Our team is on call 24/7 — 365 days a year
GBFXT Independent freight forwarder · Felixstowe & Nottingham · Est. 2006
Sea, air and road freight to 13 world regions, run by a hands-on team two miles from the Port of Felixstowe. One named contact, every major carrier, and someone on call 24/7 — however big or small the load.
Members & partners
Runner-up, Most Valued Partner Lognet Global network awards, 2016
01 What we do
Whether it’s a single pallet to Lagos or a weekly programme of containers from Shanghai, one team plans, books, documents and clears it, then keeps you posted until it lands.
FCL · LCL · Reefer · Break bulk
Weekly full- and part-container services on every major trade lane. As a neutral NVOCC we buy from all global and niche carriers, so you get the right rate and priority when space is tight.
Express · Consol · DG
For time-critical cargo: door-to-airport or door-to-door, direct or consolidated, backed by strong relationships with the major airlines.
FTL · LTL · Temp-controlled
UK and European road transport as a standalone service or part of your wider supply chain, on a regular schedule or as a one-off.
Ex-works collection to final delivery, run as one job with one invoice and one contact.
Moving goods between two countries outside the UK? We manage it from Felixstowe through our global agents.
Import and export clearance, tariff classification, duty management and certificates of origin.
Bonded warehousing, off-quay container storage, pallet management and onward distribution.
Heavy lift, break bulk and out-of-gauge moves, planned by a project team that works with specialist carriers.
Cargo insurance, letters of credit, export packing and every document your shipment needs.
02 Specialists
Hazardous cargo is where generalist forwarders get nervous. Our team holds the qualifications and licences to move dangerous goods safely by sea, air and road, with classification, packing, labelling and paperwork done properly first time.
Quote a DG shipment03 Why Energy Freight
Since 2006 we’ve been the independent alternative to the multinational forwarders: the same global carriers and agent network, without the call centres, ticket queues or minimum volumes.
A named contact who knows your account, your paperwork and your customers. Never a ticket number.
Cargo doesn’t keep office hours, so neither do we. Every member of our team is on call 24/7.
We work with every major global and niche carrier to find the best rate and secure space when it’s scarce.
Hand-picked agents on every continent, and a Lognet Global “Most Valued Partner” runner-up.
| What matters | Energy Freight | Typical global forwarder |
|---|---|---|
| Your contact | A named person with a direct line | A shared inbox or call centre |
| Out of hours | On call 24/7, every one of us | Office hours, then an emergency line |
| Smaller shipments | Single pallets welcome | Priority goes to volume accounts |
| Carrier choice | Neutral: every major & niche carrier | Preferred-carrier contracts first |
| Decisions | Made in Felixstowe, by the owners | Escalated to regional HQ |
04 How it works
Use the quick quote form or call either office. Route, cargo and timings are all we need to start.
A complete price from a real person, with the best route, carrier and Incoterm explained in plain English.
Collection, booking, documentation, customs and insurance, arranged and double-checked by your named contact.
Up-to-date information while your cargo’s in transit, and someone to call, day or night, until it’s delivered.
05 Where we ship
Sailing from UK base ports including Felixstowe, Southampton and Tilbury, plus Antwerp, Rotterdam, Hamburg/Bremerhaven and Le Havre, with rates to inland destinations on every trade.
China, Japan, Korea and the whole of South East Asia, with Chinese outports also available.
India’s major gateways plus Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Pakistan.
The Gulf hubs and Red Sea ports, with inland delivery including Riyadh.
East and West Med, Turkey and North Africa.
The Red Sea and East African coast, with inland rates on request.
From Dakar to Walvis Bay, covering the whole West African coast.
East and West Coast South America, including the Guianas.
Mexico through to Panama, on both coasts.
More than 35 island ports, from the Bahamas to Trinidad.
East Coast, Gulf and West Coast ports, with rail services from the East Coast to most Midwest destinations.
Atlantic and Pacific gateways, with rail to Toronto.
Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea, sailing from Felixstowe, Tilbury or Southampton.
Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania via the North European hubs.
On every trade:
Destination not listed? We add new trades all the time. Ask us about it.
06 Shipper’s toolkit
The tools our team uses every day: container specs, a load calculator and a plain-English guide to Incoterms® 2020. Free, and no sign-up.
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Indicative only. Real-world loadability depends on packaging, stacking and weight distribution; we’ll confirm before you book.
Typical figures. Exact specs vary by carrier and unit; we’ll confirm before booking.
Any mode of transport
Sea & inland waterway only
Incoterms® is a registered trademark of the International Chamber of Commerce. Simplified guide; the exact split of costs can depend on the named place and your contract of carriage.
51.96° N, 1.35° E
Two miles from the Port of Felixstowe, the UK’s largest container port.
07 Our story
Energy Freight was founded in 2006 by former colleagues Ian Connell and Simon Watts. They combined years of forwarding know-how with one simple principle: give every customer, however big or small, a cost-effective solution and a genuinely personal service.
That principle built the business. From a small team we moved into larger offices two miles from the Port of Felixstowe, then opened our Nottingham office in 2012 to serve importers and exporters across the Midlands. We’re still independent, still owner-managed, and still on call 24/7.
Meet the directors
08 FAQs
The things shippers ask us most. Can’t see yours? Call 01394 282 636, day or night.
Ask a real personFCL (full container load) means you book a whole container, 20ft, 40ft or 40ft high cube, just for your goods. LCL (less than container load, or groupage) means your cargo shares a container with other shippers’ and you pay only for the space you use. As a rule of thumb LCL tends to be more economical below roughly 13–15 m³; above that, FCL often wins. We’ll always quote the option that makes sense.
Yes, it’s one of our specialities. Our team holds the qualifications and licences to ship hazardous and dangerous goods safely by sea, air and road, including classification, packing, labelling and documentation. Send the safety data sheet (SDS) with your enquiry and we’ll take it from there.
Yes. We handle import and export clearance and brokerage, tariff classification, duty management, certificates of origin and letters of credit, so your shipments clear quickly and compliantly at both ends.
Absolutely. From a single pallet to a full project cargo, every customer gets the same personal service. That’s been our principle since day one.
It depends on who you want to control, and pay for, each stage of the journey. Our Incoterms® 2020 guide shows who does what under each term, or just ask and we’ll recommend the right one for your shipment.
Yes. We can collect ex-works and deliver right to your customer’s door, with haulage, customs, warehousing and distribution arranged as one seamless job.
Our sea freight services depart from UK base ports including Felixstowe, Southampton and Tilbury, as well as Antwerp, Rotterdam, Hamburg/Bremerhaven and Le Havre. Rates to inland destinations are available on every trade.
Where it’s going from and to, what the goods are, approximate weight and dimensions (or volume), when it’s ready, and whether it’s hazardous. If you have an Incoterm in mind, tell us that too. Don’t have everything? Send what you know and we’ll fill in the gaps together.
We’re members of the British International Freight Association (BIFA), and all business is undertaken subject to the BIFA Standard Trading Conditions.
09 Contact
Call either office, any time, and you’ll speak to someone who can actually help. Or send a message and we’ll come straight back to you.
Head office · On call 24/7
Midlands office · On call 24/7
