There are many parties involved in the shipping process and it is important to understand the responsibilities that each party has.
The most notable parties are the carrier, shipper, consignee and the notify party.
Carrier
The carrier is the company that transports your goods. Outer Seaways is a carrier known as an Non-Vessel Operating Common Carriers (NVOCC), which means we are a carrier that does not own any vessels.
Shipper
The shipper is responsible for supplying the necessary export documentation to the carrier. Often times the shipper is the supplier/exporter of the goods, but this is not always the case. In certain circumstances, the buyer of the goods can be the shipper.
Consignee
The party responsible for receiving the goods at the agreed destination is the consignee. The consignee is sometimes the buyer, but not always. The buyer of the goods can nominate an agent or even their bank to be the consignee. It is typically required that the consignee is physically present in order to retrieve the goods.
Notify Party
The notify party is often the buyer, but can also be a customs broker or forwarding agent. Their responsibility is to receive the arrival notice of a shipment and proceed with any necessary next steps like customs clearance, documentation, etc.
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