If you are moving overseas or shipping goods abroad for any other reason, there are a few things that you ought to know. Not the least of these is that international shipping companies are crucial to the world economy, and they ship commercial cargo, military equipment, and anything else that has to be moved from one country to another. For this reason, they are given certain special privileges.
Among them is the right to declare “end of voyage” if for some reason the destination port is unavailable because of a strike, war, or anything else. Any extra costs get passed on to you as the shipper. They can book more than they can take and can roll your cargo over to the next available ship, and any extra costs get passed on to you. If the ship suffers damage and might sink, it can throw your cargo overboard and it has no liability.
In addition, shipping companies are not responsible for any damage to cargo or for any delays on arrival, or even non-arrival of the cargo. Shipping companies can change the route, schedule, or anything else that they choose for any reason whatsoever, even if that reason is their own profit. Any extra costs get passed on to you! Shipping companies will not release the cargo until they have been paid.
Obviously, there are some rules and regulations, but for these reasons, when you are shipping goods overseas, it is good advice to allow for some extra costs in case of a port strike, earthquake, or whatever. Usually, around 10% to 20% of the overall cost should be enough. It is also good to know that these occasions are rare, but you should be prepared.
