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Sea freight shipments from China, the USA, Europe and other origins arrive into Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth (Fremantle) every day. As an international freight forwarder that serves business customers all around Australia, we are frequently asked how long it takes for a sea freight shipment to become available.

For a LCL (less than a container load) sea freight shipment, it is usually available at most Australian ports including Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth (Fremantle) 5-7 business days from the vessel arrival date.

For a FCL (full container load) sea freight shipments, it is usually available at most Australian ports including Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth (Fremantle) 2-3 business days from vessel arrival date.

BCR sea freight experts are available to assist your business with not only import and export sea freight shipments, but with your air freight, 3PL warehousing in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Townsville and Cairns. Our team of licensed Customs Brokers work to pre-clear your cargo which can expedite how fast your sea freight and air freight shipments become available.

Freight forwarding and the documents required can be quite confusing. One question that BCR is asked frequently from new freight forwarding customers is about the difference between an Original Bill of Lading, a Seaway Bill of Lading and a Telex Release Bill of Lading.

• An Original Bill of Lading is produced and provided to the shipper. The shipper will either send the Original Bill of Lading to the importer or usually hold it until payment has been made. Upon the shipper’s authorisation to release goods, the Original Bill of Lading can be sent to the importer in which they can surrender to the freight forwarding company to secure the release of the air freight or sea freight shipment.
• A Seaway Bill of Lading is a document of title used on a trust basis between the Shipper and Importer. This means no Original Bill of Lading is required and goods are automatically authorised for release at destination.
• In the case of a Telex Release Bill of Lading, an Original Bill of Lading is still issued to the shipper once cargo is on board. Once the shipper has decided to release their hold on the cargo they will surrender the Original Bill of Lading back to the office of the shipping company that issued it rather than forward it on to the importer. The origin office for the shipping company will then electronically message their destination office to inform them that the Original Bill of Lading has been surrendered and to authorise release of the goods to the importer.

Our team of freight forwarding experts at BCR can assist you and your business with all of your air freight and sea freight shipments and answer any questions you may have to ensure that you are informed throughout the process. BCR also provides business customers with a team of qualified Customs Brokers and 3PL warehousing solutions domestically in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Townsville and Cairns, and internationally at various locations around the world.

Sea freight shipments coming into the major ports of Australia which include Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth (Fremantle) are easily accessed by domestic transportation companies used by experienced freight forwarding companies. In most cases, your sea freight FCL can be delivered between 3-5 days after the date of arrival.

At BCR, a member from our experienced freight forwarding Customer Service team will proactively contact you to organise the delivery of your sea freight FCL container.

BCR provides expert and reliable freight forwarding services, efficient 3PL warehousing services in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Townsville and Cairns, plus a team of qualified Customs Brokers to assist small, medium and large businesses.

Importing sea freight or exporting sea freight to or from Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth (Fremantle) or anywhere else in Australia requires a sea freight quote from a freight forwarding company so you have an estimation of the service price.

Sea freight is priced either as a LCL (less than container load) or as a FCL (full container load). LCL sea freight shipments will be consolidated with other LCL shipments to build a FCL.

Sea freight shipment quotations can include three different sections or charges:

1. Origin charges
2. Freight charges
3. Destination charges

BCR has a team of dedicated Business Development and Customer Service specialists who will gather the required information from you regarding your sea freight shipment and prepare a timely sea freight quote based on the size of your sea freight shipment and the Incoterms the products have been purchased under.

For more than 100 years, BCR has been assisting small, medium and large businesses in Australia with their sea freight and air freight shipments. BCR also provides qualified Customs Brokers Australia-wide and 3PL warehouse locations in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Townsville and Cairns.

Knowing how quickly you need to collect your sea freight shipment is an important question we are frequently asked at BCR.

Australian ports and freight depots in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth (Fremantle) will usually allow three free days of storage for your sea freight shipment from the first availability day. These free three days may include weekend days. Is it important to clarify this with your freight forwarding company when they contact you about your sea freight shipment. If your sea freight shipment is not collected by the end of the free days, storage charges will apply at the wharf or depot. These charges are called Demurrage charges.

Your freight forwarder should notify you in advance of the sea freight shipment being available and assist you with the transportation of your sea freight shipment to its destination.

For more than 100 years, BCR has been delivering reliable and efficient freight forwarding services which include sea freight FCL and LCL and air freight ranging from small shipments to full air craft charters. To assist with the quick clearance of sea freight and air freight shipments, BCR also has a team of accredited Customs Brokers.

Download our Ultimate Checklist for International Sea Freight here

Download our Ultimate Checklist for International Air Freight here

When working with a freight forwarder to assist with shipping your air freight or sea freight to or from Australia, certain documentation is required before work can begin. BCR is an established freight forwarder with documented processes and below is a list of the documents required to start moving things for your business as a freight forwarder.

Trading Application – A Trading Application is a form in which the shipper provides the Registered Company Name, Trading Name, Postal Address, Primary Contact Name and Contact Details, Account Payable Officer Name and Contact Details, Nature of your business and the date your business commenced.

Authority to Act as a Customs Agent / Customs Broker – An Authority to Act is a form letter than you transpose onto your company letterhead. This letter provides BCR with your permission to act as your Customs Broker and use your ABN from time to time when applicable with regard to imported goods.

Accepted Quote – Before we work with new freight forwarding customers, our Business Development Team will provide you with a Shipping Quote that relates specifically to the goods you are looking to import or export. We require formal acceptance of this quote before we can start organising the shipment. Air freight, sea freight and domestic freight quotes have a limited validity based on the ever-changing freight market where the time period that the quote is valid for will be listed on the air freight quote or sea freight quote. If your air freight quote or sea freight quote has expired, contact the BCR freight forwarding team member that you have been working with so it can be reissued.

Once the above information has been received and confirmed, BCR, as your freight forwarder will need your suppliers’ details. Details which will be required include:

• Suppliers name
• Suppliers office address
• Suppliers warehouse address
• Contact person
• Phone numbers
• Email address
• Bill of Lading
• Commercial Invoice
• Packing List
• Packing Declaration Form
• Fumigation Certificate (If applicable)
• Manufacturing Declaration (if applicable)

It is ideal to have all of this information ready so your freight forwarder can get started on your air freight or sea freight shipment and get your goods moving as fast as possible. It is also advised that you notify your supplier that BCR will be working with you as your freight forwarder.

If you have any questions on the documentation required to start working with BCR as your freight forwarder, phone or email your BCR contact as they can assist with any questions or explanations that specifically relate to your shipment.

Within the freight forwarding industry, you will find many different air freight quote and sea freight quote formats. Some freight forwarding companies total air freight quotes and sea freight quotes, while others provide an itemised list of charges.

BCR has been serving customers as a freight forwarder for more than 120 years and therefore we have a substantial amount of experience with air freight quotes and sea freight quotes. At BCR, when we provide an air freight quote or a sea freight quote, we provide an itemised list of all charges for the shipment instead of a total quote.

Providing an all-inclusive quote is likely to cause disappointment. There are numerous variables that make up the final price and some of the information provided to formulate the air freight quote or sea freight quote may be incorrect. Some of the items that may be inaccurate include type of goods to be shipped, number of packages, actual weight of the shipment, dimensions of the shipment, terms of sale (Incoterms), pick-up and drop-off address. Small discrepancies will vary the price when compared with the quote.

An additional item to consider is the currency the itemised changes will be charged in and the exchange rate for those currencies. These too will vary the price when compared with the quote.

If you are sourcing an air freight quote or sea freight quote with BCR and would like assistance in understanding the itemised list of changes, contact the BCR team member that provided you with the air freight or sea freight quote and they can provide detailed information to assist you in determining your final estimated air freight quote or sea freight quote amount.

BCR is an international freight forwarding and 3PL company that serves business all over Australia. We have offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth and 3PL warehouses in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Townsville, Cairns and Perth.

As an IATA accredited air freight forwarder that works with small, medium and large businesses in Australia, we are asked this specific question about air freight frequently. To determine how quick BCR can get your air freight moving, there are a few questions that need to be answered in relation to your air freight shipment.

1. Have you paid your supplier and have they received settlement? If you have paid the supplier and they have received the settlement, the supplier can issue a Commercial Invoice and advise a cargo ready date for your air freight shipment.
2. Do you have credit terms with the supplier? If you do, your supplier can issue a Commercial Invoice and advise a cargo ready date for your air freight shipment.

Once we have been advised of the cargo ready date and have received the required documents, in most cases BCR can arrange air freight cargo collections within a day of being notified that the goods are ready and the above points are in order. The transit time to deliver to your door is dependent on the supplier’s origin location, air freight space available with the air freight carrier and any transit points the cargo may go through. The average transit time for air freight is between 2 to 5 days.

For decades, BCR has been providing efficient air freight services to businesses all over Australia including Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, and Adelaide. To simply your logistics, BCR also provides 3PL warehousing, sea freight services, coastal shipping and a team of dedicated Customs Brokers.

Air freight is charged based on the ‘chargeable weight’ of the air freight shipment. The ‘chargeable weight’ is the higher weight between the ‘actual weight’ and the ‘volumetric weight’. The ‘actual weight’ is the actual weight of your air freight cargo that you plan to ship and the ‘volumetric weight’ is the weight calculated on the volume of the air freight shipment.

Here is a method for working out the ‘chargeable weight’ and volume of the cargo for your air freight shipment:

• By multiplying the dimensions of the packages, and multiplying that number by the amount of packages, and then multiplying by 167. For example, if you have nine packages with dimensions of 0.9 x 0.9 x 0.9, multiply the dimension numbers together giving you 0.729m3 per package. Then multiply that by the number of packages, which in this example is nine. This equals 6.561. Last you multiply that by 167 and you get a chargeable weight of 1095.7kg.

Here is a method for working out the Cubic Meterage if you know the chargeable weight:

• Divide the ‘chargeable weight’ by 167. For example, if you had a shipment with a chargeable weight 365kg, you would divide 365 by 167. This would give you 2.186m3.

The weight you will be invoiced for your air freight shipment is the greater of the two. For example: if you have an actual weight of 156 and a volumetric weight of 269 for your air freight shipment, you will be charged on the volumetric, thus becoming the ‘chargeable weight’. If you have an ‘actual weight’ of 452 and a ‘volumetric weight’ of 287, the ‘actual weight’ becomes your ‘chargeable weight’ for your air freight shipment.

Every day, BCR assists small, medium and large customers with their import and export air freight shipments. As an IATA accredited air freight provider, you can feel confident that the BCR team of air freight experts will get your cargo moving in the most efficient manner.

To ease your air freight shipments, BCR has a team of qualified Customs Brokers who are focused on the customs clearance of our customers’ cargo.

Licensed by Australian Border Force (previously Australian Customs and Border Protection Service), a Customs broker acts as an agent for commercial businesses importing goods into Australia. A Customs broker will facilitate the customs clearance of a shipment through Australian Border Force and other government bodies, such as Department of Agriculture and Water Resources (DAWR) and Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development.

A Harmonized System Tariff classification number must be applied to each product imported with the Duty and/or GST applicable to be paid prior to release. A customs broker will determine the correct code, Customs value and assess the correct amount payable. With ever changing government rules and regulations related to import transactions, it makes good business sense to use a Customs Broker to ensure compliance with regulation and legislation is met and exposure is limited.

Contact BCR to learn how our customs brokers can assist your business with an improved customs clearance process or customs consulting services.

Import duty is calculated ‘ad valorem’ which means according to value and the value is based on the FOB (Free on Board) or Customs Value (CVAL) of the goods. Duty rates vary, as an example rate can vary from 0% (duty free), to a maximum 10% depending on the tariff classification.

Please note there may be tariff concessions available for you goods or they may be eligible for a preferential duty rate, depending on their qualified origin. If a tariff concession is not immediately available for your product, the BCR customs brokers can utilise our proven process to complete the tariff concession application for the product.

We recommend you contact BCR as your customs broker prior to ordering any new products to allow us to determine and advise the correct duty/GST for the goods. We can also apply for a legal ruling from the ABF to ensure the correct duty rate is applied, on your behalf.

GST applies to most imported goods, with a few exemptions. The main exemptions are for certain foodstuffs, some medical aids and imports that qualify for certain concessions on duty. A Customs broker on our team can provide detail on your goods.

GST is calculated at 10% of the Value of the Taxable Importation (VoTI). This is the sum of the Customs Value (CVAL), any Customs duty payable, the amount paid or payable to transport the goods to their place of consignment in Australia, the insurance cost for that transport and any Wine Equalisation Tax (if applicable).

We can also apply for a legal ruling from Customs, on your behalf, to ensure the correct duty rate is applied. We recommend you contact a customs broker on our team prior to ordering any new products to allow us to determine and advise the correct duty/GST for the goods.

Contact BCR today to see how we can improve the performance of your freight forwarding, customs clearance and 3PL.

The Duty Drawback Scheme is used to obtain a refund of customs duty paid on imported goods, where the goods have been incorporated in other goods for export; or are exported unused since importation. Australian exporters may lodge a drawback claim on the date the goods were exported or within a four year period from that date.

BCR, as a customs broker, does have the capabilities to assist with your duty drawback claims. Please contact BCR for further information.

In the logistics industry, there have been many changes in the past century. Many new logistics roles and services have arisen to meet changes in customer needs and within the industry.

Below you will find a short explanation for each term. For more detailed information, read this article 1PL To 5PL: The Differences Between A 3PL Logistics Provider And Other Logistics Service Providers.

In general, all of the terms refer to how a company is trading and how many parties are involved in the trading task.

1PL: First Party Logistics

First Party Logistics means that only two parties are involved in the transaction – the receiver and the party shipping the goods (supplier/manufacturer). Overall, no other parties are involved with the transport of goods, nothing is outsourced, all logistics tasks are carried out by its own departments.

2PL: Second Party Logistics

Second Party Logistics describes a situation in which one of the parties, mostly the manufacturer, involves a subcontracted service provider for a clearly defined logistics task. This can be transported via air, sea, road or rail, and sometimes even storage.

3PL: Third Party Logistics

Third Part Logistics is by far the most commonly used form within the logistics industry. The third party logistics provider takes a major role within the supply chain of a company. It is in charge of transporting goods from a supplier/consigner to a buyer/consignee including a wide range of additional services. Further, its role is to optimise a customer’s supply chain in order to make it leaner, faster and/or achieve cost savings.

4PL: Fourth Party Logistics

Fourth Party Logistics adds another party to the logistics force. A subcontracted party is overseeing the entire supply chain and manages all subcontracted logistics providers including shipping companies, transport companies, warehousing companies and more. In cases, a 3PL can also act as a 4PL. 4PLs often use an integrated electronic interface to manage all service providers and measure KPIs.

5PL: Fifth Party Logistics

Fifth Party Logistics is a rather recent term that has emerged in line with the fast emerging e-business. Previously, we majorly spoke about ONE supply chain and the management of the various elements of that function (4PL). A 5PL is focussed on a whole supply chain network, it deals with new logistic concepts and solutions, and the strategic optimisation of the entire network.

For more detailed information and examples, we recommend to read the following article 1PL To 5PL: The Differences Between A 3PL Logistics Provider And Other Logistics Service Providers

Download Why You Should Consider 3PL Warehousing here