Manchester - Cargo Overseas Ltd (Manchester, Head Office)
Cargo Overseas Ltd is a UK-based freight forwarder with its headquarters in Manchester, delivering end-to-end logistics partnerships that address the complexities of modern global trade. For more than three decades the company has combined industry knowledge with forward-thinking digital capability to help clients manage both routine and high-stakes shipments across air, sea, road and project cargo. The business specializes in project cargo and temperature-controlled logistics for foodstuffs, leveraging its own consolidated air and sea services to secure integrated scheduling, reliable transit times and competitive pricing. A bonded warehouse in Manchester underpins secure handling and customs-compliant workflows, enabling efficient import and export cycles for a broad range of customers and cargo types, from temperature-sensitive goods to oversized equipment. This blend of physical assets and service agility positions Cargo Overseas as a practical partner for organizations requiring careful, risk-aware management of multi-modal shipments and complex supply chains.
The company has built a geographically focused yet scalable UK footprint that strengthens regional responsiveness while supporting national and international flows. Offices in Felixstowe, London Heathrow, Manchester and Howden enable the team to coordinate local operations, consolidate freight, and provide hands-on support across multiple hubs. This network supports a coherent service model that can connect buyers and suppliers across different geographies, helping to reduce lead times and minimize handling risk in transit. The combination of regional presence and integrated operations translates into smoother handoffs between modes, better control of schedules, and improved predictability for shippers navigating the challenges of freight planning and regulatory compliance.
Cargo Overseas has embraced digital transformation as a core driver of efficiency and transparency. The company offers an Instant Online Freight Quoting System that produces dynamic, real-time pricing for imports, exports and cross-trade movements, enabling faster decision making and more competitive bids for customers and trading partners. In parallel, a Real-Time Worldwide Freight Tracking System provides a dashboard view of shipments across the globe, displaying current location, status, documentation and milestones so clients can track progress and respond quickly to exceptions. These tools are complemented by a purpose-built Automated UK Customs Entry System, designed to simplify Brexit-era and post-Brexit customs workflows and reduce queuing times by ensuring compliant data capture and streamlined processing from the outset of a shipment.
The Nano platform, as part of Cargo Overseas’ digital suite, empowers customers with instant quotes for air and sea movements, including cross-trade opportunities, and supports more informed decision making through real-time price visibility. Orbi takes tracking a step further by offering a holistic, interactive global view of shipment inventories, locations and status updates on a single intuitive dashboard, helping logistics managers stay ahead of potential delays and optimize re-planning when needed. Together, these digital capabilities form a cohesive technology stack that enhances supply chain visibility, reduces manual data entry, and improves collaboration with suppliers, customers and carriers.
From a process perspective, Cargo Overseas emphasizes automated and standardized workflows to minimize manual intervention and error rates. Its solutions portfolio includes aCe Automated Customs Clearance, which is positioned as a practical response to the complexities of trade in a changing regulatory environment. By automating customs data capture and entry, the company can accelerate clearance times, improve compliance, and provide more consistent documentation for audit trails. The result is faster movement of goods through gateways and ports, reduced risk of demurrage or delays, and a smoother experience for customers navigating multi-jurisdictional requirements.
The service philosophy is centered on delivering bespoke supply chain solutions that can scale from small and medium-sized enterprises to multinational PLCs. Cargo Overseas works with clients to map their end-to-end purchase orders through to final mile delivery, ensuring alignment across stakeholders and providing greater transparency across the entire lifecycle. This approach supports better planning, improved inventory control, and greater leverage of global buying power to optimize total landed costs. By integrating freight, customs, documentation, and communications into a single coherent framework, the company helps clients reduce friction, improve reliability, and accelerate time-to-value for critical shipments.
Cargo Overseas’ cargo capabilities span the breadth of the logistics spectrum. The company manages air and sea freight, road transport and project cargo, with a capability set that is particularly well-suited for high-value, time-sensitive or technically challenging consignments. Projects that require careful scheduling, specialized handling or complex routing can benefit from the firm’s experience planning and executing multi-modal movements, including the coordination of charter-like elements when needed and consolidation of shipments to maximize efficiency. In the temperature-controlled space, the organization applies precise handling protocols to preserve quality and compliance for perishable goods, ensuring that temperature envelopes are maintained and monitored throughout transit and handoffs.
A key differentiator is Cargo Overseas’ investment in a bonded warehouse capability in Manchester, which reinforces control over storage conditions, regulatory compliance and batch traceability. This capability is particularly valuable for customers shipping time-sensitive or regulated cargo, where compliance, security and accurate documentation can determine the speed and success of the overall movement. The bonded facility also supports efficient re-packaging, labeling and consolidation activities, helping customers optimize inventory while maintaining strict control over cost and timing.
Operational resilience and risk management are embedded in the company’s approach. The combination of a strong regional footprint, multi-modal expertise, and digital tooling supports robust contingency planning, scenario analysis and rapid re-planning when disruptions occur. The ability to visualize all shipments in real time and to price new routes quickly makes Cargo Overseas a reliable partner during periods of volatility or when market conditions demand rapid changes in routing, mode selection or service level.
Cargo Overseas’ client portfolio reflects the broad spectrum of modern global trade, spanning high-end luxury goods, automotive components, consumer electronics and other sectors with complex logistics requirements. The case studies published by the company illustrate how IT-led supply chain solutions can map internal processes to shipping requirements, delivering tangible improvements in transparency, automation and cost control. Whether it is a luxury goods manufacturer seeking bespoke multimodal transport management or an automotive company coordinating multiple European sites with standardized processes, the firm emphasizes a tailored approach that leverages digital dashboards, real-time data and automation to achieve measurable outcomes.
In addition to its core freight forwarding services, Cargo Overseas communicates a clear commitment to simple, transparent, and accountable shipping experiences for customers and partners alike. The emphasis on online tools, real-time data, and automated workflows speaks to a philosophy of reducing friction, increasing predictability, and empowering both shippers and logistics teams to manage complex supply chains with confidence. The company’s long-standing operating model—built on decades of experience, a structured UK office network, and a scalable digital platform—supports a consistent level of service quality across regions and across cargo types, while remaining flexible enough to accommodate the evolving needs of diverse industries.
From a Freightcue platform perspective, Cargo Overseas demonstrates many qualities that are prized in a global directory and marketplace for freight providers. The combination of specialized service lines, strong digital capabilities and a track record of managing complex movements translates into a compelling listing for Freightcue users who rely on instant quotes, real-time tracking, and clear, auditable documentation. The company’s emphasis on automation and data-driven operation aligns well with a platform that prioritizes transparency, speed, and value for shippers seeking reliable price discovery and performance evaluation. For Freightcue, Cargo Overseas represents a robust, technology-enabled forwarder with a wide range of capabilities that can appeal to shippers across multiple sectors, providing them with confidence that high standards of service, compliance and operational efficiency can be achieved through digital tools and hands-on local support. Overall, Cargo Overseas offers a mature, comprehensive value proposition that can contribute meaningfully to a global directory where users publish inquiries, compare provider quotes, and share experiences to inform better logistics decisions. The underlying strengths—clear project cargo competency, temperature-controlled logistics, own consolidation capabilities, regional UK coverage, and a well-integrated digital ecosystem—create a foundation for strong performance in a competitive marketplace and offer Freightcue a trustworthy listing that can drive meaningful engagement and informed decision making among freight buyers and sellers alike.
