Ship container to Philippines

Unfortunately, transit time can’t be predicted with full accuracy since there are several factors that can affect it, but the chosen route is definitely one of the most important ones. As such, the longest transit time to ship a container to Philippines is the route Bilbao - Manila (63 days on average) whereas the shortest is the route Memphis – Manila, with an average of 18 days.

There are some fixed costs in international shipping that you will be sure to encounter and that are determined by your choice of container, your cargo’s dimensions, the selected Incoterm for your transaction and the ocean freight route you go for. Furthermore, your shipping costs will most likely also depend on the kind of services you require for your goods so if you’re dealing with, say, sensitive cargo, that will increase the price.

Incoterms are complex commercial agreements made up of a long list of essential details that can easily be overlooked, which is why FOB and CIF sometimes lead to misunderstandings. The main difference between the two is simple: with CIF, the seller is responsible for the freight until it reaches its destination port while with FOB, liability only lies with the seller until the cargo is loaded and in transit, at which point responsibility is conveyed to the buyer.

You will find a number of suitable containers according to the nature of your goods. However, shippers often find in dry shipping containers the perfect solution for their sea freight since they come in several sizes and dimensions and are convenient for transportation of dry bulk – e.g., non-perishable cargo like manufactured goods. Although hermetically sealed, they don’t offer air-flow or temperature control so they may not be the best choice for sensitive cargo.

If your shipment is low-volume, you may want to consider using a Shared Container (LCL) for your ocean freight, a budget-friendly option that will allow you to only pay for the space your goods take up. However, if you require an entire container (FCL), you will have a wide range of sizes to choose from, the smallest (20ft) offering 1,172 CFT / 33.2 CBM volume capacity and the largest (45ft), 3,122 CFT / 88.4 CBM.

There is no such thing as a set list of documents needed in ocean freight (sorry!). This is mainly because there are different requirements based on aspects such as the countries involved in the shipping or the kind of goods being shipped. However, you should expect to have to provide certain documents regardless of the nature of your transaction: a Bill of Lading, a packing list or a commercial invoice, to name a few.