Rate Certainty
With contracted pricing in place, you know what your ocean freight will cost before you book. This allows for more accurate budgeting, better margin control, and fewer surprises when invoices land.
What Are NAC Rates?
A Named Account Contract (NAC) is a pricing arrangement where shipping lines recognise your business as a contracted client through your freight forwarder. Rather than relying on fluctuating spot market rates that change week to week, NAC rates lock in agreed pricing for a set period, giving you predictability and priority when it comes to space allocation.
With an NAC in place, your shipments are treated as priority cargo. This means fewer rolled containers, more reliable transit schedules, and a freight budget you can actually plan around.
The Problem with Spot Rates
For many Australian and New Zealand importers, spot rates are the default. But they come with real risks that can erode your bottom line:
Unpredictable pricing. Rates can shift significantly from one week to the next, making accurate forecasting nearly impossible.
Rolled containers. When demand spikes, spot-rate cargo is the first to be bumped. Your goods sit at port while contracted shippers take priority.
Hidden surcharges. Peak season surcharges, congestion fees, and equipment levies can push costs well beyond the quoted rate.
Supply chain disruption. Delays caused by rolled or rescheduled shipments flow on to your production timelines, retail calendars, and customer commitments.
If any of this sounds familiar, NAC rates could be the solution your supply chain has been missing.
How NAC Rates Benefit Your Business
Guaranteed Space
NAC contracts come with space allocations, meaning your containers are prioritised by the carrier. This is particularly valuable during peak seasons and periods of high demand when spot-rate cargo is routinely rolled.
Improved Supply Chain Reliability
Consistent pricing and priority loading translate to more predictable transit times. Your goods arrive when expected, keeping your operations, retail calendars, and customer commitments on track.
Protection Against Market Volatility
The ocean freight market is influenced by geopolitical events, fuel costs, carrier alliances, and seasonal demand. NAC rates provide a buffer against these fluctuations, so your logistics costs remain stable even when the market does not.
Is an NAC Right for Your Business?
NAC rates are well-suited to businesses that ship regular volumes by sea and want greater control over their freight spend. They are particularly valuable if you:
Ship FCL or regular LCL volumes on consistent trade lanes
Need to forecast freight costs accurately for budgeting or pricing purposes
Have experienced rolled containers or unreliable transit schedules
Import from key trade lanes including China, India, South East Asia, or Europe
Want to reduce exposure to spot market fluctuations
Magellan’s relationships with tier one carriers mean we can often secure NAC arrangements that would not be available to individual shippers negotiating directly.
Why Secure NAC Rates Through Magellan?
With more than 25 years of experience in international freight forwarding and strong carrier relationships across all major trade lanes, Magellan is well-positioned to negotiate competitive NAC rates on your behalf.
As an Australian Trusted Trader, we bring credibility and compliance that benefit your entire supply chain. Our team works closely with you to understand your shipping patterns, volumes, and priorities, then structures an NAC arrangement that delivers real value.
Combined with our end-to-end service covering customs clearance, wharf cartage, warehousing, and complete shipment visibility through MagTrack, your NAC rates become part of a fully managed freight solution.
Secure a NAC Rate for your Business
Ready to take the volatility out of your ocean freight costs? Talk to our team about securing NAC rates tailored to your trade lanes and shipping volumes.
