Case study: groupage from Rotterdam to St Petersburg

15 April 2026

How we organised a groupage shipment from Rotterdam to St Petersburg: the stages, the timing and what the cost was made of.

The client’s task

The client needed to deliver a consignment of industrial equipment and components from the Netherlands to St Petersburg. The volume did not fill a full container, so the best format was groupage (LCL) via the port of Rotterdam. An additional requirement was a predictable budget and full customs support.

Solution and result

The goods were received at the consolidation warehouse, the documents were checked and the consignment was combined with others. The route ran via Rotterdam with onward delivery to St Petersburg. A full set of documents was prepared in advance, which ensured quick release at customs.

Groupage on this lane is priced by pallets and loading metres (LDM): the reference is from €400 per pallet and then on a sliding scale by volume. Our managers calculate the exact rate for each consignment in the LDM calculator.

Route economics: why sea beat road

For bulky consignments from the Netherlands and Belgium, sea consolidation in Rotterdam is about a third cheaper than road via Poland: a groupage container is priced by cubic metre, not weight, and does not depend on queues at the land border, where trucks can wait for several days.

The trade-off is time: about 2 weeks against 7–14 days for road groupage, plus the port schedule. Sea therefore suits planned deliveries with predictable demand, while urgent top-ups go by road or air.

What the schedule looks like

1Intake by Wednesday
Goods are received at the Rotterdam warehouse until Wednesday.
2Container closed on Friday
The EX1 export declaration is lodged at the warehouse on the day the container is closed.
3Sailing at the weekend
The vessel leaves the next weekend; the crossing to St Petersburg takes 6–7 days.
4Release and delivery
Then 3–5 days for unloading, customs release and delivery to the consignee.

What to prepare in advance

For the supplier this means one thing: if the goods are ready on Monday, they make that week’s sailing. Wooden packaging must carry the IPPC stamp, the weight per pallet must not exceed the port limit, and desiccants are placed in the container for moisture-sensitive goods.

We run the sanctions check on the HS code before collection: exports of some industrial items from the EU are prohibited regardless of the route.

Questions and answers

If goods are ready on Monday, when do they sail?

The same week: intake runs until Wednesday, the container closes on Friday and the vessel leaves at the weekend.

When is the EX1 lodged?

At the Rotterdam warehouse on the day the container is closed.

Is sea always cheaper than road?

For bulky consignments from the Netherlands and Belgium it is about a third cheaper, but groupage takes about 2 weeks against 7–14 days by road and depends on the port schedule.

LCL groupage via Rotterdam →LDM calculator →Delivery to St Petersburg →Destination: Netherlands →Destination: Belgium →

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