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Everything You Need to Know About Break Bulk Cargo

The global supply chain break bulk cargo industry handles 90% of the world’s trade with its effective and efficient transportation services. Thousands of tons of cargo are daily exported; however, many people are unaware of the working of the industry. If you’re a business owner then you must be familiar with different types of logistics services and what is a bill of lading, a letter of credit, etc. But are you aware of breaking bulk cargo? Here, you will get an insight into what breakbulk cargo is and how this is beneficial for business.

What is Break Bulk Cargo?

It is important to understand what breakbulk cargo is if you want to take the advantage of the benefits it offers. Usually, there are five types of cargo-

• Liquid Bulk
• Container
• Break Bulk
• Dry Bulk
• Ro-ro

Each category of cargo has its own set of codes for shipping purposes and requires different types of documentation. It is crucial for international shipping as it contains taxes, tariffs, and international trade laws that are mandatory to be followed during global shipment. However, the difference between the types of cargo is more than their codes. 

Each cargo type has its specific goods that are shipped. For instance, container shipping generally handles toys, TV’s, computers, clothing, etc. These are packed inside a container. 

Liquid bulk includes items in liquid form such as wine, oil, crude oil, vegetable oil, etc. They are shipped in tankers. 

Dry bulk includes grain, sand, salt, sugar, cement, etc., which are transported through the hold of a ship.

Breakbulk are usually very large to fit inside a container. For example, rolls of steel, wood, wind turbines, etc. These goods are not possible to be transported in a container, therefore special racks or pallets are used and the goods are loaded using cranes.

Container v/s Break Bulk

You might be thinking why can’t we put a roll of steel in a container? Well, you can but you might not want to. Shipping of goods in containers is a smooth process where you load a container, move it to the ship and the ship arrives at the port. Then, the container is unloaded and the cargo is kept in the warehouse. 

The size of shipping containers is generally 20 or 40 feet. Also, there are different types of containers like open-top or refrigerated. Generally, it depends on the goods that are shipped. Breakbulk on the other hand is one of the earliest forms of shipping where goods when transported through cargo ships around the world, the cargo is loaded & unloaded one at a time. Ship workers divide the ship into different parts and goods are placed as per their designated area. Today, breakbulk cargo is used for those types of items that cannot fit into a container.

Benefits of Break Bulk

• The topmost benefit of break bulk services is that oversized goods can be transported and shipped without breaking them into smaller segments. For instance, for shipping large machinery equipment, it is disassembled and each part is shipped in a container.
• Cargo under breakbulk can arrive at multiple ports around the world, so you do not have to worry about a limited port for breakbulk cargo.
• In the case of shipping hazardous material through a breakbulk, proper documentation is done because such goods are kept separate from other goods on the ship.
• Companies like turbine generators can easily ship their equipment around the world without dismantling them through bulk shipping. By using the benefits of breakbulk, underdeveloped countries can receive goods and other supplies from other countries. 
• The paperwork procedure under breakbulk is much simpler and easier because under this only one bill of lading is present that handles the shipment unlike in containers that carry different types of goods with the different bill of lading for each good type.

Drawbacks of Break Bulk

• Breakbulk shipping service can be expensive as compared with container shipping. It is because oversized or overweight cargo takes a lot of space on a ship unlike goods stacked on top of each other. 
• This type of cargo shipment costs more in labour because loading and unloading of cargo require special assistance and sometimes, they might need specialized warehouses to store cargo as well.
• Similarly, ports & ships also require special equipment to load or unload breakbulk cargo. 
• Safety and security issues are great with break bulk cargo because they might get strapped, bagged or bundled for shipping. Thus, they can easily break or damage during transit.

Conclusion

With great shipment comes great happiness and JayKay Logistics Group is here with you to offer an extensive break bulk cargo service. Now your shipments will be delivered worldwide without any hassle. Contact us today for more info.

For Related Post: Reasons to Get Break Bulk Cargo Services