Sea freight is the movement of cargo by ship across oceans, typically inside standardized shipping containers loaded at a port of origin and discharged at a port of destination. It is the dominant mode for international trade, handling roughly 80 percent of all global cargo by volume.
Most shippers and freight forwarders use "sea freight" and "ocean freight" interchangeably. They refer to the same service. The distinction is regional preference: "ocean freight" is more common in North America, "sea freight" in Europe and Asia. Both describe container or bulk vessel shipping between international ports.
Yes. Sea freight and ocean freight are two names for the same mode of transport. A shipment quoted as "sea freight" is moved on the same container ships, by the same carriers (Maersk, MSC, CMA CGM, COSCO, Hapag-Lloyd, ONE), through the same ports as one quoted as "ocean freight."
The terms become more specific when paired with direction or service type:
A typical sea freight shipment moves through eight stages, from booking to empty-container return:
Sea freight is a multi-party workflow. A single shipment typically involves:
Sea freight handles almost any cargo that is not time-critical. Common categories:
Choose sea freight when cost matters more than speed. Choose air freight when speed matters more than cost.
| Factor | Sea Freight | Air Freight |
|---|---|---|
| Cost per kg | $0.10 to $0.50 | $2.00 to $8.00 |
| Transit time | 14 to 45 days port-to-port | 1 to 5 days airport-to-airport |
| Volume capacity | Very high (full containers, vessels) | Limited by aircraft hold |
| Cargo weight | Heavy and bulky welcomed | Volumetric weight penalizes large boxes |
| Best for | Planned replenishment, large volumes, low-value-per-kg goods | time-sensitive shipments, high-value goods, perishables |
Most international supply chains use both: sea freight for planned inventory replenishment and air freight to cover stockouts or launch shipments.
Transit time is port-to-port sailing time only. It excludes origin pickup, port cutoff times, customs clearance, and inland delivery, all of which add 7 to 14 days on each end.
| Route | Typical Port-to-port Transit |
|---|---|
| Shanghai to Los Angeles | 14 to 18 days |
| Shanghai to New York (via Panama) | 28 to 35 days |
| Shanghai to Rotterdam | 30 to 45 days |
| Ho Chi Minh City to Los Angeles | 16 to 22 days |
| Mumbai to New York | 32 to 40 days |
| Long Beach to Yokohama | 11 to 14 days |
Transit times vary by service, vessel speed, and port congestion. For deeper coverage of factors that move these numbers, see our guide to ocean freight transit times.
Sea freight rates are quoted per container (FCL) or per-cubic-meter (LCL). Five variables drive the final cost.
The published rate per 20-ft (TEU) or 40-ft (FEU) container on a specific lane. As of 2026, indicative rates:
Spot rates fluctuate weekly. Contract rates lock in a price for 6 to 12 months.
Bunker Adjustment Factor (BAF) for fuel, Currency Adjustment Factor (CAF), Peak Season Surcharge (PSS), and emergency surcharges (Suez transit, war risk) all stack on top of the base rate.
Origin Terminal Handling Charge (OTHC), documentation fees, customs filing fees (AES at origin, ISF/AMS at destination), and Destination Terminal Handling Charge (DTHC).
Trucking from supplier to port at origin. Trucking from port to consignee warehouse at destination. Drayage fees within the port area.
Cargo insurance (0.3 to 0.7 percent of cargo value), customs duties and import taxes, and any demurrage or detention fees if free time at the port is exceeded.
The "cheap sea freight" search you might be running often refers to base ocean rates only. Total landed cost is usually 1.5 to 2x the base ocean rate once all five layers above are included.
Sea freight uses ISO-standardized containers. The most common types:
| Container | Internal Volume | Max Payload | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20-ft standard | ~33 m³ | ~28,000 kg | Dense cargo (machinery, ceramics) |
| 40-ft standard | ~67 m³ | ~28,800 kg | Most general cargo |
| 40-ft high cube | ~76 m³ | ~28,600 kg | Lightweight bulky goods (furniture, foam, apparel) |
| 20-ft / 40-ft reefer | ~28 / 59 m³ | ~27,400 / 27,700 kg | Refrigerated cargo |
| Flat rack / open top | Varies | Varies | Heavy lift, oversized cargo |
The choice between Full Container Load and Less than Container Load is driven by cargo volume and time tolerance.
Use FCL (Full Container Load) when you have at least 14 to 18 cubic meters of cargo, or when your goods are sensitive to handling. FCL containers are sealed at origin and opened only by the consignee, which reduces damage and theft risk. The breakeven point is typically around 15 m³, where below that LCL is cheaper, and above that FCL is cheaper per-cubic-meter.
Use LCL (Less than Container Load) when you have a smaller shipment, typically 2 to 15 cubic meters. LCL cargo is consolidated with other shippers' cargo at the origin container freight station and deconsolidated at destination. Transit times are 5 to 10 days longer than FCL due to consolidation steps, and per-cubic-meter rates are higher, but the absolute spend is lower because you pay only for the volume you ship.
The top 10 carriers handle around 85 percent of global container capacity. As of 2026:
Most operate within three global alliances (2M, Ocean Alliance, THE Alliance) that share vessel capacity to give shippers more sailing options per lane.
A freight forwarder is the operational layer between you and the carriers. Forwarders book vessel space, handle export and import documentation, coordinate trucking and customs at both ends, track the shipment, and reconcile the invoices. For an importer or exporter without an in-house logistics team, the forwarder is the single point of contact across what would otherwise be 5 to 10 separate vendors.
Modern freight forwarders run on cloud-based software that captures every shipment, document, and invoice in one workflow. GoFreight is purpose-built for this. The platform handles ocean import and export, AES and ISF filing, container tracking, customer portals, and accounting in one place. See Ocean Freight Management Software for the full feature breakdown.
There is no operational difference. Sea freight and ocean freight are two names for the same mode of transport, used interchangeably across the industry. North American shippers tend to say "ocean freight" while European and Asian shippers tend to say "sea freight." Both describe container or bulk cargo shipping between international ports.
Port-to-port transit times range from 11 to 14 days on the shortest Pacific routes (Long Beach to Yokohama) to 30 to 45 days on long-haul lanes (Asia to Northern Europe). Add 7 to 14 days on each end for inland pickup, port cutoff, customs clearance, and final delivery. So a Shanghai to inland US shipment typically takes 30 to 40 days door-to-door.
Base ocean rates for a 40-ft container in 2026 run $2,000 to $5,500 depending on the lane. Total landed cost is usually 1.5x to 2x the base rate once you add origin and destination terminal handling, customs filing, inland trucking, surcharges, and any duties or insurance. Spot rates change weekly; contract rates lock in a price for 6 to 12 months.
FCL (Full Container Load) means you ship a full 20-ft or 40-ft container exclusively for your own cargo. LCL (Less than Container Load) means your cargo shares container space with other shippers and is consolidated and deconsolidated at container freight stations. FCL is faster and lower-risk, while LCL is cheaper for shipments under roughly 15 cubic meters.
Yes, by a wide margin. Sea freight costs $0.10 to $0.50 per kilogram, while air freight costs $2.00 to $8.00 per kilogram. The tradeoff is time: sea freight takes weeks, air freight takes days. Most international supply chains use sea freight for planned replenishment and air freight only for time-critical or high-value shipments.
Core documents are the commercial invoice, packing list, and Bill of Lading. Most shipments also require a certificate of origin, an export declaration (such as AES in the US), and an import filing at destination (such as ISF and AMS for US imports). Hazardous cargo needs additional DG declarations. A freight forwarder typically prepares and files these documents on behalf of the shipper and consignee.
As of 2026, MSC (Mediterranean Shipping Company) is the largest container carrier by fleet capacity, narrowly ahead of Maersk. The top 10 carriers (MSC, Maersk, CMA CGM, COSCO, Hapag-Lloyd, ONE, Evergreen, HMM, Yang Ming, ZIM) together control about 85 percent of global container capacity.
Sea freight is a multi-party, multi-document, multi-week workflow. See how GoFreight runs all of it on one cloud platform.
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