Ocean freight
The base port-to-port move. Should tie directly to a quoted rate and the bill of lading.
What it is calculated on
Per container.
What it appears as on real documents
Providers write the same charge many different ways. All of these mean this charge:
- ocean freight
- sea freight
- ocean freight charge
- basic ocean freight
- o/f
- ofr
- bas
- basic freight
- port to port freight
- sea freight charges
- freight charge
- international freight
What settles it when you question it
The test is whether the amount matches what was quoted, on the same basis. If the basis changed, that is the thing to ask about rather than the total.
Ask for:
- Original rate quotation
- Revised or superseding quotation
- Bill of lading
- Applicable tariff or rate sheet
Before you book
This is normally quoted. If it is missing from your quotation, ask why before booking.
Ask: Confirm the ocean freight rate and whether it is fixed for the sailing window.
Check a ocean freight on your own invoice
Free, and no account needed to start.
Upload your quotation and final invoice. ChargeBasis pairs every charge on its normalised type rather than its wording, reports which part of the difference your documents actually explain, and names the document that would settle the rest.
Charges that travel with this one
- LCL freightBilled per freight tonne (greater of tonnes or cbm). The chargeable basis is the single most disputed input on…
- StorageDay-counted. Needs a start date, a free-time allowance, and an end date to be checkable.
- DemurrageContainer sitting inside the terminal past free time. Requires availability date, last free day, and gate-out …
- DetentionContainer held outside the terminal past free time. Requires gate-out and empty-return dates.
If this charge is on an invoice you are questioning
- Charges that were never on the quoteSome charges legitimately cannot be quoted in advance and some should have been. How to tell which is which, using the q…
- Your freight invoice is higher than the quoteA practical method for reconciling a freight invoice against the quotation: which differences are contemplated by the qu…
- Can you refuse to pay a freight invoice?What withholding payment on a freight invoice actually does, why a lien over your cargo is the risk nobody mentions, and…
- How long you have to question a freight invoiceFreight trading conditions commonly carry short notice periods. Where to find the one that applies to you, what the cloc…
Common questions
- What is a ocean freight on a freight invoice?
- The base port-to-port move. Should tie directly to a quoted rate and the bill of lading.
- What is a ocean freight calculated on?
- Per container.
- What should I ask for if I question a ocean freight?
- Ask for original rate quotation, revised or superseding quotation, bill of lading, applicable tariff or rate sheet. The test is whether the amount matches what was quoted, on the same basis.