Austin, United States
Sea freight in Austin
We book FCL and LCL sea freight for shippers and consignees in Austin, via Port Houston. Pre-carriage, on-carriage by road or rail and the customs entries are planned together with the ocean booking.
Airports, seaports and connections in Austin
- AirportAustin-Bergstrom
AUS - AirportDallas/Fort Worth
DFW - SeaportPort Houstonby road
Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) is the airport of Central Texas, with passenger flights to Europe and other international destinations that carry belly cargo and some freighter operations. For larger international volumes, cargo for Austin is often routed via Dallas Fort Worth International (DFW) or George Bush Intercontinental (IAH) in Houston and trucked to Central Texas; San Antonio International (SAT) is a further option. Austin has no seaport; ocean freight comes from Port Houston by road or rail.
I-35 runs north-south through Austin, linking it with Dallas-Fort Worth and San Antonio and further south with Laredo, the busiest land port on the US-Mexico border. The SH 130 toll road provides an eastern bypass along which several large plants are located, and US-183 and SH 71 connect the airport with the city and the eastern industrial areas.
Operational logistics facts for Austin
| Hub | Specialisation | Local advantage |
|---|---|---|
| Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) | Belly cargo and freighter operations | Air freight directly into Central Texas |
| Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) and Houston (IAH) gateways | Long-haul freighter capacity | Trucking to Austin from the large Texas hubs |
| Austin and Taylor semiconductor fabs | Fab equipment, wafers and chemicals | Time-critical handling for chip production |
| I-35 / SH 130 corridors | Truck distribution and Mexico trade via Laredo | Road access to plants and the US-Mexico border |
Industries in Austin and how we support them
Central Texas has become a major centre for semiconductors and electric vehicles, with chip fabs in Austin and Taylor, a large electric vehicle and battery plant east of the city, and major computer and electronics companies in Round Rock and Austin. These plants depend on equipment parts, chemicals and components from Asia and Europe. We support them with air freight under our own air waybills via AUS, DFW or IAH, Next Flight Out for fab and production equipment parts, On-Board Courier for prototypes, and sea freight through Port Houston with road delivery to Austin. Customs data is prepared before arrival.
From the port to your door in Austin
We arrange collection of the container or the LCL cargo at Port Houston, customs clearance and delivery to your site in the Austin area. For exports we organise the pick-up and the delivery to the terminal before the cut-off.
Customs clearance in the United States
Ziem network
Customs clearance in the United States is handled by a partner team in the Ziem network, under the Ziem Logistics brand and to our procedures.
For air freight to and from the United States we issue our own air waybills.
Importers in the United States need an importer of record number and, for most formal entries, a customs bond.
Frequently asked questions
Which port is used for sea freight to and from Austin?
Usually Port Houston. Depending on the shipping line and the destination, another port can be faster or more economical; we compare the options when quoting.