Basic steps for FOB sea freight shipment (sending booking to booking agent)

(Personal operating experience)

Booking

Send booking to booking agent.

Ask booking agent for their format.

The booking content generally needs to fill in SHIPPER, CONSIGNEE, NOTIFY PARTY, port of loading, port of discharge, container marks, number of containers, description of goods, total gross weight, total volume.

Notify party as per customer's request. Generally, it is often the SAME AS CONSIGNEE.

Check FCL or LCL. For FCL, choose container type and quantity.

The goods description section may require filling in the Chinese and English names and HS CODE of the goods.

If there are dangerous goods, inform the freight forwarder in advance and provide MSDS and shipping certificate. There are risks in concealing information.

The following image is for reference only. The areas in the red box need to be filled in.

FOB sea freight

Inform the freight forwarder of the cargo readiness time or the desired sailing schedule.

Loading

After securing a booking, the freight forwarder will inform you of the sailing schedule, operation time, etc.

If the operation time is confirmed to be OK, instruct the freight forwarder to load the cargo.

After successful loading, loose cargo will receive a warehouse entry diagram, while container cargo will receive a Shipping Order (SO).

Warehousing or container loading

Warehousing

Arrange for delivery to the warehouse before the cut-off time set by the freight forwarder.

Container cargo

You can arrange for your own operating freight forwarder to haul the container, or you can directly entrust the booking agent to arrange for container hauling.

Before the bill of lading cut-off time, provide the booking agent with the container number seal and confirm the actual shipping data such as quantity, gross weight, cubic volume, etc.

Customs clearance

Prepare the necessary customs clearance documents such as inventory and invoices. Your own operating freight forwarder can handle customs clearance, or you can entrust the booking agent to handle it.

Bill of lading

Check and confirm the draft bill of lading, and confirm whether you want the original bill of lading or an electronic release.

If there are any modifications to the bill of lading after confirmation, there will be a fee for changing it. For specific fees, consult the freight forwarder.

END

After the ship departs, settle the freight forwarder's bill, and you will receive the original bill of lading or electronic release.