San Francisco Bay Area, United States
Sea freight in San Francisco Bay Area
We book FCL and LCL sea freight for shippers and consignees in San Francisco Bay Area, via Port of Oakland. Pre-carriage, on-carriage by road or rail and the customs entries are planned together with the ocean booking.
Airports, seaports and connections in San Francisco Bay Area
- AirportSan Francisco
SFO - AirportOakland
OAK - AirportSan Jose
SJC - SeaportPort of Oakland
The San Francisco Bay Area is served by three international airports. San Francisco International (SFO) has the most widebody connections to Asia and Europe and carries most of the region's international air cargo. Oakland International (OAK) is a major express and freighter location, and San Jose Mineta International (SJC) is closest to Silicon Valley. By sea, the Port of Oakland is the main container port of Northern California and an important export port for agricultural products.
US-101 and I-280 run down the Peninsula to Silicon Valley, I-880 links the Port of Oakland and Oakland airport with San Jose, and I-80 crosses the Bay Bridge towards Sacramento and the East. Union Pacific and BNSF serve the Oakland rail yards. Traffic on the bridges and main corridors makes planning of pick-up and delivery windows important.
Operational logistics facts for San Francisco Bay Area
| Hub | Specialisation | Local advantage |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco International Airport (SFO) | Widebody capacity to Asia and Europe | Main international air cargo gateway for Northern California |
| Oakland International Airport (OAK) | Express and freighter operations | Close to the Port of Oakland and East Bay industry |
| Port of Oakland | FCL/LCL containers, agricultural exports | Main container port in Northern California |
| South San Francisco biotech cluster | Clinical samples and research materials | Short distance to SFO for temperature-sensitive shipments |
Industries in San Francisco Bay Area and how we support them
The Bay Area is home to semiconductor equipment makers, chip designers, hardware and computer companies in Silicon Valley, and one of the largest biotech clusters in the world around South San Francisco. These companies ship high-value, often time-critical goods: wafers, equipment parts, prototypes, clinical samples and research materials. We support them with air freight under our own air waybills via SFO, OAK and SJC, Next Flight Out for equipment parts, On-Board Courier for prototypes and samples, and temperature-controlled transport for biotech. Export controls and import data are prepared before shipping.
FCL and LCL via Port of Oakland
Full containers are booked directly with the shipping line; for smaller volumes we use LCL consolidation services. Pre-carriage from San Francisco Bay Area to Port of Oakland, or on-carriage after arrival, is arranged by road or rail as part of the same booking.
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 San Francisco Bay Area?
Usually Port of Oakland. Depending on the shipping line and the destination, another port can be faster or more economical; we compare the options when quoting.
More services in San Francisco Bay Area
- Air freight in San Francisco Bay AreaAir freight for time-critical and high-value cargo between Europe, the Americas and Asia.
- Customs clearance in San Francisco Bay AreaImport and export clearance by our in-house customs teams in 8 countries and by partner teams in the Ziem network.
- San Francisco Bay AreaCity overview