More Than A Number

So many people in the shipping world do not have a clear picture of what an NVOCC is? For starters, NVOCC stands for Non Vessel Operating Common Carrier. Essentially this means that the company is a shipping company without the ships. They are not the same as a freight forwarding company. They are responsible for all of the same things that a Vessel Operating Carrier is responsible for including container delays, damaged cargo, and lost shipments. These companies issue their own bill of ladings as though they are the owners of the vessels and they will give an international shipping quote based on their own services. Plus they will become the coordinator between the all of the other components of the shipment. They will contact the international shipping lines, the individual ports and everyone else in the transportation line to follow a specific shipment. If there is a problem, the NVOCC is the one to contact and they are responsible for the loss. They will handle it with the carrier separately. This also counts for payment and terms of the shipment. Even contracts can be made through an NVOCC which allows for them to give the best container freight rates.