Shipping Oil and Gas Equipment to Greece

Shipping Oil and Gas Equipment to Greece from Houston

You need to move oil and gas equipment, construction machinery, or breakbulk cargo from Houston to Greece. Which port takes it, what does customs charge, and how long is the Mediterranean run? Greece pairs one of the world’s great maritime traditions with an active energy buildout, from offshore exploration blocks around Crete and the Ionian Sea to the LNG infrastructure at Revithoussa and Alexandroupolis, so heavy equipment keeps arriving.

Texas International Freight books export shipments from Houston to Greece by ocean and air, prepares the export filing, and coordinates inland delivery to your site. We move the heavy and oversized cargo that parcel carriers cannot touch.

Which Greek Port Receives Your Cargo

Three ports handle most industrial cargo:

• Piraeus beside Athens, the largest Greek port and one of the biggest container hubs in the Mediterranean, operated by COSCO, with deep transshipment connections
• Thessaloniki in the north, the gateway for northern Greece and the Balkan hinterland, handling containers, bulk, and project cargo
• Elefsina in the Saronic Gulf, an industrial port suited to breakbulk and heavy cargo beside the refinery belt

Which port sits closest to your delivery point?

How Your Equipment Reaches Greece

Cargo leaving Houston crosses the Atlantic, passes the Strait of Gibraltar, and runs the length of the Mediterranean to Piraeus, so the route never touches the Red Sea. Plan on roughly three to four weeks of ocean freight from the Gulf, depending on a direct service or transshipment. Cargo moves in standard boxes, on flat-rack and open-top units, by roll-on roll-off, or as breakbulk for oversized pieces. Air freight into Athens earns its premium for urgent spares and high-value parts.

Duties, VAT, and Customs

Greece is a European Union member, so US-origin equipment clears under the EU Common External Tariff rather than a duty-free preference, and 24 percent VAT applies on the import value. The Independent Authority for Public Revenue runs customs within the EU framework, and you need an EORI number to import. Regulated equipment may need certification, so screening happens before booking.

Documentation Requirements

Your document set for Greece covers the commercial invoice, the packing list, the bill of lading or air waybill, the certificate of origin, and your EORI registration for EU customs. Accurate values and full legal entity names keep clearance moving at both ends.

Moving Oversized and Heavy Cargo

Energy and construction projects rarely move one piece at a time. Drilling equipment for the offshore exploration blocks, compressors and process modules for the LNG and refinery work, cranes, and generator sets ship as breakbulk, on flat-rack and open-top units, by roll-on roll-off, or on a chartered vessel for a full project. Our crews handle export packing to ISPM 15, blocking and bracing, and lashing, with cargo insurance placed on every move. For a multi-unit shipment, project logistics and vessel charter keep the whole job on one plan.

Working With a Houston Freight Forwarder

Texas International Freight books vessel and aircraft space, prepares your AES export filing, coordinates with Greek customs and the destination agents, and arranges inland delivery from Piraeus or Thessaloniki to your site. The same desk routes Eastern Mediterranean cargo to Turkey, Cyprus, and Israel when a project calls for it. One forwarder, one point of contact, every leg of the move.