Ocean Freight Services for US Importers
Platton moves FCL and LCL ocean freight of any size from Asia and Europe into US ports. As the #1 import-focused forwarder in the US, we give you instant quotes with live pricing, rates locked at booking, and tracking on every container. That means fewer surprise charges and fewer calls to the carrier.
Container Shipping With Fewer Surprises and More Visibility
Most ocean problems trace back to the same gaps: quotes that move with the departure date and containers that go dark between ports. Platton closes both. Pricing is locked at booking, and every shipment is visible in real time.
We handle vessel booking, documentation, and port coordination for both FCL shipping and LCL shipping, and we keep your operations team updated without anyone chasing status.
Reliability and speed
A five-day vessel delay can cost a retailer window, trigger demurrage, and put your warehouse on overtime. Platton pre-screens carriers for on-time performance on each lane and routes around known port congestion, so the container lands when you planned.
Confirmed carrier space
Direct relationships with the major ocean carriers mean Platton books confirmed space, including in peak season when spot-market bookings roll. You get competitive rates and a sailing schedule you can plan around.
Locked-in pricing
Platton checks ocean freight rates daily and locks your price at booking, so the number you approve before departure is the number on the invoice.
Real-time container tracking
You see the container from origin loading through vessel departure, port arrival, and customs release. Updates reach your team automatically, so nobody has to call us to find the box.
Where Ocean Shipments Go Wrong, and How Platton Prevents It
Port congestion and vessel rollovers
Congestion, rollovers, and missed ETAs cascade into warehouse overtime, empty shelves, and chargebacks. Platton watches every active shipment and flags a delay before it becomes a cost, so you can adjust before the container is already late.
Unclear total costs
Platton quotes every charge before you book and names each line: ocean freight, origin and destination charges, terminal handling (THC), fuel surcharge (BAF), and documentation fees.
ISF filing and customs paperwork
Bill of lading, ISF filing, customs entry, delivery order. Your team sends the commercial invoice and packing list early, because ISF filing happens before departure. Platton's supplier document validation catches a missing or wrong document while it can still be fixed at origin.
Platton's Ocean Freight Track Record
Platton moves container freight on the main import lanes into US ports. The credentials behind that:
Member of WCA, JCtrans, and NCBFAA, the networks and associations that vet and connect established forwarders.
Four US offices: Seattle, Portland, Chicago, and Savannah.
Import lanes from China, Vietnam, India, and Europe into every major US gateway: Los Angeles and Long Beach, New York and New Jersey, Savannah, Houston, Seattle, and Oakland.
FCL, LCL, and buyers consolidation.
Confirmed Space Across Major Ocean Carriers
Platton books with Maersk, MSC, CMA CGM, Evergreen, Hapag-Lloyd, and other established lines. That secures confirmed space and competitive rates on every major lane into the US, including the lanes the spot market drops when rates spike. Platton runs weekly departures on the trade lanes to the US from China, Vietnam, India, and Europe.
Sailings leave from the main ports of each origin, among them Shanghai, Ho Chi Minh City, Nhava Sheva, and Rotterdam. Containers discharge at the US gateway that suits your warehouse: any of the gateways named above, plus Tacoma, Charleston, and Norfolk.
What Every Platton Ocean Shipment Includes
Every shipment includes:
FCL shipping and LCL shipping with confirmed carrier space at booking
Real-time cargo tracking from vessel departure to customs release
Customs and port documentation coordinated by licensed brokers
Coverage on all major lanes into the US, including shipping from China to the USA
LCL consolidation for smaller volumes, and buyers consolidation when you source from several suppliers
How Platton Manages Ocean Freight Rates and Costs
What drives ocean freight rates
Fuel prices, port congestion, trade volumes, and carrier blank sailings can move ocean rates inside a single quarter. Platton tracks these signals so your team sees pressure building before it reaches the invoice.
How we lock in pricing at booking
You plan landed cost on a number that does not move, instead of rebooking on the spot market at peak.
How Online Ocean Freight Booking Works
Platton runs booking and documentation with automation pulling data straight from your shipping documents to cut manual entry and keep tracking in one place. Whether you ship LCL consolidations or full containers, every move runs with the same control.
Booking sea freight on our cargo management platform takes four steps:
- Enter the origin port, the US port, and your cargo.
- Pick the sailing and carrier that fit your dates from the quote.
- Confirm the booking and upload your shipping documents.
- Follow the container on the same screen.
Start Your Next Ocean Shipment with Platton
If you want an ocean freight partner that runs the shipment cleanly and tells you where the container is, Platton is ready. You get transparent pricing on every shipment into the US.
Get a Quote
Book and track ocean shipments, from booking confirmation to customs release
AI-powered rate comparison and route optimization for your departure window, instead of taking the first carrier with space
Explore Platton's Ocean Freight Services
Go deeper on the service your cargo needs.
Extra Services for Ocean Cargo
Add these when your cargo needs more than the ocean leg:
Drayage to truck the container from the port to your warehouse
Warehouse services, including transloading near the port
Cargo insurance for the goods inside the container
Amazon FBA shipping for Amazon sellers and e-commerce brands
Door-to-door shipping and full-cycle management under one point of contact
Common Questions About Ocean Freight
Ocean freight moves your cargo by container vessel from an origin port to a US port. Transit runs roughly 14 to 18 days from China to the US West Coast and 28 to 35 days to the East Coast, before customs and inland delivery.
FCL (full container load) gives you a whole 20ft or 40ft container, which is faster to handle and cheaper per unit once you have the volume. LCL (less than container load) shares a container with other shippers and is billed by cubic meter, which fits smaller shipments. The FCL vs LCL comparison shows which one fits your cargo.
The price depends on how you ship: per container for FCL or per cubic meter or weight for LCL, plus origin and destination charges on top of the ocean rate. The guide to how ocean freight rates are built explains each charge you will see on a quote.
Three ways: carrier relationships that lock competitive rates before peak surges, LCL and buyers consolidation when a full container is not warranted, and pricing that lists every charge at booking.
An ocean freight forwarder manages the container move on your behalf: carrier booking, bill of lading, documentation, vessel tracking, and port coordination.
Ocean is the right call when cargo is heavy or bulky and the timeline allows a few weeks in transit, which covers most manufactured goods and raw materials. When a shipment is urgent or high value for its weight, air freight can be worth the premium.
Get an Ocean Freight Quote for Your Next Shipment
Tell us your lane and cargo, and get an instant quote for FCL, LCL, or buyers consolidation on the next weekly sailing.