Emergency Equipment Export from the United States
When a plant overseas is down and the part is in the United States, the freight is rarely what holds it up. Documentation is. Onsite Global Logistics is an FMC-licensed Ocean Transportation Intermediary (OTI No. 023947F) based in Houston, and we build the export file before the cargo moves — classification, filings, packing, dangerous goods and destination handoff — so an urgent shipment does not stop at a border it was never going to clear.
Equipment needs to leave the country this week? Call the 24/7 line. You will reach a person who can tell you what the destination requires before you book anything.
What an FMC license means on an urgent export
Most buyers have never had a reason to ask what license their forwarder holds. On a routine domestic move it rarely matters. On an urgent international one it decides who can legally do the work.
Onsite Global Logistics LLC is a Federal Maritime Commission licensed Ocean Transportation Intermediary, OTI No. 023947F, operating as an Ocean Freight Forwarder. That license means we are bonded, regulated and accountable for how your cargo is documented and moved.
Where an export needs vessel space contracted in our own name, ocean chartering and NVOCC services are provided by our sister company OnBoard Global Logistics LLC, a legally separate FMC-licensed NVOCC, License No. 027470N. Two entities, two licenses, one accountable point of contact.
What we are not: we are not a licensed customs broker. We prepare, check and coordinate documentation, and we work directly with your broker or introduce one of ours. We will tell you plainly where our responsibility ends and your broker’s begins. Any forwarder that blurs that line is telling you something about how they handle the rest of the file.
The export file, and who is legally on the hook
This is the section most freight companies leave off their website, and it is the one that decides whether your shipment moves.
Electronic Export Information and the AES filing
Electronic Export Information (EEI) is filed through the Automated Export System. It is required when the value of the commodity classified under each individual Schedule B number is over $2,500, or where an export license is required — in which case it is required regardless of value.
Three things about that rule catch exporters out:
The threshold is per Schedule B number, not per shipment. A shipment with three commodity lines can trigger a filing on one line at $2,900 while the other two sit below the threshold. People read “$2,500 shipment” and get it wrong.
A shipment is defined narrowly. All goods exported by one US Principal Party in Interest, to one consignee, on one conveyance, on the same day.
Delegating the filing does not delegate the liability. A forwarder can file as your authorized agent, and we frequently do — but the USPPI holds ultimate legal responsibility for the accuracy of the EEI. Anyone who tells you otherwise is selling you comfort, not compliance.
Once AES accepts the filing you receive an ITN, the Internal Transaction Number. Carriers and forwarders generally require the ITN before cargo can be released for loading. Where a filing is not required, an NOEEI exemption citation still has to appear on the bill of lading or air waybill.
Two practical notes. Shipments from the US to Canada of any value are generally exempt unless a mandatory filing requirement applies — which is why a Canada move often feels easier than it is, right up until the first controlled item. And the 2026 Schedule B took effect 1 January 2026; an outdated code filed after the grace period returns a fatal error in AES rather than a warning.
The commercial document set
Commercial invoice with a defensible value. Packing list reconciled to marks, numbers and serials. Certificate of origin, and consular legalization where the destination still requires it. Bill of lading or air waybill. Insurance certificate where cover is placed at origin. Any product-specific permit, certificate or conformity document the destination demands.
We build this set before the cargo is collected, not while it sits on a dock.
Packing built for the trade lane, not for the warehouse
Equipment that survives a domestic truck move will not necessarily survive eight weeks in a container across the tropics. The two jobs are different.
Wood packaging and ISPM 15
Solid wood packaging used for export — crates, pallets, skids, dunnage, blocking — must comply with ISPM 15. Wood must be debarked and either heat-treated to a core temperature of 56°C for at least 30 continuous minutes, or fumigated with methyl bromide to the ISPM 15 schedule.
The compliance mark must carry the IPPC logo, the country code, the treatment code (HT or MB) and the facility identifier. Processed wood products such as plywood, OSB and particle board are outside the scope.
Two details that cause real problems. Treatment does not expire — compliant packaging can be reused without retreatment. But repaired or remanufactured packaging must be treated and marked again, with the old mark obliterated. And non-compliant wood found at the border can put the crate and its contents into quarantine or fumigation at the shipper’s cost.
Protecting the equipment itself
VCI film and emitters for ferrous surfaces. Desiccant sized to the enclosed volume and the transit duration, not to the crate. Humidity indicator cards so the receiver can see whether the barrier held. Sealed barrier bags on control panels, instrumentation and machined surfaces. Shock and tilt indicators where the equipment justifies them. Marks and numbers that match the packing list exactly.
Dangerous goods, declared before the booking
A meaningful share of industrial equipment ships with something regulated attached to it or inside it. Preservation and hydraulic fluids. Lithium batteries in controls and UPS modules. Nitrogen-charged accumulators. Aerosols and cleaning media in a spares kit. Compressed gas cylinders.
We classify and declare under IATA for air, IMDG for ocean and 49 CFR for domestic road, and we do it as part of the booking rather than discovering it at the counter. An undeclared battery is one of the fastest ways to have an urgent air shipment refused at the point where you have the least time to fix it.
Export control screening, before the booking
Industrial equipment is not automatically uncontrolled. Aeroderivative turbine components have aviation lineage. Certain valves, pumps, machine tools, sensors and materials carry classifications that most sellers have never had cause to look up. Destination, end user and end use all matter, not just the commodity.
The classification question deserves an answer before the shipment is booked, because a license requirement discovered after cargo is staged converts a two-day problem into a two-month one. Where an export license is required, the EEI filing becomes mandatory regardless of value.
We raise the question early and route it to the right specialist. We do not make classification determinations on your behalf — that sits with the exporter, and any forwarder claiming otherwise is taking on something they cannot carry.
Used equipment is treated differently, and the rules keep moving
Many urgent exports involve equipment that has already been in service — a spare transformer, an overhauled engine, a rebuilt pump, a surplus generator. A number of destination markets treat used capital goods under an entirely separate regime from new.
Argentina is a useful worked example. Under Decree 273/2025, Argentina eliminated the Certificate of Importation of Used Goods (CIBU) that had been in place since 1994. Importers now file a sworn statement electronically through the Malvina system (SIM). The decree also doubled the extra zone duty on used goods relative to new, and capped total duties (including the statistical fee) at 35% of CIF value.
That is one country and one decree, and it changed twice in three years. We verify the destination regime at the time of booking rather than working from what was true last year — and we tell you what we could not verify, instead of guessing.
Getting it delivered at the other end
An export is not finished when the vessel sails. It is finished when someone signs for it at a plant gate.
OGL delivers destination-side through a vetted alliance agent network. These are agents who work on OGL’s instruction, under our file, with our escalation path — not a name passed to you with a shrug. We do not claim to own facilities we do not own, and we will tell you which parts of the chain are ours and which are partners.
For country-specific import requirements, documentation and destination handoff, see our destination guides.
What goes wrong on urgent exports
| Failure mode | What it costs | What OGL does |
|---|---|---|
| EEI threshold read per shipment instead of per Schedule B number | Filing missed, cargo held, penalty exposure | Classification and value reviewed line by line before booking |
| Non-compliant or unmarked wood packaging | Crate and contents quarantined or fumigated at destination | ISPM 15 marks checked physically before collection |
| Lithium battery or preservation fluid undeclared | Air shipment refused at the counter | DG classification as part of booking, not afterwards |
| Export classification checked after cargo is staged | Days become months if a license is required | Classification question raised before the booking |
| Used-equipment rules assumed from last year’s shipment | Entry rejected at destination | Destination regime verified at time of booking |
| Packing list marks do not match the crates | Customs examination and delay | Packing list reconciled to physical marks and serials at origin |
| Destination agent unvetted and unaccountable | Cargo sits at port with nobody owning it | Named alliance agent under OGL’s file and escalation path |
How we work
One named specialist, start to finish. Not a queue, not a department hand-off, not a ticket number.
We answer the phone. 24/7/365.
We tell you the bad news early. If a destination requirement will not be met in your window, you hear it while you still have options.
We say what we do not know. Trade rules change, and some of them change without notice. We will tell you what we verified, when we verified it, and what we could not confirm.
Frequently asked questions
When do I have to file EEI through AES?
EEI is required when the value of the commodity classified under each individual Schedule B number is over $2,500, or where an export license is required, in which case it is required regardless of value. The threshold applies per Schedule B number, not to the total shipment value. Shipments from the United States to Canada of any value are generally exempt unless a mandatory filing requirement applies.
If my forwarder files the EEI, am I still responsible for it?
Yes. A freight forwarder can file as your authorized agent, but the US Principal Party in Interest holds ultimate legal responsibility for the accuracy of the EEI. Delegating the filing does not transfer the obligation.
What is an ITN and why does the carrier want it?
The ITN is the Internal Transaction Number returned by AES once a filing is accepted. It is the proof of filing, and carriers and forwarders generally require it before cargo is released for loading. Where no filing is required, an NOEEI exemption citation must still appear on the bill of lading or air waybill.
What are the ISPM 15 requirements for export crates?
Solid wood packaging must be debarked and either heat-treated to a core temperature of 56°C for at least 30 continuous minutes, or fumigated with methyl bromide to the ISPM 15 schedule. The mark must show the IPPC logo, country code, treatment code and facility identifier. Treatment does not expire and compliant packaging may be reused, but repaired or remanufactured packaging must be treated and marked again with the old mark obliterated.
Can you export used industrial equipment?
Yes, and it is a large share of what we move. Used capital goods are frequently treated under a separate regime from new equipment at destination. Argentina, for example, eliminated the Certificate of Importation of Used Goods under Decree 273/2025 and now requires only an electronic sworn statement through the Malvina system, with used-goods duty doubled relative to new and total duties capped at 35%. We verify the destination regime at the time of booking.
Does OGL handle customs clearance?
No. Onsite Global Logistics is a licensed freight forwarder and FMC Ocean Transportation Intermediary, License No. 023947F, not a licensed customs broker. We prepare and check documentation, coordinate with your broker or introduce one, and stay on the file through clearance.
How fast can urgent equipment leave the United States?
Air freight from Houston typically reaches most major world markets in 12 to 48 hours once cargo is ready and documentation is clean. Ocean runs 12 to 30 days port to port depending on the trade lane. The variable is almost never the flight or the vessel — it is whether the export file was built before the cargo moved.
Who handles delivery at the destination?
OGL coordinates destination delivery through vetted alliance agents who work on OGL’s instruction, under our file and escalation path. Ocean chartering and NVOCC services are provided by our sister company OnBoard Global Logistics LLC, a legally separate FMC-licensed NVOCC, License No. 027470N.
Get an export quoted
Onsite Global Logistics LLC
14405 Walters Road, Suite 800, Houston, TX 77014
FMC Ocean Transportation Intermediary — OTI No. 023947F
24/7/365
What we need to quote accurately: origin and destination, exact commodity description, dimensions, weight and value, condition (new or used), cargo-ready date, required arrival, and who is responsible for clearance at destination.