We provide 20ft and 40ft container shipping from the UK to Sao Tome and Principe on both a full container load (FCL) and shared groupage (LCL) basis. We sail weekly from Felixstowe, London Gateway, Southampton and Tilbury with direct and transhipment services into São Tomé, and an indicative port-to-port transit of 24 days.
Pricing guide
Container Shipping Rates to Sao Tome and Principe
Port to port · São Tomé · transit approx. 24 days
| 20ft FCL (up to 28 cbm / 21 t)Port to port, all-in ocean freight | from £1,908 |
| 40ft FCL (up to 58 cbm)Standard dry box | from £2,767 |
| 40ft High Cube (67 cbm)Extra 30 cm internal height | from £3,015 |
| LCL groupage (per cbm)Minimum 2 cbm chargeable | from £210 per cbm |
| Flat rack / open topOut-of-gauge project cargo | from £3,625 |
| UK loading at our depotLabour, dunnage and lashing | £220 – £420 |
| Haulage to UK portLive load or drop trailer | from £320 |
| Export customs & documentationIncludes bill of lading release | £65 per shipment |
| Destination clearance (guide)Local duties and taxes payable by consignee | quoted on request |
Indicative rates only, excluding VAT where applicable. Final pricing depends on dimensions, weight, sailing schedule and destination charges.
Container Transport from the UK to Sao Tome and Principe
We handle personal, household and commercial container shipments to Sao Tome and Principe. We mainly move 20ft standard containers, 40ft standard containers, 40ft high cube containers and 45ft high cubes on the Sao Tome and Principe lane, and we can also quote reefers, pallet-wide containers, flat racks and open tops. Our full container shipping service to Sao Tome and Principe is built for large volumes of business cargo, household goods, several cars at once and complete relocations.
We ship full container loads, door-to-door containers and LCL groupage from the UK into São Tomé. Our shipping team will help you work out the right container size for the job, a 40ft container is the usual recommendation for a house move, while a 20ft shipping container suits dense cargo, trade stock and one or two vehicles.
You can also combine your household contents and your vehicle in one container. On the day of your move we position the box at your address, load and secure the vehicle at the nose of the container, and use the remainder of the space for your packed household goods. Once loaded, the container is customs sealed at your door and hauled back to a UK port for the sailing to São Tomé.
Container Shipping Services to Sao Tome and Principe — 20ft / 40ft FCL & LCL
We provide complete container shipping to Sao Tome and Principe for export cargo, household goods and removals. We deliver containers to the customer's premises for loading and return them to the port for export, and we also load containers at our own warehouse at Tilbury Port, from which most of our container vessels sail. Loading is also available at all other major UK ports.
Side-lifter live loading FCL shipping to Sao Tome and Principe
We can deliver containers to warehouses, homes, offices and storage units anywhere in the UK. Our side-lifter and tilt-tray trucks set the container down on your site with a three-hour loading window. When loading is finished our drivers take the container back for shipment. Extra loading time, palletising, crating and block-and-bracing can all be added at additional cost, or you can load and lash the goods yourself.
Drop and pick FCL shipping to Sao Tome and Principe
Drop-and-pick is available for clients who need more loading time. The container can stay at the loading point for two to three days, or longer if required. Once loaded, our drivers collect and return it to the terminal for the sailing to São Tomé.
Warehouse and terminal loading LCL/FCL shipping to Sao Tome and Principe
We operate a bonded warehouse for international moves. Customers can deliver their own cargo and vehicles to our yard or loading dock, where professional freight handlers pack, block, strap and lash the load into a suitable 20ft or 40ft ocean container. Warehouse loading simplifies the shipment and often reduces inland pre-carriage costs.
Standard 20ft & 40ft containers to Sao Tome and Principe
Standard containers come in 20ft and 40ft lengths and are versatile enough to carry almost anything, cars, machinery, spare parts, furniture and personal effects. Built from steel with a hardwood floor, they are strong, weather-tight and secure. A 20ft standard holds about 28 usable cubic metres and up to 21 tonnes of payload; a 40ft standard holds about 58 cubic metres. Our shipping brokers will help you decide on the right size for your consignment to Sao Tome and Principe.
High cube containers to Sao Tome and Principe
A 40ft high cube is one foot taller than a standard container, giving roughly 67 cubic metres. The extra height makes it ideal for tall cargo, 4x4s, vans, machinery, stacked furniture and light but bulky goods, that would not fit under the roof of a standard box. High cubes are the most common equipment we ship to São Tomé on household removals.
Refrigerated containers to Sao Tome and Principe
We ship refrigerated reefer containers to Sao Tome and Principe. These boxes carry a temperature control unit that holds the internal temperature steady throughout the 24 day voyage, plugged into the ship's power supply for the entire passage. Reefers suit flowers, fruit, vegetables, plants, chilled and frozen foodstuffs and pharmaceuticals, with continuous temperature reporting available on request.
Flat racks and open tops to Sao Tome and Principe
For heavy machinery and bulk cargo we load flat rack containers into São Tomé. A flat rack is like a standard container with the side walls removed, so plant, construction equipment, boats and heavy vehicles can be craned or driven on and lashed down. Open tops take cargo that is only over height and can be loaded from above and sheeted. Every out-of-gauge unit is priced on a lashing and stowage plan rather than a guess.
Container shipping costs to Sao Tome and Principe
The rate box above shows indicative pricing for 20ft standard, 40ft standard, 40ft high cube and LCL groupage to São Tomé. Prices move with the sailing schedule, bunker levies and the season, so ask for both an FCL and an LCL figure on the same enquiry and we will show you the cost per cubic metre either way. Import duty, VAT or GST and terminal handling at São Tomé are payable locally by the consignee unless you instruct us otherwise.
Get a free container shipping quote to Sao Tome and Principe
Email us or fill in the quote form on this page for a free container shipping quote to Sao Tome and Principe. Tell us roughly what you are sending, the loading postcode and your preferred date, and we will come back with a written all-in figure, collection, loading, export customs, freight and the bill of lading.
Ports of discharge in Sao Tome and Principe
Ports we sail to in Sao Tome and Principe
Average port-to-port transit 24 days · weekly departures
UK loading ports
- Tilbury
- London Gateway
- Southampton
- Felixstowe
- Liverpool
Sao Tome and Principe discharge ports
- São ToméRoRo ramp, container terminal and inland haulage available
Our loading berths for the Sao Tome and Principe lane are Tilbury, London Gateway, Southampton, Felixstowe. Where a direct service is not available we route via a transhipment hub, which adds a few days but often reduces cost significantly on lower-volume lanes.
Shipping a container to Sao Tome and Principe
Quote & booking
Rates, sailing or flight options confirmed in writing.
UK collection
Nationwide collection or delivery into our Tilbury depot.
Loading & packing
Lashing, crating, palletising and photographic record.
Customs & export
Export entry, NES clearance and documentation released.
Transit & delivery
Tracking updates until the cargo lands with your consignee.
Cargo we ship in containers to Sao Tome and Principe
Packed, braced and manifested at our East Tilbury warehouse.
- Household removals and personal effects
- Commercial export and trade cargo
- Vehicles loaded and braced inside containers
- Machinery, plant and spare parts
- Building materials and hardware
- Foodstuffs in reefer containers
- Out-of-gauge cargo on flat racks and open tops
- Breakbulk and project shipments
Customs and import charges in Sao Tome and Principe
Import duty, VAT or GST and terminal handling at São Tomé are payable locally by the consignee unless you instruct us otherwise. We provide a full documentation pack — commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading and certificate of origin where required, so your agent in Sao Tome and Principe can lodge the entry without delay. Demurrage and detention clocks start on discharge, so we always advise clearing promptly.
Why ship containers with Car Shipping Direct
- Weekly FCL and LCL space to São Tomé
- Professional loading and lashing at our own facility
- Export customs entry and bill of lading issued in-house
- Flat rack and out-of-gauge solutions for project cargo
- Proactive tracking updates from gate-in to discharge

