Seafreight Shipments

Ocean freight is the most common way of shipping internationally around the world and features in a wide range of international supply chains from food products to automotive parts. For most companies seafreight is the most economical way of transporting their goods from the producing factory to their customers warehouse or their on distribution hub. AJF offers different ocean freight shipments depending on the shippers requirements.

Less than container load (LCL) Sea freight

When you have insufficient cargo to fill a full container then you will need use a LCL service. LCL stands for Less than a Container Load. Here an agent will co-load your goods with other shippers into one container. These allows you to benefit from using a cost effective sea freight shipment without having  the expense of shipping a full container empty. The general process for this shipment is:

  • Shipper delivers the goods to a customs controlled warehouse
  • Goods are customs entered for export
  • Freight forwarder loads the goods from all the shippers into a container
  • Container is cleared for export
  • Container is loaded on to a vessel and this then sails to the unloading port
  • Container is off loaded and taken to a customs controlled warehouse
  • Goods are unloaded
  • Each consignee clears their goods
  • Goods are delivered to consignee

The main disadvantage is that the overall transit times are longer than using your own full container as your goods having to go to a co-loaders warehouse and wait for other shippers products before being loaded into one container. You need to ensure that you goods are suitably packed or crated to ensure they can withstand the additional handling they will under go.


If you are based in Europe/USA/Canada we always recommend you buy FOB and arrange the sea freight with a freight forwarder.  We do not recommend buying C&F where the shipper is based in China or India and is paying the freight due to additional charges you will pay on import.

Full container load (FCL) Sea freight

The most cost effective way of shipping goods around the world is in full containers. Using a full container allows the shipper and consignee to load the goods in the way to maximise the space and to ensue that the goods are loaded in an appropriate way to ensure they do not get damaged. Additionally there is better security as the container can be sealed at the factory once loaded and the consignee can check the seal on arrival.

The types of containers available are:

  • 20ft Containers
  • 40ft Containers
  • 40ft HC Containers

Additionally there are available 10ft and 20ft High Cube containers. However the availability of this equipment on most routes is limited and usually the charges for doing one off shipments with this equipment means that the next nearest size is the best option. If you have specific container requirements then please contact us.

For first time shippers. If you contract us to move a full container load we will supply you with the container and once the goods are delivered the container is returned. You should note that unless specifically requested containers are always delivered on a trailer and cannot be put on the ground.
For a complete breakdown on the actual container dimensions please check out our page here

Oversize and non containerised cargo (Break-bulk)

If you have cargo which is oversized, very heavy, cannot be placed in a standard container then you need to use this service. We can arrange to supply a range of container equipment to suit the shipment. The equipment we can usually provide includes:

  • Open Top Containers both 20ft and 40ft configurations
  • Flat Racks in 20ft and 40ft sizes
  • Open side containers in 20ft and 40ft configurations

We can arrange these containers to supplied in locations around the world. For a full description of the different types of container please see our container spec page for dimensions and weights of each type. Please note the 20ft and 40ft containers which are loaded from the side are specialised equipment and only available on certain routes on request.

For a complete breakdown on the actual container dimensions please check out our page here

Liquid and Powder shipments

We can off the carriage of liquid and powders in ISO tanks. These tanks can carry a variety of liquids and powders can carry usual weights up to 27 tonnes. They are available in the following sizes:

  • 20ft ISO Tank
  • 40ft ISO Tank

Please note we do not quote sea freight for bulk liquid shipments of any type only those which ship in standard ISO tanks and we do not handle any bulk gas shipments