Do you ship to Ireland direct or via the UK landbridge?

Both. The direct ferry from France, Belgium or the Netherlands to Rosslare, Dublin or Cork keeps EU-origin goods inside the EU customs area and avoids Britain, often the cleaner option since Brexit. The GB landbridge can be faster door-to-door but adds UK transit and customs paperwork. We choose by origin, cost and urgency.

Do I need customs paperwork for Ireland?

For EU-origin goods routed on a direct ferry, no - Ireland is in the EU and eurozone, so goods in free circulation arrive without customs formalities. If the load crosses Great Britain on the landbridge, UK transit paperwork applies even for EU-to-EU cargo, which we prepare. Non-EU imports we clear as usual.

How does Brexit affect shipping to Ireland?

Mainly through the landbridge: moving EU goods across Great Britain now means UK transit declarations, so many shippers switched to direct EU ferries to avoid it. Within the island, the Windsor Framework keeps Republic-Northern Ireland trade border-free; the customs line is in the Irish Sea for GB-to-NI goods. We handle whichever applies.

Can you deliver to Northern Ireland too?

Yes, as part of the same all-island service. Under the Windsor Framework, Northern Ireland stays in the EU single market for goods, so there's no customs border on the island, cargo moves freely between the Republic and the North. Goods coming from Great Britain into Northern Ireland use the framework's lane system, which we manage.

Can you keep pharmaceuticals temperature-controlled across the sea crossing?

Yes. Ireland is a major pharma exporter, and we run GDP-compliant, temperature-controlled equipment with the cold chain maintained through the ferry leg, the crossing time is built into the temperature plan and monitored, so a +2…+8 °C or frozen load stays in range door to door.

Road Freight

Road Freight to Ireland: Direct Ferry or GB Landbridge

Ireland is an EU member you can only reach by sea, and since Brexit, how you cross the water decides the whole shipment. The traditional route ran overland across Great Britain (the "landbridge"): fast, but now it means UK customs and transit paperwork even though both ends are in the EU. The alternative, direct ferries from France, Belgium or the Netherlands to Rosslare, Dublin or Cork, skips Britain entirely and keeps the goods inside the EU customs area, which is why direct sailings surged after Brexit. Cargo Logistic Solutions runs road freight to Ireland on its contracted fleet, choosing the crossing to suit the load, CMR-insured, with financial liability set in the contract and pricing on the A→B leg only.

Ireland is in the EU and the eurozone but not Schengen (it shares a Common Travel Area with the UK), so for EU-origin goods there's no customs on arrival, the complication is only the water and, on the landbridge, Britain in the middle. Tell us the two points and the volume, and a logistician confirms the routing, FTL or LTL, a transit window and a rate the same day.

Get a quote in 15 minutes. Send loading and delivery points plus the pallet count. We reply with the format, transit and a rate.

Two ways across the water

Route	How it works	Trade-off
Direct EU ferry	Road to a French/Belgian/Dutch port → ferry to Rosslare/Dublin/Cork → road	Stays in EU customs area, no GB paperwork; longer sailing
GB landbridge	Road across Great Britain → Irish Sea ferry → Ireland	Faster overall, but adds UK transit/customs post-Brexit

The direct ferry via France or the Benelux avoids Britain and its post-Brexit formalities, often the cleaner choice for EU-origin goods; the landbridge via the United Kingdom can still be faster door-to-door but requires transit paperwork through GB. We pick by cost, urgency and origin, and handle any customs the routing needs.

Transit times to Ireland

Indicative FTL times to the main Irish hubs - Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway, Rosslare:

Lane	Approx. routing	Typical FTL transit
France → Ireland (direct ferry)	Cherbourg/Dunkirk + ~18–24 h sailing	2–3 days
Benelux → Ireland (direct ferry)	Zeebrugge/Rotterdam + sailing	2–3 days
UK → Ireland (landbridge)	GB road + Irish Sea ferry	1–2 days
Poland → Ireland	~1,800 km + crossing	3–4 days
Spain → Ireland	~2,000 km + crossing	4–5 days

Groupage adds 2–4 days for consolidation. Sailing schedules are the main variable. We book the sea crossing into the plan rather than treat it as an afterthought.

Northern Ireland and the all-island market

Ireland is one market spread over two jurisdictions, and the rules are unusual. Under the Windsor Framework, Northern Ireland remains in the EU single market for goods, so trade between the Republic and Northern Ireland moves freely across the land border, there is no customs frontier on the island. The customs line sits instead in the Irish Sea, applying to goods moving from Great Britain into Northern Ireland. In practice this means we can serve the whole island as one delivery area for EU-origin cargo, while GB→NI movements need the Windsor Framework's green/red-lane handling, which we manage.

The pharma and tech export engine

Ireland is, per capita, one of the world's largest exporters of pharmaceuticals and medical devices, alongside a huge ICT sector. That defines our outbound loads: GDP-compliant, temperature-controlled pharmaceutical freight where the cold chain and chain of custody can't break across a sea crossing, and high-value, secure handling for electronics and medical devices. Inbound. We carry palletised retail and e-commerce goods, machinery and temperature-controlled food. A sea leg makes cold-chain planning tighter, not looser. We build the crossing time into the temperature plan.

FTL or LTL to Ireland

	FTL, full load	LTL, groupage
Best for	~33 europallets / up to 24 t	Part-loads from 100 kg
Transit	Direct, sealed	+2–4 days via a hub
Priced by	Route / km (+ ferry)	Loading metre, m³ or kg

Pick full truckload (FTL) for a direct sealed run, and note that unaccompanied trailers are common on the direct ferries, which can be efficient for full loads, or LTL groupage to share the cost of a sea-inclusive lane.

What determines the price

Route, direct EU ferry vs the GB landbridge (and its customs cost).
Ferry cost, the sea crossing is a direct line in the rate; longer direct sailings cost more than the short Irish Sea hop.
Accompanied vs unaccompanied, driver-with-trailer or trailer-only on the ferry.
Distance, the continental road leg to the departure port.
Cargo - GDP pharma, temperature-controlled food or secure high-value handling.
Season and capacity, ferry space tightens at peaks.

How we plan an Irish run

An Irish load starts with the crossing decision, direct ferry or landbridge, chosen for origin, cost and urgency, with the sailing booked and, on the landbridge, the GB transit paperwork prepared in advance. For pharma and food, the temperature plan spans the sea leg. Cover applies under the CMR Convention with our financial liability in the contract, plus insurance to declared value, position reporting on request, and a personal logistician on the shipment.

Request a route quote and we'll come back with pricing and the next available slot the same day.