The North Atlantic is the most heavily served lane out of the U.S. East Coast, which is good news on both modes: weekly direct sailings from Newark and Savannah, and daily widebody capacity out of JFK. Post-Brexit the paperwork is heavier than it was — that, rather than the transport, is where UK shipments now stall.
Choose ocean when you have three weeks or more and the volume justifies it. Direct services to Felixstowe and Southampton avoid European transhipment, which matters because a transhipped box adds days and a second handling risk.
Air makes sense for dense, urgent or high-value cargo. Heathrow and East Midlands both clear quickly, and entries can be pre-lodged so the cargo moves the day it lands rather than the day after.
This is one of the few lanes where LCL is genuinely competitive, because consolidation volumes to Felixstowe are high and departures are weekly. Under about 8 m³ LCL almost always wins. Above roughly 15 m³ a 20' container is usually cheaper and always faster, since it skips deconsolidation at the destination depot. Between the two we price both and show you the difference in landed cost and in days.
| Lane | Transit | Mode |
|---|---|---|
| East Coast (Newark) → Felixstowe | 12–16 days | Ocean FCL |
| East Coast (Savannah) → Southampton | 14–18 days | Ocean FCL |
| Gulf (Houston) → Liverpool | 18–22 days | Ocean FCL |
| West Coast (LA) → Felixstowe | 26–32 days | Ocean FCL, via Panama |
| Newark / Savannah → Felixstowe | 18–24 days | Ocean LCL |
| JFK → London Heathrow | 2–3 days | Air |
sailing frequency on your chosen gateway, whether the service is direct or transhipped via Rotterdam or Antwerp, congestion at Felixstowe, and the customs entry being ready before arrival rather than after it.
The UK's largest container port and the default for U.S. East Coast services. Best for cargo heading to London, the South East and the Midlands.
Strong direct coverage and quicker turnarounds when Felixstowe is congested. Convenient for the South and South West.
The natural entry for the North West, Northern Ireland and Ireland, and often cheaper on inland haulage than shipping via the South.
Deep-water terminal close to the M25, favoured for retail volumes going straight into distribution centres.
The widest freighter and belly capacity from the U.S., with round-the-clock clearance handling.
Express and e-commerce gateway; often faster for Midlands and Northern delivery than routing through Heathrow.
Since Brexit, shipments from the USA to the UK clear under UK national rules rather than EU rules, and every consignment needs a full import declaration regardless of value.
Source: UK Government — Trade Tariff and import rules (gov.uk)
| From | To | Transit | Mode |
|---|---|---|---|
| Newark, NJ | Felixstowe | 12–16 days | Ocean FCL |
| Newark, NJ | Felixstowe | 18–24 days | Ocean LCL |
| Savannah, GA | Southampton | 14–18 days | Ocean FCL |
| Houston, TX | Liverpool | 18–22 days | Ocean FCL |
| JFK, NY | Heathrow | 2–3 days | Air |
| ORD, Chicago | East Midlands | 3–4 days | Air |
Our home port is Newark, four minutes from our warehouse, and Felixstowe services run weekly — so consolidations do not wait for a sailing.
EORI checks, UK Global Tariff classification and preference claims are dealt with before the vessel arrives, not after a hold notice.
The person who books your container also chases the UK clearance and the final delivery, so nothing is handed to a third party mid-file.
Port to port, 12–16 days from Newark to Felixstowe and 14–18 from Savannah to Southampton on direct services; LCL adds roughly a week for consolidation and deconsolidation. Air is 2–4 days. Door to door, add two to four days for pickup, filing and UK delivery.
Import VAT is 20% of the customs value plus duty and freight. Duty itself depends on the commodity code and commonly runs 0–12% — much machinery enters at 0%, while textiles, footwear and some food carry real rates. We calculate both before you commit so the landed cost is not a surprise.
You need a GB EORI and a correct declaration; you do not legally need a broker, but a first-time importer filing their own entry is where most delays start. We file the U.S. export side and coordinate the UK entry through our partner, so one party is accountable.
Yes, by RoRo or in a container. The original U.S. title must be presented for export, and on arrival the vehicle needs an import declaration, duty and VAT payment, then IVA or MOT approval before registration. Vehicles over 30 years old are treated differently on both duty and approval.
Ocean LCL for small volumes, ocean FCL once you exceed roughly 15 m³, in both cases through the gateway closest to your cargo. The most common avoidable cost is not the freight rate — it is trucking cargo across the U.S. to a port that was never the right one.
Yes, and it is the main change of the last few years: every consignment now needs a full UK import declaration and a GB EORI, and commodity codes follow the UK Global Tariff rather than the EU one. We treat that as part of the booking rather than something to solve on arrival.
Yes, both LCL consolidation and full containers. The document that matters is a detailed inventory with values — UK customs assess relief claims on it, and a vague list is the usual reason a household shipment is examined.
Send the volume and the postcode — we quote FCL, LCL and air side by side, with duty and VAT shown separately.