There are two ways to ship household goods on boats:
- Less than Full Container Loads (LCL)
- Full Container Loads (FCL)
Less than Full Container Loads (LCL) or "consolidation"
Kef packs a container with the belongings of 2-10 people. Goods are crated in wooden boxes, bound on wooden pallets, or, more rarely, sent loose. Each individual has his own documents, and there is a group document as well. When the container arrives at the port, it takes ~ 4-8 days for the container to be unloaded and documents prepared for each of the consignees. Inside measurements of a standard crate are ~ 88” wide, ~84” height, depth is variable. Packing, crating, and palletziation can each add 10-25% to the volume.
Externally in meters, the measurements are: 2.2m x 2.2m x 1.2m.
Lift Van
Full Container Loads
Kef hires a container, either a 20 foot long one, or a 40, or an extra high 40, then fills it with your goods and brings it to the ship. In some urban areas, it may not be possible to load the container at your house, and there could be charges for double handling. For larger containers, packing is done one day, then loading and sealing the next.
The door of the container is closed with a visibly sealed lock. It is easier for the Customs Clearer to see if the seal is intact and to report any irregularity before passing through customs. If there is no customs inspection, the seal should not be broken until the container arrives at your home. Containers can fit large items—such as a car—or unusually shaped items that would otherwise require the construction of a specially shaped crate.
The internal measurements of containers are as follows:
20 foot : L 5.9 m, W 2.35 m, H 2.35, door: W 2.343 m, H 2.278.
40 foot: L 12.0 m, W 2.35 m, H 2.395 m, door: W 2.343 H 2.280.
20' container
How quickly do you need to clear a container?
Containers must be cleared and delivered within two days of arrival in Israel. After that time, container rental and port storage fees add up at a rate of between $25-110/day for rental of the container and port fees. See the chart in the storage section below.
Once you could purchase and ship your own container—no more.
The steamship lines now only ship containers that they own.
Factors that influence the relative costs of shipping in consolidation or in your own container
- Where you ship from: The further you are from a major port, the more you save with a container, because consolidations are harder to come by and more expensive.
- How much of the container you fill: The fuller it is, the better the value.
- How much packing there is: The most expensive part of shipping is not the freight; it’s the packing and loading.
