Rail for the long haul, road for the last mile, one contract for the whole route

In general industry use, intermodal describes the cargo: the goods stay in one unit, usually a container, while that unit changes mode, so the goods themselves are not handled at the transfer. Multimodal describes the contract: one operator takes responsibility for the whole journey whatever the modes. Most of what we arrange is both — a container moving rail then road under a single contract with us. The distinction matters where cargo has to be transloaded, because that is a handling event and needs to be planned, checked and covered.

You deal with us for the whole route, and we do not pass you to the carrier for the leg in question. Underneath that, liability on each leg follows the transport document issued for it — a bill of lading at sea, a rail consignment note, a road consignment note, an air waybill — and each carries its own limits under the relevant convention. We tell you before booking which document governs which leg. Where you want cover that does not change leg by leg, cargo insurance is available across all modes for the whole journey.

It depends on the route. Where the cargo stays in the same container, transfers are lifts and the goods are not touched. Transloading happens where a rail gauge changes, where equipment has to change — a Flat Rack to an inland trailer, for example — or where the cargo is break-bulk. We identify at quote stage which transfers are lifts and which are handling events, so you can pack and secure for the worst leg rather than the first one.

Export clearance at origin, import clearance at destination, plus transit formalities for each country the goods cross without being imported. The count depends on the routing, which is one reason to settle the route before the paperwork. We handle the clearances and the transit procedures across the route ourselves, so the file does not change hands at each border. Get the HS code right early, since it drives duty, restrictions and any licences on both sides.

Yes, and both are specialisms of ours. Each mode has its own dangerous goods regime — IMDG at sea, the IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations for air, RID for rail, ADR for road in the countries that apply it — and in practice the strictest leg on the route governs packing, labelling and documentation for the whole journey. For oversized and out-of-gauge cargo the binding constraint is usually a road leg rather than the vessel, so we check clearances, axle limits and permits on the inland stretch before fixing the main leg.

Our deepest operational experience is at five China gateway ports: Ningbo, Shanghai, Qingdao, Tianjin and Xiamen. We also handle import and export through all major China airports and seaports, across four lanes — Europe; Central Asia and Russia; North America including Mexico; and South Asia and the Gulf including India and the UAE. Treat the gateway as part of the routing decision rather than a fixed starting point: the right one depends on where your cargo is made and what it is.

Put both on the same Incoterm and the same scope, or the comparison is meaningless. A port-to-port ocean rate excludes origin haulage, terminal handling at both ends, customs and final delivery; a door-to-door multimodal price includes them. Then compare exposure as well as price: free time at the port, container detention, and who carries the cost when an inland leg is not ready. Ask for the route as one contract with each leg shown separately, which is how we quote.

Collection and delivery addresses rather than port names, the Incoterm, a commodity description and HS code, gross weight and dimensions per piece, whether the cargo is stackable, DG classification where it applies, the date it has to arrive, and whether cost or speed leads. For anything oversized, give us the largest and heaviest single piece. Send that to joy@sztranseasy.com or through the quote form and we will come back within one business day with routing options.