International removals by sea
Whilst moving internationally may be a little more complicated than moving across the street, there aren't many places that we haven't completed a move to. Let Bradshaw Moving Services take the strain and support you with your exciting international move. Our experienced team have moved people all over the globe, and know how to help you have the smoothest move abroad possible.
Moving your home by sea does take longer than a move by road or air, and the most common questions we're asked are how much fits in a shipping container, and how long will it take for my items to arrive.

How large are shipping containers?
Below are the sizes and dimensions of the most commonly used containers to ship household goods and personal effects.
The cubic capacity stated is the maximum. When loading household goods and personal effects allow for a 10% reduction in capacity.
Container size | Length mm | Width mm | Height mm | Capacity in cubic metres |
---|---|---|---|---|
20' General Purpose | 5893 | 2337 | 2388 | 32.9 |
40' General Purpose | 12014 | 2337 | 2388 | 67 |
40' High Cube | 12014 | 2337 | 2667 | 75.8 |
45' High Cube | 13556 | 2352 | 2698 | 86 |


How long is transit time?
The transit times listed below are what we commonly experience, however, shipping lines do alter schedules from time to time without prior notice. It is worth noting that transit times can be impacted by economic fluctuations and adverse weather conditions.
For most ports there are several weekly sailings and transit times and costs can vary. Times shown are door-to-door.
Destination | Shared container | Sole use container |
---|---|---|
Australia | 10 - 12 weeks | 7 - 9 weeks |
Canada - East coast | 6 - 9 weeks | 4 - 5 weeks |
Canada - West coast | 10 - 12 weeks | 5 - 7 weeks |
Far East | 8 -10 weeks | 5 - 6 weeks |
Mediterranean | 6 - 9 weeks | 3 - 5 weeks |
New Zealand | 10 - 12 weeks | 7 - 9 weeks |
South Africa - Cape Town, Durban | 9 - 13 weeks | 5 - 7 weeks |
South Africa - Johannesburg | 9 - 13 weeks | 5 - 7 weeks |
Canary Islands | 8 - 12 weeks | 4 - 5 weeks |
Dubai & UAE | 7 -11 weeks | 4 - 6 weeks |
USA - East coast and Florida | 8 - 12 weeks | 4 - 6 weeks |
USA - West coast - San Francisco/Los Angeles | 9 - 13 weeks | 5 - 7 weeks |
Removal quote appointment booking service
Bradshaw Moving Services can help your move go smoothly. Contact us for a free, no obligation quote, or by calling 0116 289 9011 (Leicester), 0115 965 6555 (Nottingham), or 01283 243001 (Derby & Burton) and speak with one of our removals specialists.
How are our appointments carried out
In the current times you might prefer that we don't visit your house in person to carry out a survey. This is fully understandable and we can just as easily undertake the survey by video call, using whatever method you're comfortable with, usually FaceTime or WhatsApp.
See what our customers think of us...
Good professional and friendly service.
Why did you choose to get a quote from us and where did you get our contact details?
You completed international shipping for my sister to Australia.
How would you rate the way we dealt with your initial enquiry?
10/10
How would you rate the survey that we carried out?
10/10
Why did you choose to move/store with us?
Good professional and friendly service.
How would you rate your move team?
10/10
Would you like to tell us anything about your move team?
Josh , Craig and Jamie – couldn’t wish for better. Speedy, helpful and with care.
How would you rate our communication?
10/10
How can we improve our service?
Don’t know
How likely are you to recommend us to your friends / family?
10/10
They were friendly, efficient and quick!
Why did you choose to get a quote from us and where did you get our contact details?
A recommendation and very good reviews.
How would you rate the way we dealt with your initial enquiry?
10/10
How would you rate the survey that we carried out?
10/10
Why did you choose to move/store with us?
Because it was competitively priced and the service had been better than others we got quotes from.
How would you rate your move team?
10/10
Would you like to tell us anything about your move team?
They were friendly, efficient and quick!
How would you rate our communication?
10/10
How can we improve our service?
Not sure I was overall very impressed.
How likely are you to recommend us to your friends / family?
10/10
Is there anything else you would like to tell us about your move?
It went extremely well.
Nothing was too much trouble
Why did you choose to get a quote from us and where did you get our contact details?
Good reviews - search engine
How would you rate the way we dealt with your initial enquiry?
10/10
How would you rate the survey that we carried out?
10/10
Why did you choose to move/store with us?
The professional way you did things
How would you rate your move team?
10/10
Would you like to tell us anything about your move team?
Excellent great team nothing was too much trouble they work really hard.
How would you rate our communication?
10/10
How can we improve our service?
Seems really good already
How likely are you to recommend us to your friends / family?
10/10
Is there anything else you would like to tell us about your move?
So impressed with them all
Sympathetic. Professional. Helpful.
Why did you choose to get a quote from us and where did you get our contact details?
We were let down by our local removals company (and told the day before we moved that they couldn’t move us) so I contacted Bradshaw with my wife in tears and everything crossed.
How would you rate the way we dealt with your initial enquiry?
10/10
How would you rate the survey that we carried out?
10/10
Why did you choose to move/store with us?
Sympathetic. Professional. Helpful. Competitive quote. Available.
How would you rate your move team?
10/10
Would you like to tell us anything about your move team?
They were amazing and worked very hard despite some surprises and challenges. Friendly, professional, helpful, polite & amazing!
How would you rate our communication?
10/10
How can we improve our service?
You were amazing and saved us. Beyond this, you were excellent in every respect and did more than we could have expected.
How likely are you to recommend us to your friends / family?
10/10
Is there anything else you would like to tell us about your move?
A nightmare was turned into an efficient process. There was no time for Bradshaw to visit so they accepted the volume calculation/quotation from the original company and we were all surprised it was inaccurate.
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Please note: Our Price Guide tool is intended for moves within the UK Mainland only. If you're moving to or from the UK mainland please speak to one of our friendly team who will be able to provide you with a bespoke quote.
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