Honest comparison
Delta Novel or ZIM? Often the honest answer is both.
ZIM is a shipping line. Delta Novel is a carrier-neutral forwarder. That makes this less a duel than a division of labour — and yes, we can put your container on a ZIM vessel.
ZIM is not a forwarder — it is one of the world's leading container carriers, with its own fleet, its own network of lines and a brand promise we will not pretend to dislike: "Innovative Shipping Dedicated to You". Their myZIM platform lets you quote, book and manage shipments online, with ZIM experts and local offices behind the screens. Digital self-service with real people behind it — that is exactly the philosophy Delta Novel is built on, so when we say we admire it, we mean it.
The difference is the layer of the stack. A carrier sails its own ships: ZIM's services taxonomy is ocean plus inland — dry, reefer, special and dangerous cargo, inland transport — with no LCL, no air freight and no customs brokerage, because ZIM sticks to its trade. Delta Novel is the forwarder layer, built in Ravenna since 1998: live FCL, LCL and air rates on covered lanes, booking, tracking and documents in one place, a copilot that answers about your shipments in thirty seconds with a named Ravenna operator behind it, in-house Italian customs, road and warehousing — and carrier neutrality, which means we compare the lines on your lane and book ZIM when ZIM is the right answer.
Side by side
| Delta Novel | ZIM | |
|---|---|---|
| What you are dealing with | A carrier-neutral freight forwarder — we compare lines and book the right one | A container shipping line with its own fleet and network |
| Digital platform with people behind it | Live rates, booking, tracking, documents and an AI copilot — plus a named Ravenna operator | myZIM for quoting, booking and managing — with ZIM experts and local offices |
| LCL and air freight | Yes — LCL groupage, plus air via Malpensa, Bergamo and Rome | Not in the portfolio — the services taxonomy is ocean and inland |
| Italian customs brokerage | In-house: import, export, transit, T1, AEO-aligned | Not offered — clearance stays with your broker or forwarder |
| FCL volume contracts on ZIM's trades | We book the best line per lane — sometimes that is ZIM | Stronger — contract rates direct with the carrier, managed in myZIM |
When going direct to ZIM is the right choice
If you ship steady FCL volumes on ZIM's strongest trades — they name Israel to the Mediterranean, America and the Caribbean — a volume contract direct with the carrier can be the right move: your own agreement, contract booking in myZIM, one counterpart. We would rather tell you that than sit in the middle of a lane that does not need us. Where you need LCL, air, customs or more than one carrier, that is where a forwarder earns its place.
Questions people ask
Is Delta Novel an alternative to ZIM?
More a complement than an alternative. ZIM is a carrier; Delta Novel is a forwarder. We compare the lines on your lane and can book ZIM when its service is the right fit — and we handle the parts ZIM does not offer: LCL, air, road, customs and documents.
What does a forwarder add if I can book on myZIM?
myZIM is genuinely good at what it covers: ZIM's own ocean services. A forwarder adds choice across lines, LCL groupage when you don't fill a container, air freight when it is urgent, in-house Italian customs — and one named operator across all of it.
Can Delta Novel handle customs for a shipment ZIM carries?
Yes. Our in-house Italian customs desk — import, export, transit, T1, AEO-aligned — clears goods whichever carrier is on the bill of lading. A ZIM sailing pairs naturally with our customs clearance and inland legs.
Search a live rate now — and if a ZIM sailing is the best answer on your lane, that is exactly what we will book.
Get an instant rateZIM facts from zim.com as of August 2026. ZIM is a trademark of its owner; Delta Novel is independent and unaffiliated.
All company and product names are trademarks of their respective owners, used here for identification only. Delta Novel is independent and unaffiliated. Competitor information comes from each company’s own public website as of August 2026 and may change.