Sea Freight from Abu Dhabi to Egypt +971524669941: 20 ft and 40 ft Containers for Household Goods, Cars and Cargo to Alexandria and Sokhna

Sea freight from Abu Dhabi to Egypt is the most economical way to move a whole home, a car or a large commercial consignment. We load the container at your door in Abu Dhabi, brace the load and close the doors with a numbered seal, then the box sails from Khalifa Port in Taweelah to Ain Sokhna on the Red Sea, or through the Suez Canal to Alexandria, Port Said or Damietta. Sailing takes roughly two to three weeks, plus port handling and customs clearance, after which the container is trucked to your address in Cairo, Giza or any governorate. Prices start from 4,050 AED for a 20 ft container and from 6,750 AED for a 40 ft container, port to port.

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When is sea freight from Abu Dhabi the right choice?

Sea freight makes sense when the volume is large and the date is not pressing. If you are moving a three-bedroom home or bigger, shipping a car or sending palletised stock, a container costs far less than splitting the load across shared trucks or flying it. The box is closed and sealed from your door to the Egyptian port, so your belongings are never unloaded in a transit warehouse or mixed with anyone else’s.

If you only have some cartons and suitcases, or one room of furniture, the road-and-ferry route through Saudi Arabia usually suits you better; the full family-move picture from the capital is in our Abu Dhabi to Egypt shipping guide, and the wider view for every emirate is in the UAE to Egypt shipping guide. This guide is about containers only: choosing the size, loading and sealing, where the ship berths in Egypt and what happens next.

• Choose sea for a full household, a car once its eligibility is confirmed, or commercial cargo above roughly half a container.
• Choose road and ferry for one or two rooms of furniture and loose cartons; it reaches cities near the Red Sea ports sooner.
• Choose air only for documents, urgent parcels and small valuable items.

What we ship by container from Abu Dhabi to Egypt

Most sea shipments we handle from Abu Dhabi to Egypt fall into four groups, each with its own loading method and paperwork:

• Household goods and personal effects: bedrooms, sofas, dining sets, appliances, kitchenware, books and clothes. These are the containers we load most often for families returning to Egypt after years in the capital.
• Cars: one car in a 20 ft container, or a car with household goods in a 40 ft, and only after Egypt’s current import conditions have been checked against the car and its owner.
• Commercial cargo: building materials, spare parts, sanitary ware, garments, packaging, restaurant equipment and anything shipped on pallets or in uniform cartons.
• Heavy equipment: generators, workshop machines, steel racking and items too awkward for a shared truck.

Khalifa Port and collection areas in Abu Dhabi

Khalifa Port sits at Taweelah between Abu Dhabi city and Dubai, next to the KIZAD industrial zone, and is the emirate’s main container port. For a home move we send the empty container to your address, load it there and return it sealed to the port. For company stock in an industrial area or free zone warehouse, we load straight from the warehouse dock.

We load anywhere in the emirate, including:

• On the island: Al Khalidiyah, Al Mushrif, Al Bateen, Tourist Club Area, Al Zahiyah, Hamdan Street and Muroor Road.
• Islands and waterfronts: Al Reem Island, Saadiyat Island, Yas Island and Al Raha Beach.
• The mainland: Khalifa City, Mohammed Bin Zayed City, Baniyas, Al Shamkha, Al Shahama, Al Falah and Madinat Al Riyadh.
• Industrial zones: Mussafah and ICAD, KIZAD and the Al Mafraq warehouses.
• Further out: Ruwais and Madinat Zayed in Al Dhafra, and Al Ain, which has its own Al Ain to Egypt guide.

In towers and gated communities, a container truck usually needs building-management approval and a booked slot for the service lift and loading bay. Give us the building name when you book and we will arrange the timing so the container is not left waiting on the street.

FCL or LCL: a full container or space in a shared one?

A full container load (FCL) is yours alone: loaded at your door, sealed, and opened only for inspection in Egypt. With less than container load (LCL), several customers’ goods are consolidated in one box at a warehouse and you pay for the cubic metres you use. Price is not the only difference:

The working rule: once your goods pass roughly 12–15 cubic metres, compare a 20 ft container with the shared rate. Quite often the full box ends up both cheaper and safer, because nothing changes hands on the way. Send us your list and we will price it both ways.

How many rooms fit in a 20 ft or 40 ft container?

This is where most customers start, and the answer depends more on the type of furniture than on the number of rooms. The figures below are approximate for standard containers and assume good wrapping and tight stowage:

How to estimate your volume in cubic metres

Multiply length by width by height in metres for each large piece and add them up. A three-seater sofa of 2.2 × 0.9 × 0.85 m takes about 1.7 m³; a double-door fridge of 0.9 × 0.75 × 1.8 m takes about 1.2 m³. As a quick guide, a master bedroom is 7–10 m³, a child’s room 5–7, living and dining together 8–12, kitchen and appliances 4–6, and cartons depend on the count (about twenty medium cartons make two cubic metres).

Do not plan to fill the box to the last centimetre; leave about 10% for bracing and the gaps between pieces. If you sit right on the line between 20 ft and 40 ft, the bigger box is usually the better call than squeezing everything in and risking breakage.

Loading at your door: wrapping, bracing and the seal

The container arrives empty on the truck chassis and the crew checks it first: a dry floor, doors that close tightly, no pinholes letting in daylight. Loading then follows a set order:

1. Every piece is wrapped before it leaves the house: blankets and bubble wrap for wooden furniture, corner boards, and wooden crates for glass, marble and large screens.
2. Heaviest items go low and to the front: fridges, washers and heavy wardrobes first, lighter pieces on top.
3. Weight is spread along and across the box so it does not lean to one side during lifting and sailing.
4. The load is lashed with straps to the container’s rings, and air bags or timber fill the gaps so nothing shifts with the ship’s motion.
5. A numbered inventory is written up for the inspection in Egypt to check against.
6. The doors are closed, the numbered bolt seal is fitted, its number goes on the shipping documents, and you get a photo of it on WhatsApp.

The seal is your clearest guarantee: a steel bolt that can be cut but not undone, carrying a unique number. When the container reaches Egypt that number is checked against the bill of lading; if they match, the box has not been opened since it was closed outside your home. Only customs inspection, or you at unloading, breaks it.

Any timber used in the load, whether pallets, crates or bracing boards, must be heat-treated and stamped to the international ISPM 15 standard, because Egypt applies it to wooden packaging. We use stamped timber; if you prepare stock on your own pallets, make sure they carry the mark.

The bill of lading: the paper that releases your container

The bill of lading is the contract between shipper and shipping line and also the title to the cargo: whoever holds it, or is released against it, collects the container at the Egyptian port. Check it carefully before the ship sails:

• The consignee name matches the passport, or the importer’s commercial register in Egypt, letter for letter.
• The port of discharge is right: Sokhna, Alexandria, Port Said or Damietta. Changing it after sailing is costly and sometimes impossible.
• The cargo description is clear, for example “used household goods and personal effects”, or the commercial items by name.
• The container number and seal number are written exactly as they appear on the box.

The bill may be issued as a paper original couriered to Egypt, or released electronically (telex release) so the receiver does not need the original. We tell you which applies before sailing and send you a copy on WhatsApp as soon as it is issued.

The route from Khalifa Port to Egypt’s ports

The ship leaves Khalifa Port and sails around the Arabian Peninsula into the Red Sea, where the arrival port decides the rest:

• Ain Sokhna: on the Gulf of Suez, with no canal transit needed. It is closest to Greater Cairo (about two hours by truck), the New Administrative Capital, New Cairo, Obour and 10th of Ramadan, so we recommend it for most containers bound for Cairo and Giza.
• Port Said: at the northern mouth of the Suez Canal, suited to the Canal cities and some Delta deliveries.
• Damietta: on the Mediterranean east of the Delta, close to Mansoura, Zagazig and Kafr El Sheikh.
• Alexandria: best for Alexandria, Beheira and the western Delta; the ship reaches it after the Suez Canal.

There is no single best port, only the one nearest your delivery address with the earliest sailing. A box bound for Smouha or Agami is cheaper landed at Alexandria than at Sokhna followed by the whole desert road, and the reverse holds for Fifth Settlement or Nasr City.

Approximate transit by city: sea, road and ferry, air

These are approximate door-to-door times from Abu Dhabi including clearance, and depend on sailing dates, port congestion and complete documents:

After arrival: clearance at the port, then trucking to your door

Once the ship berths, the container is landed in the port yard and release begins. This stage is what separates a box that leaves within days from one that piles up storage charges:

1. Customs declaration with the documents: bill of lading and inventory, passport for personal effects, or commercial invoice, certificate of origin and ACID number for goods.
2. Inspection: seals are cut in front of customs and contents checked against the list; it may be partial or full.
3. Assessment and payment: used personal effects in reasonable quantities usually get facilitation, while new items and commercial quantities are dutiable. UAE-origin goods with a certificate of origin can be exempt from customs duty under the Greater Arab Free Trade Area, but Egypt’s 14% VAT and other fees still apply.
4. Release: the container leaves on a truck to your address, or is unloaded at a warehouse and the goods sent on smaller vehicles where the street cannot take a container.
5. Unloading and reassembly at your door, then the empty container goes back to the line.

Each container has a set number of free days at the port and with the receiver; after that, demurrage and storage are charged day by day. That is why we ask for complete documents before the box sails, not after it lands. You get a WhatsApp update at sailing, at arrival, at release and before the truck reaches your address.

From the port we deliver across Egypt: Nasr City, Heliopolis, Maadi, New Cairo and the Fifth Settlement, Shubra and Mokattam in Cairo; Dokki, Mohandessin, Haram and Faisal in Giza; 6th of October, Sheikh Zayed, Obour and 10th of Ramadan; Smouha, Sidi Gaber, Miami and Agami in Alexandria; Mansoura, Tanta, Zagazig, Damanhour and Kafr El Sheikh; Ismailia, Port Said, Suez and Damietta; Hurghada and Safaga; and Minya, Beni Suef, Assiut, Sohag, Qena, Luxor and Aswan.

Shipping a car by sea from Abu Dhabi to Egypt

Cars have one rule we never bend: before any booking, the team checks Egypt’s current import conditions against the car itself and its owner. Egypt applies strict, changing rules to personal car imports, covering model year, who may import and how payment is made, and what was allowed a while ago may not be allowed now. A car shipped without meeting them can sit at the port running up charges without ever being released.

Once eligibility is confirmed, the car goes one of two ways:

• In a container: a 20 ft for one car, or a 40 ft for a car with household goods. Wheels are strapped and chocked, the battery disconnected and the tank left near empty.
• Ro-ro: the car is driven up the ship’s ramp and lashed on deck. Sometimes cheaper, but no belongings may be left inside.

Exporting the car from the UAE needs valid registration in the shipper’s name, cancelled plates with an export certificate from the licensing authority, and no outstanding fines or finance.

Documents for sea freight to Egypt

Household goods and personal effects

• Passport copy of the owner and Emirates ID copy.
• A detailed inventory in Arabic or English, with carton count and contents.
• For someone returning to live in Egypt, proof that residence abroad has ended helps with facilitation.
• Receiver’s name, phone number and delivery address in Egypt.

Commercial cargo

• An ACID number, registered by the Egyptian importer on the NAFEZA platform before the goods ship; without it the shipment is not accepted.
• Commercial invoice and packing list.
• Certificate of origin, the key to the Greater Arab Free Trade Area duty exemption for UAE-origin goods.
• Approvals from the relevant authorities for food, medicines, cosmetics and many electrical products.

Cars

• Vehicle registration and the UAE export certificate.
• The owner’s passport and documents showing eligibility to import under Egypt’s current rules.
• Purchase invoice if requested, and anything else the team specifies after reviewing the case.

Prohibited and restricted items

• Prohibited: narcotics, weapons and ammunition, counterfeit goods, gambling equipment, used tyres for trade.
• Need prior permits or restricted: drones, radio and satellite transmitters, some medicines, large quantities of mobile phones.
• Never inside furniture: gas cylinders, petrol and flammable liquids, damaged batteries and perishable food.

Sea freight prices from Abu Dhabi to Egypt start from

Door delivery in Egypt, clearance and customs duties are quoted separately, and the final price depends on volume, weight, city, packing and documents.

What pushes a container’s cost up or down?

• Container size and type, and the chosen arrival port.
• The loading site in Abu Dhabi: a tower with limited parking is not the same as a villa with a wide gate.
• Packing level and how many pieces need crates or dismantling.
• Distance from the Egyptian port to your address, and whether the container can enter your street or needs transfer to smaller vehicles.
• Complete paperwork, since every waiting day at the port costs money.
• The nature of commercial cargo and the duties and tax applied to it.

Would air freight suit you better than a container?

Air freight from Abu Dhabi to Cairo arrives in about two to five days and starts from 15 AED per kg, charged on actual or volumetric weight (L × W × H in cm ÷ 6000), whichever is higher. That is ideal for a folder of documents or a device you need quickly, but not for furniture: a single sofa of 1.5 cubic metres has a volumetric weight of about 250 kg, so one piece by air can cost close to half a full container. The practical answer for many families is furniture in the container, and essentials and papers by air so they arrive ahead of you. Full details are in our express shipping from Abu Dhabi to Egypt guide.

There is also a third option for mid-size loads: a truck crossing Saudi Arabia in transit from Al Ghuwaifat to Duba port, then the ferry to Safaga or Nuweiba. The stops on the Saudi leg are explained in our Abu Dhabi to Saudi Arabia guide.

How to ship by sea from Abu Dhabi to Egypt, step by step

1. Send your inventory or room photos, your Abu Dhabi address and the delivery address in Egypt on WhatsApp +971524669941.
2. We recommend a container size or shared space, the best arrival port, and send you the price.
3. You confirm the date; we book the sailing and ask for documents early.
4. The crew comes to pack, then the container arrives and loading and bracing begin.
5. The container is sealed in front of you, you get a photo of the seal and its number, and it goes to Khalifa Port.
6. The bill of lading is issued and you receive a copy, with WhatsApp updates at sailing and arrival.
7. Clearance at the Egyptian port, then trucking to your address and unloading.

Advice from the field before you book a container

• Photograph appliances working before they are wrapped, and note serial numbers on the inventory.
• Empty and dry the fridge two days ahead, and fit the washing machine’s transit bolts.
• Alexandria’s humidity and Upper Egypt’s heat affect wood and leather; moisture absorbers inside the box make a real difference on a trip of several weeks.
• Keep gold, cash and original documents with you or send them by air, never in the container.
• Ask the team about optional insurance if your goods are of high value.
• Do not book your own flight out of the UAE for the day after loading; leave a margin in case the container is late.

If you are loading in Dubai rather than Abu Dhabi, collection details are in the Dubai to Egypt guide.

FAQ: sea freight from Abu Dhabi to Egypt

How long does a container take from Abu Dhabi to Egypt?

Sailing from Khalifa Port takes roughly two to three weeks. Door to door, with handling, clearance and inland trucking, the total is usually three to six weeks depending on the arrival port, sailing dates and complete documents.

Is a 20 ft container enough for my flat?

It usually takes a one- or two-bedroom flat with living room and kitchen, about 28–33 m³ of wrapped furniture. A three-bedroom flat generally needs a 40 ft, and a villa a 40 ft High Cube. Send room photos and we will work it out.

Which is better, Sokhna or Alexandria?

Sokhna is closer to Greater Cairo and needs no canal transit, so it suits Cairo, Giza and the eastern cities. Alexandria suits Alexandria, Beheira and the western Delta, while Damietta and Port Said suit the eastern Delta and the Canal cities.

Is the container opened before it reaches Egypt?

No. It is closed with a numbered seal outside your home and the number is written on the bill of lading. Only customs inspection in Egypt, or you at unloading, breaks it.

Can my car go in the same container as my furniture?

Yes, in a 40 ft container, but only after the team has checked Egypt’s current import conditions against the car and its owner. We do not book any car before that check.

Will I pay customs on my used furniture?

Used personal effects in reasonable quantities usually get customs facilitation, while new items and commercial quantities are dutiable. A full exemption cannot be promised because assessment rests with port customs.

Do personal effects need an ACID number?

ACID is required for commercial goods and is registered by the Egyptian importer on NAFEZA before shipping. Personal effects need the passport and inventory, and the team confirms what your case needs before loading.

How will I know where my container is?

The team sends you a WhatsApp update at each stage: loading and sealing, sailing, arrival at the Egyptian port, release, and before the truck reaches your address.

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