Brunel Shipping & Liner Services

What Brunel Shipping & Liner Services does

Brunel Shipping & Liner Services (London) Ltd. is a UK-based, privately held international freight forwarder founded in 1998 and headquartered in Basildon, Essex. The company operates through four divisions — Brunel Shipping (sea freight and customs clearance), Brunel Air Cargo (time-critical air freight), Brunel European (road freight), and Brunel Project Cargo (breakbulk, out-of-gauge, heavy lift) — with additional offices in Chepstow and Manchester. Its core products span FCL/LCL ocean freight, air freight, European road freight (LTL/FTL, hazardous, temperature-controlled), China-to-UK rail freight (~19 days transit), in-house customs brokerage (EU/UK clearance, T1 transit documents, ATA Carnets, BIRDS), Amazon FBA fulfilment with bonded/ERTS warehousing and ETSF solutions, and specialised e-commerce logistics. Operational technology is limited to a bespoke online shipment tracking platform (Brunel Red Care) and a proprietary customs clearance IT solution for CDS/CHIEF compliance — there is no public API, SDK, or AI-powered tooling.

The company monetises through transaction fees on freight movements (per-shipment pricing) and professional services fees for customs brokerage, with quote-based pricing across all services and no published rate cards. Distribution is direct B2B via in-house commercial team, supplemented by website quick-quote forms, phone/email, and presence at industry conferences (WCA, BreakBulk Europe, Sino International). Customer mix spans enterprise importers/exporters in retail, pharmaceutical, automotive, food & beverage, and chemical verticals, alongside SMB Amazon sellers and e-commerce businesses. Network reach is extended through memberships in World Cargo Alliance (188 countries), WCA eCommerce Network, PCN, Cold Chain Federation, and BAM. The company is founder-owned with no external investment, no parent company, and operates at small scale (11-50 employees).

Name

Brunel Shipping & Liner Services

Legal name

Brunel Shipping & Liner Services (London) Ltd.

Website

https://brunelshipping.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Brunel Shipping & Liner Services is a UK-based privately held freight forwarder founded in 1998, providing multimodal international freight forwarding (sea, air, road, rail) and in-house customs clearance to importers/exporters, Amazon sellers, and pharmaceutical/automotive/retail enterprises across 188 countries via the World Cargo Alliance.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Logistics Services

NAICS

Freight Transportation Arrangement (488510), Freight Transportation Arrangement (4885)

SIC

Arrangement Of Transportation Of Freight & Cargo (4731)

akta.pro primary industry

FCL (Full Container Load) Ocean Forwarding (TLACABAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Ocean Import Forwarding (Destination Handling/DO/ISF) (TLACABAE), Ocean Export Forwarding (Booking/VGM/SI/BL) (TLACABAF), Customs Brokerage for Ocean Shipments (Import/Export Clearance) (TLACABAG), LCL (Less-than-Container Load) Consolidation/Deconsolidation (TLACABAB), Cross-Border Trucking & Border Transfer (Linehaul, Transloading) (TLACACAC), Cross-Border E-commerce Ocean Forwarding (DDP/DDU) (TLACABAK)

Keywords

• International freight forwarding
• Customs clearance brokerage
• Sea freight services
• Multimodal logistics
• Warehousing distribution

Headquarters

HQ city

Basildon

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Sea Freight Forwarding: International sea freight services including FCL (Full Container Load) and LCL (Less than Container Load) shipments. Covers deep sea and short sea import/export services with major shipping lines. Provides complete supply chain management from origin to destination.
2. Air Freight Services: Time-critical and time-sensitive air cargo shipments. Expert handling for urgent deliveries with global network coverage and dedicated customer service.
3. Customs Clearance: In-house customs brokerage services for EU/UK clearance at all UK ports and airports. Includes T1 transit documents, T Form discharge/issuing, and specialist knowledge in import regulations.
4. Road Freight: European road freight services including LTL, FTL, out of gauge, hazardous, temperature controlled, and express trailer solutions across UK and Europe.
5. Rail Freight: China to UK rail freight services with transit times of approximately 19 days from China to Felixstowe. Alternative routing to traditional ocean freight.
6. Warehousing and Distribution: Temperature-controlled warehouse services at strategically located distribution centres. Includes bonded and ERTS solutions, Amazon FBA fulfilment, cross-docking, and ETSF solutions.
7. E-commerce Logistics: Comprehensive e-commerce logistics solutions including bonded warehouse services, parcel delivery accounts (UPS, DPD), B2C UK delivery, EU delivery to FBA hubs, and Amazon seller support.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Brunel Shipping provides international freight forwarding services across sea, air, road, and rail, complemented by in-house customs clearance brokerage at all UK ports and airports. The company delivers specialist services including FCL/LCL sea freight, dangerous goods handling, temperature-controlled perishable logistics, project cargo, China rail freight, Amazon FBA fulfilment, and warehousing with cross-docking and ETSF solutions.

Product overview

Brunel Shipping is a UK-based international freight forwarding company providing multimodal logistics services across sea, air, road, and rail freight. The core offering is built around sea freight forwarding and customs clearance, supplemented by specialist divisions for air cargo (Brunel Air Cargo) and European road freight (Brunel European). The product portfolio spans FCL and LCL ocean freight, China rail freight, Amazon FBA and e-commerce fulfillment, temperature-controlled warehousing, project cargo, dangerous goods handling, and customs brokerage including T1 transit documents and ATA Carnets. An internal online tracking tool (Red Care) provides customer visibility. All services are delivered through a network of offices in Basildon and Chepstow, UK, connected via the World Cargo Alliance to over 188 countries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Brunel Red Care: Premium shipment monitoring, tracking and communication service ensuring shipments are fully monitored with dedicated team member assigned to each client
• Brunel Air Cargo
• Brunel European
• Brunel Project

Products and services

• Sea Freight Services Deep sea and short sea import and export freight forwarding with over 30 years of experience, solid reputation with major shipping lines, and complete supply chain management. Covers FCL (Full Container Load) and LCL (Less than Container Load) shipments across major trade lanes.
• Customs Clearance Services Comprehensive customs clearance service for import and export shipments at all UK ports and airports, including EU/UK brokerage, T Form discharge and issuing, Brexit brokerage support, and specialist knowledge in UK import regulations.
• Brunel Air Cargo Air freight division focused on time-critical and time-sensitive shipments with a strong emphasis on reliability and customer service, providing cost-effective solutions with global network coverage.
• Brunel European (Road Freight) Road freight division offering full truckload, less-than-truckload, out-of-gauge, hazardous, temperature-controlled, and express trailer solutions across the UK and Europe with 24/48 hour guaranteed delivery services.
• China Rail Freight China-to-UK rail freight service with departures from China to Felixstowe in approximately 19 days, providing an alternative to ocean freight with faster transit times.
• Amazon FBA Fulfilment Integrated Amazon FBA logistics covering customs clearance, duty and VAT management, airline collection, bonded and ERTS warehousing at Felixstowe and Heathrow, palletisation to Amazon specifications, barcoding, and delivery to Amazon hubs within 48 hours of arrival.
• E-Commerce Logistics Comprehensive e-commerce logistics solution with extensive global partner network, bonded warehouse and ERTS solutions for FBA business, parcel delivery accounts (UPS, DPD, Yodel, DHL, Royal Mail), and B2C delivery throughout the UK and EU.
• Warehousing and Cross-Docking Warehousing services including ETSF (Enhanced Transhipment Facilities) solutions, climate-controlled temperature-controlled storage, designated areas for quarantined or high-security storage, and cross-docking operations.
• Project Cargo (Brunel Project) Bespoke freight solutions under the Brunel Project division, covering break bulk, out-of-gauge, temperature-controlled, and heavy-lift movements across construction, oil, gas, mining, energy, aerospace, and defence sectors.
• Food and Perishables (Cool Chain) Cool chain ocean and sea freight services for the food and beverage industry, including temperature-controlled containers, refrigerated storage, cold chain logistics planning, and specialist packaging and handling guidance.
• Dangerous Goods Handling Professional dangerous goods handling including packaging, marking, labelling, preparation of declarations, on-site repacking, international transport by sea, air and road per IATA and IMO regulations, and in-house dangerous goods safety advisors.
• T1 Transit Documents T1 document issuance and management for goods moving in transit without incurring import charges, including NCTS processing typically within 45-90 minutes, issued from Brunel in Dover.
• Car and Vehicle Imports Specialist customs brokerage for importing cars and vehicles, including guidance on UK import regulations, import procedures, and customs documentation.
• ATA Carnet Service ATA Carnet service for temporary importation of goods, facilitating duty-free and tax-free temporary exports and imports across participating countries.
• Brunel Red Care (Online Shipment Tracking) Bespoke online shipment tracking tool providing full visibility of cargo throughout the door-to-door journey, with Brunel RED CARE service providing dedicated monitoring, tracking, and proactive communication by a named team member.

Quantifiable outcome

• Transit time of 19 days from China to UK via rail freight
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered supporting and core.

• Breakbulk Agents & Members (BAM) NetworksupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Official member strengthening global reach and enhancing ability to support customers with specialist freight solutions. Expands global project cargo and breakbulk capabilities through trusted network.
• Cold Chain FederationsupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Member of the Cold Chain Federation, the voice of the temperature-controlled supply chain in the UK. Supports temperature-controlled logistics expertise and industry representation.
• WCA eCommerce NetworksupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Member of WCA eCommerce Network consisting of selected companies within cross-border eCommerce supply chain. Enables extensive range of eCommerce services including ERTS solutions.
• World Cargo Alliance (WCA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1998Member of World Cargo Alliance providing customers access to local logistics expertise in 188 countries across the globe. Enables Brunel to work with specialist forwarders in each location based on local knowledge.
• WCA & PCN Global NetworkscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerActive member of WCA and PCN global networks providing worldwide support across many areas of the logistics business. Enables international partnership and cooperation.
• Ocean Alliance (CMA CGM, COSCO, Evergreen, OOCL)coreTechnology or IntegrationLong-standing relationships with Ocean Alliance members providing access to largest vessel-sharing alliance on Asia-Europe routes. Enables competitive space allocations across peak and off-peak periods.
• MSC (Mediterranean Shipping Company)coreTechnology or IntegrationExcellent, long-standing relationships with MSC, world's largest container carrier by fleet capacity. Strong presence across UK-US and EU-US trade lanes.
• Gemini Cooperation (Maersk + Hapag-Lloyd)supportingTechnology or IntegrationStrong relationships with Gemini Cooperation providing strong North Europe and UK connectivity through combined Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd network.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/brunelshipping
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/brunel-shipping

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Brunel Shipping & Liner Services