Bulk shipping is the movement of huge quantities of products that are typically unpackaged and put directly onto a vessel. These products include wheat, petroleum-based goods, iron ore, and more.
Bulk shipments are loaded directly into the shipping vessel after being unpackaged. Unlike other things that are shipped in discreet packages or containers, bulk commodities are delivered loose and unpackaged.
To explain this more in detail, items are separated into bulk cargo and unitary or general cargo. Unitary products are delivered in packages or containers like pallets, sacks, and TEU containers, and the entire cargo is measured in units. Bulk cargo - also known as bulk freight, on the other hand, is transported in significant quantities without packing or wrapping. As a result, the vehicle of transportation acts as a container, and the volume or mass of the cargo is calculated.
Bulk shipping is utilized when large amounts of cargo need to be transported on bulk carrier ships that can travel great distances across the ocean; therefore, they are not the best choice for just-in-time inventory shipments.
