Despite the fact that bulk and break bulk cargo have similar sounding names, they are entirely two different ways of shipping goods. There is a significant difference between bulk and break bulk cargo. The appropriate vessel and infrastructure are needed for both cargoes. Large quantities of goods that are unpackaged, loosely loaded, and transferred directly onto a transport vessel are referred to as bulk cargo. Breakbulk cargo, on the other hand, describes the individually packaged goods (crates, drums, and boxes) that are packed onto ships without being stored in a giant container, like the typical intermodal container. Bags, hazmat boxes, crates, pallets, and many other packaging units are samples of packaging units used in breaking bulk cargo.
The leading difference between bulk and break bulk cargo is their method of shipping cargo. In contrast to bulk shipping, which involves loosely loading cargo onto the ship, break bulk shipping involves the transportation of individual cargo items. Specialized cargo ships are needed in order to load and offload the two types of cargo appropriately.
Bulk cargo
The term “bulk cargo” refers to goods that are shipped unpackaged and loose rather than in packages or containers. When transporting dirt, rocks, and other materials required for filling sizable portions of land, the construction industry uses bulk cargo shipping. Large shipments of livestock feed or seeds are frequently transported using bulk cargo shipping in the agricultural sector. Iron ore, charcoal, and metal chunks will all be shipped by the mining industry as the materials are gathered. Transportation of liquid nitrogen gas, petroleum, and other related liquids is common in chemical engineering industries or energy plants.
Break bulk cargo
Breakbulk shipping is the best option when we talk about large objects, especially oversized objects. This method of shipping does not require cargo to be broken down and then loaded onto a ship. On the other hand, it implies that reassembly is not required when they arrive. Break bulk cargo frequently does not contain liquid bulk, such as wine barrels or vegetable oil. Rather, it is made up of non-containerized cargo that weighs more than 100 tonnes, such as heavy types of equipment like large generators and transformers, structural steel, parts for wind turbines, and construction equipment. Breakbulk shipping has long been preferred over intermodal containers by shippers who frequently transport over-dimensional cargo.
Breakbulk cargo provides more options for the loading and unloading processes, such as flat racks and Roll-On/Roll-Off (RoRo), in which heavy equipment is loaded and unloaded by rolling it onto and off bulk carriers. When shipping internationally, only one bill of lading is required because everything is intact.
The distinction between bulk and break bulk shipping
Bulk shipping is cheaper than breakbulk shipping. As compared to the items that are stocked over one another in bulk shipping, the overweight or oversized cargo requires excess room for storage. It also costs more in terms of labor power. A shipping container typically requires fewer resources than break-bulk cargo to move. Certain circumstances call for the cargo to be kept in specialized warehouses. Ships and ports also need specialized equipment to transport break bulk cargo, just like warehouses do.
In addition to this, break bulk cargo has issues with security and safety while the bulk shipment is safe and secure. The process of bagging, strapping, or bundling break-bulk items is common in transportation. This may result in breakage, which could cause the shipment to be damaged or stolen. On the flip side, products stored in containers for bulk shipping are safe and could not cause damage. Additionally, the breaking bulk method isn’t always appropriate for food items. Some foods must be transported in frigid environments or on ships. Break bulking is not possible with this method, but shipping containers are.
Factors affecting the rates of cargo
The factors that have noteworthy effects on the rates of bulk and break bulk cargo are as follows.
Freight class
When we look into the freight class, more expensive freight rates apply to valuable and fragile goods. It takes a lot of manpower to load, store, and unload the cargo. As a consequence, there are more significant risks when trading with entities that are highly valuable or vulnerable to damage.
Distance moved
The distance traveled by the cargo has an impact on the freight rates or cargo rates. The rates won’t always go up as the distance increases. However, the companies utilize the formula to analyze the rates that depend upon the shipment type, destination, and origin. The rate for each mile can sometimes decrease depending on the terminals. Although, usually the rates might increase with the increase in distance. The distance moved by the cargo has an influence on shipping rates.
Size and Mass
The dimensions and weight of your cargo have an influence on the cargo rates. Whenever you are dispatching a product, always provide the precise weight and size of the cargo. The products that are large in size will obviously have high shipping rates.
The best option for transporting large, heavy equipment and other project cargo that won’t fit into a standard container will probably still be non-containerized cargo shipping, despite the fact that it presents more difficulties than container shipping. Before deciding whether cargo break shipping is a good fit for your company, you should be aware of the types of cargo that are covered.