A specialist agent that organises the shipment of goods on behalf of importers and exporters.
A freight forwarder is a company that arranges and coordinates the movement of cargo from origin to destination on behalf of a shipper. Forwarders do not usually own the ships or aircraft; instead they book space with carriers, consolidate cargo, prepare shipping documents and handle customs formalities.
Services typically include booking ocean or air freight, issuing the Bill of Lading, arranging inland transport, warehousing, cargo insurance and customs clearance coordination.
For many importers and exporters, a reliable freight forwarder simplifies the entire logistics chain into a single point of contact.