How not to miss the boat on those last sailing dates for delivery before Christmas 2016.

Without a shadow of a doubt Christmas is an exciting but stressful time of year, regardless of what your position may be.  From the personal side of keeping on top of the social commitments, (whether it be your own or those of your children), to the business side of ensuring everything is finalised for the end of the year and prepared for the new.   Something inevitably slips from mind and as a freight forwarder we expect this.  We receive every year towards the middle of November a telephone call.  “I need an order out of XYZ via ocean which needs to be here by Christmas.”  A lot of the time it will also include, “We will be on production stop when we reopen if it’s not here by then”.

If this sounds like what happens to you then with exception to planning ahead and making the necessary arrangements in advance is there anything else, you can do?

Have you heard of a sea / air option, it’s still a possibility and worth exploring?  If your product is from China, why not consider the rail route via the Old Silk Road?  Its sounds a little long winded but could help save on your transit time.  Either option could save substantial time and course less of an impact on your supply chain.  Another alternative is short term warehouse storage.   Has your forwarder got a warehouse they can house your cargo in?  If so transferring the cargo to their facility until the new year could be the best solution.  Housing cargo in the shipping or airlines warehouse is extremely expensive and also could compromise the integrity of the cargo.  With a forwarder they will take better care of your order.  The final option if cost permits is a full air freight solution.

There is nearly always a solution to this situation but to help you to try and avoid being in this position Atlas Logistics UK Ltd has come up with this basic latest date ocean shipping guide. These estimated dates and transit times allow for substantial leeway. Of course please check with the team at your local Atlas office for further details.  Please note these dates are subject to availability and change dependent on the shipping schedules and shipping lines.