Container shipping Rotterdam to Norfolk
Are you looking for ways to ship a container from Rotterdam to Norfolk (USORF)? Sea freight offers many opportunities: it is suitable to ship large volumes for low prices, it is economical and it’s more than 50% cheaper than air. Shipping a container with sea freight such as gas-based fuels or vehicles can be facilitated by shippinglines like Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC). When you want to forward a container, you can choose from all kind of containers. An important distinction is a complete full container (FCL) and a partial filled container (LCL). Via our transport specialists we give practical information about international transport Norfolk (US ORF). We share useful information about the various sea container types. You can make use of our step-by-step plan for starting exporters. Provide us with your transport details and get a quote with extensive pricing details.
- Ocean shipping is a very popular, trustworthy and cost-effective way to ship your goods to anywhere in the world.
- When we compare this to air freight, it offers more capacity and value.
- Sea freight is excellent for worldwide movings and importing vegetables or personal goods.
- The Port of Norfolk offers excellent transit options in United States.
- Popular container types are: normal 20 & 40 foot, High Cube and Flat Rack, Dry Van, Hard-Top, Ventilated, Open-Top, Refrigerated containers.
Table of contents
Shipping to Norfolk (USORF) from Rotterdam (NLRTM)
Ocean freight shipping is the process of transporting large quantities of goods across the sea. Your material is loaded into the container. The intermediary (freight forwarder) will reserve a container for you. Your goods are loaded into the shipping vessel at the departure port Norfolk (US ORF), and will be shipped over the sea to the agent at the arrival port. You can book various solutions like port-to-door, door-to-door, port-to-port, door-to-port. In the table below you can read different kind of info about the port of arrival.
| Port of departure | Port of Rotterdam (NLRTM) |
| Country of departure | Netherlands |
| Port of destination | Port of Norfolk |
| Country of destination | United States |
| Port Code | USORF |
| Transportation time | +/- 28 days |
| Shipping rates | $$$$ |
| Local address | Address is 15070 Sundew Drive, Carrollton, VA, United States |
| POVCustomerService@vit.org | |
| Website | www.usa.gov |
| Phone number | 757-238-8699 |
Freight Forwarder Rotterdam – port of Norfolk
- Details of your shipment
Enter the departing port and the POD. Decide how you want to export: FCL (Full Container Load) or (LCL) and partial shipments. Also select the desired size (twenty foot, forty foot or a high cube).
- Cargo preparations
Obviously, your load need to be prepared in the right way. To avoid damage, make sure everything is securely placed on pallets. Also make sure you have good labels.
- Customs document
When you transport cargo to Norfolk (USORF), please pay attention to the necessary special export documents (on behalf of national customs): export/import customs declaration, bill of lading, certificates of origin, packing declaration, packing list. A Bill of Lading is a document or electronic invoice that is provided to the shipper to confirm that the goods match the description listed on the paperwork and that the load is prepared for shipping.
- Incoterms for your freight
Incoterms are important to agree on the most important contractual terms and obligations for global trade. The agreed Incoterm determines who bears responsibility for e.g. export/import documents, insurances and transport. For freight by sea, these are the most popular terms: Cost, Insurance Freight (CIF), Free On Board (FOB), Ex Works (EXW).
- Track shipment
Use cargo tracking to check where your shipment is at this moment. They will send you a mail when the ship is departed from POL (Port of loading), has arrived at the destination (POD) and when the cargo has reached its desired final destination.
Sea freight from Norfolk (USORF) to Rotterdam (NLRTM): select the container that suits the freight
You need to ship a container from port of Norfolk – (US ORF) to port of Rotterdam – (NL RTM)? An important starting point is to rent a suitable container. They are available in different sizes (twenty foot, forty foot) and multiple transport options (LCL shipment or FCL shipping). Major shipping lines that sail here include APL, China Shipping, CMA CGM, Evergreen, Hamburg Sud, Hapag-Lloyd, K Line, Maersk, MOL, NYK, OOCL, ZIM. From the port, many freights are transported to cities such as Newport News, Hampton, Poquoson, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Chesapeake, Suffolk, Williamsburg, Virginia Beach, Elizabeth City, Hopewell, Petersburg, Colonial Heights, Chester, Highland Springs, Mechanicsville, East Highland Park, Richmond, Lakeside, Bon Air. In the section below we put everything together and offer information about the most popular boxes. You can also click through to our page about Container types.
Important specifications of the 20 FT container
20 ft. containers (a.k.a. dry van) is the most preferred container size. They are easy to stack on the vessel, so the transport costs are quite low. Particularly suitable for the transport of personal effects and international removals. Nice to know: 1 TEU is the indication for 1 20 foot container.
- The most commonly used box for sending goods with transport ships.
- A 20-foot container has a surface area of: L – 5.89M. W – 2.35M. H – 2.23M.
- It can contain 11 Euro-pallets on a single level.
- You must take into account a maximum permitted weight of +/- 27.700 kilogram.
Important specifications of the 40ft container
A40 foot container is standard applied to shipping bulk goods. They can carry far more cargo at once. This makes it an excellent choice for shipping large sea freight. What you may not know: there are also special 40 foot containers such as the ‘high cube’ deal. It is about one foot taller than a normal box. Ideal for tall items.
- Used for dry freight of all kinds.
- The dimensions are the same internationally: L 12.19m x W 2.44m x H 2.59m.
- It can carry between 23 and 24 Europallets in one tier.
- Maximum load is about +/- 28.100 kilogram.
Instant Ocean Freight Rates: instant shipping rates
Compare costs from popular international transport companies
Use a Full Container (FCL)
f you have enough goods to fill one full container load, then you can book your own full container. This is known as an FCL (Full Container Load). You don’t need to share your container with anyone else. It is a popular transport method: ideal transit time, a smaller chance of damage to the freight and and it costs less at the bottom of the line. You have to pay attention to a few things: the transport over land is more complex (truck) and insurance is extra important. Departing from another port? Also check out Antwerp to Norfolk (USORF) and Hamburg to Norfolk (USORF).
- The idea of FCL is that you book a single container exclusively for your cargo transportation only.
- Suitable for as many small items on pallets as large goods.
- For shipments that are larger than 10 CBM.
- Available at: e.g. COSCO, CMA CGM, ONE, Hapag-Lloyd, Maersk.
What is a Less than container (LCL)?
With a small freight, you can use be made of a shared container. Logistics management organization handles this as a LCL (Less Than Container Load). The concept of LCL is that you pay per m3 or per metric ton for space inside a complete container. There are many benefits like: you’re only charged for the space you are using, the handling and insurance costs are limited and more flexible during intense shipping season. Pay attention: if you can fill more than half of a container, then it is often more interesting to go for an FCL shipping. The shipping costs are calculated on the basis of the dimensions of the package i.e. the length, width.
- LCL Means that means that you make use of a partial container for the transportation.
- The best choice for a charge between 2 m3 – 14 m3.
- Freight costs are typically based on cargo volume.
- Capabilities at almost all international ports.
- Available at: e.g. Evergreen, Yang Ming, HMM, ZIM, POL.
Other special types of containers
You can choose from many types of boxes for shipping your items. Each type of cargo requires a different approach. The most common type is the Dry van. Special boxes are also being used for liquids, fruit, vegetables, meat, fish or unique high value cargo. You can read more about it below. We also provide more information about sea transportation to Sousse (TNSUS), port of Khorramshahr (IRKHO), La Spezia (ITSPE) harbor and terminal Tincan (NGTIN).
- Bulk Containers: used for transportation of dry bulk cargo like wheat, rice and corn.
- Flat Rack Containers: it is flat and cargo can be loaded either from the sides or from the top.
- Hard-Top Containers: special roof makes it fairly easier to load and unload the cargo through forklift.
- High-Cube Containers: extremely functional for transporting light and large cargo.
- Insulated Containers: for shipping of products that need to be maintained at specific temperatures.
- Open-Top Containers: is a shipping box without a roof.
- Palletwide Containers: perfect for transporting cargo on europellets.
- Refrigerated Containers: reefers are big fridges that are used to transport temperature controlled cargoes.
- Tank Containers: ideal for transport and distribution of bulk liquids.
- Ventilated Containers: used to transport cargo with good moisture contents which requires ventilation while transit.
Main types of ocean freight: What do you want to ship?
Transporting stuff by ocean from Rotterdam (NLRTM) to Norfolk (USORF) have all kinds of advantages: low maintenance cost, you can ship easily big and high volume cargo and eco-friendly. Much seen ocean cargo exported via sea lines are: dry bulk, neo bulk, containerized, liquid bulk, break bulk. You will find all the information in the box below.
- Car shipping: your vehicle (car/motorcycle) will be shipped safely and relatively cheaply.
- House Moving: affordable and reliable way for international relocations.
- Removals (Household Goods): have your household effects shipped to a new home.
- Liquid Bulk: e.g. chemicals, gasoline, petroleum, biofuels, kerosene, hydrogen.
- Dry Bulk: iron ore, coal, grain and things like cement, salt, sugar, sand.
- Roll on Roll off (RORO): vessels that are used to carry wheeled cargo.
- Breakbulk: consists of goods transported, stored and handled piecemeal to some degree.
- Retail & other: freight like clothes, electronic goods, medical/pharmacy, toys, art and antiques + machines, food, furniture, drinks, fashion.
All you need to know about international transport (FAQ)
Shipping a container from Rotterdam (NL) to Norfolk takes approximately 28 days. The total distance is approximately 6800 nautical miles (NM). That equates to 12594 kilometers. If you ship something by sea, you have to pay close attention to ETD and ETA. Estimated time of departure (ETD) is when the ship is estimated to leave the port. ETA is the date and time at which the vessel is expected to arrive at the dock. The actual shipping time depends on condition of the hull and the propeller, wind force and direction and any technical malfunctions.
Shipping rates from Rotterdam (Netherlands) to Norfolk (United States) are relatively expensive. The total cost depends on various parts such as the size of the container, shipping route and freight forwarder handling fees. Fill in the request form for a completely free, no-obligation quote today.
When you are exporting goods to Norfolk, then customs clearance is an important step. Exporters need to include the following documents with their goods: Letter of Credit, Commercial Invoice, Import/export Licenses, Insurance Certificate, Packing List, Bill of Lading. If you are not sure whether you will be charged extra or not, you can contact the customs of United States or view the website of the port/government (www.usa.gov).
Incoterms are a set of standardized terms of delivery terms used international trade. The most commonly used Incoterms are FOB and CIF. Cost, Insurance and Freight (CIF) means the exporting party takes care of the cost and freight of bringing the goods to the agreed port. By Free on Board (FOB) we mean the seller is responsible for the entire logistics process for the cargo till the moment that it’s all loaded into the vessel. There are additionally more Incoterms 2000 like Delivered Duty Paid (DDP), Carriage Paid To (CPT), Ex Works (EXW), Free Carrier (FCA) and Cost and Freight (CFR), Delivered At Place (DAP), Delivered at Place Unloaded (DPU).