with all policies, processes, and planned timelines.
Our approach to the market is unique as we view it not only from the perspective of a freight forwarder but also as a shipowner. Bertling owns and operates a fleet of state-of-the-art, double-hull vessels with capacities ranging from 35,000 to 82,000 DWT. These vessels are primarily used for bulk and general cargo sea freight, offering top-tier service and reliability in maritime logistics.
Shipping container
Our service, sea freight, transports goods in containers worldwide. Shipping containers are a standardized and reliable mode of transport that is both economically and environmentally friendly. It is also a flexible solution that can be adapted to transport goods that do not fit in a standard container. If it is not cost-effective to use an entire container for shipping your goods, there is also the option of LCL (Less Container Load), where you can share a sea container with other freight owners to optimize costs.
Choosing the correct type of shipping container
We transport goods in shipping containers, either a Less Container Load (LCL) or a Full Container Load (FCL). The choice of sea container depends on the volume of the goods.
To determine which container is best suited, we start with the shipment. The weight and dimensions of the goods determine which solution will be the most profitable, as these factors also affect how much space the goods take up in the container during shipping.
With Bertling's sea freight, you never have to worry that your goods will not fit. We provide several container sizes to offer a solution that both holds your goods and is as cost-effective as possible.
Read more here on how to choose the correct type of shipping container.
What does sea freight cost?
The price for sea freight varies greatly between markets and market conditions. The factors that impact the price are where the goods leave from (country, port, or location of the warehouse) and what type of goods they are. But above all, supply and demand govern the shipping price.
The price on already agreed markets fluctuates monthly depending on the bunker price (fuel) and the market situation. We also offer our customers spot prices for sea freight without a longer contract.
Read more here on how to calculate shipping costs.
How much does it cost to ship a container?
The price for shipping containers varies. We offer different sizes and variants of containers, including FCL containers in the form of 20-foot containers and 40-foot containers. In many cases, a 40-foot container costs more, but this does not apply in every case. In addition, we have LCL containers, and here, the price varies depending on the dimensions of the goods, as well as where the goods are sent from and what type of goods they are.
Contact us to get the latest prices!
Ocean freight rates
The ocean freight rate is the charge a shipping company assesses for transporting freight from one point to another. They are typically paid in US dollars. Understanding these rates is crucial for importers and exporters because they directly influence the total shipping costs and profitability.
Short sea freight — A more sustainable transport option
Short sea freight represents a more sustainable transport option characterized by high-frequency departures and arrivals. It is also a cost-effective, sustainable alternative, as carbon dioxide emissions are lower with sea shipping compared to other shipping options.
International sea freight shipping
Bertling provides international sea freight shipping services to and from destinations worldwide. Our fleet of modern, ocean-going vessels operates globally and connects customers with their desired markets. With a strong presence in international trade, Bertling's sea freight shipping solutions cater to the diverse needs of our clients, ensuring timely and efficient transportation of goods across the globe.
IT, EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) and tracking solutions
We are in step with today's IT and EDI solutions and offer tracking in real-time.
