Importing a frozen container: what your first one really costs

Importing a frozen container of shrimp from Vietnam means buying a 20' reefer of about 10 tonnes. You pay 20% when you order and 80% against documents, then the container clears customs in Le Havre or Antwerp. Take an example FOB price of €6/kg and the container comes to €60,000 before freight, duties and haulage. A missing EUR.1 proof of origin adds roughly €0.76/kg on its own.

I regularly see distributors and processors hold back from making the move. Their usual importer quotes them a delivered price and they can't break it down. This article does that maths line by line. It covers what makes a first container go wrong and gives the annual volume below which we advise staying with your importer.

What a frozen container actually holds

A frozen shrimp container is a 20' or 40' refrigerated (reefer) container filled with cartons of frozen product. It has to stay at -18 °C or colder from loading to delivery. The 20' is the logical place to start. It is the MOQ on our offer, and you can mix products in the same container.

Should you choose a 20' or a 40'?

Go for the 20' on a first purchase. It takes roughly 10 to 12 tonnes of boxed shrimp, though you should confirm the exact figure with the factory because it depends on the packing. A 40' carries more than twice as much. That cuts the freight cost per kilo, but it also doubles the capital you tie up and the stock you have to sell before the best-before date.

According to Kuehne+Nagel, standard reefer containers hold temperatures between +25 °C and -25 °C. A -18 °C set point is therefore nothing special. It is the minimum you should write into the order.

A 40' only makes sense if you can sell the stock in under three months.

How do you put several products in one container?

A mixed load means putting several sizes or formats in the same 20', for example PDTO 31/40 alongside HOSO 16/20. You avoid tying up 10 tonnes of a single product. In return you need a loading plan for each pallet and labels that can be read when the doors open.

Kuehne+Nagel notes that frozen cargo should be stacked in a solid block, with no gaps between pallets or in the packaging and with air flowing over the top of the load. A mixed load is where sloppy loading shows first, because a pallet standing on its own lets heat in.

From FOB price to DDP Le Havre cost, line by line

The DDP (Delivered Duty Paid) cost of a shrimp container is the sum of several lines: the FOB Ho Chi Minh City price, ocean freight, insurance, customs duties, port charges and final haulage to your cold store. You negotiate each line separately, and this is exactly what your current importer hides inside a "delivered" price.

To understand the Incoterm choice behind this calculation, our guide FOB, CIF or DDP sets out who carries which risk, and when.

Why is duty calculated on the CIF value rather than FOB?

EU customs duties are charged on the customs value, which is the FOB price plus freight and insurance to the EU border. The conventional duty rate on frozen shrimp is 12%. The EVFTA, in force since 1 August 2020, reduces it if you provide a valid proof of origin. Check the rate for your tariff line in the European Commission's TARIC database before you put numbers on anything.

The table below is a costing model, not a quote. The amounts are assumptions for 10 tonnes, so replace them with your own quotes.

On 10 tonnes, the "duty without EUR.1" line comes to €7,560. That leaves you worse off than the whole margin of manoeuvre the €12,000 deposit gives you. This is why we treat the EUR.1 as part of the order and not as a formality. Our article on the EUR.1 certificate and the EVFTA shows how a single badly completed field loses you the exemption.

Where does the delivered cost slip in practice?

On arrival, two items slip more than the rest. The first is demurrage if the container waits for an inspection. The second is glazing, because you pay a per-kilo shrimp price on weight that includes water. The SIVEP inspection at Le Havre holds the container for as long as the check takes. The glazing rate stated on the invoice must match the real net weight.

To choose a port, the Le Havre, Antwerp and Rotterdam comparison puts figures on what changes depending on where your warehouse is. Sailing time is already covered in our analysis of real transit times, so I won't repeat it here.

Documents and payment: what makes a first container go wrong

A first container rarely fails on price. It fails because a document is missing, the temperature can't be proven or the payment terms were poorly set up. You prevent all three before you sign the order.

Which documents do you need before shipment?

A video from the LaDiasponaise channel, about importing African food products into Europe, gives a basic list that applies to Vietnam too. It covers the commercial invoice, the bill of lading (the sea-freight equivalent of an air waybill) and the certificate of origin. Animal products also need a veterinary certificate issued by an accredited body in the country of origin. Its most useful tip is to send the packing list to your freight forwarder before you buy anything. The forwarder can then ask customs which tariff code applies and which documents are required.

I agree with that, but I'd adjust the angle. The video deals with fresh and agricultural produce, with suppliers found through word of mouth. That isn't enough for a shrimp container. The factory must be on the list of establishments approved to export to the EU, as our Vietnam supplier vetting checklist explains.

How do the 20% deposit and documentary payment work?

Our offer is paid in two stages: 20% on order, then 80% by CAD (Cash Against Documents), meaning when the shipping documents are handed over. On a €60,000 container, that is a €12,000 deposit and €48,000 paid once the paperwork checks out.

The same video points out that documentary credits and documentary collections only release payment once the seller proves the goods shipped as the contract requires. It also suggests sharing a container between several buyers. For frozen goods, I don't recommend that. A shared container puts more hands on the cold chain and blurs who is responsible if the temperature breaks. A mixed load in one container with one buyer solves the same volume problem without that risk.

For the full payment schedule and lead times, see ordering a shrimp container from Vietnam.

What to put in your specification

The specification for a frozen container is the document that turns the factory's promises into obligations you can check on arrival. Every line needs a number. Without one, it's useless if a dispute comes up.

Which clauses should you require from the supplier?

These are the clauses we suggest as a starting point. Adjust them to your product.

• Temperature: -18 °C or colder at the core and a reefer set point of -18 °C. Put a temperature data logger in the container and have its export handed to the buyer. COLD & CO uses the same principle of continuous temperature recording in its presentation of its ATP-certified insulated container, built for delivering fresh and frozen products.
• Glazing: a written maximum rate (for example 10%), net weight stated on the invoice, checked by weighing on arrival.
• Sizes: a count-per-pound range and a maximum out-of-size tolerance (for example 5%), with the mix plan for each pallet.
• Origin: EUR.1 issued before shipment, the factory's approval number, and ASC or BAP certificates written into the order.
• Inspection: a final inspection before loading and third-party loading supervision, with time-stamped photos of every pallet.
• Shelf life: a minimum remaining shelf life on arrival, with dates printed on the cartons.

Certifications are covered in detail in ASC vs BAP, and storage in the shelf life of frozen shrimp.

A clause with no figure and no planned check binds no one.

If you'd rather work from a tested text than a blank page, we share the specification we have the factory sign, with an FOB quote per size grade within 48 hours.

Verdict: at what volume should you import direct?

Importing direct only pays off from about four 20' containers a year, or one a quarter. Below that, the work of vetting the factory, the paperwork, the cash tied up and the risk riding on a single container outweigh what you save on the importer's margin.

When should you stay with your current importer?

Stay with your importer if you buy less than one container a quarter, if your warehouse can't take 10 tonnes of frozen goods in one go, or if you can't put up a €12,000 deposit and then a €48,000 balance. A single restaurant or a small retailer won't make the switch here. They buy by the pallet, not by the container.

Switch to direct import if you are an importer, wholesaler, seafood merchant, processor or buying group, if you sell at least one 20' a quarter and if you can write a specification with figures in it. That's the profile we source for. I recommend making that call with a quote in hand rather than on gut feeling. To compare buying models, read trader, factory or local partner.

Verdict: add it to your supplier range from one 20' a quarter, test it on a single container before any annual commitment, and avoid it below that volume.