China to Lebanon Freight Forwarder Case: 10.2CBM Sterilizers from Qingdao to Beirut
Shipping from China to Lebanon Case Time:
July 2025
Shipping from China to Lebanon Case Parties:
Customer:
Karim, a food factory in Beirut, Lebanon
Freight Forwarder:
Sunny Worldwide Logistics, Chelsea
Transshipment Port Agent:
George, Damietta, Egypt
Cargo Information:
Commodity:
2 sets of commercial sterilizers
Volume:
10.2 CBM
Weight:
1300 KGS
Dimensions (per piece):
2m × 1.5m × 1.7m
Route:
Qingdao Port → Damietta (Transshipment) → Beirut Port
Shipping from China to Lebanon Shipping Method:
LCL (Less than Container Load)
Operation Process:
Booking and Shipment (July 10–17, 2025)
After Chelsea received Karim’s shipping request, she arranged the cargo to be delivered to the warehouse on July 14, loaded into the container on July 17, and shipped out with the main vessel from Qingdao Port.
At the same time, the following procedures were completed:
- Booking confirmation
- VGM declaration
- ENS submission
- Customs clearance and release
The estimated arrival date at Beirut was July 28.
Transshipment Delay (Wednesday, July 23, 2025)
The shipping company informed that the LCL container was rolled over during transshipment at Damietta Port. The next connecting vessel would be available 12 days later, and the estimated arrival date would be postponed to around August 9.
On the same day, Chelsea checked the shipping company’s official website and confirmed that another shipping line had a feeder vessel to Beirut departing two days later (July 25).
Vessel Change Operation (July 23–24, 2025)
Chelsea contacted George, the Damietta agent, and requested that the container be removed from the original shipping line’s yard to avoid entering a long-term storage area.
At the same time, she contacted the Egypt sales team of the new shipping line to apply for a second-leg transshipment space and accepted the premium freight cost.
Chelsea explained the situation to Karim and obtained an electronic authorization letter, allowing Sunny Worldwide Logistics to handle the vessel change operation at the transshipment port on his behalf.
Document Correction (July 24, 2025)
A new issue occurred during the vessel change process.
The destination port code in the new shipping line’s system was inconsistent with the original invoice information:
“Beirut Port” vs “Beirut Free Zone”
The system was locked due to the inconsistency.
Chelsea called the Egypt manager of the new shipping line, explained that the actual destination of the cargo was the food factory, and requested coordination with the documentation department for temporary processing.
The new Bill of Lading was successfully issued after the correction.
Completion of Transshipment (July 25–28, 2025)
At midnight on July 25, the container was loaded onto the feeder vessel.
On July 28, the vessel arrived at Beirut Port, and Karim completed customs clearance and cargo pickup normally.
Final Result:
The actual arrival time was 4 days later than the original schedule, but it was 10 days earlier than the 14-day delay originally notified by the shipping company due to the container rollover.
Karim’s production line was suspended for 4 days only, with no supermarket supply interruption or contract breach.
Reusable Operation Insights:
- The local agent at the transshipment port is the key to solving vessel change issues. Establishing reliable connections in advance is essential.
- Transshipment operations require written authorization from the customer. Preparing an authorization template in advance is recommended.
- The destination port names on the Bill of Lading and commercial invoice must match the shipping company’s system codes to avoid secondary document blockage.
- In emergency situations, directly contacting the local manager of the shipping company is more efficient than going through the general customer service process.
In logistics, do not only focus on the vessel schedule. Pay more attention to the customer’s production schedule.
Cargo transportation is not completed when the goods arrive at the port. It is completed when the goods arrive and are put into production.
If you also have non-standard size machinery equipment (sterilizers, reactors, filling machines) shipping from China to the Middle East, feel free to contact Sunny Worldwide Logistics.
