China to Bonaire Shipping: Sea to Kralendijk, Air via Curaçao & Miami

🇧🇶 Complete shipping guide from China to Bonaire (cost, transit time, customs) - written for importers sending consolidated cargo to the Dutch Caribbean's ABC islands.

Goodhope Freight (China) Limited is a Shenzhen-based international freight forwarder handling the Bonaire trade out of Guangzhou, Huangpu, Shenzhen, Ningbo and Shanghai. We move cargo to Bonaire by sea freight (FCL and LCL, port-to-port to Kralendijk), by air freight (airport-to-airport to Flamingo International Airport, BON), and by express courier (depot pickup only). Every service we sell ends at the port, the airport or the courier depot - the consignee arranges import clearance, ABB and inland collection on the island. No door-to-door delivery is offered.

Bonaire is the "B" of the Dutch Caribbean's ABC islands and lies south of the main hurricane belt, so its dive resorts, marine suppliers and specialty retailers import on a steady year-round cycle rather than a seasonal one. The constraint is access, not demand: no ocean carrier runs a direct China-Bonaire service. Everything tranships, and knowing where decides both your transit time and your packing standard.

📌 Bonaire at a glance: capital and only commercial seaport Kralendijk; only international airport Flamingo International (BON); currency US dollar; customs - a special municipality of the Netherlands that sits outside the EU customs territory and outside the EU VAT area, administered by the Belastingdienst Caribisch Nederland (BCN).

🚢 Sea Freight - Full Container Load (FCL) to Bonaire

Full containers are booked from any major Chinese port to a Caribbean or Colombian relay port - most commonly Willemstad on Curaçao, the Colón Free Zone in Panama, or Cartagena in Colombia - and then lifted onward by feeder to Kralendijk. We quote 20GP, 40GP and 40HC on a strictly port-to-port basis, so the rate we give you is the ocean leg plus the relay, not a delivered price.

Container types: 20GP, 40GP, 40HC, subject to feeder acceptance at Kralendijk.
Relay ports: Curaçao, Colón Free Zone, Cartagena - the booking decides the transit time.
Service end point: Kralendijk port. The consignee clears and collects.
Best for: construction materials, marine and dive equipment, furniture, retail replenishment.

📦 Sea Freight - Less than Container Load (LCL) to Bonaire

For anything under roughly 15 CBM, consolidation is how the island is normally served. Cartons are consolidated in Guangdong, relayed through the Colón Free Zone and Curaçao, and deconsolidated for the final hop into Kralendijk. It is a long, multi-leg routing - 46 to 55 days - but for an island this size it is the only realistic consolidated option.

Reference 2026 levels: Guangzhou to Kralendijk USD 112 per CBM (about 55 days); Huangpu Xingang USD 109 per CBM (about 50 days).
Express warehouse option: Huangpu Xingang USD 120 per CBM, about 46 days, chargeable weight converted at 1 CBM = 500 kg instead of 1,000 kg.
Minimum shipment: 1 CBM - below that, freight is billed as 1 CBM.
Service end point: the LCL terminal at Kralendijk. The consignee clears and collects.

→ See the full rate table: LCL sea freight from China to Bonaire (Kralendijk) - 2026 reference rates

✈️ Air Freight - Airport to Airport to Flamingo International (BON)

Air cargo flies from Chinese international airports (PVG, CAN, SZX, PEK, HKG) to Flamingo International Airport (BON) at Kralendijk, the island's only international airport. There are no direct China-Bonaire freighter services: consignments normally transit Miami, Panama City or Curaçao, and the connection - not the flying distance - sets the transit time. Service ends at the BON cargo terminal, where the consignee clears and collects.

Routing: two to three hubs depending on the carrier and the week; ask us for the current connection.
Service end point: BON cargo terminal. Buyer clears and collects.
Well suited to: marine electronics, dive equipment spares, pharma and time-critical retail stock.
Weight range: 45 kg upward, including consolidations with other shippers.

📮 International Express Courier - Depot Pickup Only

For documents, samples, e-commerce parcels and urgent spares we dispatch through DHL and FedEx from our Shenzhen depot. The service ends at the local depot on Bonaire - the consignee arranges clearance and collection. Tracking visibility is included; door delivery is not.

Carriers: DHL and FedEx, with UPS or EMS on request.
Service end point: local depot on Bonaire. Buyer clears and collects.
Best for: commercial samples, documents, high-value low-weight spares.

🧾 Customs, duty and tax on Bonaire

Bonaire's customs position is widely misunderstood, and getting it right saves arguments with your buyer before the invoice is raised.

Outside the EU. Bonaire is a special municipality of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, but it does not form part of the EU customs territory or the EU VAT area. Dutch BTW/VAT is not charged on imports there, and goods cleared on Bonaire are not in free circulation in the EU.
Import duty is 0%. On the Caribbean Netherlands (BES islands) the import duty rate is set at nil for all goods.
ABB is what your buyer pays. Bonaire instead levies ABB (algemene bestedingsbelasting), an expenditure tax of 8% on goods, assessed on the customs value - the price of the goods plus freight and insurance to the first point of arrival. There is no input-tax recovery mechanism, so it is a real cost to the importer.
Excise duties apply separately to fuel, alcohol and tobacco.
Currency is the US dollar, so invoices and duty are settled in USD - the same currency as your freight quotation.
Authority: the Belastingdienst Caribisch Nederland (BCN) administers the island's own regime.

Background: Bonaire customs tax overview · Bonaire customs import and export policy · Bonaire customs contacts.

🧭 Why everything tranships, and how to pack for it

Small Caribbean islands are fed from regional hubs rather than from the Far East directly. On this trade the relay is normally the Colón Free Zone in Panama, then Curaçao, then the short final hop to Kralendijk. Two extra discharge and reload cycles mean your export packing carries the risk: cartons should be palletised or strapped where possible, and heavy items boxed to withstand being top-loaded twice. Transit times also move with the feeder schedule, so plan for a spread rather than a single date. Routing via a European port is possible but adds a relay and an extra customs step - the Caribbean corridor is the shorter, cheaper structure for most cargo.

🌟 Why choose Goodhope Freight for Bonaire?

China-side control: we consolidate and load in Guangdong, so cut-off, packing and documentation are handled by our own team, not a sub-agent.
Island-route knowledge: we quote Bonaire the way it actually moves - relay ports named, feeder risk flagged, transit times given as a range.
Four modes, one quote: FCL, LCL, air and express compared side by side so you can trade cost against speed deliberately.
Published reference rates: our 2026 LCL levels are on the site, per CBM, with MIN and cut-off - no black-box pricing.
Customs clarity: we tell your buyer up front that duty is nil but ABB is 8%, so nothing lands as a surprise.
English-speaking support: one named contact from booking to arrival, in US business hours or China hours.

📋 Step-by-step process

1. Confirm the mode - give us volume, weight, commodity and the consignee's deadline; we will say whether LCL, FCL, air or express is the sensible answer.

2. Book and cut off - cargo must be at our China warehouse before the cut-off. Late cargo waits a full sailing or a full feeder.

3. Export clearance in China - we handle declaration, and deliver the bill of lading or air waybill once issued.

4. Relay - transit through the Colón Free Zone and Curaçao (or via Miami on air shipments). We send status updates at each handover.

5. Arrival at Kralendijk or BON - documents are released to the consignee, who lodges the entry with BCN and settles ABB.

6. Collection - the consignee collects from the port, airport or courier depot. No door delivery is included.

Transit times and reference rates above are indicative planning figures for 2026 and must be re-confirmed at booking. Freight markets and feeder schedules change.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Is there a direct sea freight service from China to Bonaire?

No. Bonaire has no direct deep-sea call from China. Containers are booked to a transhipment port - most often the Colon Free Zone in Panama, Willemstad on Curacao, or Cartagena in Colombia - and then moved on by feeder. We quote port-to-port to Kralendijk.

How long does LCL sea freight take from China to Bonaire?

46 to 55 days port-to-port, depending on the Chinese origin and how the feeder connects. Guangzhou is currently the slowest of our three recorded routings at about 55 days; Huangpu Xingang runs 46 to 50 days.

What are the current reference LCL rates to Bonaire?

USD 112 per CBM from Guangzhou (about 55 days) and USD 109 per CBM from Huangpu Xingang on the standard warehouse service (about 50 days). The Huangpu express warehouse service is USD 120 per CBM, arrives in about 46 days, and converts chargeable weight at 1 CBM = 500 kg instead of 1,000 kg. Minimum 1 CBM.

How much import duty will my buyer pay on Bonaire?

Import duty on the Caribbean Netherlands is set at 0% for all goods. What applies instead is ABB (algemene bestedingsbelasting), an expenditure tax of 8% on goods on Bonaire, assessed on the customs value - the price of the goods plus freight and insurance to the first point of arrival. Excise duties apply to fuel, alcohol and tobacco.

Is Bonaire inside the European Union for customs purposes?

No. Bonaire is a special municipality of the Netherlands, but it sits outside the EU customs territory and outside the EU VAT area. Dutch BTW/VAT is not charged on imports there, and the island runs its own regime administered by the Belastingdienst Caribisch Nederland (BCN). Bonaire's currency is the US dollar.

Which airport does air cargo arrive at on Bonaire?

Flamingo International Airport (BON), the island's only international airport, located at Kralendijk. There are no direct China-Bonaire freighter services, so consignments usually transit Miami, Panama City or Curacao; the routing, not the distance, drives the transit time.

Do you offer door-to-door delivery to Bonaire?

No. Sea and air freight are strictly port-to-port and airport-to-airport, and express courier dispatch ends at the local depot. The consignee arranges import clearance, ABB and collection on the island. No door delivery is included in any service.

Which documents should accompany a shipment to Bonaire?

A commercial invoice, packing list, and the bill of lading (sea) or air waybill (air). A certificate of origin is added when the buyer asks for one. Keep the declared value and HS codes accurate: BCN assesses ABB on the declared customs value, so a vague invoice delays clearance.

🔗 Bonaire shipping resources

Rates are reference levels and subject to market movement. Contact us for a live quotation.

📦 Request a quote for Bonaire