Why Sea Freight Still Matters
For long-haul lanes, sea freight is the most cost-effective method of shipping for all kinds of cargo. The trade-off is transit time: a container on the water takes weeks where a truck takes days and a plane takes hours.
For most B2B importers, this trade-off is exactly the right one. If your goods can travel slower, the rate-per-kilo on sea freight is hard to beat.
Typical Transit Times
Our standard transit-time expectations on the two most common long-haul lanes:
- China → UK: approximately 3 weeks
- Turkey → UK: approximately 2 weeks
These are end-to-end estimates including loading at origin, ocean transit, port dwell time at destination, customs clearance and inland delivery. Actual times vary with the carrier, season and port conditions.
FCL vs LCL
Two main service types cover most sea freight needs:
- FCL (Full Container Load): you book an entire container (20 ft, 40 ft, 40 ft HC, reefer, etc.) for your cargo. Best for higher volumes and time-sensitive shipments because the container moves on a fixed schedule with no waiting for consolidation.
- LCL (Less than Container Load): your goods share a container with other consignors. Best for smaller volumes. Some additional time is needed for consolidation at origin and deconsolidation at destination.
The cost-per-kilo difference is significant. For a small shipment, LCL is usually the right answer. For anything approaching half a container, an FCL slot is often cheaper overall once you factor in handling fees.
What You Need to Send
A sea freight booking requires the following from you:
- Commercial invoice
- Packing list
- Bill of lading / sea waybill details (we generate this)
- INCOTERMS (FOB, CIF, EXW, etc.)
- HS codes for the goods (we can help if you do not have these)
- Importer's EORI number (for UK imports)
How the Lifecycle Works
- Booking — we secure vessel space and confirm cut-off dates.
- Origin handling — cargo is collected, prepared and loaded.
- Ocean transit — vessel sails under the booked schedule.
- Destination port — customs entry submitted, port dwell handled.
- Inland delivery — cargo trucked to the final delivery address.
For UK imports we handle the customs entry directly via our 24/7 clearance facility at Dover and other major ports, which removes one hand-off and speeds up the release.
Booking and Documentation
To request a sea freight quote, send us the origin, destination, commercial invoice and packing list. We confirm the rate, sailing schedule and cut-off dates within one business day.