Sea freight
Full container and groupage sea freight between Europe, the Americas and Asia. Customs clearance is planned in the same shipment file as the booking.
- Modes
- FCL (full container) and LCL (groupage)
- Scope
- Port-to-port, door-to-door, sea-air on request
- Customs
- Export and import clearance in all core markets
- Best for
- Regular volumes, heavy and non-urgent cargo
Sea freight with customs built in
Sea freight is the most cost-efficient option for regular volumes, heavy goods and shipments without tight deadlines. We book container and groupage services with ocean carriers and plan the export and import clearance at the same time, so the cargo does not wait at the port for missing paperwork.
- FCL - full container load20' and 40' standard, high-cube and special equipment on request.
- LCL - groupagePart loads consolidated with other shipments for smaller volumes.
- Door-to-doorPre-carriage, ocean freight, on-carriage and delivery from one desk.
- Customs at both endsExport declaration at origin, import clearance at destination, in-house or via the Ziem network.
- Sea-air combinationsA middle ground between sea freight cost and air freight speed on selected lanes.
When sea freight is the right choice
As a rule of thumb, sea freight pays off for shipments above a few cubic metres where a transit time of several weeks is acceptable. For urgent parts, combine sea freight for the base volume with air freight, Next Flight Out or an on-board courier for the critical items.
Related services and pages
Do you offer FCL and LCL?
Yes. We arrange full container loads (FCL) and groupage (LCL) between Europe, the Americas and Asia.
Can you clear customs for sea shipments?
Yes. Customs clearance in our core markets covers sea freight as well as air freight.
What is the difference between FCL and LCL?
FCL (full container load) means you book a whole container for your goods. LCL (less than container load) means your goods share a container with other shipments, and you pay only for the space used.
When is sea freight cheaper than air freight?
For larger and heavier shipments where a transit time of several weeks is acceptable. For small or urgent shipments, air freight is usually the better choice.
What is sea-air?
Sea-air combines a sea leg with an air leg, for example by sea to a hub and by air onward. It is faster than pure sea freight and cheaper than pure air freight.
Tell us about your shipment
Send us the lane, the goods and the timeline. We reply within one business day. For urgent cargo, call us directly.