You don’t need a full container to reach almost anywhere in the world. For Australian exporters with smaller consignments, Less than Container Load (LCL) shipping can provide an economical and highly flexible alternative to booking an entire container.
But there is an important question: how do you get your LCL cargo moving reliably when your destination may be thousands of kilometres away and there may not be a direct consolidation service from Australia?
The answer can often be Singapore.
Singapore: the hub that keeps your cargo moving
Singapore is one of the world’s great maritime hubs, strategically positioned at the crossroads of major international shipping routes. For Australian exporters, it can operate as an efficient hub-and-spoke transhipment point, connecting LCL cargo from Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne with destinations throughout Asia, Europe, the Middle East and beyond.
The advantage is frequency.
Imagine, for example, that our Brisbane office has several pallets destined for Shanghai, a few cubic metres bound for Kuala Lumpur, crates going to Hamburg and another shipment destined for Rotterdam.
Rather than having each shipment sit in Australia waiting for a particular direct service, we can consolidate all of that cargo into one container and move it to Singapore on our regular weekly service.
Once in Singapore, the cargo can be efficiently matched with other shipments travelling to the same destinations. The Shanghai cargo travels with other Shanghai-bound consignments; Hamburg cargo with Hamburg-bound cargo, and so on.
For the Australian exporter, the process is considerably simpler: we take responsibility for arranging the movement and you get on with running your business.
One shipment, one rate, one point of contact
One of the major benefits of this approach is simplicity.
Colless Young can provide an all-inclusive freight rate from your Australian port to the final destination, calculated according to the volume of your cargo — generally per cubic metre, or per 1,000 kg for heavier goods.
We also provide an estimated overall transit time and guaranteed weekly departures, giving you greater certainty when planning production, sales and delivery commitments.
As a general guide, the ocean transit from major Australian ports to Singapore averages around 10 days, with approximately another five days allowing for LCL cargo availability and handling. The onward journey can then take up to another four weeks, depending on the destination.
Of course, transit times vary by destination and shipping conditions, but the important point is that your cargo keeps moving rather than waiting unnecessarily for a particular direct sailing.
A solution for exporters — and freight forwarders
LCL consolidation is particularly valuable for SMEs, manufacturers, distributors and other exporters who regularly have cargo that doesn’t justify an entire container.
It also provides an attractive option for freight forwarding companies. Colless Young welcomes enquiries from forwarding agents and offers competitive wholesale rates.
You can choose to have us manage the shipment all the way to its final destination, or we can arrange the cargo through to Singapore and hand it over to your nominated agent there.
Our close network of overseas partners also gives us access to competitive rates, a choice of delivery options and economical warehousing services in Singapore.
The complicated part is what happens behind the scenes. That’s our job — not yours.
You tell us where the cargo is going, when it needs to move and what you need to achieve. We work out the most suitable combination of departure schedule, routing, transit time and cost.
Let us take the worry out of LCL exports
Whether you are shipping a few pallets from Brisbane, crates from Melbourne or several cubic metres from Sydney, your cargo can be connected to a truly global network through Singapore.
You don’t need to fill a container to access efficient international sea freight.
Talk to Colless Young about your next LCL export and let us find the most suitable departure dates, transit times and freight rates for your destination.
Also see this recent article: Written Shipping Instruction – a Simple but Valuable Document
Talk to Andrew at Colless Young 📞 +61 7 3890 0800 📧 enq@collessyoung.com.au
