In international cargo transportation, the most widely used is ocean transportation.
At present, sea freight accounts for over 80% of the total international cargo transportation volume. The reason why ocean transportation is so widely adopted is because it has the following obvious advantages compared to other international freight transportation methods:
(1) Strong passing ability. Ocean transportation can utilize natural waterways that are accessible in all directions. Unlike trains and cars, which are limited by tracks and roads, it has a large carrying capacity.
(2) Large transportation volume. The transportation capacity of ocean transport ships is far greater than that of railway transport vehicles. The carrying capacity of a 10000 ton ship is generally equivalent to the carrying capacity of 250-300 carriages.
(3) Low shipping cost. From the perspective of economies of scale, due to the large volume and long voyage, the transportation cost allocated to each cargo ton is relatively low, resulting in relatively low freight rates.
Although ocean transportation has the above advantages, there are also shortcomings. For example, ocean transportation is greatly influenced by climate and natural conditions, making it difficult to accurately determine the sailing schedule and posing significant risks. In addition, the speed of ocean transportation is also relatively low.
