What is the difference between shipping companies and freight forwarders?

1, The definition and characteristics of shipping companies
Shipping companies, also known as shipping companies or shipping companies, are enterprises specialized in the transportation of goods by sea. They own or lease large vessels to provide sea transportation services from ports to ports. The core business of shipping companies is maritime transportation, which ensures the safe and timely delivery of goods to their destination by optimizing routes, increasing vessel loading rates, and reducing operating costs.
The characteristics of shipping companies are mainly reflected in the following aspects:
High degree of specialization: Shipping companies focus on maritime transportation business and have rich experience and professional knowledge in maritime transportation.
Rich ship resources: Shipping companies usually own or lease multiple large ships, which can meet the transportation needs of different goods.
High degree of internationalization: Shipping companies operate globally and have established close cooperative relationships with major ports and shipping companies.
2, The definition and characteristics of freight forwarding agents
Freight forwarders, also known as logistics agents or freight intermediaries, are organizations specialized in providing logistics services. They provide customers with comprehensive logistics services, including goods receiving, packaging, warehousing, customs declaration, inspection, insurance, and transportation. Freight forwarders usually establish cooperative relationships with various transportation methods such as shipping companies, airlines, and railway companies to provide customers with multimodal logistics solutions.
The characteristics of freight forwarders are mainly reflected in the following aspects:
Comprehensive services: Freight forwarders provide full logistics services from the receipt of goods to the destination, involving multiple links and transportation methods.
Strong resource integration ability: Freight forwarders can integrate various logistics resources and provide customers with the best logistics solutions.
Rich professional knowledge: Freight forwarders have rich logistics knowledge and experience, and can provide professional logistics consulting and advice to customers.
3, The difference between shipping companies and freight forwarders
Business nature: The core business of shipping companies is maritime transportation, while freight forwarders provide comprehensive logistics services. Shipping companies are more focused on ship operations and maritime transportation, while freight forwarders are more focused on developing and implementing logistics plans.
Service scope: The service scope of shipping companies is usually limited to maritime transportation, while freight forwarders involve multiple logistics links and transportation methods. Freight forwarders can provide customers with more comprehensive logistics services, including goods receiving, packaging, warehousing, customs declaration, inspection and other links.
Operation mode: Shipping companies usually own or lease large vessels and directly participate in maritime transportation. Freight forwarders establish cooperative relationships with various transportation methods to provide customers with multimodal logistics solutions. Freight forwarders play an intermediary role in the logistics chain, connecting different transportation methods and logistics links.
Customer relationship: Shipping companies usually establish direct cooperative relationships with shippers or shippers, while freight forwarders establish cooperative relationships with multiple shippers and transportation methods. Freight forwarders play a broader role in the logistics chain, requiring the establishment of connections and coordination with different partners and customers.