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SL Europe Agency is most innovative International freight forwarder company located in Milan ITALY that reaches out to provide comprehensive solutions for the shipments. The young and dynamic management team at SL Europe Agency contributes greatly with their new thinking by adapting new technology, applying latest and modern methods in the field to help the needs of customers.

Freight forwarding is a service used by companies that deal in international or multi-national import and export. While the freight forwarder doesn’t actually move the freight itself, it acts as an intermediary between the client and various transportation services. Sending products from one international destination to another can involve a multitude of carriers, requirements and legalities. A freight forwarding service handles the considerable logistics of this task for the client, relieving what would otherwise be a formidable burden.

Freight forwarding services guarantee that products will get to the proper destination by an agreed upon date, and in good condition. The freight forwarding service utilizes established relationships with carriers of all kinds, from air freighters and trucking companies, to rail freighters and ocean liners. Freight forwarding services negotiate the best possible price to move the product along the most economical route by working out various bids and choosing the one that best balances speed, cost and reliability.

A freight forwarding service generally provides one or more estimates to the client along with advisement, when necessary. Considerations that effect price will range from origin and destination to special requirements, such as refrigeration or, for example, transport of potentially hazardous materials. Assuming the client accepts the forwarder’s bid, the freight is readied for shipping. The freight forwarding service then undertakes the responsibility of arranging the transport from point of origin to destination.

One of the many advantages of using freight forwarding is that it handles ancillary services that are a part of the international shipping business. Insurance and customs documentation and clearance are some examples. As a consolidator, a freight forwarding service might also provide Non-Vessel Operating Common Carrier (NVOCC) documentation, or bills of lading. Warehousing, risk assessment and management, and methods of international payment are also commonly provided to the client by the freight forwarding service.

A good freight forwarding service can save the client untold time and potential headaches while providing reliable transportation of products at competitive rates. A freight forwarding service is an asset to almost any company dealing in international transportation of goods, and is especially helpful when in-house resources are not versed in international shipping procedures.

The International Maritime Organization (IMO), announced the Verified Gross Mass (VGM) requirements under the amendments to chapter VI of the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS), will become mandatory on July 1^st, 2016.

SOLAS is an IMO (a United Nations specialized agency) treaty & generally regarded as the most important of all international maritime treaties concerning the safety & security of shipping & the prevention of marine pollution.

Effective from July 1^st, 2016, ocean carrier vessel operators & port terminal representatives in approximately 170 countries, will be prohibited from loading cargo shipping containers aboard a vessel for export, if the container’s gross mass has not been verified.

Shippers are responsible for providing mandatory verification of the VGM for all packed cargo shipping containers, prior to tendering cargo & loading on a vessel. IMO guidelines state the Shipper is the entity or person named on the bill of lading or sea waybill. The Shipper is responsible for accurately recording, duly signing & authorizing the VGM data on the shipment documents & providing to ocean carrier vessel operators & port terminal representatives, for use in the ship stowage plans. The weighing must be done after stuffing & securing of containerized cargo in one of two approved ways as follows:

Method #1: After packing & sealing a container, the Shipper may weigh or arrange a third party to weigh the packed container using calibrated & certified equipment.

Method #2: The shipper or a third party may weigh all packages & cargo items, including the mass of pallets & other packing material securing the cargo in the shipping container, by adding the tare mass of the container to the mass sum of the cargo, using a certified method as outlined by the IMO. Any third party that has performed some or all of the packing of the container should inform the Shipper of the mass of the cargo items & packing materials that the party has packed into the container in order to facilitate the Shipper’s verification of the gross mass of the packed container.

Estimating weights of the contents of the container & adding those weights to the container’s tare weight is not permitted. Shippers cannot use weights for any cargo in a container that someone else has provided, with the exception of original, sealed packages printed with the accurate mass of the cargo items, marked by the manufacturer directly on the original packaging.

Ocean carriers have advised to use the weight given on the container, unless they have provided another method for Shippers to verify the actual tare weight for each container. It is important to note that some empty container tare weights printed on the side of the container could be incorrect, due to containers often having to be repaired or reinforced using metal.

We ship worldwide. There may be particular locations that we might require additional information to ship to. This is a rare case but if this happens, we will get in touch with you ASAP.

Ro-Ro or roll-on/roll off ships are vessels designed to transport vehicles on wheels. They are equipped with ramps and platforms to secure private cars, industrial vehicles or even trucks loaded with freight for long-distance journeys. There are also hybrid versions of these ships, combining vehicle and passengers transport (ferries), and others which transport container vehicles (Ro-Lo).

Yes. We require your full delivery address and contact information at destination in order to make arrangements for freight delivery.

All formalities and requirements to be completed for goods entering and leaving a specific national territory in order to control and approve their transportation. The customs agent is responsible for completing these formalities on behalf of the importer or exporter, and for submitting a declaration of information to the competent customs authority in each case.

This is a practice whereby the cargoes of one or several shippers are bundled together for transport under a single transport document. It is also known as groupage when different cargoes are combined to fill a single container.

Yes. It is not mandatory to obtain cargo insurance, however it is good practice or your shipment could be at risk of theft, damage or loss. Please contact SL EUROPE AGENCY for more information on cargo insurance.

A Bill of Lading (B/L or BOL) is an official shipping document containing details about the shipment. The release of this document to the intended recipient of goods is representative of transfer of ownership, so it is often held until final payment is complete. The original paper B/L or electronic release (see Telex Release) is required for the delivery of goods.