Space sharing:
ship part of a container from China · one container, two consignments, separate B/Ls
Space sharing is shipping part of a container from China when your cargo fills roughly half a box. We load your cargo and another client's compatible cargo into one 40' or 40HC. The container sails as an FCL on the liner schedule, and you pay only for your share — up to 40 % cheaper than a full container in our sample calculation.
Each shipper gets their own House B/L, and at destination each lot clears under its own goods declaration: an inspection or customs query on one consignment does not carry over to the other's papers. We arrange container co-loading from 8 m³ — smaller volumes are cheaper as LCL groupage.
Specification
Specification · Space sharing. Standard terms · rate and co-loader are confirmed per shipment
Service
- Type
- share of an FCL container
- Container
- 40' / 40HC, two shippers
- Options
- insurance, customs, delivery
Terms
- Lot size
- 8 to ~33 m³
- Documents
- own House B/L and declaration
- Currency
- USD / RUB
Logistics
- Before loading
- co-loader match, stowage plan
- At destination port
- SVKh, separate clearance
- After release
- delivery to each consignee
Price
- Base
- share of the FCL rate by your volume
- Extras
- SVKh, inspection, delivery — on request
Service flow
- 01
Request and cargo check
We collect volume, weight, packing, HS code and cargo-ready date, and check whether the lot suits sharing: from 8 m³, non-dangerous, clear packing.
1–2 days - 02
Matching a co-loader
We find a co-loader among regular clients with steady shipments, matched for compatibility: no food next to chemicals, no heavy over fragile. We agree the stowage plan by weight and volume.
before sailing cut-off - 03
Booking and stuffing
We book one container and load both lots at the consolidation warehouse or at two shippers in turn. We record photos and the seal, file the VGM and issue each shipper their own House B/L.
1–3 days - 04
Sea leg, SVKh and customs
The container sails as an FCL on the liner schedule. At destination it goes to a temporary storage warehouse (SVKh) and is devanned; each lot clears under its own declaration, so an inspection or amendment on one does not block the other.
7–14 days + 2–5 days - 05
Delivery to consignee
We deliver each lot to its own consignee by road or rail and hand over originals and closing documents.
1–2 days + delivery
Problems
Half a container of cargo: LCL is expensive per m³ and slower because of consolidation, while a full FCL means paying for empty space.
We share an FCL with a compatible co-loader: the box sails directly as a full container, and you pay for your share.
Worry that the co-loader's problems become yours: an inspection, a document error, a delayed release.
Separate House B/Ls and declarations, and co-loaders are chosen from regular clients with clear goods and steady shipments.
The co-loader misses the cut-off — and your cargo risks being left at the port.
We take another client from the waiting list or ship your lot as standard LCL — without moving the sailing date.
Documents
In space sharing, documents are issued separately for each party: your own invoice, House B/L and declaration. The co-loader's cargo does not appear in your documents.
Incoterms
- FOB
- the supplier delivers at the port; we arrange the container and co-loader
- FCA
- handover at the consolidation warehouse — convenient for co-loading
- CIF
- cost, insurance and freight on the seller; less suited to sharing
- DAP
- delivered at place
Documents
- Invoice
- commercial invoice for your consignment — separate from the co-loader's
- Packing List
- packing list with exact package dimensions and weights — used to plan the stowage
- House B/L
- a separate bill of lading for each shipper
- Contract
- foreign-trade contract and the forwarding agreement with ATF
FAQ
In LCL, cargo from dozens of shippers is gathered at a consolidator's warehouse, charged per m³ or tonne, and the box waits to fill up. In space sharing the container holds two pre-matched consignments and is booked and shipped as an FCL, with fewer handlings. For lots from 8 m³ it is usually faster and cheaper than LCL.
We do. We have a steady base of clients with regular shipments and match co-loaders for compatibility: no food with chemicals, no heavy packages over fragile ones, and no dangerous goods in shared boxes.
If the co-loader is not ready by cut-off, we take another client from the waiting list or ship your lot as standard LCL. Your sailing date does not move.
Each client is responsible only for their own cargo. You have a separate House B/L, separate insurance and a separate customs procedure, so claims and charges on the other consignment do not pass to you.
An inspection is ordered against a specific declaration, and your cargo is released under its own. In space sharing the container is devanned at the temporary storage warehouse anyway, so the co-loader's inspection may at most delay the joint unloading — not your release or your charges.
From 8 m³ — below that, LCL groupage is more economical. The upper limit is about half a 40HC, roughly 33 m³; beyond that it is nearly a full FCL.