Ocean exports · Outbound from the United States
How an export actually moves.
From the letter of instruction to the documents reaching your buyer — the filings, the three cut-offs that decide whether the container sails, and what we need from you.
How it moves
Step by step, in order.
Each stage has to close before the next one opens. Where a deadline is fixed by law or by the carrier, it is marked.
- Step 01Quote and booking
You send the lane, the commodity, and the load. We quote it, book the space and the equipment with the carrier, and confirm the sailing along with three separate deadlines: documentation cut-off, VGM cut-off, and port cut-off.
- Step 02Shipper's letter of instruction
The SLI is where you authorize us to prepare the documents and file on your behalf, and it is where the export data starts: parties, Schedule B numbers, values, and terms of sale. Everything downstream is built from it.
- Step 03Screening the parties
Before we move anything we screen the consignee, the ultimate consignee, and the intermediate parties against U.S. restricted-party and sanctions lists, and we check whether the commodity needs a license.
HARD STOP — A restricted-party or sanctions hit stops the shipment. No booking is worth an export violation, and we will not move cargo around one. - Step 04Export filing through AES
Electronic Export Information is filed through the Automated Export System, and the system returns an Internal Transaction Number. The ITN goes on the bill of lading. We file as your authorized agent under the power of attorney or the SLI.
WHEN IT APPLIES — EEI is required when the value of any single Schedule B commodity exceeds $2,500, when an export license is required at any value, and for certain destinations and commodities regardless of value. - Step 05Cargo receiving, loading, and VGM
Cargo is received at the terminal or the CFS for consolidation and loading. The verified gross mass of every packed container must be submitted to the carrier before it can be loaded — this is a SOLAS requirement, not a carrier preference.
DEADLINE — No VGM, no load. A container without a submitted VGM by the cut-off is rolled to the next sailing, and the roll is at the shipper’s cost. - Step 06Bill of lading
We issue the GLL Global house bill of lading against your instructions — straight, to order, or to a letter of credit. Corrections after the manifest closes attract carrier amendment fees, so the draft goes to you for approval before it is finalized.
- Step 07Sailing and documents to the consignee
The vessel sails and the documents go where you tell us — direct to the consignee, to the bank under a letter of credit, or held for telex release once payment clears. We track through to arrival and hand off to the destination agent.
What we need from you
Send these and the file moves.
Missing paperwork is the most common reason a container is rolled. If you are not sure which of these applies, send what you have and we will tell you what is outstanding.
Shipment basics
Before we can book
- Origin pickup address and destination — port or door
- Commodity description and Schedule B or HTS number
- Container type and count, or weight, dimensions, and piece count
- Cargo ready date and Incoterms
- Special handling: hazmat with the DG declaration, reefer setting, overweight, out-of-gauge
Documents and filings
Before the cut-off
- Shipper's letter of instruction
- Commercial invoice and packing list
- USPPI details — name, address, and EIN
- Ultimate consignee name, address, and type
- ECCN and license details, or the license exception claimed, for controlled goods
- Verified gross mass for every packed container
- Letter-of-credit terms, where documents must be presented to a bank
- Certificates of origin or legalization, where the destination requires them
Compliance
What U.S. export rules expect before a container sails.
The USPPI carries the liability
The U.S. Principal Party in Interest is responsible for the accuracy of the export data even when a forwarder files it. We file as your agent — the authority comes from you, and so does the data we file on.
Routed transactions change who files
In a routed export, the foreign buyer appoints the forwarder and takes on the filing. It changes who holds the power of attorney and who answers for the EEI. Tell us up front if the sale is routed, because it changes the paperwork from the first document onward.
Licenses and controlled goods
Most goods leave under no license required, but the Commerce Control List, the destination, the end user, and the end use can each change that. Encryption, aerospace parts, machine tools, and dual-use chemicals are common surprises.
Sanctions apply to everyone
OFAC and restricted-party obligations sit on the exporter, the forwarder, and the carrier alike. Screening is not a formality we perform for our own protection; it is a condition of the shipment moving.
This page is general guidance on how ocean freight moves, not legal or customs advice. Requirements change and depend on the commodity, the country, and the parties involved. Ask us about your shipment.