What Is a Shipping Order?
A shipping order is a document that authorizes that space for a shipment has been reserved on a vessel. It is issued by the carrier and will include the empty container’s location for pickup. Moreover, it provides details about the container pickup and delivery sites, sailing time, vessel number, and submission deadlines.
Significance of Shipping Order in an E-commerce Shipping and Delivery
A carrier issues a shipping order document to confirm that a shipment’s booking on a vessel is confirmed. It authorizes safe delivery of the shipment during transport. Here are some of the significance of shipping order.
- Authorizes cargo’s release: Importers or exporters provide shipping orders to customs officials during global transportation. The purpose is to approve the release of the cargo to the shipper.
- Ensures space and equipment availability: Carriers will issue the shipping order to the shipper or its hired freight forwarder after they have confirmed the space and equipment availability. It ensures that their equipment is accessible at one of their container warehouses and the vessel has adequate space for the booked cargo.
Prerequisites for a Shipping Order
Here are some of the prerequisites of shipping order.
- Shipping order information differs as per carriers. Usually, the shipping order must contain particular freight cargo details, shipper information, VGM (Verified Gross Mass) cut-off times, the position of the cargo on a vessel, the origin, the destination, and other shipping order tracking details.
- The shipping order is occasionally combined with or linked to the carrier’s booking confirmation.
Use Case of a Shipping Order
Suppose company XYZ deals with the production and delivery of floor tiles. It can use a shipping order document that confirms sufficient space for a shipment on a vessel. It authorizes the dispatch of the cargo to the shipper with all relevant details including delivery locations, sailing schedules, and vessel number.