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info@cuba-shipping.comShipping Guide
Sea freight / Booking / Documents / Cost / Arrival
We run one lane: China to Mariel. This page collects what a shipper needs before booking - the sailings we operate, the export file we prepare, and the port rules that decide whether a container clears on arrival.
The six Chinese ports on this service
One monthly vessel calls at one or two of these ports on any given sailing, so the sequence changes month to month. What does not change is the trade behind the choice: the further north you load, the shorter the inland haul to the water and the longer the sea time to Mariel.
| Port | Position on the service | Inland collection | Total to Mariel | Best suited to |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tianjin | Northernmost call | 2-4 days | 52-64 days | Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, Shanxi and Inner Mongolia — the shortest inland haul and the lowest inland cost. |
| Qingdao | Second-northernmost call | 2-4 days | 50-62 days | Shandong cargo, and refrigerated loads — the largest reefer capacity on the service. |
| Taicang | Middle of the coast run | 1-3 days | 49-61 days | Suzhou-Wuxi-Changzhou electronics and furniture — the densest export base in China. |
| Taizhou | Zhejiang deep-water call | 2-4 days | 48-60 days | Wenzhou footwear, Yiwu and Jinhua small commodities, and Ningbo-Zhoushan deep-water cargo. |
| Guangzhou | Southern calls | 1-3 days | 47-59 days | Guangdong volume — the shortest sea time of the six and the widest range of sailings. |
| Dongguan | Southernmost call | 1-2 days | 46-58 days | Pearl River Delta OEM work — electronics, lighting, toys and small-batch custom orders. |
The Route
One vessel a month calls at one or two Chinese ports and then crosses to Mariel. The calls are not fixed from month to month — they are chosen against the cargo each sailing has committed — but every one of the six is a regular call on this service.
The journey, gate-in to discharge
Your loading port
Load · Gate-in to vessel
Your container loads at the Chinese port on your booking, and the vessel then works whichever other Chinese ports this sailing has committed to.
Other Chinese calls on this sailing
Coast · On board
The vessel works the Chinese coast southbound before it turns towards Cuba.
Mariel, Cuba
Ocean · 45-50 days
The leg the 45-50 day figure measures, running from the vessel's last Chinese call to discharge in Mariel.
Which Chinese ports the vessel calls at is settled for each sailing, so the call sequence on your booking can differ from the previous month. What does not change is the shape of the route: your container loads at the port you book, the vessel works the coast southbound, and crosses to Mariel.
Your container is loaded once and stays on the same vessel all the way to Mariel. Nothing is broken down, reloaded or re-declared on the way, so there is no second handling to plan for and no second set of papers to chase.
Because we run a single lane, the export file, the compliance screening and the destination handling are the same on every port. A customer loading at any one of the six works with the same team and the same document set as a customer loading at any of the others — moving between loading ports is a routing change, not a change of provider.
A monthly service means a missed date costs you a month, so we watch the vessel sailing by sailing and tell you when one is running behind. Where there is still room on a sailing we will get you on it; where there is not, you know early enough to plan around it.
Six China origin ports book into Mariel on a monthly sailing. We quote against the carrier rate for that specific departure, so the transit window we give you is the one we work to.
Clearance starts with the export file. We prepare the commercial invoice, packing list and certificate of origin to Cuban customs format, and courier the originals to Mariel with the container.
Tariffs, permits and restricted-goods rules change. We track them for our customers and flag early when something affects a shipment that is already booked. The commercial rules sit in the trade guide; the port-side rules sit on the Mariel page.
Booking & Transit
A China to Mariel move is measured by separate clocks, and most quotations only show the ocean one. Here is how the days separate on this lane, from the moment the cargo leaves your gate to the moment it is released in Cuba.
Collection and export file
2-5
Factory to port, stuffing, declaration and cut-off
Ocean leg to Mariel
45-50
Last China port departure to discharge
Clearance in Cuba
5-10
Permit, customs entry, duty and release
Every quotation states the load port and the discharge date we are working to, and it states which sailing those dates come from.
Booking
Space on this service is tight, and a monthly sailing gives you one date a month to work around. The practical sequence is to confirm the sailing with us first and then tell your supplier when the goods have to be ready — not the other way round, because a supplier who promises a date the vessel cannot make is a problem you pay for twice.
We check the space on the next sailing out of your chosen port and give you the cut-off date, normally thirty days ahead.
With the cut-off fixed, you brief your supplier on when the cargo has to be at the factory for collection, so production and the vessel work to the same date.
Collection is arranged from your factory to the port, by road or by rail depending on how far inland you are. The export declaration is filed and the container is sealed with a condition photo on file.
The container reaches the terminal before the cut-off, and the vessel sails with it on the next available call.
Dangerous goods need more runway: 10-14 days before the sailing for the classification and identification reports to be filed with the carrier.
Documents
The document set is the same on every sailing on this lane, because it is the same lane and the same destination rules no matter which Chinese port you load at. Getting the file right before the container is stuffed is what keeps the container moving on arrival rather than sitting at the terminal.
Filed through China Single Window before the container leaves your gate, and it must be activated in time or the filing has to be redone.
We file it, you confirm the cargo details
The value, description and terms of sale. It has to match what is actually in the container.
You provide it, we check it against the packing list
Package count, weights and dimensions. The stuffing plan should match it before sealing.
You provide it, we check it at stuffing
The carrier issues it after the vessel sails. It is the document of title, so the terms of release matter to the importer.
We issue it
Issued for the consignment, and it is what supports the duty treatment the importer applies on the Cuban side.
We arrange it on your instruction
Required for dangerous goods. A chemical cargo needs a classification report, an identification report, a safety data sheet and a packing certificate, all filed before booking.
You provide the reports, we file them with the carrier
The dangerous-goods paperwork is the one part of the file that has to be ready before the booking, not before the stuffing. The other file risk is the importer’s MLC card: a card that reads active can still be held on arrival if the issuing bank applies a compliance review to the balance, so we check the card status at 7 days, 3 days and 1 day before sailing, and we ask the importer to switch on balance alerts rather than rely on a status check alone.
Documents, payment terms and sanctions rules in the shipping guideWhat You Are Paying For
Ocean freight is the headline, but it is rarely more than two-thirds of the invoice. The inland leg is usually the part that decides the total, because the further north the port sits the shorter the inland haul but the later the arrival in Cuba.
Priced against the carrier rate for the specific sailing and container type, and it moves with season, space and cargo mix.
Terminal handling and the port charges that fall due at your loading port, collected once on export. Tariffs are set per terminal, so the origin charges are not the same figure whichever of the six ports you load at — we itemise them rather than folding them into the ocean freight.
Factory to your loading port by road or rail. Same container, same vessel, very different cost — and on this lane it is the single biggest variable. The run is short from the belt around the port and long enough to be its own line item from further inland.
Broker fees, certificate of origin, third-party inspection and fumigation certificates.
Handling, clearance and container release in Cuba, handled by our destination agent. The free time at Mariel is part of this line, and everything after it is charged by the day.
What moves the price
Every quote is priced against a real sailing and a real allocation, and states what is included.
On Arrival
Arrival handling is where a week of delay turns into real money, so we start it before the vessel berths.
We tell our destination agent as the vessel approaches, so pre-clearance runs in parallel with the discharge.
The destination agent files the customs entry against the documents you filed at origin and settles the duty.
The container is released to the importer at Mariel, and from there it is arranged locally by whoever takes delivery.
FAQ
Sanctions screening covers all parties (shipper, consignee, banking). We verify before sailing — if a screening flags an issue, we work with you on alternative routes (third-country transit) or document correction. We share compliance status in advance.
Yes. MLC card verification is the most common friction point for Cuba imports. We pre-verify MLC card status before sailing to avoid customs holds. If MLC verification fails, we coordinate with the Cuba importer on alternative payment paths.
FCL 40HQ Mariel from China typically runs $3,500-$5,500 USD depending on origin port, season, and fuel surcharge. LCL from $120/CBM. Share your cargo details for an updated quote.
Yes — humanitarian and NGO shipments are a Cuba specialty. We coordinate the required general licences, customs documentation, and Mariel handoff for donated goods.
We coordinate Mariel port release and can arrange inland delivery via our local partner network depending on consignee location. Most importers pick up at Mariel.
FAQ
The ocean leg is 45-50 days, from the moment the vessel leaves its last Chinese port to discharge in Mariel. LCL adds 4-5 days for consolidation. The total time from your gate to the Cuban port also includes collection, export filing and clearance, and cargo loaded at an earlier Chinese port is on board while the vessel works the rest of the coast on that sailing.
Yes — the monthly service goes straight to Mariel. The vessel calls at one or two Chinese ports on the way, and your goods load at your port and stay on board through the other calls, with no transshipment. The quotation states the actual sequence of calls and the arrival date.
Because the ocean clock starts at the last Chinese call. Cargo loaded at an earlier port is already on board when the vessel works the rest of the Chinese coast, so it reaches Mariel later than cargo loaded at the last call of the same sailing — even though both leave on the same voyage.
It comes down to where your factory is and which sailing has space. The further north you load the shorter the inland haul and the later the arrival in Cuba, so the trade is inland cost against sea time — the six ports are compared side by side above.
Mariel is the port built for containers at scale, with newer equipment and 24-48 hour unloading. Santiago runs older equipment with longer discharge times, and most China sailings route through Mariel anyway, so we concentrate 95% of our China→Cuba volume there for reliability and cost-effectiveness.
Thirty days free time at the port, counted from discharge. After that, demurrage and detention start to accumulate, so it is worth having the import file ready before the vessel berths rather than after.
Yes, as Class 9 dangerous goods with an MSDS, a UN38.3 test report and a packing certificate, all filed before booking.
Export declaration, commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading and certificate of origin. On the Cuban side an import permit, MLC card verification and sanctions screening confirmation are also required, and we handle all of them. Chemical and dangerous cargo adds a hazard classification and identification report.
Roughly 6 weeks before Chinese New Year and 3 weeks before National Day. Book 4-6 weeks ahead in those windows.
Thirty days for routine cargo — space on this service is tight, so we recommend you confirm the sailing before you commit to your supplier. Payment is on T/T or documentary credit terms.
Send us the cargo type, volume and your China origin port. We will tell you what the route requires before you commit to a sailing.
