Incoterms for Aquaculture Equipment: EXW, FOB, CIF, DAP and DDP Explained

Two RAS quotes can look far apart simply because they use different shipping terms. Incoterms are the international rules that define where the supplier's responsibility ends and yours begins — for cost, for risk and for paperwork. Comparing quotes without aligning them is comparing different products.

EXW — Ex Works

The supplier makes the goods available at their factory. You arrange and pay for loading, export clearance, freight, insurance, import clearance and inland delivery. The lowest headline price, but the most work and risk for the buyer.

FOB — Free On Board

The supplier delivers the goods loaded on the vessel at the named port of departure and handles export clearance. From that point, freight, insurance and risk are yours. Common for buyers with their own freight forwarder.

CFR and CIF — Cost and Freight / Cost, Insurance and Freight

The supplier pays sea freight to your destination port; under CIF they also buy minimum insurance. Note that risk still passes to you when the goods are loaded at origin, even though the supplier paid the freight. Check whether minimum cover is enough for high-value equipment.

DAP — Delivered At Place

The supplier delivers to a named place, often your site, ready for unloading. You handle import clearance, duties and taxes. Useful when you want one party responsible for the whole journey but prefer to manage customs locally.

DDP — Delivered Duty Paid

The supplier delivers to your site with duties and import taxes paid. The simplest for the buyer and the highest quoted price. Not every supplier can offer it in every country.

Which one to ask for

For comparison, ask all suppliers to quote on the same term — often FOB plus a separate CIF or DAP price to your port or site. Then add the costs you carry yourself on top, so each proposal is compared as a delivered, landed cost. The RAS equipment prices and landed cost article shows how.

Physical logistics — containers, packing and inspection — are covered in shipping RAS equipment internationally.

FishMatch Group reviews every brief manually before sourcing begins; suppliers are never contacted automatically and supplier identities are never exposed. Start with a human-reviewed RFQ.