About Us
Marwest LLC is a USDOT-licensed international freight forwarder and customs broker specializing in Africa, China, and USA trade lanes. Six offices. 45+ countries. 18+ years of freight expertise.
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Everything You Need to Know About Marwest LLC
What is Marwest LLC and what do you do?
Marwest LLC is a USDOT-licensed (970772) international freight forwarder and US customs broker headquartered in Texas, USA. We provide comprehensive logistics services — ocean freight, air freight, road freight, customs brokerage, warehousing, cargo insurance, and trade finance — specializing in the Africa-China-USA trade corridor. With six offices on three continents, we have served clients in 45+ countries since 2006.
Where are your offices located?
We maintain six offices: Texas (US Headquarters), Georgia (USA East Coast), Shandong (China), Namibia, South Africa, and Togo. This footprint gives us direct operational coverage across the USA, China, and sub-Saharan Africa, supported by a network of vetted freight agents in 45+ additional countries worldwide.
What trade lanes do you specialize in?
Our core expertise is the Africa-China-USA trade corridor. Key routes include: China to Southern Africa (via Walvis Bay, Durban, Cape Town), China to West Africa (via Lome, Lagos, Accra, Abidjan), China to USA (trans-Pacific), USA to Africa (ocean and air), and Africa to China (raw materials and commodity export). We also serve intra-African cross-border freight needs.
Are you licensed and bonded?
Yes. Marwest LLC holds USDOT carrier licence 970772, is a CBP-licensed US customs broker, holds FMC NVOCC status for ocean freight, is a TSA Known Shipper for air cargo, and is IATA DGR certified for dangerous goods by air. We are fully bonded in all required jurisdictions and carry appropriate cargo liability insurance.
Questions About Our Logistics Services
What types of cargo do you handle?
We handle general cargo, refrigerated/reefer cargo, hazardous goods (IATA DGR certified for air, IMO for ocean), project cargo and heavy lift, breakbulk, bulk, vehicles (RoRo), ISO tanks, livestock, and high-value cargo. We also handle specialized tyre and rim export from China to Africa, one of our historically strong trade lanes.
What is the minimum shipment size you accept?
We handle shipments from 1 CBM (LCL) upwards, with no stated minimum. Our China office offers cargo consolidation services that allow multiple small shipments from different suppliers to be combined into a single, cost-effective container. Contact us for a quote regardless of shipment size.
Do you offer door-to-door freight services?
Yes. We offer door-to-door freight management from supplier or warehouse pickup at origin, through all ocean or air transit, customs clearance at destination, and final delivery to the consignee's warehouse, distribution centre, or customer site. We coordinate all service providers and present a single all-inclusive freight quotation.
How quickly can you provide a freight quote?
We guarantee a freight quote response within 4 business hours for standard cargo enquiries. Complex project cargo, hazardous goods, or unusual routing requirements may require up to 24 hours. Submit your RFQ via our contact page with origin, destination, cargo details, and target loading date.
Do you offer cargo insurance?
Yes. We arrange marine cargo insurance for all shipment types and trade lanes through our relationships with top-rated marine cargo underwriters. We recommend insurance on all international shipments and can provide premium indications as part of your freight quotation.
China Sourcing & Payment Questions
Can you help me source products from China?
Yes. Our Shandong, China office provides factory identification and vetting, supplier qualification, pre-shipment quality inspection, and cargo consolidation from multiple Chinese suppliers into a single container. We do not act as a buying agent but we work alongside your procurement team to ensure goods are correctly inspected and documented before export.
How do I pay Chinese suppliers from Africa?
This is one of the most common challenges our African clients face. Marwest LLC provides USD/RMB payment facilitation services: we can receive your USD payment and convert and remit RMB to your Chinese supplier, or facilitate documentary letter of credit arrangements through our banking partners. We also assist with documentary collections (D/P and D/A terms) for qualified client relationships.
What Chinese ports do you cover?
We have direct carrier contracts and booking capability at all major Chinese container ports: Qingdao (Shandong), Tianjin (North China), Shanghai (East China), Ningbo, Guangzhou/Yantian, Shenzhen, Xiamen, and Dalian. Our Shandong office can coordinate collection and pre-carriage from factories anywhere in China.
Do you handle China export documentation?
Yes, comprehensively. Our China team manages all export documentation including commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading, certificate of origin (Form A, GACC, eCO), phytosanitary certificates, fumigation certificates, quality inspection reports, and any product-specific documentation required by destination country authorities or banking requirements.
Questions About Our African Services
Which African countries do you serve?
We have direct offices in Namibia, South Africa, and Togo, with agent networks covering the full continent. Countries with particularly strong coverage include: Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique, Togo, Ghana, Nigeria, Benin, Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Ivory Coast, Senegal, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Tanzania. Contact us for coverage in any specific country.
Can you clear customs in African countries?
Yes. Our African offices include licensed clearing agents who manage customs clearance at local ports and border posts. We manage tariff classification, duty and tax calculation, import permit compliance, and release from port — providing clients with a single-point customs management service.
Do you handle cross-border road freight in Africa?
Yes. For landlocked countries (Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, etc.), we coordinate bonded road transit from coastal ports to the inland destination, managing all cross-border documentation, transit permits, and escort requirements where applicable.
How to Work With Marwest LLC
Have More Questions? Our Team Has Answers.
Submit your freight enquiry, call our team directly, or email {{ $company->cargo_email ?? $company->email ?? 'Cargo@marwestllc.com' }}. We respond to all enquiries within 4 business hours, Monday to Friday.
