Consolidation/Groupage Shipping vs LCL Shipping
When moving overseas you have few options to ship your goods; By Sea, by Air, and by Land.
When shipping by sea, you have a couple of options:
- FCL – Full container load
- LCL – Less than a container load
When there is a small shipment, in most cases it will be shipped as LCL (Because the AIR option is much more expensive). Some companies like Nobel Relocation built their own shipping lines when we consolidate few shipments into 1 groupage container.
What is LCL?
LCL meaning is Less than Container Load.
When a customer can only fill part of a container and doesn’t want to reduce his charges, he can ship it in a shared container.
That means that multiple LCL shipments with different Bills of Lading and different owners can be loaded in a single container. Any space used in the container is subject to a charge.
There are NVOCC companies such as Shipco, ECU, and CaroTrans that run their LCL lines, and it works by using storage/logistic facilities in different counties.
What is Groupage?
Groupage is the same as LCL but the difference is that the Groupage lines run by regular freight forwarders like Nobel Relocation.
It means that Nobel has control over the container at both ends and can choose to use whatever agent they decide and guarantee the service and charges to the customer.
What are the differences between LCL and Groupage?
1. Delivery Time:
- LCL delivery time is faster.
- In Groupage containers, we as a company need to fill up the container with customers, and it might take some time.
2. Price:
- LCL will have very large port fees because every company involved in the process will add their fees.
- In Groupage containers, we provide a set rate per size (CFT or CBM) and include the port fees as well.
3. Service:
- In LCL shipments there are few companies involved, and the shipments go through different facilities, and therefore we need to put the goods inside lift vans (Wood crates) for the protection of the goods.
- In Groupage shipments, there are only 2 companies involved; we as the shipper, and our approved agent as the destination agent.
Nobel Relocation has a few Groupage lines we offer;
- Groupage to Europe – to major countries in Europe – such as France, Spain, Germany, Italy and more.
- Groupage to the UK – to the United Kingdom region – such as England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales
- Groupage to Israel – We ship to Port Ashdod and distribute all over Israel
- Groupage to Puerto Rico – We ship Port San Jose, PR
- Groupage to Brazil
