Maritime Container Food Export: FCL and LCL Guide

FCL 20ft22 to 25 tonnes max

FCL 40ft26 to 28 tonnes max

West Africa12 to 18 days

Maghreb3 to 7 days

Food export to Africa, the Maghreb and the Middle East is almost exclusively by sea. Martigane structures and executes maritime export operations on its confectionery, beverage, oil and commodity ranges to over 40 countries. Understanding the basics of container transport is essential for any importer working with European suppliers.

Container types for food export

📦 The 4 container types used by Martigane

Standard dry 20ft (6.1m): the workhorse of dry food export. Capacity 33 m³, max payload 22-25 tonnes. Ideal for confectionery, dry grocery, cereals in bags, sugar, flour. Martigane's most frequently used container.

Standard dry 40ft (12.2m): double the capacity (67 m³, 26-28 tonnes). Economical per m³ for large volumes.

Flexi-tank (flexible bladder in dry 20ft): flexible membrane inserted in a standard container for up to 24,000 litres of vegetable oil or other liquid food. Economical alternative to tank containers.

Reefer container: for temperature-controlled products. 30-50% surcharge vs dry standard.

FCL vs LCL

Criterion	FCL — Full Container Load	LCL — Groupage
Min. volume	~15 m³ (cost-effective) up to 33 m³	1 to 15 m³
Transit time	Direct port-to-port	+3 to +7 days (groupage/deconsolidation)
Risk	Low — alone in the container	Moderate — mixed goods
Best for	Africa export, Maghreb, volumes > 10t	First shipments, market testing

💡 Martigane's advice

For a first export to Africa, start with 1 to 2 pallets in LCL to test local customs regulations and buyer requirements. Once volume reaches 10 pallets, switch to FCL — the cost per m³ is systematically lower and damage risks are reduced.

French strategic ports for food export

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Lille Warehouse

253 Bd de Leeds

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Pre-carriage

2h30 Le Havre
5h Marseille

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Loading port

Le Havre or
Marseille-Fos

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Sea transit

3 to 18 days
by destination

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Destination port

Casablanca · Dakar
Abidjan · Douala

Port of Le Havre — West and Central Africa

Weekly direct services to Dakar (8-10 days), Abidjan (12-14 days), Douala (14-16 days), Lagos (16-18 days).

Port of Marseille-Fos — Maghreb and Middle East

Casablanca in 3-4 days, Tunis in 2-3 days, Algiers in 2-3 days. Near-daily rotations on these routes.

Export maritime documentation checklist

Bill of Lading (B/L): the king document of maritime transport. Title of ownership of the goods.
Commercial invoice: at least 3 copies, declared value in USD or EUR.
Certificate of origin: EUR.1 (preferential) or standard certificate of origin.
Sanitary certificate: mandatory for food products to most African and Middle Eastern destinations.
Analysis certificate: laboratory results on quality parameters.
Halal certificate: required for majority Muslim markets.

✅ How Martigane reduces transit times

Our team prepares export documentation before the vessel departs — certificates are ready before the ship sails, not after. We work with partner freight forwarders who have local correspondents in each destination port, accelerating customs clearance.

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Other logistics guides

Maritime container for food export: the complete guide