Every year, hundreds of container ports throughout the world receive merchandise at their docks. Some maintain a regular influx of goods annually, where others surpass “regular” and go straight for extraordinary. The average ship makes about two port calls a week, with easily over 9,000 occurring in a single year. For high-traffic ports, workers can easily unload over 10,000 linear ships in a single week.
Over the course of one calendar year, airline transports report over 52 million metric tons of goods being shipped through their airlines annually. Cargo averages about 9% of airline revenue.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) deduces that, in 2018, the value of merchandise carried by air transport will exceed over $6.2 trillion. As a whole, this represents about 35% of global trade by value, though it still accounts for less than 1% of world trade by volume. Overall, this equals around $6.8 trillion worth of merchandise being shipped in the sky every year. That’s $18.6 billion being shipped via air freight a day!
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If you are regularly shipping cargo, whether it is domestically or internationally, you will likely come across many shipping terms with which you may be unfamiliar. Whether you have heard it before or not, if you are planning on shipping cargo between 150 lbs – 15,000 lbs, you will likely come across the term “less-than-truckload” when reviewing your transport options. Commonly stylized as LTL, this term refers to cargo that is too small or does not weigh enough to fill up an entire shipping truck trailer.
A liner ship, if you are unfamiliar with the term, refers to a cargo ship that has the capability of transporting warehouses (yes, plural!) of merchandise. The goal is to maximize efficiency when transporting goods by using one ship for a myriad of companies. Currently, there are over 6,000 containerships in play, with about 400 companies offering liner services around the world. Many of these ships were built in 1980 and will travel the distance from earth to the moon practically ten times! That’s nearly 2 million miles!
The Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States, aka the HTSUS or HTS, is an important manual used in just about every import or export transaction that occurs. Sometimes known as the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States Annotated (HTSA), this government-issued document is created by the Office of Trade Affairs and Trade Agreements of the USITC and is regulated by the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency.
Behind all international import/export transactions are important documents that detail all the information relevant to the parties involved, including the terms of the transport for cargo. One important group of these documents is known as the transport documents. The company organizing the transport, such as a shipping line, air cargo carrier, trucking company, or freight forwarder, typically issues this paperwork.
If you are regularly importing goods into the United States, you might be familiar with the CBP – officially known as the US Customs and Border Protection agency. They are a United States Government law enforcement agency, whose main goal is to protect and maintain the integrity of our national borders.
In order to successfully import goods to this country, there are a number of rules and regulations that must be met. There are different organizations assigned to oversee various aspects of the import/export industry, such as the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency. Other agencies that assist with regulating foreign imports are the International Trade Commission (ITC) and the Department of Commerce (DOC).
The trade industry is responsible for providing us with an incredibly valuable service: shipping and delivery. All over the world, import and export services allow for international trade and distribution of merchandise and goods ranging everywhere from high-end luxuries to everyday necessities.
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The Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) is a voluntary program run by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The name may be a mouthful, but the program works to make the shipping industry a safer place for everyone involved. Together with some of the major players in the shipping industry, such as importers, carriers, manufacturers, licensed Customs Brokers, and logistics agencies, the CBP works to combat terrorism internationally.
