With a bonded import warehouse, cargo is released in an average of 48 hours at the Terminal
In the first seven months of 2024, TCP, the company that manages the Paranaguá Container Terminal, received 846 containers with fractional loads, known as LCL (less than container load). The volume of processes delivered (fraction of each client’s cargo inside an LCL container) reached 8,495, 4% more than in the same period in 2023, when 8,163 processes were carried out.
The LCL (less than container load) container is a type of maritime transportation service in which different shipments from various importers are consolidated into a single container. This means that instead of a single customer filling up all the space in a container, several smaller loads from different customers are combined to maximize the use of the available space.
“When we receive an LCL container, it is positioned on the dock of our import warehouse, where we remove the seal, open the container and check the cargo. Afterwards, the cargo is picked up, separated by customer, and then palletized and packed, thus concluding the unloading process. This process is essential to ensure that the goods reach their destinations in an organized and safe manner, efficiently meeting our customers’ needs,” explains logistics operations manager Fabio Mattos.
TCP’s bonded import warehouse also represents an advantage for clients, who are able to save time and money when importing LCL containers. In the case of port terminals that don’t have their own warehouse, importers need to request the issue of a customs transit declaration (DTA) or container transit declaration (DTC) so that the units can be sent to an external warehouse to be unloaded. In this process, the complete release of the cargo can take up to six days.
According to the commercial, logistics and service manager, Giovanni Guidolim, “TCP’s goal is to act as a one-stop-shop terminal, offering logistics solutions and services for a diverse range of demands, according to the individual needs of each client, ensuring greater efficiency and agility, as well as reducing costs. The bonded import warehouse, located in the primary zone of the Paranaguá Container Terminal, is part of this strategy, ensuring less bureaucracy and faster clearance and unloading of cargo, a process that takes an average of 48 hours. In addition, customers in Curitiba and the metropolitan region who handle fractional loads can also count on our delivery service, receiving their shipments at the door of their establishments.”
LCL: solution for importing small volumes
Importing a full container of cargo can be a costly and bureaucratic process for those looking to receive small quantities of various products from abroad. In such cases, the simplest solution is to hire a company that brings together the goods from several customers in order to consolidate the total volume of a container for import.
This is the role of sea carriers known as NVOCCs (non-vessel operating common carriers), companies responsible for bringing together a sufficient number of customers to complete the load of a container for import. In this way, the process is cheaper and less time-consuming for each importer who hires the service.
China Gate is one of these companies. Operating for 9 years with full container loads (FCL) and for 1 year with LCL loads at TCP, it offers solutions for small and large businesses with a focus on shared containers, enabling entry into foreign trade and increasing profitability for its clients.
China Gate’s CEO, Rodrigo Giraldelli, explains that the advantage of operating through TCP is “the proximity of the location to the clients and the operational efficiency after the cargo arrives at the Terminal. Our LCL cargoes are cleared in up to 2 days by TCP, while other terminals take up to 7 days”.
