Air Freight or Sea Freight? What do they mean & Which Should You Choose for Importing into Singapore

Are you planning to import goods into Singapore but having trouble deciding which type of freight you will choose? Ease your trouble now, because in here, we will give you a better look at the meaning of air freight and sea freight to help you decide better.

Let’s start on Air Freight. What does it mean?

Air freight is the system of transferring goods from one place to another by moving it with air carriers/plane. This is one of the most widely used delivery options when it comes to importing or exporting goods in the early 2000’s. Moreover, during the expansion of markets and trade networks in the past 40 years, today, air freight is now known as an efficient way to deliver goods whether national or international.

Why choose Air Freight over Sea Freight?

To help you decide better whether to choose air freight or sea freight service for importing into Singapore, we will give you some of the advantages of air freight.

1. Express Shipping – air freight as a means of shipping is a very wise option especially if you are looking for a way to deliver time-sensitive shipments to places almost all over the world.
2. Effective Delivery – by utilizing air freight for importing your goods, you will be given a chance to participate in international trade due to its effective delivery. This can be very advantageous especially if your company is small or mid-sized.
3. High-level Security – As a result of the tight management of airport controls on cargo, you will be assured that your shipments will get a higher level of security. Avoid further damage on your goods and the possibility of theft exposure through air freight.
4. Low Insurance Premium – air freight makes the transportation time of your cargo significantly shorter. This means the insurance premium is lower and this can help you save more money.
5. Less Packaging – shipping through air freight requires less packaging than sea freight. Airplanes have to carry lighter cargo which means you can save on additional fees by packing less.
6. Less need for Warehousing – within just a few hours, most cargo is cleared and ready to be shipped. This brings the lesser need for further stocking your import in a warehouse.

What do you mean by Sea Freight?

When we say sea freight, it refers to the transportation of goods by using sea containers traveling to seaports or terminals whether it is national or international. This mode of shipping is slower compared to air freight. However, to be more enlightened about this mode of transportation, we will give you some of the reasons why you must choose sea freight over air freight.

Why choose Sea Freight over Air Freight?

Choose sea freight over air freight if the following advantages are more applicable to you especially when it comes to importing goods into Singapore.

1. Cheap – the assessment of the total cost of importing goods into Singapore must be one of the things that affect your decision on choosing between air freight and sea freight. Sea freight is a great way for businesses to cut their shipping cost to make their products more economical than others available in the market.
2. Ship in Bulk –one of the advantages of sea freight is its flexibility to ship in bulk. This is because most of the sea transportations are capable of containing higher volume compared to the limited capacity of air transportations. There’s more space for your goods in sea freight shipping. You can now ship in bulk when importing goods into Singapore.
3. Avoid Documentation Related Delays – it is necessary for every shipment transaction to have well-processed documentation to avoid delays due to poor documentation. Although the transit time of sea freight takes longer than air freight, many businesses used this as an advantage to make a better complete-accurate-timely or CAT documentation.
4. Environment-Friendly – it is undeniably true that sea freight is more environmentally friendly than air freight. Sea carriers emit a lesser amount of polluting gases with greater space capacity compared to air carriers.

The Conclusion

Air Freight and Sea Freight can be both an advantage and disadvantage depending on your need. By having a closer look at the advantages of the two, you can now come up on a better decision whether to choose either air freight or sea freight in importing goods into Singapore. Now, what will you choose?