What is Break-bulk Shipping?
Break bulk is one of the oldest types of cargo transportation methods. The term break-bulk
indicates the process of breaking bulk in smaller portions of cargo.
Break bulk shipping is used when goods are too big to be housed in standard shipping containers.
Common examples of breakbulk goods include:
- Wood, reels, and rolls
- Steel girders and structural steel
- Construction and manufacturing equipment
- Train carriages and railway tracks, airplanes and wings, boats, and other vehicles
- Bailed goods
- Large engines and generators
- Any other heavy or oversized goods etc
Benefits of Breakbulk Shipping
Break bulking shipping offers numerous advantages benefits. Some of them are listed below: –- Easier: The key benefit of using break bulk shipping is that it becomes easier for shippers to move oversized, over-weight items that wouldn’t otherwise fit into a container or cargo bin.
- Streamlined: Breakbulk is an affordable way to ship large cargo — since the item will not have to be dismantled while shipping.
- Can arrive at the majority of ports in the world: Breakbulk continues to hold an advantage in areas where port development has not kept pace with shipping technology. According to studies, many ports are not modernized enough to load and offload containers. In such cases, bulk break shipping seems to be a better option. It also helps underdeveloped countries receive the goods and supplies they need for survival.
- Saves processing time: Containers carry a variety of goods, as a result, they require several bills of lading for each type of product/goods. However, in breakbulk, the paperwork process is easier, because it has just one bill of lading for the entire shipment. This saves time in transporting products.