Guides
Understand & decide
Freight forwarder vs customs broker: what's the difference and who does what?
The freight forwarder organizes and manages the movement of your goods (booking freight, coordinating modes, tracking). The customs broker files customs declarations on your behalf. These are two distinct jobs, but many freight forwarders - including OVRSEA - bring the two together: you then have a single point of contact for both transport and customs clearance, which simplifies coordination and reduces the risk of error.
Import duties: who pays, how to calculate them, and how to reduce them
On import, customs duties are owed by the importer (the consignee), except under the DDP Incoterm where the seller bears them. They are calculated by applying a rate, set by the goods' HS code, to the customs value (generally the CIF value: goods + insurance + freight). VAT is then added on top of that total. To reduce the bill: classify your products correctly, use preferential origin agreements, and apply the right customs procedures.
Incoterms 2020 explained: all 11 rules, who pays and who bears the risk (FOB, EXW, CIF, DDP)
Incoterms are 11 standard three-letter rules, published by the International Chamber of Commerce, that define exactly where the seller's responsibility ends and the buyer's begins: who arranges and pays for transport, who clears customs, who insures the goods, and the precise point where the risk of loss or damage passes. To choose one, decide how much of the journey you want to control and where you want risk to transfer: buyers who want maximum control lean toward EXW or FCA; buyers who want the seller to handle everything to their door lean toward DAP or DDP. The current version is Incoterms 2020.
Market analysis
In The Merchant
Middle East conflict raises new surcharge fears
Middle East conflict raises new surcharge fears
Judge warns that tariff refunds favor big companies
Judge warns that tariff refunds favor big companies
Shippers prepare for new round of summer tariffs
Shippers prepare for new round of summer tariffs
Shippers prepare for more tariff upheaval
Shippers prepare for more tariff upheaval
Importers face "pay to play bloodbath"
Importers face "pay to play bloodbath"
Beijing summit prompts air freight surge
Beijing summit prompts air freight surge
Fuel uncertainty impacts contract talks
Fuel uncertainty impacts contract talks
Tariff refunds could prove to be "poisoned chalice"
Tariff refunds could prove to be "poisoned chalice"
New tariffs will hit shippers just before peak season
New tariffs will hit shippers just before peak season
"There is a little bit of fatigue... in the industry because you draw 10 contingency plans only to tear them all up because there is a new twist and a new angle to it."
Around 100 container ships and around 750 vessels in total are currently backed up around the Strait of Hormuz due to the US-Israeli attack on Iran, according to ONE.
Court ruling threatens to cause new tariff chaos
Some shippers may have still held out hope that a US Supreme Court ruling against a large part of the Trump administration's tariffs would restore some predictability to US trade policy.
Widescale vessel scrapping draws near
Ocean carriers have sharply increased the number of blanked container sailings but may nevertheless soon have to resort to more drastic measures to prop up rates
Tariff guessing game creates quandary for shippers
The tariff roller coaster that shook much of 2025 shows no sign of slowing, as President Donald Trump threatened new restrictions against Canada. Trump threatened to impose 100% tariffs on Canada in response to moves to develop a trade partnership with China.
Capacity surge carries sting in its tail
The container shipping industry is on course to see a $10 billion loss in 2026, according to Drewry forecasts. Lackluster Trans-Pacific demand is expected to account for a good part of the shift into the red.
Justices take aim at Trump tariffs
Justices take aim at Trump tariffs
100% tariff threat spooks air cargo market
100% tariff threat spooks air cargo market
Tariff war simmers as Trump mulls next move
Tariff war simmers as Trump mulls next move
Freight in a Flash
Freight in a Flash