How to do Ocean Freight Shipping from China to the UK 2024

Ocean Freight to the UK Ports

The following information will help you become acquainted with some of the most important maritime freight routes for shipping to the United Kingdom. While this page only covers port-to-port shipping legs, Shipa Freight also provides port-to-door and door-to-door transportation to locations around the British Isles.

In comparison to larger nations such as the United States and China, the United Kingdom, while being surrounded by water, does not have a huge number of container ports. The two most major ports in England are Felixstowe in the east and Southampton on the south coast. As a result, the majority of trade lines supplying the UK terminate at one of these two ports.

The United Kingdom and the United States have always had positive relations, and trade between the two countries is robust. Many of the main carriers convey ocean freight from the United States to UK ports. If you need to export items between these two countries, there will be no shortage of companies prepared to help.

Indeed, the following top-five list of busiest routes reveals that some of the most important ocean-freight trade pathways to the UK originate in the United States.

Busiest Shipping Routes to the United Kingdom

The following five connections are among the busiest for freight to the United Kingdom based solely on the number of cargo vessels planned on specific maritime routes:

Savannah, Georgia to Southampton, England Charleston (South Carolina) to Southampton Long Beach (California) to Southampton Antwerp (Belgium) to Felixstowe (England)

Longest and Shortest Transit Times

While ocean freight shipping from the United States to UK ports is undeniably popular, it also takes time. The longest maritime commerce route, however, is the one connecting the United Kingdom and Australia.

A container vessel takes roughly 45 days to journey from Sydney, Australia, to the Scottish port of Grangemouth.

At the other end of the spectrum, with only the comparatively thin English Channel separating the United Kingdom from Northern Europe, the quickest transit times are those on routes connecting the European ports of Rotterdam, Bremerhaven, Hamburg, Le Havre, and Antwerp with Felixstowe and Southampton. Many cargo ships make the trip between these ports in a single day or less.

How to do Ocean Freight Shipping from China to the UK 2024

Ocean Freight to UK Ports: Example Routes and Transit Times

From Asia and Oceania

Country of Origin	Port of Origin	Destination Port	Duration
Australia	Sydney	Grangemouth	45 Days
China	Xiamen	Felixstowe	29 Days
China	Qingdao	Felixstowe	35 Days
China	Ningbo	Felixstowe	33 Days
China	Shanghai	Felixstowe	31 Days
China	Shanghai	Southampton	29 Days
China	Shanghai	London Gateway	29 Days
China	Shenzhen	London Gateway	29 Days
China	Shenzhen	Felixstowe	29 Days
China	Shenzhen	Southampton	29 Days
China	Ningbo	London Gateway	30 Days
China	Ningbo	Southampton	30 Days
China	Qingdao	London Gateway	43 Days
China	Qingdao	Southampton	43 Days
China	Dalian	London Gateway	41 Days
China	Dalian	Felixstowe	41 Days
China	Dalian	London Gateway	41 Days
China	Xiamen	London Gateway	27 Days
China	Xiamen	Southampton	27 Days
China	Lianyungang	London Gateway	38 Days
China	Lianyungang	Felixstowe	38 Days
China	Lianyungang	Southampton	38 Days
China	Nanjing	London Gateway	36 Days
China	Nanjing	Felixstowe	36 Days
China	Nanjing	Southampton	36 Days
Hong Kong	Hong Kong	Southampton	38 Days
Hong Kong	Hong Kong	London Gateway	38 Days
Hong Kong	Hong Kong	Felixstowe	26 Days
Indonesia	Jakarta	Felixstowe	28 Days
Indonesia	Jakarta	London Gateway	28 Days
Indonesia	Jakarta	Southampton	28 Days
Indonesia	Surabaya	Felixstowe	31 Days
Indonesia	Surabaya	London Gateway	31 Days
Indonesia	Surabaya	Southampton	31 Days
Japan	Kobe	London Gateway	38 Days
Japan	Kobe	Felixstowe	38 Days
Japan	Kobe	Southampton	38 Days
Malaysia	Port Klang	Felixstowe	28 Days
Malaysia	Port Klang	London Gateway	28 Days
Malaysia	Port Klang	Southampton	28 Days
Malaysia	Tanjung Pelepas	Felixstowe	20 Days
Malaysia	Tanjung Pelepas	London Gateway	25 Days
Malaysia	Tanjung Pelepas	Southampton	25 Days
Philippines	Manila	Southampton	32 Days
Philippines	Manila	London Gateway	32 Days
Philippines	Manila	Felixstowe	33 Days
Singapore	Singapore	London Gateway	18 Days
Singapore	Singapore	Southampton	21 Days
Singapore	Singapore	Felixstowe	18 Days
South Korea	Busan	London Gateway	37 Days
South Korea	Busan	Felixstowe	32 Days
South Korea	Busan	Southampton	37 Days
Sri Lanka	Colombo	Felixstowe	15 Days
Taiwan	Kaohsiung	Southampton	35 Days
Taiwan	Kaohsiung	Felixstowe	35 Days
Taiwan	Kaohsiung	London Gateway	35 Days
Thailand	Laem Chabang	Felixstowe	30 Days
Thailand	Laem Chabang	London Gateway	30 Days
Thailand	Laem Chabang	Southampton	30 Days
Vietnam	Hai Phong	London Gateway	32 Days
Vietnam	Hai Phong	Felixstowe	32 Days
Vietnam	Hai Phong	Southampton	32 Days
Vietnam	Ho Chi Minh City	Felixstowe	31 Days
Vietnam	Ho Chi Minh City	Southampton	31 Days
Vietnam	Ho Chi Minh City	London Gateway	31 Days

Restricted Imports to the United Kingdom

Restrictions and licensing requirements exist for some types of UK imports. A few of these regulations apply to imports from all countries, while other restrictions/prohibitions exist only to control imports from outside the European Union.

For example, the following imports are prohibited or restricted regardless of their origin:

Agricultural products (require licensing)
Controlled drugs (restricted and controlled by licensing)
Explosives (prohibited under most circumstances)
Firearms (controlled by license)

Products that may be imported freely into the UK from EU countries, but not from countries outside the union include:

Nuts and dried fruits (regulated/require health certification)
Animal products (require health/veterinary checks before customs will clear them for entry)
Honey (prohibited)
Cordless telephones (require permissions)
Foods and beverages (require health checks before customs will clear them for entry
Plants (require licenses and health certification)
Products manufactured in foreign prisons (with some exceptions)

This is not an exhaustive list and the intent is only to provide a few examples.

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