Freight forwarding agencies vary. They generally provide a diversified array of ocean freight services. These contain everything from logistical support, customs brokerage, and shipment coordination to dispatch, tracking, and price monitoring.
It's a tough business, shipping freight across global waters. Freight restrictions and taxes vary from country to country, and sometimes, even from port to port. That's why logistics providers, particularly those who also take customs brokerage, are such valuable assets to the fluidity of any supply chain using ocean transport.
Freight forwarding agencies vary, too, with other types typically providing a various array of ocean shipment services. For instance, CAF Worldwide is an Ocean Transportation Intermediary (OTI) and licensed non-vessel operating common carrier (NVOCC). There are also Otis that are exactly freight forwarders. In addition to NVOCCs and traditional forwarders, there are vessel-operating standard carriers (VOCs) and profitable cargo owners (BCOs), too.