Americans shipping personal and household effects to Israel are paying lower freight charges as the result of an agreement that went into effect this month with two steamship companies. The firms, American Expert-Isbrandtsen Lines and the Zim Lines of Israel agreed to apply the so-called container rules to shipments from the U.S. to Israel. So far they have applied only to shipments to Europe. Most general cargo is now carried in standard 20-foot containers. Freight rates are based on cubic footage. Under container rules the freight is calculated on the internal rather than external dimensions of the containers, the difference amounting to as much as 250 cubic feet, representing a considerable saving for the shipper. The companies also agreed to charge shippers of less than full container loads only for the space occupied by their goods. The Endicott Overseas Express, Inc. a major freight forwarder shipping household items to Israel, is credited with persuading the two steamship companies to apply the container rules.
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