How to Manage Online Container Booking in 7 Steps
Analog Container Booking can be very time-consuming and prone to errors. Read this article to learn how to easily book a container online in 7 steps.
Table of Contents
What are the advantages of booking containers online?
Not so long ago, companies had to rely on more cumbersome and less digital methods to move their freight: phone calls, emails, or even faxes meant that communication could take not just hours, but days. This is not only time-consuming, but also error prone.
In recent years, the booking of containers has become increasingly digital. Online container booking not only reduces the needed communication channels, but customers like you also receive a binding offer in real-time. This leads to greater transparency, flexibility and consistent availability.
Step 1 - Check the schedule
Before you book a container online, you should check the various schedules. For example, does a vessel sail to the port of destination at the desired time or is there a transshipment?
When searching, it is important to consider the cargo requirements - a 20- or 40-foot standard container is recommended for dry cargo, while a reefer container is recommended for food, chemicals or pharmaceuticals. Check our container offerings.
Step 2 - Get a quote
Once the schedule and container requirements have been determined, the next step is to obtain freight rate quotes and compare terms. The rate depends on the destination and the weight and type of the goods that you want to ship.
If you book your container online with Hapag-Lloyd, you can calculate the freight rate for up to 20 containers in just a few seconds using our quotation tools Quick Quotes and Quick Quotes Spot.
Step 3 - Make a booking
Once the freight rate has been calculated, containers can be booked either through freight forwarders or directly with the shipping company. Online container booking has many advantages: Not only can booking requests be saved as a draft for later editing, but dealers also get full visibility, templates for recurring loads and routes, and can quickly make changes or cancellations using an online form.
The Hapag-Lloyd Booking tool guides you through the entire container booking process in just a few steps, including scheduling, loading, equipment, and verifying all necessary details.
Step 4 - Complete VGM and Shipping Instructions
After traders have followed the first three steps, they must provide important shipping information such as details of the consignee, shipper and collection, as well as the type of cargo, name of the shipper, number of containers and booking instructions. This information can easily be submitted via digital tools like the Shipping Instructions in Hapag-Lloyd's Online Business Suite.
Since June 2016 the IMO (International Maritime Organization) prohibits the loading of a packed container without the corresponding verification of the gross weight. The transmission of VGM (Verified Gross Mass) data is therefore essential for container bookings.
With the digital VGM solution, Hapag-Lloyd enables its customers to transmit data for five containers simultaneously. Importers and exporters can submit the following details:
- booking number,
- container number,
- confirmed weight,
- weight unit,
- signature and
- shipping line
online. The tool replaces email transmission and shows which containers are still missing VGM information.
Step 5 - B/L Handling
One of the final steps in the container booking process is the Bill of Lading (B/L). It is an important shipping document that serves as a receipt, contract of carriage and proof of ownership and in some cases even more. The information is taken from the shipping instructions but needs to be double-checked and adjusted if necessary.
If all the information is correct, the B/L is submitted. In case of discrepancies it can also easily be adjusted online by using our B/L Draft Approval tool in the Online Business Suite.
Step 6 - Track your shipments
In the best-case scenario, the cargo is already on its way now and you can track your containers in real time throughout the entire journey using digital solutions. Hapag-Lloyd's Live Position tool provides a newfound transparency when it comes to the entire multimodal journey. Thanks to the IoT devices attached to our containers, you get real-time location updates – no matter if your containers are transported via ship, rail or truck and can see the exact location on a comprehensive map.
Step 7 - Closing the container booking
Once the goods arrive at the port of destination, the shipping process is not complete yet. You may still have to deal with customs clearance, invoices, and detention and demurrage (D&D) charges. Online tools are now available to provide access to all information and to handle all necessary follow-up processes in a convenient way online.
The efficiency of container booking
In contrast to analog booking processes, online container booking is characterized by speed, availability of all relevant information 24/7, transparency and elimination of unnecessary communication channels. Today, all aspects of container booking can be completed online in just a few steps: From getting a quote, to booking, to tracking.
Not only you as a customer, logistics service provider or shipping line employee benefit from the digitization of booking processes, but also the entire supply chain.
© Hapag-Lloyd AG