Mercator’s export team recently handled an air freight shipment to India on behalf of the UK exporter. The goods were spare parts, packed in specially made wooden crate for air freight to India.
Due to the urgency of the shipment, the customer opted for air freight to India. The goods had been sold on a DAT incoterm (delivered at terminal), which means the UK exporter is responsible for the shipment up to the airport in the destination country, including UK export customs, transport to Heathrow airport for export, handling at Heathrow, and air freight to India. Once the pallet arrived in India, the responsibility transferred to the buyer in India.
Air freight to India from the UK can take 24-36 hours airport to airport depending on the airline, routing and whether it is a direct flight. Typically add 1-2 days either side of this transit time to take into account customs, collection/delivery, handling and (un)loading.
If you have a larger shipment (particularly bulky or heavy), then you might prefer to utilise LCL shipping (less than container load). Sea freight between India and the UK takes around 35-40 days port to port, however, the cost for sea freight is much less than air freight. Mercator has a long-standing business connection with another freight forwarder based in India, thanks to our founding membership of the forwarding network MarcoPoloLine, so our team is able to assist with any size shipment to any destination in India, including a full door to door service.
Get in touch with our team to request a quote for air freight to India. Mercator is only able to handle commercial shipments – business to business transactions. We can be contacted by calling (+44) 02392 756 575, emailing sales@mercatorcargo.co.uk or complete the form below and we will be in touch.
UK based freight forwarder Mercator recently handled a cross trade shipment of sea freight from South Korea to the US. Our customer (also based in the UK) purchased the goods from the shipper in South Korea on a FOB (free on board) incoterm. Mercator’s team therefore arranged for the sea freight from South Korea to the US, and all the associated local charges in the US, including US customs clearance and settling import duties and taxes in conjunction with our US partner agent.
As the shipment was two pallets and not time sensitive, our customer opted to utilise LCL (less than container load) sea freight from South Korea to the US. As part of the LCL process, the shipment is loaded in a shared shipping container, splitting the costs of the full container proportionately to size and weight of each shipment.
Sea freight from South Korea to the US takes in the region of 35 days port to port, depending on routing and whether it is a direct service. To calculate door to door shipping, for LCL add on up to a week either side for cut-off times by the co-loader, loading, unpacking and customs clearance to take place.
If you have a shipment that you would like to use sea freight from South Korea to the US for, then get in touch with our team for a quote. Our services for sea freight from South Korea to the US include FCL (full container load) and part loads, we can also arrange air freight if your consignment is of an urgent nature. Get in touch with our team by calling (+44) 02392 756 575, emailing sales@mercatorcargo.co.uk or completing the form below and we will be in touch.
UK based freight forwarder Mercator arranges a number of full container loads FCL from Turkey each month for various clients. A recent shipment from Istanbul on FCA (free carrier) incoterm, was handled by our import department. A FCA term means that the shipper in Turkey (i.e. the supplier) is required to complete export customs in Turkey and deliver the shipment to an agreed place in Turkey for export.
Once the shipment arrived at the agreed warehouse in Istanbul, our import team arranged in conjunction with our partner agent in Turkey for the shipment to be loaded into a 40’ high cube shipping container, delivery to Istanbul port for loading on to the next sea freight vessel.
Transit time port to port for sea freight from Turkey to the UK takes 9-14 days depending on routing. In this particular example, Istanbul to Felixstowe was 12 days port to port. Once the shipment FCL from Turkey arrived at Felixstowe port, we completed UK customs clearance, and delivery to the door of our customer in the UK.
There are preferential tariffs for some commodities from Turkey, in order to check if your goods are applicable, you can search for the commodity on the HMRC website, and select origin country as Turkey. The result will then display whether there is a tariff preference on import duty, and the rate. In order to claim this, your paperwork from the supplier in Turkey will need to have the correct wording for UK customs. As part of our service, our team will be able to clarify all of this with you.
If you have a shipment FCL from Turkey to the UK, get in touch with our team who will be glad to provide you a price based on your shipment details. We will need to know the dimensions, weight, (if your shipment is FCL from Turkey, then the size of the shipping container required, plus the weight is sufficient), incoterm, and delivery post code in the UK, as well as nature of the goods to be able to provide an accurate quote. You can contact our team by calling (+44) 02392 756 575, emailing sales@mercatorcargo.co.uk or completing the form below and we will be in touch.
Mercator is a UK based freight forwarder handling shipments to the USA regularly. Our export freight forwarder team was recently tasked with this 40’ shipping container to the USA.
Working on behalf of the UK exporter, Mercator arranged the delivery of the shipping container to the export site for loading, haulage to London Gateway port, marine insurance, VGM (verified gross mass), UK export customs and sea freight to Charleston, USA. As the UK exporter sold the goods to their US customer on CIF incoterm (cost, insurance & freight), their responsibility for the shipment ceased once the shipping container landed at Charleston port in the USA, at which point the paperwork and shipment was handed over to the freight forwarder in the USA (as appointed by the US importer).
Sea freight to the USA can take as little as 7 days to New York (port to port), and can go up to 30 days if shipping to the West Coast – passing through the Panama Canal. This particular route, from London Gateway, UK to Charleston, USA, takes around 10 days port to port. If the consignment is a full container load, then you can add just a few days either side of the transit time for cut-off times set by the shipping line and relevant customs checks and submissions. For LCL to the USA, you could be adding up to a week either side for loading, unloading, customs and handling by the warehouses.
If you are looking to appoint a freight forwarder to the USA to handle your exports, then get in touch with our team for a quote. Whether your shipment is a simple FOB (free on board) shipment, or all the way to door in the USA (on DAP or DDP terms), we can handle the whole thing for you. We have a strong relationship with our partner freight forwarder in the USA, who we will liaise with for you to get your shipment delivered as to your requirements with minimal hassle.
You get contact the team by calling (+44) 02392 756 575, emailing sales@mercatorcargo.co.uk or completing the form below and we will be in touch.
Mercator’s import team recently arranged LCL shipping from Japan for 3 pallets containing a specialist material used in cleaning products.
The UK importer purchased the goods on Ex Works (EXW) incoterm and so was responsible for arranging the entire LCL shipping from Japan (including export customs in Japan). As they appointed UK based freight forwarder Mercator, we were able to handle the entire shipment for them taking care of everything. We have a strong relationship with our partner agent based in Osaka, Japan, who we have worked with for over ten years.
In collaboration with our agent in Japan, we arranged the collection of the pallets in Japan, export customs, delivery to the co-loader for loading into the shared container, and sea freight to the UK. Once the shipment arrived in the UK, our team took full control and arranged the import customs clearance and delivery to the UK importer’s door.
This particular LCL shipping from Japan was routed from Kobe to Southampton, taking 55 days port to port. Typically, at the moment sea freight from Japan to the UK takes 50-60 days port to port. This extended time is due to the situation in the Red Sea, causing a long diversion around the Cape of Good Hope. If almost 2 months on the water sounds like too long, then the alternative is air freight which can take a matter of days from Japan to the UK, however, this service does come at a premium.
There is a trade agreement in place between the UK and Japan, which UK companies can benefit from some reduced import duty rates (depending upon the commodity classification). To check whether the goods you wish to import into the UK from Japan qualify for a reduced or nil rate, select the relevant commodity code and Japan on the UK trade tariff, and check the results.
To request a quote for LCL shipping from Japan to the UK, get in touch with our team by calling (+44) 02392 756 575, emailing sales@mercatorcargo.co.uk or completing the form below and we will be in touch.
Mercator has a dedicated import team who handles regular shipments of full shipping containers from South Korea to the UK. We were recently asked to handle this FOB (free on board) shipment of cosmetics from Busan to door in the UK for the UK importer.
The UK importer arranged with the shipper (seller) in South Korea to ship the full order in one 40’ and one 20’ shipping container. On the FOB incoterm, the UK importer was responsible for the ocean freight, UK landing charges, import customs clearance in the UK, and delivery to door, all of which Mercator’s import team handled.
In conjunction with our partner agent in Seoul, Mercator liaised with the shipper in South Korea and arranged the sea freight for the two shipping containers from South Korea to the UK. The routing for this particular shipment was Busan to Felixstowe, which has weekly sailings. The transit time from Busan, South Korea to the UK is around 40-50 days depending on exact routing and whether the route is direct or it transits.
Once the shipping containers arrived at Felixstowe, Mercator arranged the customs clearance and settled the UK import VAT and duty with HMRC. As the access at the UK importer’s delivery address was not suitable for large vehicles, we arranged for the shipping containers to be delivered to a warehouse in Felixstowe for devanning and loading on to smaller vehicles for delivery.
There is a trade deal in place between the UK and South Korea, and as a result there are some commodities which benefit from preferential tariffs (either reduced or zero import duty rates). To check whether your shipment will benefit, you can search the UK trade tariff, select the relevant commodity and South Korea, the result will display whether there is a preferential rate applicable on those goods.
If you are looking for a UK freight forwarder to handle your shipping containers from South Korea to the UK, get in touch with our team. We have handled numerous shipments from South Korea over the years and have a very strong relationship with our partner agent based in Seoul. You can get in touch with our team by calling (+44) 02392 756 575, emailing sales@mercatorcargo.co.uk or completing the form below and our team will get back to you.
Shipping lines began re-routing their cargo ships back in December 2023 / January 2024, following attacks on commercial shipping vessels by Houthis. The re-routing has involved a 3,000 mile diversion around the Cape of Good Hope, in order to avoid the Red Sea and minimise risks on sea freight vessels and crew. This routing has lengthened transit times and, naturally, increased costs involved in sea freight shipping.
In the first half of 2025, there appeared to be a lull in the number of attacks by Houthis on commercial sea freight shipping vessels. Most shipping lines remained cautious and have continued to route around the Cape of Good Hope. However, the beginning of July saw some dramatic and violent attacks, resulting in the sinking of two bulkers, and the death of at least three seafarers.
Given the current climate, it looks likely that the majority of shipping lines will maintain their cautious approach, avoiding the Red Sea, keeping the current routing around the Cape of Good Hope and associated costs on sea freight.
If you are utilising sea freight for your shipments, either involving routing around the Cape of Good Hope, or traffic from the West, get in touch with our team to request a quote. We have established relationships with the major shipping lines and consolidators (for LCL shipping), teamed with our AEO status and ability to perform customs clearances at most UK ports, UK based freight forwarder Mercator is well placed to handle your sea freight requirements. You can get in touch by calling (+44) 02392 756 575, emailing sales@mercatorcargo.co.uk or completing the form below and we will be in touch.
Figures reported by the World Shipping Council show that in 2024 there was a large increase in the number of shipping containers lost at sea compared to the previous year. Over 250 million shipping containers were transported in 2024, of these, 576 were lost at sea. 2023 figures were reported as just 221 (a record low).
The increase has been a result of the diversions of container traffic around the Cape of Good Hope, with over 200 of the 576 containers lost in the region, particularly during the severe winter storms in the area.
Around a third of the losses can be attributed to just three different vessels: the CMA CGM Belem (losing 99 containers overboard), the CMA CGM Benjamin Franklin (losing 44) and the MSC Antonia (46 overboard).
Whilst the occurrence of shipping containers being lost at sea is a very minimal risk (0.0002%), insuring cargo is a very straightforward task when you are arranging your shipment with a freight forwarder such as Mercator. We can offer cargo insurance in conjunction with your shipping package, the price of which is worked out as a percentage of the goods value plus the freight cost.
If you are looking for a UK based freight forwarder to handle your shipping tasks, get in touch with our team who will be happy to quote you. Our team is experienced in all modes, sizes and commodities for import and export shipping. You get contact the team by calling (+44) 02392 756 575, emailing sales@mercatorcargo.co.uk or completing the form below and someone will be in touch.
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Mercator is a family-run, UK based independent freight forwarder, offering highly effective sea, road and air freight services around the world.
