Routes, ports, realistic transit and who handles what — the freight basics for a UK brand bringing jumpers in from Turkey, duty-free.
Turkey's proximity to the UK is an underappreciated competitive advantage for UK knitwear brands. Short-sea ocean freight from Mersin reaches Felixstowe in roughly 10–14 days, with road freight via Europe available for faster or smaller loads — against four to six weeks from the Far East. Shorter transit means tighter seasons, less cash tied up in transit, and the ability to reorder closer to sell-out without running out of stock. This guide covers the routes, ports, Incoterms and documentation that UK brands need to understand for a Turkey knitwear programme.
| Mode | Typical transit | Best for | Cost relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| Short-sea ocean — Mersin → Felixstowe | ~10–14 days | Bulk production (full or part-load containers) | Lowest per unit at volume |
| Short-sea ocean — Mersin → London Gateway | ~10–14 days | Alternative to Felixstowe; same transit | Similar to Felixstowe |
| Short-sea ocean — Mersin → Southampton | ~12–16 days | Brands with southern UK warehousing | Slightly higher on some routes |
| Road freight (TIR) via Europe | ~5–8 days | Faster delivery; smaller volumes; LTL | Higher per unit; lower threshold |
| Air freight (Istanbul → Heathrow) | 1–3 days | Samples; urgent top-up stock; short-notice orders | Significantly higher; per-kg rate |
Indicative — actual transit times vary by carrier, vessel schedule, season and UK port processing. Confirm live schedules with your freight forwarder.
Mersin (Mersin/İskenderun) is Turkey's largest Mediterranean container port and the primary export gateway for knitwear produced in Gaziantep — approximately 200km away by road. The typical routing for UK knitwear shipments:
From our Gaziantep factory, goods are transported to Mersin by road — approximately 3–4 hours. Goods are stuffed into a container (full container FCL, or part-load LCL consolidated with other cargo) and customs cleared for export. We handle the export-side Turkish customs clearance and issue the EUR.1 origin certificate at this stage.
The vessel routes westward through the Mediterranean, transiting Gibraltar and northward along the Atlantic coast to Felixstowe. Major carriers on this route include Maersk, MSC, CMA CGM and their alliances. Realistic door-to-door transit from our factory to Felixstowe: 12–16 days total (2 days Gaziantep to vessel departure + 10–14 days ocean transit).
Your UK customs broker files the import declaration at Felixstowe. They cite the EUR.1 certificate in the entry to claim the preferential 0% duty under the UK–Türkiye FTA. The goods clear customs and are released to your UK warehouse or 3PL. On good days this is same-day; UK port processing times vary by congestion.
Container is trucked from Felixstowe to your UK destination. FCL containers go directly to your warehouse for devanning; LCL cargo is sent to a deconsolidation depot where your cartons are separated and forwarded. Most UK warehouses and 3PLs are set up to receive standard sea freight containers.
A 20-foot standard container (TEU) holds approximately 25–28 cubic metres of packed cartons — for knitwear, typically 1,500–3,500 pieces depending on construction and packaging. A 40-foot container (FEU) holds roughly double. FCL is the most cost-efficient per-unit rate at volume, fastest to clear (no deconsolidation) and lowest handling risk. For orders above approximately 1,000–1,500 pieces in LCL cartons, FCL is typically the better option.
LCL (also called groupage) consolidates multiple shippers' cargo into a single container. Your cartons are de-grouped at a UK deconsolidation depot and forwarded. More suitable for smaller shipments (250–500 pieces), LCL adds 2–4 days to the transit for deconsolidation and typically costs more per CBM at low volumes than FCL per-container rate. For first orders and smaller pilots, LCL is the standard route.
TIR-documented road freight is an alternative to sea for smaller volumes or faster delivery requirements. Typically 5–8 days transit from Turkey to UK, depending on driver regulations and Channel crossing. Cost is higher per unit than LCL sea, but the transit time and flexibility can justify it for urgent orders or stock replenishment. Your freight forwarder can quote road rates alongside sea.
Air freight from Istanbul or Adana to UK (Heathrow/East Midlands) takes 1–3 days transit. The cost is significantly higher — typically 5–10× the per-unit cost of sea freight. Use cases: sample shipments (we routinely ship samples by DHL air, typically 2–3 days to UK), urgent small top-up orders where stockout risk exceeds the freight premium, or a small emergency replenishment for a key retail season.
Incoterms define the point at which risk and cost transfer from factory to buyer. The three most common for Turkey–UK knitwear shipments:
Risk and cost transfer at our factory door in Gaziantep. You (or your nominated freight forwarder) arrange everything: Turkish export customs, inland haulage to Mersin, ocean freight booking, UK import clearance, UK delivery. Maximum control for the buyer; maximum logistics coordination required. Usually only practical if you have an experienced forwarder with Turkey export capability.
We handle Turkish export customs and inland haulage to Mersin; risk and cost transfer once goods are on board the vessel at Mersin. You handle ocean freight booking, UK import clearance and UK delivery. FOB is the most common Incoterm for UK fashion importers from Turkey — your forwarder books the freight, you have full visibility of the sea-freight rate, and you control the UK customs entry and duty-free claim via EUR.1.
We arrange everything — Turkish export, freight, UK import and UK delivery to your specified address. You receive one cost and nothing to manage at your end. DDP is the simplest for brands new to international freight or those without an established forwarder relationship. The trade-off: less visibility into freight costs, and the UK import entry is filed by our logistics partner — which means we claim the preference, not your broker. Confirm the FTA preference is being claimed correctly.
For most UK brands with a freight forwarder or customs broker relationship, FOB is the recommended Incoterm. It gives you full control of the UK import entry — including the EUR.1 preference claim — while we handle the Turkey-side logistics that require local knowledge.
Post-Brexit, UK imports from non-EU countries require a full UK import declaration at the border. For Turkish knitwear, the documentation package your broker needs:
Issued by us at Mersin Turkish customs, stamped by the Turkish customs authority. This is the proof of origin that allows your broker to claim the 0% preferential duty rate under the UK–Türkiye FTA. Without the EUR.1, the UK Global Tariff (~8–12%) applies. We provide the EUR.1 with every shipment on request — make sure your broker knows to claim preference on the import entry.
The invoice must show: seller name and address, buyer name and address, HS commodity codes for the goods, quantity, unit price, total value in the invoiced currency (typically USD or EUR), Incoterm, and port of loading. The invoice value is the basis for duty calculation (even at 0%) and for Customs Procedure Codes.
Shows carton numbers, contents by style/colour/size, piece count per carton, gross and net weight, carton dimensions. Required for UK port handling and for cross-checking the goods received against the order. The packing list and commercial invoice must be consistent with the bill of lading.
The bill of lading (B/L) is the contract of carriage between the shipper and the carrier. The original B/L (or telex release / express B/L for modern shipments) is required to take possession of the goods at the UK port. If your payment terms are 70% balance against B/L, your supplier releases the B/L copy to you once they receive payment.
If you are using a freight forwarder for the first time for a Turkey import, give them the following information to get accurate rates and avoid delays:
Port of loading: Mersin. Shipper name and address: our factory details (we provide these on the commercial invoice). Turkish customs export date (we confirm this after factory loading). The forwarder will book freight from Mersin to your chosen UK port.
The HS commodity code(s) for your knitwear (typically HS 61.10 for jerseys/pullovers — confirm the 8-digit code with your broker for your specific product). Total shipment weight (kg) and volume (CBM). Required for freight quotation and duty calculation.
If FOB, the forwarder books from vessel departure at Mersin. If EXW, they also need to arrange inland haulage from our factory to the port — confirm with us that you need to arrange truck collection from our Gaziantep address.
Tell your customs broker explicitly: "We have a EUR.1 origin certificate for this shipment — please claim UK–Türkiye FTA preference on the import entry." Some brokers assume standard-rated entry unless specifically instructed. The EUR.1 reference number should appear on the import declaration. Check the cleared duty rate on your import entry — it should be 0%.
Yes, if your forwarder handles Mediterranean origin shipments — most major UK forwarders do (Maersk, DHL, Kuehne+Nagel, Freight Quote, and others with UK–Turkey expertise). Confirm they have Turkey origin capability and are comfortable with EUR.1 preference claims before committing a first shipment.
If a single order ships across multiple containers (FCL), a single EUR.1 can cover multiple containers from the same export shipment, provided they are exported under the same Turkish customs export declaration. For truly separate export shipments, separate EUR.1s are issued. Your customs broker can advise on the correct entry structure.
Most Gaziantep knitwear shipments use Mersin as the closest Mediterranean port. Istanbul (Ambarli) is an alternative but adds inland haulage time and cost from Gaziantep. Istanbul has more vessel frequency on some trade lanes; Mersin is the natural gateway for south/southeast Turkey manufacturing. For a Gaziantep-origin programme, Mersin is almost always the correct port of loading.
LCL rates vary by carrier, season and market conditions. As a rough guide (indicative, 2026): LCL from Mersin to Felixstowe runs approximately $200–350 per CBM for the sea leg, plus origin charges (THC, documentation) and UK destination charges (customs examination risk, delivery). Total door-to-door for a 250-piece first order (roughly 1.5–3 CBM depending on packaging) might be £400–800 in freight and handling. Get current quotes from your forwarder — these rates move with market conditions.
Tell us your UK delivery address, target arrival date and order volume. We'll quote EXW or FOB, confirm the production-plus-transit schedule, and supply the EUR.1 and documentation your broker needs for duty-free UK clearance.
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