Freight in Solomon Islands

The most common way to export cocoa and copra products is by shipping.

For ngali nut, the common way to export from the Solomon Islands is through air freight as the consignment usually isn't as large as compared to copra and cocoa.

Since most of the exporters are small to medium enterprises, the most common incoterm used for export is Free On Board (FOB). This means that the Seller delivers the goods, ensured they are cleared for export, pays to have the goods loaded on board the vessel at the named port. Once the goods have been loaded on board, risk transfers to the buyer, who bears all costs thereafter.

Other export terms are negotiable and will vary depending on the buyer.

Shipping can be arranged directly with a shipping agent (freight only), or by engaging a freight forwarder (who will arrange for customs, regulatory clearances etc...).

Freight Options

Cargo can be shipped three different ways (depending on the shipping line and urgency of shipment). Please discuss with the buyer/seller/shipping agent which is most applicable for you:

Break Bulk

In shipping, break-bulk, breakbulk, or break bulk cargo, also called general cargo, refers to goods that are stowed on board ship in individually counted units. Traditionally, the large numbers of items are recorded on distinct bills of lading that list them by different commodities.

LCL (Less-than-container Load)

LCL (Less-than-container Load) is a shipping term used to describe container loads which are filled by multiple orders or goods. When shipping a small volume of stock by container ship, it's more economical to combine your delivery with other orders. This is termed 'Less-than-container Load'.

FCL

FCL: An FCL shipment is used when a shipper bears the cost of the entire container and uses it exclusively for a single shipment, even if they do not have enough goods to fill it up.

It is most common to ship cocoa out of the Solomon Islands in 20ft containers. A full container load is 240 bags of cocoa. A standard export weight of a bag of cocoa is 63.5kg (gross weight) or 15mt.