CARIMEX books full-container FCL and groupage LCL from the southern ports to markets worldwide — quoting ocean freight and each surcharge separately, bundled with customs clearance and road transport at both ends.
Businesses comparing ocean freight quotes usually look only at the ocean freight figure. But most of the final difference sits in the surcharges: THC, LSS, CIC, documentation fees, manifest filing fees, and CFS charges on groupage cargo. A quote that looks "cheap" while leaving these open can end up dearer at settlement.
CARIMEX quotes the other way round: setting out plainly what is included and what is billed separately, so a business can compare the total cost to the delivery point rather than disconnected line items. Because CARIMEX also handles customs clearance and has its own tractor fleet and container yard in Nhon Trach, one party is answerable for the whole chain from warehouse to destination port.
Ports regularly used: Cat Lai (Ho Chi Minh City) · Cai Mep – Thi Vai (Ba Ria – Vung Tau) · Phuoc An and Dong Nai port · Tan Cang Hiep Phuoc · ICD Long Binh. Bookings & quotes: +84 933 968 988.
A full container or shared groupage: they differ in how freight is charged, in transit time and in risk
| Criterion | FCL – Full Container | LCL – Groupage |
|---|---|---|
| How freight is charged | Lump sum per container (20', 40', 40HC, 45HC) | By CBM or tonne, whichever is greater (1 CBM = 1,000 kg) |
| When to choose it | When the cargo fills most of a 20' container | When the consignment is small and cannot fill a container |
| Transit time | Faster — no waiting for consolidation, no deconsolidation at a CFS | Slower — add consolidation time at origin and deconsolidation at destination |
| Cargo risk | Low — the container holds only your cargo, sealed from the warehouse | Higher — handled repeatedly, sharing a container with other shippers |
| Mode-specific surcharges | Lift charges, and port detention if collection runs late | Extra CFS charges at both ends, plus groupage handling fees |
| Delivery at each end | Haul the container straight to the plant and stuff or devan at your own warehouse | Collect loose cargo at the CFS warehouse; a truck is needed for the transfer |
The break-even point between LCL and FCL shifts by route and by season. Send the dimensions, weight and destination port — CARIMEX will price both options so you can compare them on one sheet.
The Incoterms rule written into the contract decides which costs fall to whom and at what point risk transfers. It is also the most widely misunderstood clause: many businesses believe that buying on CIF makes the seller responsible all the way to the destination port, when in fact risk has already passed to the buyer the moment the goods are on board at the port of loading.
| Rule | Seller Pays Main Carriage To | Risk Passes to Buyer At | Mode |
|---|---|---|---|
| EXW | Nothing — the buyer arranges everything | The seller's works or warehouse | Any mode |
| FCA | The point of delivery to the carrier | On delivery to the carrier nominated by the buyer | Any mode |
| FAS | Alongside the vessel at the port of loading | When the goods are placed alongside the vessel | Sea / inland waterway |
| FOB | Until the goods are on board | Once the goods are on board at the port of loading | Sea / inland waterway |
| CFR | The destination port (no insurance) | Once the goods are on board at the port of loading | Sea / inland waterway |
| CIF | The destination port, plus insurance at minimum cover | Once the goods are on board at the port of loading | Sea / inland waterway |
| CPT | The agreed place of destination (no insurance) | On delivery to the first carrier | Any mode |
| CIP | The place of destination, plus insurance at high cover (Incoterms 2020) | On delivery to the first carrier | Any mode |
| DAP | The place of destination, not unloaded, not cleared for import | At the destination, on the arriving vehicle not unloaded | Any mode |
| DPU | The place of destination, unloaded from the arriving vehicle | At the destination, once the goods are unloaded | Any mode |
| DDP | The place of destination, cleared for import with duty paid | At the destination, with the goods ready for unloading | Any mode |
A summary of the ICC's Incoterms 2020 rules, for quick reference. Each party's detailed obligations always rest on the sales contract as signed — CARIMEX advises on choosing the rule that suits a business's capabilities and appetite for risk.
This is where quotes usually diverge — know them in advance to compare properly
| Abbreviation | Full Name | What It Is |
|---|---|---|
| THC | Terminal Handling Charge | Handling and lifting charges at the terminal — levied at both the load and discharge ends |
| B/L fee | Bill of Lading fee | The fee for issuing the bill of lading on an export shipment |
| D/O fee | Delivery Order fee | The delivery order fee, charged at the import end before the container is collected |
| LSS | Low Sulphur Surcharge | A fuel surcharge for low-sulphur bunkers required by environmental rules |
| CIC | Container Imbalance Charge | Compensation for the carrier having to reposition empty containers between regions |
| PSS | Peak Season Surcharge | A peak season surcharge applied when demand for space spikes |
| AMS / AFR / ENS | Advance Manifest / Advance Filing Rules / Entry Summary Declaration | Fees for filing shipment details in advance with the customs authority at destination — the United States, Japan, Europe |
| CFS | Container Freight Station | Charges at the consolidation and deconsolidation warehouse — LCL cargo only |
| DEM / DET | Demurrage / Detention | Charges for keeping a container at the terminal, and for keeping the box outside the terminal, once the free days are used up |
The list and level of surcharges are published by each carrier and change over time and by route. The table above explains what each charge is so a business can read a quote — it is not a CARIMEX tariff.
From booking with the carrier through to delivery at the consignee's warehouse
Full-container bookings on Asian, European, North American and Middle Eastern routes; timed to the cut-off and tracked through to the destination port.
Consolidating groupage cargo into shared containers for consignments that cannot fill a container, charged by CBM or weight.
End to end from the shipper's warehouse to the consignee's: trucking at both ends, customs clearance and the ocean leg all handled by one party.
Choosing the delivery term that fits the business's capabilities, and arranging cargo insurance for the ocean leg.
Send the destination port, cargo type and expected volume — CARIMEX will price both the FCL and the LCL option on one sheet so you can compare total cost. Call +84 933 968 988 or submit a request online.
The questions import-export businesses ask most often
FCL means hiring a whole container for one shipper, with freight as a lump sum per container. LCL means groupage cargo sharing a container with other shippers, charged on volume or weight, whichever is greater. The rule: once a consignment fills most of a twenty-foot container, FCL is usually cheaper per cubic metre and lower risk, because the box holds only your cargo and stays sealed warehouse to warehouse. For smaller consignments LCL costs less, but you must add CFS charges at both ends, allow longer for consolidation and deconsolidation, and accept a higher risk of damage from repeated handling.
On the W/M basis — whichever is greater, weight or volume, with 1 CBM treated as 1,000 kg. For example, a 3 CBM consignment weighing 1,500 kg is charged on 3 units (because 3 > 1.5); conversely a 2 CBM consignment weighing 4,000 kg is charged on 4 units. This conversion differs from air freight, where 1 CBM converts to 167 kg.
The usual ones are THC (terminal handling), the B/L fee (exports) and the D/O fee (imports), seal fees, advance manifest filing such as AMS for the United States, AFR for Japan and ENS for Europe, the LSS fuel surcharge, the CIC container imbalance charge, the PSS peak season surcharge, and for groupage cargo CFS as well. When comparing quotes between providers, compare the total cost including surcharges, not the ocean freight figure alone.
Under FOB, the seller delivers on board at the port of loading and the buyer books the vessel and pays the ocean freight. Under CIF, the seller pays the ocean freight to the destination port and takes out insurance. But under both, risk passes to the buyer the moment the goods are on board at the port of loading. The point many businesses get wrong is assuming CIF makes the seller responsible to the destination port — it does not. CIF differs from FOB only in who pays the freight and who buys the insurance. Both rules are for sea and inland waterway transport only.
VGM (Verified Gross Mass) is the verified total weight of the container — the cargo, the dunnage and the box itself. Under the SOLAS Convention, the shipper must give the carrier the VGM before the stated deadline or the container will not be loaded. Failing to submit the VGM, or submitting it late, is one of the most common reasons a container is rolled to a later vessel even though it reached the terminal before the cut-off.
Regularly worked ports are Cat Lai (Ho Chi Minh City), the Cai Mep – Thi Vai cluster (Ba Ria – Vung Tau) for long-haul mother vessels, Phuoc An port and Dong Nai port, Tan Cang Hiep Phuoc and ICD Long Binh. Because CARIMEX already has a tractor fleet and container yard in Nhon Trach, it can handle the road legs at both ends rather than merely booking space with the carrier.
Send the destination port, cargo type and volume — CARIMEX prices both the FCL and LCL options on one sheet, replying within the working day