Sailing schedules from Hai Phong to Jebel Ali (Dubai)

Cargo is received at Hateco Haiphong International Container Terminal (HHIT), berths 5 and 6 of the Lach Huyen port area. The terminal has been in full operation since 5 April 2025 and has a 900 m main quay. APM Terminals, part of A.P. Moller-Maersk, is Hateco's partner, and according to APM Terminals the berth forms part of the Gemini network run by Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd.

Maersk's current schedule involves one or two transshipments, and no direct service is available. About 1 sailings a week are operated by Maersk. Boxes from northern industrial zones are trucked to Lach Huyen. Check that the booking names the right terminal: HHIT at Lach Huyen is not the same as the river terminals such as Tan Vu, and gating in at the wrong yard means a missed cut-off.

Transit runs from 27 to 40 days. The slower sailings on the schedule transship twice. A vessel may be the same, but Hai Phong cargo has its own sailing date, so work from the Hai Phong ETD and the transshipment port shown on the booking.

The Strait of Hormuz is disrupted. According to Maersk's operational advisory, updated through the end of September 2026, the carrier has suspended bookings to a number of Gulf countries. For the UAE, Maersk is taking bookings only to Khor Fakkan, and to Jebel Ali via landbridge (road or rail from the east coast). Cargo is discharged at Khor Fakkan or Fujairah, then moved to Jebel Ali under customs supervision. The carrier also charges an Emergency Freight surcharge and a separate fee for vessels transiting Hormuz. Conditions change fast, so confirm routing, discharge port and surcharges on the booking before you commit.

The Jebel Ali Free Zone (JAFZA) sits next to the port. Cargo entering the zone under an "FZ Transit In" declaration is exempt from customs duty, provided the consignee on the documents is a company holding a free zone licence. Duty is payable only when goods leave the zone for the UAE mainland: non-GCC goods bear the 5% common customs duty on CIF value, plus 5% import VAT.

So ask the buyer before confirming the booking: free zone or mainland? Procedures and taxes differ between the two routes, and the consignee name on the documents must match the route chosen.

Regulated goods (electrical and electronic products, toys, cosmetics and others) need an ECAS or EQM conformity certificate from the UAE Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology (MoIAT) before they can be imported and sold. Ask the buyer about certification at the quotation stage, not once the cargo is on the vessel.

The document set is B/L, commercial invoice, C/O, packing list and D/O, plus permits for regulated goods. Declarations are filed electronically through Dubai Trade (Mirsal) and can be lodged before the cargo arrives. Documents must reach customs within 14 days of the declaration processing date; late submission draws a fine of AED 50 per day, capped at 90 days. Invoices of AED 10,000 or more must be attested through eDAS, which the UAE importer handles, and must match the C/O.

CEPA has been in force since 3 February 2026. A valid UAE-VN form C/O qualifies the cargo for preferential duty; without one, the consignee pays 5%.

Homexim books FCL/LCL ocean freight, clears exports in Vietnam and trucks the container to HHIT. Each shipment has one named point of contact from start to finish. Quotes itemize every charge: freight, surcharges and local charges.

Import clearance in the UAE is handled by the consignee or a customs broker on the UAE side. Shippers should agree early with the buyer on who files the declaration and who holds the ECAS/EQM certificate.