Transit time to Seattle and Tacoma: published ranges by origin port
Port to port, from Airlift's lane guides. Pair pages run from Ennore, Mundra, Chennai and Mangalore and 1 more into Seattle (USSEA) and Tacoma (USTIW). Rows marked as booked are pairs Airlift's bookings report lists among the biggest on their lane.
| From | To | Planning range | Lane |
|---|---|---|---|
| EnnoreINENR | Seattle USSEA | 39–82 days | India to USA |
| MundraINMUN | Tacoma USTIW | 42–56 days | India to USA |
| MundraINMUN | Seattle USSEA | 44–65 days | India to USA |
| ChennaiINMAA | Seattle USSEA | 47–63 days | India to USA |
| MangaloreINIXE | Tacoma USTIW | 53–68 days | India to USA |
| EnnoreINENR | Tacoma USTIW | 55–69 days | India to USA |
| KattupalliINKAT | Seattle USSEA | 55–74 days | India to USA |
Planning ranges from Airlift's lane guides, port to port; not guaranteed durations. Confirm the routing and the sailing when you request a quote.
Lane guides into Seattle and Tacoma
Each lane guide covers the origin ports, what ships on the lane, the US customs paperwork and a quote form; the pair count is the number of port-pair pages landing at Seattle (USSEA) and Tacoma (USTIW).
Also serving Seattle: China to USA, Vietnam to USA, Bangladesh to USA, Sri Lanka to USA, Cambodia to USA, Brazil to USA, Thailand to USA, Indonesia to USA, Belgium to USA, Italy to USA. See every origin on shipping to the USA by country of origin.
Where the containers come in
Seattle's container terminals are on Elliott Bay (Terminal 5 and Terminal 18 among them) and Tacoma's on Commencement Bay, with BNSF and Union Pacific rail serving both harbors. UN/LOCODE lists them as Seattle (USSEA) and Tacoma (USTIW); the pair pages use both, so the table above shows rows for each. Which harbor a container lands in depends on the carrier service, not on the delivery address.
- Seattle harbor container terminals, Elliott Bay
- Tacoma harbor container terminals, Commencement Bay
- Seattle–Tacoma International Airport (SEA) for air freight
Port pages: Seattle (USSEA), sailings; Tacoma (USTIW). Look up any port's code in the port code finder.
After the gate: the Pacific Northwest and the upper Midwest
Drayage from either harbor is arranged through contracted motor carriers to warehouses in the Kent Valley, Tacoma, Portland and Spokane. Containers for Minneapolis, Chicago and the northern plains move inland on BNSF or Union Pacific on the ocean carrier's through bill, with drayage from the destination ramp. Airlift arranges the move as a broker; it owns no trucks or warehouses in Washington.
Airlift USA has been in business since 1999 and is an FMC-licensed NVOCC (FMC No. 016162), not a customs broker: the customs entry is filed through its licensed customs-broker network, and US trucking is arranged as a non-asset, FMCSA-licensed property broker through contracted motor carriers. Not enough cargo to fill a container? See LCL ocean freight; for a tight deadline, international air freight.
Shipping to Seattle and Tacoma: FAQs
Port to port, Airlift's lane guides list Ennore to Seattle at 39–82 days, Mundra to Tacoma at 42–56 days, Mundra to Seattle at 44–65 days, Chennai to Seattle at 47–63 days and Mangalore to Tacoma at 53–68 days, as planning ranges, not guaranteed durations. The actual time depends on the carrier, the routing and any transshipment, so confirm the sailing when you request a quote.
Other US destinations
See every destination on shipping to the USA by destination port and city, or browse Airlift's shipping route guides.
Transit ranges: Airlift's lane guides, as published on the linked pair pages. Port codes: UNECE UN/LOCODE 2024-2; CBP Schedule D. Schedule counts: the Sealanes snapshot on the linked port pages. Terminal, chassis and rail facts: the port authorities' published rules, as cited on our container drayage page. Reviewed October 2026.
Request a quote: shipping to Seattle and Tacoma
Include the origin port or city, the delivery address, the commodity, and either the package count with weights and dimensions or the container size and count. Add the cargo-ready date and say whether you need pickup at origin, customs clearance or US delivery. We reply with the freight rate, the destination charges and the services included.