Sea Freight in Newcastle

Newcastle Road Haulage can help you with Sea Freight to and from Newcastle, the north east and around the surrounding areas.

• Versatile
• Precise
• Dependable

Sea Freight in Newcastle

Container shipping is how most goods reach the North East from overseas, and how a lot of what is made here reaches buyers abroad. We arrange sea freight and container shipping for businesses in Newcastle, Gateshead, Sunderland and across the region. Booking the vessel and preparing the customs and shipping documents is done by our freight forwarding partner; our drivers move the goods by road between the port and your premises.

Having both sides arranged together saves the usual chasing. The container is booked, the collection is timed against the sailing, and when an import lands the delivery is already being planned.

Container shipping services we arrange

• Export containers delivered empty to your site, loaded by you and taken to the port
• Import containers collected from the port and delivered to your premises
• Pallets collected for shared container shipments
• Empty containers returned to the shipping line after unloading

Which port?

The North East has its own ports on the Tyne and the Tees, and many container services also run through the big southern ports such as Felixstowe and Southampton. Which one your goods use depends on the shipping line, the destination and the service booked. A northern port can mean a much shorter road leg. A southern port may offer more frequent sailings or a direct service to where your goods are going.

When goods go through Felixstowe, the road leg from Newcastle is a long one and has to be booked against the port's receiving window. Our Felixstowe container haulage page explains how those runs work. For local container moves around Tyneside and Wearside, see our container transport in Newcastle.

Shared container shipping for smaller loads

Plenty of North East importers do not need a full container. Five or six pallets from a supplier in Asia, a crate of spares for an offshore project, a mixed order for a shop: these travel as shared container loads. You pay for the cubic space your goods take, and the forwarder arranges consolidation with other cargo.

Shared shipments involve more handling, so packing matters. Pallets should be wrapped and strapped, cartons strong enough to be stacked, and every package clearly marked with the consignee and a reference. Goods that arrive damaged in a shared container are usually the ones that were packed for a van rather than a voyage.

Offshore, energy and project cargo

The region's offshore and energy businesses ship a lot of awkward cargo: spares and tooling in heavy crates, equipment that needs to be on a quay or a site by a fixed date, and items too big for a standard container. Oversize pieces often travel on flat rack or open top containers, and the road leg then has to be planned around the extra width or height. If you are shipping project cargo, send the dimensions, weights and the date it must arrive, and we will plan both the road side and the shipping around it. Getting the dates in early matters more than anything else on these jobs.

Cost: what goes into a sea freight price

• Ocean freight rate for the route, which moves with demand and season
• Shipping line surcharges, such as fuel
• Port and terminal handling at each end
• Customs declarations, and any duty and import VAT
• The UK road leg, which varies a lot depending on the port used
• Storage or container charges if collection runs past the free days

Customs and documents

Before anything sails, check you have a GB EORI number, an invoice showing the value of the goods, a packing list and the commodity codes. Release at the destination usually depends on the bill of lading, so keep track of who holds it. If an agent is making declarations for you, HMRC lists the points to check before you appoint them. Our freight forwarding in Newcastle page covers the rest of the service.

Areas covered

Our drivers collect and deliver sea freight in Newcastle, Gateshead, Sunderland, Durham, Washington, South Shields, Hartlepool and Middlesbrough, and across Northumberland and County Durham.

Why North East businesses use us

• Vessel booking and road haulage arranged by one contact
• Advice on the port that suits the route and the road leg
• Long runs to southern ports planned around receiving windows
• Imports booked for delivery before the port's free time runs out, when release allows
• Quotes split into shipping, port, customs and road costs

Frequently asked questions

How much does container shipping cost from Newcastle?

The biggest variables are the route and the ocean rate at the time, followed by the port used and the length of the road leg. A container through a northern port can cost less to move by road than one through Felixstowe. We quote the whole shipment once we know the details.

Can I ship by sea without a full container?

Yes. Smaller shipments travel as shared container loads, and you pay for the space your goods take up.

Do I need cargo insurance?

It is worth considering. Carriers' liability is limited and rarely matches the full value of the goods.

What happens when my import container arrives?

Once customs clear it and the shipping line releases it, we collect it from the port and deliver to your premises at a booked time. After unloading, we return the empty container.

Get a sea freight quote in Newcastle

Send us the goods, how much there is, the origin or destination and your dates. You will get a reply naming the route, the port and what it costs. Phone the office or send the details through our contact form.