Container types, Incoterms, indicative freight bands to Africa, the Gulf and Asia, and the destination charges nobody warns you about.
Ask five exporters what shipping costs and you will get five evasions - because ocean freight is a moving market that changes with fuel prices, season and route capacity. This guide takes the opposite approach: we explain exactly how freight is priced, give honest indicative bands, and tell you which questions to ask. That way you can verify any quote - including ours - in one phone call to a local freight forwarder.
This is the logistics companion to our step-by-step import guide. The regional specifics live on our Africa and Middle East pages.
First DecisionFCL (Full Container Load) means your machine ships in its own sealed container - a 20-foot box fits most single machines with moulds and auxiliaries. LCL (Less than Container Load) shares a container with other people's cargo: cheaper on paper, but your machine gets handled at two extra terminals, mixed with unknown cargo, and cleared through a consolidator.
Our firm rule after 500+ shipments: complete machines always travel FCL. The freight difference is small; the damage and delay risk is not. LCL is for spare-part cartons, not for a machine you have tested for 72 hours.
Three terms cover almost all machinery trade - the difference is where the exporter's responsibility ends:
You collect from the factory gate. Cheapest quote, most work for you - inland transport, export clearance, freight, all yours.
Exporter handles inland transport and export clearance, delivers onto the ship at an Indian port. You book the ocean freight. The balanced default.
One price to your port including freight and marine insurance. Simplest for first-time importers - just compare the total, not the parts.
FOB suits buyers with a trusted freight forwarder; CIF suits first-timers who want one accountable number. Both are standard on Goluwa quotes - state your preference at inquiry.
Machinery loads at Mundra or Nhava Sheva (JNPT) - India's two gateway ports. From there, the regular lanes:
To Mombasa and Dar es Salaam in 2-3 weeks. The busiest machinery lane we run.
To Lagos, Tema and Dakar in 3-5 weeks. Longer transit, plan duty cash flow accordingly.
To Jebel Ali, Jeddah, Doha and Kuwait in 1-2 weeks - the shortest, most frequent sailings.
To Colombo, Karachi and Southeast Asian ports in 1-2 weeks on regional loops.
Full lane details and port specifics are on our Africa market and Middle East pages.
Ocean rates move with fuel, season and capacity - so treat these as planning bands, and confirm the live rate the week you order:
Per 20-foot container, FOB basis. The most frequent sailings mean the most competitive rates.
Per 20-foot container to Mombasa or Dar es Salaam.
Per 20-foot container to Lagos or Tema - the longest, priciest lane.
Indicative 20ft FCL bands, market-dependent and exclude destination charges. Export packing is included in every Goluwa quote; insurance is included on CIF terms.
Ocean freight is only half the story. At your port, budget for: port handling and storage, import duty per your country's tariff schedule (the certificate of origin often reduces it), your clearing agent's fee, and inland transport to your site. Ask a local clearing agent for a destination-cost estimate before you order - a 5-minute call that prevents the classic "freight was cheap, the port was not" surprise.
Extra handling plus consolidator delays. The small freight saving never survives the first scratched frame.
The lowest-looking quote can hide the highest landed cost once you price your own inland transport and export clearance.
A container at sea without cover is an uninsured factory. Insurance on CIF costs a fraction of one percent of shipment value.
Your tariff code and duty rate - and whether a certificate of origin discounts them - decide your real landed cost. Check before ordering, per the import guide.
Indicative 20-foot container rates: $800-$2,000 to the Gulf, $1,500-$3,500 to East Africa and $2,500-$5,000 to West Africa. Rates fluctuate with the market - always confirm at order time.
FCL (a full container) for any complete machine - less handling, less damage risk, faster clearance. LCL (shared container) suits only small spare-part shipments.
FOB is the balanced default - the exporter delivers to the ship, you control the freight. CIF bundles insurance and freight into one price; EXW leaves everything to you.
2-4 weeks at sea to most African and Gulf ports, plus customs clearance at destination - typically another 3-7 days with documents in order.
Port handling, customs duty per your tariff schedule, clearing agent fees and inland transport to your site. Your clearing agent quotes these locally before the shipment sails.
Send your machine, destination port and preferred Incoterm - your quote includes the confirmed freight, insurance option and full document set within 24 hours.