Ocean and Air Freight to Lebanon from Houston and the Gulf Coast
You need to move a vehicle, construction machinery, or breakbulk cargo from Texas to Lebanon. Where does it land, what duty and rules apply, and how do you keep the cargo moving through the Eastern Mediterranean? The answers shape your timeline and your budget.
Texas International Freight books export shipments from Houston to Beirut, Tripoli, and Beirut airport. Our team arranges ocean and air capacity, prepares export filings, and coordinates inland delivery to your Lebanese site. We handle the vehicles, heavy equipment, and oversized freight that standard parcel carriers cannot move.
Beirut and Lebanon’s Other Ports
Beirut runs as Lebanon’s primary port and handles most of the country’s container, breakbulk, roll-on roll-off, and general cargo. The deepwater container terminal operates under a CMA CGM concession, and throughput has been climbing through 2026 as the port rebuilds capacity. Beirut Harbour takes vessels to about 13 meters of draft, enough for the container ships and car carriers that serve the lane.
Tripoli in the north is the main alternative, with a deepwater quay that absorbed traffic when Beirut was disrupted and now anchors a free zone and onward routing. Saida serves the south. Match the port to your delivery point, and we route the cargo accordingly.
How Your Cargo Reaches the Eastern Mediterranean
Cargo leaving Houston crosses the Atlantic, passes the Strait of Gibraltar, and enters the Mediterranean to reach Beirut. The route never touches the Red Sea or the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, so the disruption that pushed Asian-origin cargo around Africa does not apply to your US Gulf sailings.
Plan on roughly three to four weeks of ocean freight from the Gulf Coast, depending on a direct service or transshipment through a Mediterranean hub such as Piraeus, Malta, or Port Said. Breakbulk moves on a multipurpose or chartered vessel can run longer because of load and discharge windows.
Shipping Vehicles to Lebanon
Lebanon is a steady market for US vehicles, and a car moves one of two ways. Roll-on roll-off puts the vehicle on a dedicated car vessel under its own power, which keeps the cost down for a standard car or truck. A container protects a high-value, classic, or non-running vehicle and lets you load parts and personal effects alongside it. Our vehicle shipping desk books either option from Houston or a Texas inland pickup.
Lebanon applies customs duty and VAT on imported vehicles and enforces age and standards rules on used passenger cars, so confirm that your vehicle qualifies before it ships. We line up the title, the export filing, and the destination clearance so the car does not stall at the port.
Duties, VAT, and Lebanese Customs
Lebanon has no free trade agreement with the United States, so goods enter under standard customs tariff rates that vary by Harmonized System code, plus 11 percent VAT on the import value. Vehicles and a few other categories carry additional charges. Lebanese customs clear imports through the NAJM electronic system, and your consignee needs the document set in order before the cargo arrives.
One compliance point matters when you also ship to Israel. Lebanon enforces the Arab League boycott, so the carrying vessel and the cargo cannot have an Israeli connection, and a single rotation cannot call both an Israeli port and Beirut. We plan the routing and the carrier selection around that, and our partners keep your customs clearance moving.
Export Paperwork on the US Side
Shipments valued above 2,500 dollars or carrying a license requirement need Electronic Export Information filed in the Automated Export System before departure, under the right Schedule B classification. A vehicle export also requires the title and supporting documents lodged with US Customs ahead of loading. Energy and technology equipment can fall under Bureau of Industry and Security export controls, so screening happens before booking.
Your document set covers the commercial invoice, the packing list, the bill of lading or air waybill, and the title for a vehicle. Accurate values and full legal entity names prevent holds at both ends. Proper export packing and crating protects the cargo and satisfies marking rules.
Moving Oversized and Heavy Cargo
Equipment that exceeds container dimensions ships as breakbulk cargo, on flat rack and open-top units, by roll-on roll-off, or on a chartered vessel for a full project. Generators, transformers, and crushers travel this way. Self-propelled units such as wheel loaders and harvesters often roll on and roll off under their own power.
Construction, energy, and infrastructure projects rarely move one piece at a time. For a multi-unit move, project logistics and vessel charter keep the whole shipment on one plan and one schedule. Our crews handle blocking and bracing, lashing, and the survey work that heavy lifts require. The same desk arranges heavy equipment shipped overseas and the domestic heavy haul that brings the unit to the Houston terminal.
Working With a Houston Freight Forwarder
Texas International Freight books vessel and aircraft space, prepares your AES filing and commercial documents, coordinates with Lebanese customs agents, and arranges inland trucking from Beirut or Tripoli to your site. You work with one team from pickup in Texas to delivery in Lebanon.
The same desk runs your wider Eastern Mediterranean lanes. We move freight to Turkey, Israel, Syria, and Egypt, and we keep your North American freight moving on the trucking lanes to Mexico and the heavy equipment lanes to Canada. One forwarder, one point of contact, every leg of the move.
Get Your Lebanon Shipment Booked
Texas International Freight handles vehicles, machinery, breakbulk cargo, and oversized freight bound for Lebanon. Send us the dimensions, weight, and delivery point, and we return a routing and a quote.
Contact Information:
- Phone: +1 877-489-9184
- Email: ship@txintlfreight.com
- Address: 11511 Katy Fwy #320, Houston, TX 77079
- Web Form: Request a Quote
Which Lebanese port receives your cargo?
Beirut is Lebanon’s primary port and handles most of the country’s container, breakbulk, roll-on roll-off, and general cargo, with a deepwater container terminal run under a CMA CGM concession. Tripoli in the north is the main alternative, with a deepwater quay that absorbed traffic when Beirut was disrupted, and Saida serves the south. Match the port to your delivery point: Beirut works for the capital and central Lebanon, while Tripoli suits cargo bound for the north and onward routing.
How do you ship a car from Houston to Lebanon?
A vehicle moves either by roll-on roll-off, where it drives onto a dedicated car vessel, or inside a container, which adds protection for a high-value or classic car and lets you load parts and personal effects with it. Beirut handles both. Lebanon applies customs duty and VAT on imported vehicles and enforces age and standards rules on used passenger cars, so confirm your car qualifies before it ships. We arrange the booking, the export filing, and the destination clearance so the car clears without a surprise at the port.
Do US-origin goods pay import duty in Lebanon?
Lebanon has no free trade agreement with the United States, so goods enter under standard customs tariff rates that vary by Harmonized System code, plus 11 percent VAT on the import value. Vehicles and some categories carry additional charges. Lebanese customs clear imports through the NAJM system, and your consignee needs the document set in order before arrival. Lebanon also enforces the Arab League boycott, so the carrying vessel and the cargo cannot have an Israeli connection.
How long does ocean freight from Houston to Lebanon take?
Plan on roughly three to four weeks of sailing time from the Gulf Coast to Beirut, depending on a direct service or transshipment through a Mediterranean hub such as Piraeus, Malta, or Port Said. Cargo crosses the Atlantic, passes the Strait of Gibraltar, and enters the Mediterranean, so the route never touches the Red Sea. Breakbulk and project cargo on a chartered or multipurpose vessel can run longer because of load and discharge windows. Air freight to Beirut moves urgent parts in a few days.
How do you ship an oversized item that will not fit in a container?
Oversized cargo moves as breakbulk, on flat rack and open-top equipment, by roll-on roll-off, or on a chartered multipurpose vessel for full project moves. A generator, a transformer, or a self-propelled machine ships on breakbulk berths rather than in a standard box. Our team handles export crating, blocking and bracing, and lashing so the unit arrives intact. For a construction, energy, or infrastructure project with several heavy pieces, vessel charter and project logistics keep the whole move on one plan.
