As the world knows, Houston, Texas is the dominating pole of the oil industry since the discovery of the Spindletop Oilfields. The state is home to some of the most skilled and efficient labor with high experience working in the oil industry. The land of Texas is rich in natural resources and has built a widespread network of transportation. All these factors attract industry leaders such as Exxon Mobil to operate from here. The industry has grown rapidly in the last few decades, so rapidly that it’s now worth more than 200 Billion Dollars.
The oil industry is mainly concentrated around the city of Houston, Texas, making it the prime location for large scale oil & gas machinery manufacturers. People mostly associate oil when talking about Texas, but the fact is that this wasn’t the case for a very long time.
The use of oil extracts was limited to lamps and lubrication for machinery as there were no cars, trucks, trains, etc to consume the supply. The farmers of the state also claimed that they were facing losses because the oil had been affecting their crops.
Later, the Texas Railroad Commission was founded by the state in 1891 to help regulate the sector. The commission would grow to be one of Texas’ most powerful regulatory organizations, controlling not only the oil and gas sector but also all transportation-related issues. After this, the demand for oil increased drastically.
As the oil industry expanded, it attracted many oil equipment and heavy machinery manufacturers to settle around the city of Houston. As a major part of the oil industry was concentrated in the city, it is now the largest city in the state and home to some of the biggest manufacturers in the world.
Shipping to Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia has succeeded in maintaining the virtue of its marine environment and has achieved a leading position in the maritime transport sector. Ships, shipping, ports, and the human element often manage maritime transportation services. These elements play a significant part in sustaining the economy and creating job opportunities in this industry.
Saudi Arabia, one of the most maritimely developed nations in the world, is a key player in the growth of this industry. Due to its rich geographical location and huge coastline, Saudi Arabia has easy access to the continent of Africa, and countries such as Israel, Iraq, Egypt, India, and Pakistan, and can easily route around the world.
Can Us Ship to Saudi Arabia?
Strong trade relations exist between the US and Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia ranked as the 23rd-largest export market for the United States in 2018, receiving items worth $13.6 billion from the United States.
The language barrier makes it difficult to ship goods from the US to Saudi Arabia. Therefore, it’s critical to pick a freight forwarder who can expedite the process and is conversant in the local language and business practices.
Saudi Arabia Shipping Requirements
Some general documentation is required for shipping from USA to Saudi Arabia and they are
- Commercial invoice
- Permanent Label showing Country Of Origin
- Legalized Certificate of Origin by USA’s Chamber of Commerce
- Bill Of Lading
- Clean Report of Findings
- Insurance Documents
- List of Items in the shipment
Different Shipping Options
There are two ways to export goods to Saudi Arabia from Houston: Air Freight or Ocean Freight. Exporters and importers use both methods equally because they are both highly trustworthy.
Depending entirely on your needs, both options have advantages and disadvantages. For instance, if you need to transport a container to Saudi Arabia quickly and you’re in a hurry, it’s advisable to choose air freight as although it costs more, it takes around 2–4 business days to send a consignment from the USA to Saudi Arabia. Else, if you do not want to spend as much on transporting your product, then it is better to use ocean freight, which requires less shipping cost but takes about 30-40 days to deliver your cargo.
There are many other pros and cons of both services and we will be discussing them below to help you plan your cargo shipping to Saudi Arabia from Houston easier and wiser.
Pros and Cons of Ocean Freight to Saudi Arabia
Pros
- Ship Heavy Consignments
Since commercial cargo ships are much larger, they have more space for heavy items and can transport many of them at a time, which is not achievable with air freight, and even if it could, US to Saudi Arabia shipping would be more expensive. - Lesser Shipping Cost
Sea Freight to Saudi Arabia is 6-7 times cheaper in comparison with its air counterparts. This is because ocean shipping can hold a large number of goods inside its huge transportation vessel which allows it to ship more cargo with less fuel. - Deliver Your Cargo Safely
Another advantage of ocean freight shipping is that ships are built to move precarious goods and risky cargo safely. Restrictions have been set in place to safeguard the health of the crew and cargo, and the industry is skilled at managing such items.
Cons
- Slow Shipping
Making the wrong decision while choosing ocean freight for urgent cargo transportation can be disastrous. Whereas your items can be shipped by airplane in 2-4 days, it may take 20–40 days for shipping from USA to Saudi Arabia. - Lack Of Infrastructure
Transporting your goods via ship container won’t be a good alternative for you given the economic and geographic conditions of some regions of the world, as some locations do not have the necessary infrastructure or ports to receive such large cargo deliveries. - Delayed Shipping
Because of the erratic weather in the Atlantic, deliveries may be delayed. Because these ships transport expensive and heavy cargo, the sailors must exercise caution which could result in lengthy delays.
Pros and Cons of Air Freight to Saudi Arabia
Pros
- Fast Shipping
If you need your items to be delivered quickly, air freight should be your first choice. Typically, it takes 2-4 days for an airplane to deliver your cargo anywhere in the world, however, it can take up to a month for a ship to transport it from the USA to Saudi Arabia. - Access to the world
You may easily transfer your cargo to any location in the world because of the vast network of airports, which makes it easier than using marine vessels in some situations due to geographical or infrastructure limitations. However, the airplane can promptly and safely deliver your item to any location in the world. - Dependability
Currently, air freight is the most dependable source of shipping amongst other shipping methods. According to International Cargo Services Saudi Arabia, Less than 18% of the flights carrying cargo are delayed, less than 3% of flights are canceled and less than 1% of cargo-carrying aircraft fail to land safely.
Cons
- High Cost Of Shipping
Even if the overall distance is the same, shipping products by air is more expensive than shipping them by sea. Additionally, because air shipping uses weight calculations to determine the overall cost of shipping, the cost of shipping can be significantly higher if you are shipping any heavy machinery. - Size and Weight Restrictions
The amount and size of cargo the aircraft can carry within have their own restrictions. Some heavy and large goods cannot be carried in the air by aircraft since they are not as big as ocean vessels. For instance, a huge ship can carry more than 150,000 tonnes of cargo, yet the largest aircraft can only carry up to 300 tonnes. - Unpredictable Weather
Your cargo delivery through air freight may experience a brief delay of 1-2 days due to erratic weather conditions, although there is a significantly shorter wait than with ocean freight.
Types of Load
Before you choose a Freight Service for container Shipping to Saudi Arabia, you must choose between FCL, Full Container Load, or LCL, Less than a Container Load.
Full Container Load (FCL) means you’ll have an entire container just for your goods which will keep your goods completely isolated and safe but will increase your shipping cost to ship your container to Saudi Arabia.
Less than a Container Load (LCL) means if your container doesn’t need a full container to ship your cargo, or if you don’t mind sharing a container with other cargo, then you can choose LCL which will reduce the shipping cost.
Texas International Freight mainly focuses on shipping oil rigs and other oil-related heavy equipment by air and sea and provides the cheapest shipping from USA to Saudi Arabia. We believe that dependability, expertise, honesty, and hard work are essential elements in any good shipping company. For more details, Please visit our website.
We hope that the details provided above will help you make a better decision in fulfilling your shipping-related needs.
Texas International Freight ships break bulk cargo all over the world, to destinations including the UK, Netherlands, Germany, Russia, Norway, Nigeria, Angola, South Africa, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Peru, China, Singapore, Australia, Vietnam, India, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Libya, Syria, Kuwait, Iraq, Oman, Yemen, Egypt, Israel, Turkey, Spain, Algeria and many other countries besides.
