Ontario Container Transport Shipping Goods around the World | Page 8

What does the Terms LCL and FCL Mean?
The term FCL or Full Container load means that you have a rented the full capacity of the container. But you are
under no obligation to fill the container completely. FCL just means that you will not share the container with
anyone else.This is how it differs from LCL (Less than Container Load) transport, where capacity is shared
between multi-tenants. One major advantage of FCL is that because you have the whole container to yourself it
is easier and faster way of unloading and then transporting goods from the port.
Sea freight services are generally cost effective as it allows companies or individuals to ship their goods in large
quantities and hence benefiting from the economy of scale. To understand this better it is helpful to understand
how carriers charge for international shipping. Airlines charge a chargeable weight, which is calculated from an
aggregate of the weight and size of the consignment. On the other hand ocean going carriers charge by the
container so if you have larger and heavier shipments, it is often much cheaper to ship by sea.