This best practices guide on Maritime Freight sourcing and procurement provides a structured approach for assessing your organization's ocean freight needs and understanding what to consider throughout the sourcing process. Whether you manage global shipping lanes, negotiate with carriers, or run annual tenders, this guide equips you with proven tools to manage maritime freight procurement efficiently and strategically.

Why Maritime Freight Procurement Needs a Strategic Approach

Requesting ocean rate bids can often feel like a guessing game, making the maritime freight tendering process tedious and time-consuming for shippers. Since most supply chain and logistics professionals must run these tenders annually, being prepared with the correct data and a well-defined sourcing methodology is essential to achieving better cost, service, and operational outcomes.

Every business has unique freight flows and service expectations. Therefore, a one-size-fits-all approach to maritime freight sourcing does not work. Understanding your specific cargo characteristics, lane patterns, and commercial requirements is critical—especially in today’s volatile market environment where strong data and negotiation readiness are essential.

I have personally applied these concepts during my career as an Export and Import Manager, and even more so during high-stakes global freight tender negotiations. These best practices remain relevant for logistics leaders managing complex maritime freight operations.

Table of Contents

• About the Author

• Introduction to Maritime Freight Sourcing

• Knowing Your Requirements

• Types of Cargoes

  • IMO Goods

  • Perishable / Reefer Cargo

  • Frozen Food Cargo

  • Liquid Cargo

• Container Types for Maritime Freight

  • Standard Containers

  • High-Cube Containers

  • Refrigerated Containers

  • Flat-Rack Containers

  • Open-Top Containers

  • Tank Containers

• Maritime Freight Commercial Considerations

  • Conference Shipping

  • Shipping Alliances

• Tender Execution in Maritime Freight

  1. Create the Baseline

  2. Build Shipment Profiles

  3. Develop the Questionnaire

  4. Create the Rate Cards

  5. Issue the RFQ

  6. Shortlist Suppliers

  7. Conduct Impact Analysis

  8. Obtain Approvals and Award Business

• Conclusions

About the Author

Matias Guarello Wilhelmy holds degrees from the Chilean and German Commerce Institute, as well as the Cambridge Academy of Transport in Maritime Transport. He also holds a Diploma in Business Administration from Adolfo Ibáñez University.

He is a trilingual executive with more than 30 years of experience in global shipping, maritime freight logistics, exports, and retail supply chains. His expertise spans operational and commercial leadership roles across Chile, North America, and Europe, with deep involvement in designing and implementing integrated supply chain and maritime transport solutions.

Today, he serves as a consultant and business development partner supporting technology startups in Supply Chain and Logistics by helping them introduce SaaS solutions in Latin America and Iberia.

Growing up in a family with a strong maritime freight legacy, Matias developed an early fascination with ships, oceans, and global trade. Sailing during his youth shaped his character and inspired him to pursue a career in Maritime Transport and Logistics.

He has worked with well-known organizations such as Transmetrics AD, Robotto Co., Arviem AG, Culinary Foods SpA, Falabella Retail S.A., Infineon Technologies A.G., Import Consultants OHG, Southern Food Trading Ltda., Atlas Exportaciones e Importaciones S.A., J. Lauritzen Chile S.A., and Ultramar Agencia Marítima Ltda.

Recommendations

The best way to access this comprehensive Maritime Freight sourcing guide is by signing up for an SCMDOJO monthly or annual membership, unlocking access to all SCMDOJO Courses, Best Practices, and Guides.

You can also explore additional Supply Chain Best Practices on SCMDOJO, saving countless hours on tool creation and enhancing your expertise in procurement, logistics, and maritime operations.