Moving abroad by sea container
More and more often, people moving abroad choose transport by sea. When thinking about sea freight transport you often think about shipping a fully loaded sea container with items. But this does not have to be the case at all. It is also possible to ship just a few items by sea freight:
Advantages and disadvantages of moving by sea freight
The biggest advantage of moving by sea container is the price. A cargo ship carries a huge number of containers, which means that the price is naturally lower than that of air cargo.
What you might experience as a disadvantage is that a ship will often take several weeks before it reaches your new destination from the port of Rotterdam. Of course, this depends on your destination. You can prepare for this with good planning and Transpack can, of course, help you with this!
How does moving by sea container work?
When you are moving abroad yourself and you use a sea container from Transpack you simply follow the following four steps:
Inventory of your move
As soon as you have made your choice to move, you can have us carry out a (video) survey to determine the number of items in your consignment. We will share this information with you once we have recorded the survey results. At the same time we will advise you on the type of transport and what will be the most economical way of shipping for you. The following options are available for sea freight:
- Small parcel shipping with If it Fits it Ships (max 1m3 of goods loaded at our warehouse)
- Sea container sharing with Groupage Transport (for volumes between 1m3 and 20m3)
- 20ft sea container (maximum loading space 30m3)
- 40ft sea container (maximum loading space 60m3)
- 40ft High-cube sea container (maximum loading space 72m3
Packing your goods
You can choose to have your belongings packed or you can choose to do this yourself. If your current and/or future home allows it, we can place the container at the house to load the goods immediately. If that is not possible, the goods can also be brought to our warehouse in The Hague and we will make sure that the container is ready for you.
Shipping your goods
The complete sea transport from the port of Rotterdam to a destination of your choice and the customs formalities are organized by Transpack.
Collecting your belongings abroad
Our partner abroad will keep you informed about the progress of the removal process and will make an appointment with you in time for the delivery of the goods. Then you can pick up your belongings on location or they will be brought to your new address.
Shipping prices sea container
There are several shipping companies that sail to the same port and all offer this for a different price. We make sure that all options are looked at and offer you the best choice based on sailing dates and the matching price.
What should be taken into account is the availability of these boats and the constantly changing prices they charge; therefore it is important to book a container in time.
Prices per foreign destination
Transpack specializes in the international shipping of goods and belongings to various worldwide destinations. For example, you can move from Amsterdam to Los Angeles from €409 or from Amsterdam to Willemstad from €272. Other destinations for our sea containers, such as Australia, Canada or Curaçao are also possible. Would you like a quotation for your move abroad? Request it online, without any obligations. Below are the average prices of popular destinations:
Please note: due to the Corona virus, there are many delays in shipping which are caused by container shortages in Asia, ships breaking down and port understaffing. We will keep you informed of any delays and advise you on the best approach to your move when you book.
Sharing a sea container is even more advantageous
At Transpack you also have the possibility to share a sea container with other shipments, this is called Groupage Transport. When several people have the same port destination for shipping items, these items can be placed in the same sea container and sail out to your new destination. The advantage of this is that in addition to cheaper sea freight, you also share these costs with others based on the volume that you are sending, so twice as cheap!
What do I need to consider when moving by sea?
Below you will find a number of points of attention for moving by sea container. There are certain things you need to take into account when using our sea freight shipments.
- You can choose to pack and/or load the goods yourself or have us do it for you. If you do it yourself, we will send you detailed instructions and tips on how to pack the goods and how to document them.
- We can provide you with an estimate of the transit time based on previous experience.
- As soon as the booking is confirmed with a shipping company we receive a ”Bill of Lading number” and with that you can follow the container via Track & Trace.
Shipping liquids via a sea container is not recommended. Bottles of liquids can easily leak and the insurance will not cover any damage caused by this. - Inside a container it can easily get 50 degrees Celsius or even warmer, keep this in mind when choosing the goods you want to ship!
Over land, over sea and in the air
With transport by sea you do not only have to think about transport to cities and countries that are close to the sea or ocean. A combination of sea, air and train or truck transport is certainly possible as well and Transpack will organize it for you. So you can simply move internationally, for example from the Netherlands to the desert city of Las Vegas. Everything is possible with moving with Transpack!
If you have any questions about sea freight, please feel free to contact us. Or request a price indication via our quotation form.