Logistics: UK ⇄ Türkiye
Transit times, container payloads for baled scrap versus finished goods, an Incoterms 2020 quick guide, the ports we work, and the loading standards behind our photographic loading reports.
Two routes, two clocks
Deep-sea container is the corridor's workhorse: 12–18 days port to port, sailing weekly from the Turkish Marmara, Aegean and Mediterranean gateways to the UK's southern ports. It is the cheapest per tonne and the default for scrap exports and full-container product programmes.
Road freight runs 5–8 days door to door via the Ro-Ro corridors and European transit routes. It costs more per tonne but wins when a converter is down to days of stock, for smaller consolidated product loads, and for time-sensitive first orders. We quote both where the maths is close.
Ports we work
| Direction | Ports |
|---|---|
| UK | Felixstowe, London Gateway, Southampton |
| Türkiye | Ambarlı (Istanbul), Gemlik (Bursa), Mersin, İzmir |
Turkish port choice follows the consignee: Marmara plants load and clear via Ambarlı or Gemlik; southern and Aegean facilities via Mersin and İzmir. Aligning the discharge port with the consignee's customs broker shortens clearance by days.
What actually fits in a container
Payload planning is where paper traders get caught. Working figures we plan against:
| Cargo | 20' | 40'/40'HC |
|---|---|---|
| Baled film (LDPE/LLDPE) | 17–19 t | 20–23 t |
| Baled bottles (PET/HDPE) | 9–10 t | 10–12 t |
| rPET flake in big-bags | ≈ 22 t | volume-limited |
| Pellets (25 kg bags/octabins) | 22–24 t | 24–26 t (weight-capped) |
| Boxed refuse sacks | — | ≈ 22–24 t |
| Sheet rolls | ≈ 20 t | ≈ 24 t (weight-capped) |
Two physical rules drive these numbers: dense cargo (pellets, flake) hits the weight limit before the doors close, while light baled bottles hit the volume limit long before any weight cap. UK road weight limits also constrain what may legally travel to port on one truck. Our container/load calculator on the contact page turns your tonnage into shipment counts using these figures.
Incoterms 2020, as we actually use them
- EXW (Ex Works) — you load, buyer's risk from your gate. We rarely recommend it for scrap suppliers: proof-of-export duties sit awkwardly with the seller.
- FCA (Free Carrier) — seller hands over to the buyer's carrier, export-cleared. The clean default when we collect from a UK supplier's yard.
- CIF (Cost, Insurance, Freight) — seller pays freight and minimum insurance to the discharge port; risk transfers at loading. Familiar to Turkish buyers; we quote it on request.
- DAP (Delivered at Place) — we carry cost and risk to the named destination. The simplest comparison basis for UK product buyers: one landed number.
The recurring CIF misunderstanding is worth repeating: paying the freight is not the same as bearing the risk. Under CIF, damage at sea is the buyer's claim against the insurance — which is why we specify institute clauses and insured values explicitly in CIF contracts.
Loading standards and the photographic loading report
Every export we manage is loaded to a written standard, and photographed against it:
- Container inspection before loading — floor, walls, roof, door seals; a wet or contaminated box is rejected.
- Weight discipline — bale counts and weights reconciled to the weighbridge; road-legal axle loads to port.
- Stow pattern — bales interlocked and tight to prevent shift; big-bags palletised or floor-stowed with dunnage; rolls chocked.
- Photography — empty box, part-loaded, fully loaded, and sealed with the seal number legible. The set becomes the loading report, shared with supplier and consignee the same day.
- Seal integrity — seal number recorded on the Annex VII and commercial documents; any discrepancy at arrival is investigated against the photos.
The loading report is a small document that removes a large class of disputes: what left the UK is a matter of record, not memory.
Transit documentation
Scrap moves with the Annex VII framework described in our Annex VII guide; product moves on commercial documents with origin declarations under the FTA. Both travel with packing lists reconciled to the loading report — one consistent story across every document is what smooth customs clearance actually consists of.
This page is general guidance. Transit times are typical, not guaranteed; see the "last reviewed" date above.