Ocean and Air Shipping from the USA to UAE

The United States and the United Arab Emirates have a close relationship based on three pillars: security, prosperity, and a shared perspective. The United Arab Emirates, with the world’s most effective multicultural economy, is a stable and crucial economic trading partner of the United States. 

In this article, you will get to know about the ways of shipping from the US to the UAE,  

The United States of America is the world’s largest economy, trader, and source and destination of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI).US market and production have become more integrated, especially with emerging economies. China, Canada, Mexico, and Japan are the largest trading partners in the US. The top US exports are food, beverages, feed, crude oil, petroleum, and fuel. 

UAE, the most open and innovative economy in the world, is a dependable and significant economic partner of the United States of America. UAE is the key partner of the United States and plays an influential role in the Middle East. US exports to the UAE have expanded and diversified in the past decade. 

What are the Different Options for Shipping from the US to UAE? 

The United States and the United Arab Emirates have one of the strongest commercial ties in the world. The UAE has been the Middle East and North Africa’s largest export market for US products and services. 

If you want to ship your cargo from the US to UAE, as you can see, there are two options to ship freight from the US to the UAE – by air freight or ocean freight. 

Shipping cost depends on these factors: 

• The shipping method (FCL/LCL/Air) 
• The volume of goods 
• Types of relocation service (door-to-door/door-to-port/port-to-port) 
• Destination 

Airfreight from the US to UAE 

Yes! It’s convenient if you need to travel overseas fast, but it’s not ideal for saving money. If your goods have a short shelf life, lightweight or fragile then you should take air freight. In this case, air freight would be a good option. 

Ocean freight from the US to UAE 

There are two more options when it comes to ocean freight: 

 1- Less than container Load (LCL) 

 2- Full Container Load (FCL) 

LCL: The term “LCL shipment” refers to this sort of freight, when the shipper doesn’t have a sufficient amount of product that can fit in a large container so he books cargo with a consolidator to combine his commodities with those of other shippers.  

FCL: It’s controlled by a single shipper, and it’s not necessary the container has to be loaded fully. If a single shipper books a half-or quarter-loaded container under one shipment, the shipment is referred to as an FCL shipment. 

What would be the cost to ship cargo from the US to the UAE?  

Is it more significant to get your items transported as soon as possible or keep your expenses down?  

When you ship goods from the US to UAE, Sea freight is a better and economical option than shipping by air. We are giving you some examples of sending goods from the US to the UAE, So you can have a rough idea of how this process works. 

In terms of the cost, ocean freight from the US is more economical than air freight with pricing $1300 to $7000 varying by destination and container size.  

Shipping firms determine their expenses based on five parameters. 

• Freight quantity/amount 
• Mode of transportation 
• Destination 
• Season 
• Distance traveled 

When it comes to international shipping prices, the mode of transportation is another important aspect. It all comes down to striking the adequate mix between your priorities. 

What will be the Transit Time to ship cargo from the US to UAE? 

In comparison to ocean freight, air freight is a quick mode of transportation. Cargo planes can arrive in the UAE in two or three days from anywhere on the globe. Unfortunately, air freight is pricey,  

If you pick sea freight, your goods will be transported in either a 20ft or a 40ft container, depending on the quantity of cargo you have. But, it will take almost 30 to 50 days to arrive in the UAE from the US. 

By Air, → It takes 4 – 8 days  
By Sea, → It takes 30 – 60 days 

If your goods have a short shelf life, lightweight or fragile then you should take air freight. In this case, air freight would be a good option. 

Ocean Freight Transit Time from the US to UAE 

We mentioned all related details regarding transit time in days from the Us to UAE in the following table: 

Port→Destination	Route 1 (Days)	Route 2  (Days)	Route 3  (Days)	Route 4  (Days)	Route 5  (Days)	Direct Route  (Days)
Boston→ Dubai/Shj	33	48`	67	79	80	—
Newyork/new Jersey→ Dubai/Shj	33	48	67	79	80	—
Miami→ Dubai/Shj	36	47	63	79	80	—
Savannah→ Dubai	35	48	65	79	80	—
Baltimore→ Dubai	35	49	66	80	81	—
Houston→ Dubai	40	51	65	82	83	—
Chicago→ Dubai	38	54	76	87	87	—
Norfolk→ Dubai	34	48	66	79	80	—
Los Angeles/Long Beach→ Dubai	—	—	—	—	—	46
San Francisco→ Dubai	—	—	—	—	—	45
San Diago→ Dubai	—	—	—	—	—	47

Here is so more detail about routes.

Route 1 → Suez Canal 

Route 2 → Cape of Good Hope 

Route 3 → Panama Canal 

Route 4 → Strait of Magellan 

Route 5 → Cape Horn 

Air Freight Transit Time from the US to UAE 

Origin	Dubai, UAE
Atlanta (ATL)	4 days
Chicago (RFD)	3 days
Houston (IAH)	8 days
Detroit (DTW)	4 days
Seattle (SEA)	4 days
NewYork (JFK)	3 days
Los Angeles (LAX)	4 days
Cincinnati (CVG)	4 days
Dallas (DFW)	6 days
Boston (MHT)	6 day
San Francisco (SFO)	4 days

What are the Major Seaports in the US? 

There are some busiest ports in the US mentioned below and their details in terms of overseas traffic. 

• Port of South Louisiana (Louisiana) 
• Port of Houston (Taxes) 
• Port of New York?New Jersey (NewYork/New Jersey) 
• Port of Beaumont (Texes) 
• Port of Long Beach (California) 
• Port of Mobile (Alabama) 
• Port of Los Angeles (California) 
• Port of Boston (Massachusetts) 
• Port of Everglades (Florida) 

Port of Louisiana  

• In all US ports, Louisiana port handles the largest amount of shipping in tonnage. 
• Located at the Mississippi River. 
• It accounted for 60% of all raw grain exports. 

• Also serves as the ports headquarters location 

Port of Houston 

• One of the largest ports and serves the metropolitan area of Houston. 
• It’s the 2nd busiest port in the US and 16th busiest port in the world in terms of foreign tonnage. 

• Located at the confluence of Buffalo by the University of Houston Downtown. 
• Two separate terminals are dedicated to the handling of cargo containers only. 

Port of NewYork/ New Jersey 

• The busiest container terminal in tonnage on the East coast of the United States. 
• One of the world’s largest natural harbors. 
• Top gateway for international flights 
• It has four container terminals. 

Port of Boston 

• Boston Harbor and the city of Boston are also nearby. 
• It’s also been an entry point for many immigrants. 
• It has many wharves and pier facilities. 

Port of Los Angeles 

• Located in the San Pedro and Wilmington areas of San Pedro Bay. 
• 9.3million twenty-foot equivalent units annual container volume 

• 7,500 acres size of the port and 3,200 acres size of harbor 
• 175 million metric revenue tons annual cargo tonnage 
• The number one freight gateway in the US 

What are the Major Seaports in the UAE? 

Some prominent seaports in UAE are mentioned below: 

• Jebel Ali port ( Dubai) 
• Khor Fakkan (Sharjah) 
• Mussafah port (Abu Dhabi) 
• Port of Fujairah (Fujairah) 
• Khalifa Port (Abu Dhabi) 

Jebel Ali Port 

• It’s ranked 7th in the largest port in the world. 
• 13.6 million TEU annual container volume 
• The largest man-made harbor and ninth busiest port in the world 
• It is 134 sqm in size with 67 berths 

Khor Fakkan Port 

• It’s one of the leading container transshipment ports in the Middle East 
• Located at Sharjah’s Indian Ocean Coast 

• A major container terminal with natural deepwater 
• It has 6 quays with 2000 meter length 
• 700.000 sqm total acres 
• It has 450,000sqm storage space 

Musaffah Port 

• It’s the second oldest deepwater port after Zayed port in UAE 
• Wide range of facilities of general cargo like break-bulk and RO/RO operators 
• 342 meters long main quay and two  40  meters quays that covers an area of 37,500 sqm 

• Located at Musaffah industrial area Abu Dhabi 
• It has a deepwater port and channel as well 

Port of Fujairah 

• Multi-purpose port located 70 nautical miles from the Strait of Hormuz. 
• Provide access to worldwide trade and fulfills the marine requirement of the global shipping industry 
• It’s connected to the Etihad Rail that linked the industrial city of Ruwais 

Khalifa Port 

• Located at Taweelah in Abu Dhabi 
• The type of harbor that has containers, reefers, general cargo, dry and liquid  bulk, RO/RO, and project cargo 
• Its ship-to-shore quay cranes are the world’s biggest, and it features 42 automatic stacking cranes and shuttle carriers. 
• Around 1.3 million TEUs annual cargo volume in 2014 

What are the Major Airports in the United States? 

The United States alone has 19,622 airports including over 5000 public airports. There is a difference between the busiest and biggest airports. 

Some of the biggest airports in the US are: 

• Denver International Airport (DEN) 137.26 Km² (33,917 acres) 
• Dallas/Fortworth International Airport (DFW) 69.63 Km² (17,050 acres) 
• Washington Dulles International Airport 52.6 Km² (13,000 acres) 
• Orlando International Airport 47 Km² (11,609 acres) 
• John F Kennedy International Airport (JFK) 21 Km² (5,207 acres) 

The following are some of the busiest airports in the United States: 

• Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) 103.9 million traffic  
• Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) 84.5 million traffic 
• Dallas/Fortworth International Airport (DFW)  75 million traffic 
• Denver International Airport (DEN) 61 million Traffic 
• John F Kennedy International Airport (JFK) 61 million traffic 
• San Francisco International Airport (SFO) 56 million traffic 

George Bush International Airport (IAH) 

Houston (city) 
Airlines (32) 
Destinations (169) 
Terminals (5) 
Atlas Air/ United Airlines (Hub) 
Handled 24 million passengers in 2020 

Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) 

Los Angeles (city) 
Airlines (62) 
Destinations (149) 
Terminal (9) 
Handled 29 million passengers in 2020 
Alaska Airlines / American Airlines / Delta Air / United Airlines / JetBlue (Hub) 

Dallas/ Fortworth International Airport (DFW)

Dallas- FortWorth (city) 
Airlines (33) 
Destination (187) 
Terminal (5) 
Handled  39 million passengers in 2020 
American Airlines / Spirit Airlines / AmeriFlight/ UPS Airlines (Hub) 

Denver International Airport (DEN) 

Denver (city) 
Airlines (24) 
Destinations (169) 
Terminal (1) 
Midfield Concourses (3) 
Handled 33 million passengers in 2020 
Frontier Airlines / United Airlines / Southwest Airlines (Hub) 

John F Kennedy International Airport (JFK) 

NewYork (city) 
Airlines (74) 
Destinations (162) 
Terminal (6) 
Handled 16 million passengers in 2020 
American Airlines / Delta Air/ Jet Blue  (Hub) 

What are the Emirates Major Airports?

Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH) 
Dubai International Airport (DXB) 
Sharjah International Airport (SHJ) 

Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH) 

Abu Dhabi (city) 
Airlines (58) 
Destination (87) 
Terminal (3) 
Handled 10.6 million passengers in 2019 
Handled 147,853 tons of cargo in 2019 
Air Arabia/ Etihad Airways /Etihad Cargo/ Wizz Air  (Hub) 

Dubai International Airport (DXB) 

Dubai (city) 
Airlines (84)
Destinations (188) 
Terminal (3) 
Handled 23.9 million passengers in 2020 
Handled 2,514,918 T cargo in 2020 
Emirates/ FedEx Express/ FlyDubai  (Hub) 

Sharjah International Airport 

Sharjah (city)  
Airlines (16) 
Destinations (78) 
Terminal (5) 
Handled 13.6 million passengers in 2019 
Handled 500,000 tons of cargo in 2019 
Air Arabia / Lufthansa Cargo/ Singapore Airlines Cargo (Hub) 

What Documents are Needed to Clear Customs in the UAE? 

Before filling out the customs import declaration, the importer obtains the proper approvals from the specified permit granting authority in case of restricted items or duty-exempt goods. 

The document needed for import authorization is not the same for all commodities. The common documents required for import customs clearance in UAE. 

• Bill of Entry 
• Commercial Invoice 
• Bill of lading/ Airway Bill 
• Packing List 
• Certificate of Origin 
• Insurance Certificate 
• Import License  

Read further for more detail about Custom Clearance in UAE 

Which One is Better: Sea Freight VS Airfreight?

Airfreight is the most expensive method of shipping but it is reliable and safer than ocean freight and this option is reserved for urgent item delivery. But, the shipment in bulk quantity from the US to the UAE ocean freight is the best option so far. 

Although, your shipments will be handled multiple times in multiple destinations until it reaches the USA. In this case, an expert and professional freight forwarder can help you to move your cargo safely from the USA to UAE.