S-01 · Ocean freight

Ocean freight from India.

Around 90% of world trade moves by sea, and for most Indian exporters it is the only mode where the numbers work. We book full container loads and weekly LCL consolidations out of Mundra, Nhava Sheva, Hazira, Pipavav and Chennai — with the free-time terms agreed before you commit, not discovered at destination.

Get an ocean quote FCL or LCL? Check my volume

FCL — full container load

One container, one shipper, one seal.

Your cargo travels alone. The container is sealed at your factory and opened at destination, which means less handling, lower damage risk and a faster clearance than shared cargo. Once you are past roughly 15 cubic metres, FCL is usually cheaper than LCL as well as safer.

We book direct services where they exist and transhipment routings where they are genuinely faster or materially cheaper — and we tell you which one you are getting, with the transhipment port named.

Container capacity

Type	Volume	Payload
20′ standard	33.2 m³	28,000 kg
40′ standard	67.7 m³	26,500 kg
40′ high cube	76.4 m³	26,500 kg
20′ reefer	28.3 m³	27,400 kg
40′ reefer HC	67.3 m³	29,000 kg

Usable volume is typically 85–90% of nominal once pallets and dunnage are accounted for.

LCL — less than container load

Pay for the space you use.

Below about 15 cubic metres, sharing a container with other shippers usually wins. Your cargo is consolidated at origin, moves as part of a full box, and is deconsolidated at destination. You pay per cubic metre or per tonne — whichever is greater.

The trade-off is honest: LCL adds handling at both ends, so transit is typically 5–10 days longer than the same FCL routing, and consolidation cut-offs are stricter. We quote the realistic door-to-door date, not the sailing date.

Rule of thumb: under 15 m³ think LCL, over 15 m³ price both, over 26 m³ book the 40 footer. Our CBM calculator runs the comparison in a few seconds.

W/M pricing

LCL is charged on weight-or-measure — the greater of:

Volume	1 m³
Weight	1,000 kg

Dense cargo (steel, tiles, chemicals) pays on weight. Light cargo (textiles, furniture, packaging) pays on volume.

Indian gateways we book from

Mundra (INMUN)

India’s largest private port and our primary Gujarat gateway. Deep draft, strong westbound services to Europe, the Mediterranean and the US East Coast.

Nhava Sheva (INNSA)

JNPT — the widest carrier choice in India and the deepest LCL consolidation market. Best option when you need frequency or an unusual destination.

Hazira (INHZA)

Convenient for South Gujarat industry — chemicals, textiles and engineering goods. Shorter inland haul than Mundra for Surat-region shippers.

Pipavav (INPAV)

Efficient Saurashtra gateway with good rail connectivity and generally lighter congestion than the larger ports.

Chennai & Ennore

East coast gateway for Southeast Asia, the Far East and Australia — the shorter, cheaper routing for South Indian cargo.

Inland depots (ICDs)

Sanand, Khodiyar, Tughlakabad and others — clear customs inland, then move the sealed box to port by rail or bonded road.

What your quote includes

Named, not buried

The freight rate is the easy part. What catches shippers out are the local charges at both ends — so we itemise them in the quote itself.

Ocean freight and applicable surcharges (BAF, CAF, peak season)
Origin handling, terminal handling and documentation
Customs filing at origin and, if you want it, destination
Inland haulage to and from the port
Free time at destination, stated in days

Demurrage & detention

The two charges that ruin an otherwise good rate:

Demurrage — the container is still inside the terminal after free time expires. Charged per box per day, and it escalates.

Detention — you have taken the container out but not returned it empty in time.

We negotiate free time upfront and warn you before the clock runs out. Most demurrage bills we see were avoidable with three days’ notice.

Get your ocean freight priced.

Send origin, destination, volume and weight — we come back inside 24 business hours with FCL and LCL side by side, all charges named.

Request a quote Read: FCL vs LCL