Shanghai Port · Service
International Freight Forwarding from Shanghai
International freight forwarding from Shanghai Port, combining FCL and LCL with export customs, documentation and trucking according to the agreed scope. Destination services are confirmed separately.
The short version
Freight forwarding from Shanghai is mostly coordination — booking, customs, declaration, trucking and the terminal work in between — and the difficult cases are the ones with extra requirements layered on.
What does this service actually cover?
Freight forwarding is the coordination layer: the booking, the documents, the customs, the movement on both ends and the people who have to be told what is happening. The difficult cargo cases are simply the ones where more of those steps can go wrong.
Most shipments are straightforward. The ones worth paying attention to are the cargo types with extra requirements — dangerous goods, lithium batteries, oversized equipment — and the multi-leg routings where the handover points matter.
A useful starting point for any conversation is the cargo, the UN number if there is one, the destination and the required arrival date. From that it is usually possible to say quickly whether the shipment is straightforward or needs planning.
Shipment types handled
What is included in the service?
- Booking
- DG document coordination, where applicable
- DG filings, where applicable and commissioned
- Export customs within the agreed scope
- Trucking, if commissioned
- Partner warehousing, if commissioned
- Container loading and securing
- Shipping line coordination
How does a shipment actually move?
These are coordination stages, not a rule that every activity waits for the previous one. Documents, loading and customs may progress in parallel.
Requirement review
Cargo type, packaging, quantity, origin, destination and required timing. For dangerous cargo, the UN number and documentation state.
Routing and mode
FCL, LCL or a combination. Direct sailing versus transhipment, with the trade-off being transit time versus cost and frequency.
Cost breakdown
Ocean freight, surcharges, documentation and origin charges itemised, so the comparison against another quote is meaningful.
Execution
Booking, customs, trucking, loading and documentation, with updates at the points that matter.
Sailing and destination handover
Sailing confirmed, documents issued, and destination arrangements confirmed or handed to the destination agent.
What information and documents should we prepare?
Documents for an international forwarding shipment
- Commercial invoiceRequired
- Packing listRequired
- Existing booking referenceConditional
If you already have a booking; not a prerequisite for the first enquiry.
- Bill of lading instructionsConditional
Prepare for the agreed documentation stage and confirm the relevant cut-off.
- Container VGM arrangementsConditional
For the relevant packed-container stage, agree measurement and submission responsibilities; not an initial enquiry document.
- Available dangerous goods supporting documentsConditional
SDS, classification or packaging evidence and UN38.3 test summary where applicable. Later filing records are coordinated separately.
- Certificate of originConditional
Not sure what you need?
What is different about this port?
Port choice affects the whole plan
Waigaoqiao and Yangshan have different sailing availability and different consolidation setups. Which one suits depends on the cargo, the destination and the timing.
Documentation errors are the expensive mistakes
A missing certificate or an invoice that does not match the cargo can stop a shipment at the border rather than at origin. Checking documents before submission is cheaper than fixing them afterwards.
Questions I get asked most often
- What do you need from me to start?
- Cargo type, packaging, quantity, origin port, destination and required timing. If the cargo is dangerous goods, add the UN number and send the MSDS even if the classification is not confirmed.
- Do you handle both FCL and LCL?
- Yes. For a single commodity above roughly a container, FCL is usually the practical choice. Below that, LCL works but the fixed charges per unit are higher and the timing is less under your control.
- Can you tell me which shipping option is cheapest?
- I can show you the cost and the timing of each realistic option. The cheapest total is not always the best choice — a cheaper routing that misses the required arrival date is not cheaper at all.
- Do you handle customs clearance?
- Export customs can be included in the agreed commission. We identify the required information and check applicable product-specific licensing or inspection requirements; destination clearance is separate unless explicitly included.
- What if my cargo has special requirements?
- Tell me what they are. Dangerous goods, lithium batteries, oversized cargo, temperature control, a specific carrier — each of these changes the plan, and it is better to plan around them at the start than to adjust after booking.
Before you book
Classification, packing and acceptance remain subject to the current edition of applicable regulations, carrier review and port requirements. Final dangerous goods acceptance is made by the carrier after document review — submitting a request through this website is a preliminary assessment, not a booking confirmation.
Tell me your UN number and destination
Cargo name, UN number if you have it, quantity, packaging and destination port. If the classification is unclear, say so and send the MSDS.