Sea Freight: FCL and LCL Container Transport Worldwide
Sea freight is the most economical mode of transport for large volumes in overseas trade: as FCL you book a complete container (20- or 40-foot), as LCL only the cubic metres you need in a consolidated container. Logisticoo organises the shipping from Hamburg and Bremerhaven including pre-carriage, customs and on-carriage — you receive your quote within 30 minutes.
For trade goods, machinery, project volumes and anything that can arrive in weeks rather than days, sea freight is unbeatably cheap per tonne. The fundamental choice is FCL or LCL: with a full container load, you book a complete container exclusively — the 20-foot container with around 33 m³, the 40-foot with 67 m³, or the 40-foot high cube with about 76 m³ of capacity. With less than container load, you share a consolidated container with other shippers and pay only for the cubic metres occupied — sensible for shipments of roughly one to thirteen cubic metres; above that, your own container is usually cheaper.
Logisticoo offers your sea freight as a seamless chain: truck pre-carriage from your loading dock to the terminal, shipping via the German seaports of Hamburg and Bremerhaven, export and import customs clearance, and on-carriage to the recipient's door. On request, we also take care of container stuffing with professional cargo securing — the most common cause of damage in sea transport when it is underestimated.
Transit times are predictable if you set them realistically: the Far East is around 28 to 35 days port to port, the US East Coast 10 to 14, and the Arabian Gulf about 25 to 30 days — plus pre- and on-carriage and customs clearance. Your dispatcher monitors the booking, closing deadlines and arrival, and gets in touch proactively when shipping lines shift their schedules, instead of leaving you in the dark.
We handle the documentation in full: bill of lading, commercial invoice and packing list, proofs of origin, and coordination of the Incoterms with your trading partner — so it is clear who bears which costs and risks from which point. You send us the description of goods, volume and route, and receive a concrete quote with departure and transit-time details within 30 minutes.
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How it works
01 · Enquiry and booking
You state the volume, weight, goods and destination port or address. We recommend FCL or LCL, book the appropriate sailing with the shipping line and send you the quote including transit time within 30 minutes.
02 · Pre-carriage, stuffing and export
The container is delivered to you, or your LCL goods are brought to the consolidation warehouse. We secure the cargo professionally, prepare the bill of lading and export declaration, and deliver to the terminal on time before closing.
03 · Sea transport, customs and delivery
During the voyage we track the vessel and the ETA. At the destination port, our partner handles import clearance, followed by on-carriage to the recipient's dock — you receive all documents and status updates digitally.
Pricing & rules of thumb
Sea freight is priced by container use, not per kilometre: FCL as a flat rate per 20-/40-foot container, LCL by the cubic metres used in a shared container. You receive the quote by volume, weight and route in 30 minutes.
- FCL: flat rate per container (20', 40', 40' HC), independent of the distance
- LCL: billed by the cubic metres used, from 1 m³
- Plus port handling, documents (B/L), VGM and customs clearance
- Road pre- and on-carriage to the seaport priced per km (Sprinter from ~€1.10/km) — transparently itemised
Your advantages
- Lowest freight costs per tonne for intercontinental transport
- FCL and LCL from a single source — we price both options for your volume
- Complete chain including pre-carriage, container stuffing, customs and on-carriage to the dock
- Shipping via Hamburg and Bremerhaven with active monitoring of closings and ETA
- Complete documentation: bill of lading, proofs of origin, Incoterms advice
- Significantly lower CO2 emissions per tonne-kilometre than air freight
Frequently asked questions
From what volume does FCL pay off instead of LCL?
As a rule of thumb: up to about 13 cubic metres, LCL in a consolidated container is usually cheaper; above that, your own 20-foot container pays off — also because FCL saves the handling in the consolidation warehouse and is therefore faster and gentler. For heavy goods, FCL can pay off even earlier. We price both options for you in the quote.
How long does sea freight from China to Germany take?
The pure port-to-port transit from the main Chinese ports to Hamburg or Bremerhaven is around 28 to 35 days. Door to door, realistically plan on five to seven weeks including pre-carriage in China, customs clearance and on-carriage in Germany. LCL shipments need a few days more than FCL because of the consolidation.
What is a bill of lading?
The bill of lading is the central document in sea freight: it confirms that the carrier has taken over the goods, documents the contract of carriage and, as a document of title, embodies the right to claim delivery — whoever holds the original B/L can dispose of the goods. Alternatively, we use a sea waybill when no documentary letter of credit is involved. Logisticoo takes care of the issuance.
Does Logisticoo also handle customs clearance?
Yes, in full: export declaration in Germany, import clearance in the destination country via our partners in 55 countries, plus proofs of origin and preference documents where agreements exist. You provide the commercial invoice and packing list; we take care of tariff classification and clearance — one contact for transport and customs.
How much does sea freight cost?
Sea freight is priced by container use, not per kilometre: FCL as a flat rate per 20- or 40-foot container, LCL by the cubic metres used from 1 m³. Added to this are port handling, documents, VGM and customs, plus the per-kilometre road pre- and on-carriage (Sprinter from about €1.10/km). A flat €/km rate does not apply in sea freight — you receive the quote by volume, weight and route in 30 minutes.
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