What is the difference between express ships and standard ships in international shipping?
In international shipping, there have always been two modes of sea freight transportation: express ships and standard ships. The most intuitive difference between the two is the difference in the speed of their shipping timeliness.
Definition and Purpose:
Express ships: Express ships are specialized vessels designed for speed and efficiency. They are primarily used to ship time-sensitive cargo, such as perishables, urgent deliveries, and high-value items that need to be transported quickly. These ships typically operate on a fixed schedule, ensuring that cargo reaches its destination as quickly as possible. The emphasis on speed often means that express ships may choose more direct routes and prioritize a fast loading and unloading process.
Standard ships: Standard cargo ships are used for general cargo shipping. They can carry a wide variety of cargo, including bulk cargo, containers, and vehicles. Unlike express ships, standard ships may not prioritize speed; instead, they focus on cost-effectiveness and capacity. These ships often operate on a less strict schedule and may take longer routes to accommodate different ports of call.
Loading Capacity:
Express ships: Express ships pursue "fast" speed, so express ships are smaller and have fewer spaces. The container loading capacity is generally 3000~4000TEU.
Standard ships: Standard ships are larger and have more space. The container loading capacity can reach tens of thousands of TEUs.
Speed and Shipping Time:
One of the most significant differences between express ships and standard ships is speed.
Express ships: These vessels are designed for high-speed sailing and often feature advanced technology and streamlined design to minimize transit time. They can significantly reduce the time, making them ideal for businesses that rely on just-in-time inventory systems or need to meet tight deadlines. Express ships can generally reach the destination port in about 11 days.
Standard ships: Although standard ships are capable of carrying large amounts of cargo, they are generally slower. Shipping times can vary greatly depending on routes, weather conditions, and port congestion. Therefore, businesses using standard ships must plan for longer delivery times and may need to manage inventory more carefully. Standard ships generally take more than 14 days to reach the destination port.
Unloading Speed at the Destination Port:
Express ships and standard ships have different loading capacities, resulting in different unloading speeds at the destination port.
Express ships: usually unload in 1-2 days.
Standard ships: need more than 3 days to unload, and some even take a week.
Cost Considerations:
Cost is another key factor that distinguishes express ships from standard ships.
Express ships: Express ships offer a premium service at a premium price. Faster shipping times, specialized handling, owning unloading docks such as Matson, and not need to queue up for unloading, and the need for more efficient logistics make express ships much more expensive than regular shipping. Businesses often choose express ships because the benefits of speed outweigh the additional costs.
Standard ships: Standard ships are cheaper than express ships because of their slower shipping time. If customers have no requirements for delivery time and are more concerned about price and capacity restrictions, they can choose standard ships.
The more typical ones are the Matson and ZIM express ships from China to the United States, which sail from Shanghai, Ningbo, China to LA, USA, with an average shipping time of about 13 days. At present, the two shipping companies carry the vast majority of e-commerce sea freight cargo from China to the United States. With their shorter shipping time and larger carrying capacity, they have become the preferred choice of many e-commerce companies.
Especially, Matson, Matson has its own independent terminal, and there is no risk of port congestion during the peak season. It is slightly better than ZIM to unload containers at the port when the port is congested. Matson unloads ships at the Port of Long Beach (LB) in Los Angeles, and does not need to queue up with other container ships to enter the port and wait for berths to unload ships at the port.
ZIM Express unloads ships at the Port of Los Angeles (LA). Although it has the right to unload ships first, it still takes a while to queue if there are too many container ships. It is okay when normal days and the timeliness is equal to Matson. When the port is seriously congested, it is still a little slower. And ZIM Express has other port routes, such as ZIM Express has the US East Coast route. Through land and water integrated transportation to New York, the timeliness is about one to one and a half weeks faster than the standard ships.
The main differences between express and standard ships in international shipping are speed, cost, cargo handling, and overall purpose. Understanding these differences is critical for businesses looking to optimize their shipping strategies and effectively meet their logistics needs. Whether choosing an express ship or a standard ship, businesses must weigh their priorities (speed vs. cost) to make an informed decision that meets their operational goals.
Senghor Logistics has signed contracts with shipping companies, has stable shipping space and first-hand prices, and provides comprehensive support for customers' cargo transportation. No matter what timeliness customers require, we can provide customers with corresponding shipping companies and sailing schedules for them to choose.
Post time: Nov-29-2024
