Aerial view of a loaded container ship on open blue sea

FMC-licensed NVOCC · Green Brook, New Jersey

Ocean freight on our own bills of lading

Full containers, LCL, reefers and RoRo from New York, New Jersey and every major US port to 193+ countries. We book with the major carriers, issue our own house bills of lading and release your cargo within 60 minutes of payment.

  • FMC-licensed NVOCC
  • Own house B/Ls
  • 20' to 45' HC
  • Reefer, open top, flat rack
Direction
Shipping mode

Step 1 of 5 · about 2 minutes

Carriers and lines we work with

  • Maersk
  • CMA CGM
  • Hapag-Lloyd
  • Arkas
  • MSC
  • Evergreen Line
  • Wan Hai Lines
  • COSCO Shipping
  • Ocean Network Express (ONE)
  • OOCL
  • HMM
  • ZIM
  • Yang Ming
  • PIL (Pacific International Lines)
  • Turkish Airlines
  • Etihad Airways
  • Ethiopian Airlines
  • Royal Jordanian
  • EgyptAir
  • PIA (Pakistan International Airlines)
  • Saudia
  • Emirates
  • Qatar Airways
  • Lufthansa
  • British Airways
  • Air France
  • KLM
  • United Airlines
  • American Airlines
  • Delta Air Lines
  • Cathay Pacific
  • Singapore Airlines
  • Korean Air
  • Cargolux
  • China Airlines
  • Air India
Gulf routing

The Strait of Hormuz is restricted. We route Gulf-bound containers via Khor Fakkan, Fujairah, Sohar or Jeddah with onward trucking, or move urgent cargo by air. Gulf shipping guide

VCS containers stacked on a ship deck at sunrise
FMC-licensed NVOCCYour cargo under a VCS house bill of lading

Why book with an NVOCC

One company for the booking, the papers and the release.

VIP Cargo Services is licensed by the Federal Maritime Commission as a non-vessel-operating common carrier. We buy space from the ocean carriers, file our rates in our NVOCC tariff and issue you our own house bill of lading.

For you that means one contact who books the box, arranges the trucking, files the export paperwork and releases the cargo. When a vessel rolls or a cut-off moves, the person who calls you is the person who booked it.

  • Space with Maersk, CMA CGM, Hapag-Lloyd, MSC, Evergreen, Wan Hai and Arkas
  • Draft B/L for your approval, then original, telex release or sea waybill
  • AES / ITN export filing done in-house
  • Door to door, door to port or port to port
  • Cargo released within 60 minutes of payment on PayCargo

Equipment

Containers for every kind of cargo.

We book the box that fits the cargo, the route and the carrier. If you are not sure, send us the pieces and weights and we will choose.

  • 20' GP

    For heavy, dense cargo such as machinery parts, tiles or bagged goods. Hits its weight limit before it runs out of room.

  • 40' GP

    About twice the floor space of a 20'. A common choice for general cargo, furniture and mixed commercial goods.

  • 40' HC

    About 30 cm taller than a standard 40'. More cubic space for light, bulky or palletized cargo.

  • 45' HC

    Longer and taller again, for light cargo that outgrows a 40' HC. We confirm the carrier and route take 45s before we quote.

  • Reefer

    20' and 40' refrigerated containers, set to the temperature on your booking, for chilled and frozen cargo.

  • Open top

    Loaded from above by crane, for tall machinery and cargo that will not fit through the doors.

  • Flat rack

    No roof and no side walls, for out-of-gauge machinery, vehicles, boats and heavy equipment.

  • LCL

    Share a container through our consolidation program and pay only for the space your cargo takes.

Container guide

Which container fits your cargo?

Pick a container to see its inside measurements and what it suits best. Not sure? Send us the cargo details and we'll choose for you.

Quote a 40' HC

Typical figures. Exact measurements and payload vary by carrier and box.

ISO 668 · 40' High CubeExternal dims · mm
VCS container truck driving through a container port under gantry cranes

FCL · full container load

A full container, sealed at your door.

We book the container with the carrier, send the empty to your dock or warehouse, and truck the loaded box to the terminal before the port cut-off. Your booking confirmation lists every cut-off date and time.

  • 20' GP
  • 40' GP
  • 40' HC
  • 45' HC
  • Reefer
  • Drayage from your door to Port Newark-Elizabeth or any US port
  • SI, VGM and AES filed before each cut-off
  • Trucking or rail to Baltimore, Norfolk, Charleston and West Coast ports
Warehouse worker scanning VCS cartons before consolidation

LCL · consolidation

Smaller loads, shared container.

Our consolidation program combines cargo from several shippers or suppliers into one container, so you pay for the space you use and can ship more often.

  • Pallets, crates and cartons from one piece upward
  • Consolidation and de-consolidation
  • Priced by volume or weight, whichever is greater
  • Fewer handoffs and a lower cost per unit
Cars and vans parked on the vehicle deck of a RoRo vessel

RoRo and vehicles

Cars, trucks and equipment by RoRo or container.

Vehicles can drive onto a RoRo vessel or travel inside a container, alone or shared. We file the US Customs title paperwork before export and pick the option that suits the vehicle, the budget and the destination port.

  • Cars, SUVs, trucks and construction equipment
  • Title documents filed with US Customs
  • RoRo, shared container or exclusive container
Backhoe loader secured on a lowboy trailer for port delivery

Out of gauge and project cargo

Machinery and oversized units on flat racks and open tops.

Excavators, generators and plant that do not fit in a standard box travel on flat racks, open tops or as breakbulk. We plan the lifting and lashing and arrange heavy-haul trucking and permits to the port.

  • Flat rack, open top and breakbulk bookings
  • Lowboy and heavy-haul trucking
  • Lashing and securing planned with the terminal

How a booking works

From booking to release, step by step.

This is the sequence our team works through on every ocean export file.

  1. Step 1

    Booking confirmed

    We book space with the carrier and send you the confirmation with the vessel, the earliest receiving date and every cut-off.

  2. Step 2

    Empty out, cargo loaded

    Our trucker collects the empty container and brings it to your door, or your cargo comes to a warehouse for loading.

  3. Step 3

    SI, VGM and AES filed

    You send the shipping instructions and the container weight. We file the AES / ITN and submit everything before the cut-offs.

  4. Step 4

    Gated in and sailed

    The loaded container gates in at the terminal before the port cut-off. You approve the draft B/L and the vessel sails.

  5. Step 5

    Paid and released

    We release the B/L within 60 minutes of payment and send the pre-alert to your consignee or agent at destination.

Cut-offs

The four deadlines on your booking.

Every booking confirmation lists these dates and times. Miss one and the container can roll to a later vessel, so we track each one and ask for your SI and VGM in good time.

  • Doc cut-off

    The last moment for the export documents the carrier and US Customs need, including the AES / ITN filing. Many carriers set it together with the SI cut-off.

  • SI cut-off

    Shipping instructions: shipper, consignee, notify party, cargo description, HS codes, container and seal numbers. These become your bill of lading.

  • VGM cut-off

    The verified gross mass of the packed container, required under SOLAS before the box can be loaded on the vessel.

  • Port cut-off

    Also called the CY cut-off: the last moment the loaded container can gate in at the terminal. The earliest receiving date is when that window opens.

VCS container on a crane with the New York skyline at blue hour
Lightning-rated on PayCargoReleased within 60 minutes of payment

Release and payment

Cargo released within 60 minutes of payment.

Invoices are paid online through PayCargo, where VCS is Lightning-rated. Once your invoice is paid, we release the bill of lading or send the telex release within 60 minutes, so your consignee is not left waiting at the port.

If you are importing into New York and New Jersey, the same team handles the ISF, the customs entry and delivery from the terminal to your door.

Freight calculators

Size your shipment before you ask.

Free to use, no sign-up. Size your shipment, then send it to us for a real price.

Open the calculators

Where we ship

Ocean lanes from the USA.

The Middle East and Asia are our core lanes. We ship to 193+ countries through 125+ partners and agents.

Questions

Ocean freight questions

What does it mean that VCS is an NVOCC?
VIP Cargo Services is licensed by the Federal Maritime Commission as a non-vessel-operating common carrier (NVOCC). We buy space from the ocean carriers, file our rates in our NVOCC tariff and issue you our own house bill of lading. You deal with one company for the booking, the paperwork and the release.
Should I book FCL or LCL?
If your cargo fills most of a container, or it needs to stay sealed from your door to the consignee, a full container (FCL) usually makes sense. Smaller loads go LCL, where you share a container and pay for the space you use. Send us the pieces, weights and dimensions and we will price both when the numbers are close. The container fit calculator gives you a first idea.
Do you ship 45' high cube containers?
Yes. We book 45' HC containers for light, bulky cargo that needs more room than a 40' HC. Not every carrier, port or inland route takes 45s, so we confirm equipment and routing before we quote.
Can you ship refrigerated cargo?
Yes. We book 20' and 40' reefer containers set to the temperature on your booking, for chilled and frozen cargo. Tell us the commodity, the temperature and any ventilation or humidity settings when you ask for a quote.
What are the doc, SI, VGM and port cut-offs?
They are the deadlines on your booking confirmation. The doc and SI cut-offs are the last moments to send export documents and shipping instructions for the bill of lading. The VGM cut-off is the deadline for the verified gross mass of the packed container. The port cut-off is the last moment the loaded container can gate in at the terminal. Miss one and the container can roll to a later vessel, so we send you every date when we confirm the booking.
What kind of bill of lading will I get?
A VCS house bill of lading. We send a draft for your approval first, then release the final as an original, a telex release or a sea waybill, whichever your consignee, bank or letter of credit calls for.
How quickly is cargo released after I pay?
Once your invoice is paid on PayCargo, we release your cargo within 60 minutes. VCS is Lightning-rated on PayCargo. You can pay on our payment page.
Which US ports do you ship from?
Our busiest gateway is the Port of New York and New Jersey, close to our Green Brook office. We also ship from Charleston, Baltimore, Norfolk, Savannah, Los Angeles, Long Beach, Oakland and other US ports, with trucking or rail to the port arranged by us.
Can you still ship containers to the Gulf with the Strait of Hormuz restricted?
Yes. We route Gulf-bound containers through Khor Fakkan, Fujairah, Sohar or Jeddah with onward trucking, or move urgent cargo by air. Transit times and surcharges change week to week, so call us before you book. See Middle East shipping for details.

Still have a question? Call (908) 440-0999 or email info@vipcargoservices.com.

Get a quote

Tell us what's moving by sea.

Send the cargo, pickup and destination. We come back with container options, routing and a price, checked against current carrier rates.

  • Ocean, air, trucking and vehicles
  • No obligation, no sign-up
  • Cargo released within 60 minutes of payment
Start your quote