Sea freight Shipping to the USA

Since our journey into freight forwarding over 20 years ago, we have fast become one of the leading companies originating out of the UK for getting freight to the USA by sea.

With a team of experts based in the UK and an extensive network that covers all the major and minor ports of the USA, sea freight shipping has become a speciality for us.

Operating with care, precision, and speed, we ensure your goods reach any part of the USA with the premium level of service you would expect.

Sea freight shipping to the USA is perhaps one of the most popular methods for getting items across the Atlantic and with over 700,000 Brits now living there, more and more people are looking to expert freight forwarders to get their goods overseas.

It isn’t just the personal effects shipping for relocation purposes that make us so popular, our specialised freight services mean that any industry can ship any item subject to the entry restrictions of the country.

Whether it be vehicles or veterinarian supplies, aviation equipment or ammunition, or even furniture for felines, PBS International can make sure your freight is shipped to the USA by sea, efficiently and professionally.

What’s more, the USA is large, some 9,384 million square kilometres in fact, so quite often, there isn’t a port near your final destination. That is why once your items arrive at port, our comprehensive road freight services can take over and make sure a true door-to-door service is completed.

So, no matter what you need to ship to the USA by sea, speak to the team at PBS International, we work for you to ensure that your items, no matter how big or small, arrive quickly, safely, and well looked after.

Sea freight UK to USA

Our vast level of experience and our in-depth knowledge has ensured that we have built up significant relationships with the vast majority of ports on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. This allows for seamless and fully compliant transportation of your goods. Whether they are leaving Liverpool to reach somewhere on the South coast of the USA or maybe London and heading to the East Coast, you can rest assured that freight forwarding with PBS International gets your goods to exactly where you want them.

With the USA being on extremely close terms with the UK, the value of freight that moves between the countries is, as expected, very high. At the end of 2022, the UK was exporting £168.3 billion worth of goods to the USA and this doesn’t include anything for relocation!

This can result in a clamour for the best value freight shipping to the USA from the UK and with the value of goods showing an increase of 19% on the prior year, it is only likely the demand for competitive sea freight shipping will rise too. That is why we exist, to offer those looking to move goods to the USA from the UK, a cost-effective and reliable way to get your items where they need to be when they need to be there.

Reach out to us for a free sea shipping quote and see how simple it is to have any freight shipped by sea to the USA.

Sea freight USA to UK

Just like we can have your goods arrive safely in the USA from the UK, our teams work closely with people in the USA too so that we can make sure items can also make the journey across the sea to the UK as well.

With the value of goods being shipped out of the USA into the UK totalling a huge £110.8 billion in 2022, 32% up on 2021, the desire to have freight reach the UK from the USA is increasing just like it has been the other way around.

Luckily, we are at the forefront of this demand and can help facilitate the movement of all types of freight from the USA to the UK. The ports in San Francisco, Chicago, Miami, New York and many more know us well and work with us to make sure that items are ready to be shipped to the UK quickly and safely.

All it takes is a free bespoke shipping quote from us and then you can have your items safely begin their movement from the USA to the UK. We even help with the paperwork to give you more time to focus on the rest of your relocation plans or run your business without being bogged down by forms and declarations.

Why Sea freight shipping to the USA?

With air freight shipping to the USA being a perfectly valid option for getting your items to any destination in North America, it may come as a surprise that many people choose the option to transport via sea.

Sea freight shipping to the USA gives you much more flexibility than you may have thought. Sea freight shipping to the USA is perhaps the most economical method of shipping, especially if transporting large volumes.

In addition, it is extremely safe. Cargo ships are built to carry items of all shapes, sizes and types, something air freight shipping cannot offer. This means that those more dangerous items or hazardous materials that may be restricted or even banned on aircraft can move from the UK to the USA without issue.

Further to this, at PBS International, we make sure that sea freight shipping to the USA is efficient. Where many carriers will only transport full container loads, we group together the smaller shipments to create full containers. This then provides a saving to the shippers and still fulfils the promise you kept to customers or keeps your relocation plans on track.

Should you be looking to reduce your carbon footprint too, sea freight shipping to the USA is seen as perhaps the most environmentally friendly way to ship goods across the globe.

How long does sea freight shipping take from USA to UK?

If you are sending goods from the USA to the UK, you can expect a port-to-port time of around 10-30 days but at times it can be as many as 40. The same timescale applies to the alternate journey, but you should always remain aware that weather, customs delays, and industrial action could alter this timescale.

Documents for sea freight shipping to the USA from UK

If you are opting to send your goods to the USA by sea you will need to complete a host of paperwork to make sure your items can be granted entry to the USA. It’s a headache you don’t want and that is why PBS International can help! Our team have helped complete import and export license documents for shipping items to the USA by sea many times over and working with our contacts overseas, together we work with you to make sure there are no hiccups along the way.

Should you wish to do it all yourself, no problem at all! Obviously, laws and regulations can change at any time so should you feel a little unsure, just ask us, we would be delighted to help!

When sending freight by sea to the USA you will need:

• A Commercial Invoice
• Packing List
• Export Customs Declaration
• Bill of Lading
• Sea Waybill
• Vessel, Production or Phytosanitary Certificates
• Certificate of Origin
• Letter of Credit

The list above contains all the standard documents you may need for sea shipping to the USA from the UK, but these can change so feel free to reach out anytime! Where you are importing goods and have organized sea shipping, you will need to substitute any export documents with their import equivalent, for the USA this includes an importer security filing alongside the import licence and import customs declaration.

Items prohibited from entering the USA

Whilst sea freight shipping does open the doors to a more versatile way to get goods into the USA, some items cannot enter the country regardless of the way you ship them. Similar to the paperwork requirements, this can all change at any time so please consult us should you have queries over the items you are exporting or looking to take with you when you relocate.

The current list of prohibited items for the USA is:

• Certain Food and drink
• Illegal Drugs and certain medications
• Absinthe (unless free of thujone)
• Plants, Seeds and Vegetables
• Soil
• Dog or Cat Fur
• Fish, Fish Eggs and Certain Wildlife Products
• Endangered Wildlife or Clothing and Products Made from Them
• Gold from listed countries
• Items infringing on copyright
• Material deemed as traitorous
• Certain firearms
• Certain cultural artefacts
• Hazardous substances

For further clarification, either speak to our team or contact the local USA authority for where you are relocating or sending goods.

Items restricted from entering the USA

Whilst the list of prohibited items is quite large, there is also a list of items that have restrictions placed upon them.

Large amounts of money or particularly expensive jewellery can raise suspicion and some items may be subject to additional taxes by the customs officials. Especially if documents have not been completed correctly and there is reason to believe they are being bought into the country for commercial purposes.

 

Why choose PBS International for sea freight to USA?

With PBS International not only do you have the benefit of an experienced freight forwarder, but you have a team that works with you and for you to achieve your goals. Whether you are relocating for a new life abroad or transporting items for business, we are with you every step of the way. With connections at all the major and minor ports in both the USA and the UK, you can have full peace of mind that your items are looked after, transported efficiently and importantly arrive on time.

We can also offer our warehousing and storage facilities at our Gatwick and Heathrow locations so should items need to be stored in advance of shipping, we can assist. Contact us today to find out more.