UK freight forwarder Mercator recently handled a full container load of shoes for sea freight from Vietnam.
The UK importer purchased the goods on a FOB (free on board) term, which means the exporter in Vietnam was responsible for loading the shipping container, transporting it to the port, loading the container on to the vessel, and export clearance in Vietnam. Once the shipment was on the sea freight vessel, our team handled the sea freight from Vietnam, UK landside charges at the port, customs clearance and delivery to door on behalf of the importer.
Transit time from port to port for sea freight from Vietnam to the UK is approximately 35 days, add 2-3 days on either side for FCL and up to 7 days for LCL – to cover time to load, unload and customs clearance. There are weekly sailings from Vietnam to the UK on various shipping lines, each with their own routing and schedules.
Choosing a routing/schedule will generally be mostly influenced by the location of the goods in Vietnam, the delivery address in the UK. It is usually more economical to select closer ports to collection and delivery.
The UK and Vietnam are both part of CPTPP (Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership) which is a trade deal in place covering trade between a group of countries including Japan, Chile and Peru to name a few. To check if the goods you are importing from Vietnam qualify for a reduced rate of import duty, you can search the UK trade tariff for the commodity, select Vietnam as the origin. In order to claim preference you will need to obtain a certificate of origin from your supplier in Vietnam to confirm the origin of the goods.
If you have a shipment for sea freight from Vietnam to the UK, get in touch with our team who will be happy to put a quote together for you. We have a partner agent in Ho Chi Minh who we have been working with for many years, they are able to liaise with the shipper in Vietnam, and even assist to complete a shipment from door in Vietnam (EXW – ex works). You can get in touch with the team by calling (+44) 02392 756 575, emailing sales@mercatorcargo.co.uk or by completing the form below and we will be in touch.
