Shipping from India, explained
Incoterms, containers, ports and transit times — what you need to agree a delivery term and plan an order.
Incoterms 2020
| Term | Meaning | Seller pays | Buyer pays | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EXW Ex Works | Goods made available at the seller's premises; buyer arranges everything from collection. | Making goods available, packed | Loading, export clearance, all freight, insurance, import | Buyers with their own Indian forwarder |
| FCA Free Carrier | Seller delivers export-cleared goods to the buyer's nominated carrier at a named place (e.g. ICD). | Export clearance, delivery to carrier | Main carriage, insurance, import | Containerised cargo handed over at an ICD or CFS |
| FAS Free Alongside Ship | Seller places export-cleared goods alongside the vessel at the named port. | Export clearance, delivery alongside ship | Loading, ocean freight, insurance, import | Bulk and break-bulk cargo |
| FOB Free On Board | Seller loads export-cleared goods on board the vessel nominated by the buyer. | Export clearance, loading on board | Ocean freight, insurance, import | Buyers who control their own ocean freight |
| CFR Cost and Freight | Seller pays ocean freight to the destination port; risk passes on loading. | Export clearance, ocean freight | Insurance, unloading, import | Buyers who insure under an open policy |
| CIF Cost, Insurance and Freight | Seller pays freight and minimum (ICC C) marine insurance to the destination port; risk passes on loading. | Export clearance, freight, insurance | Unloading, import clearance, duties | Most common for Indian sea exports |
| CPT Carriage Paid To | Seller pays carriage to a named destination; risk passes to the first carrier. | Export clearance, carriage | Insurance, import | Air and multimodal shipments |
| CIP Carriage and Insurance Paid To | As CPT plus all-risks (ICC A) insurance. | Export clearance, carriage, insurance | Import clearance, duties | Air freight of higher-value goods |
| DAP Delivered at Place | Seller delivers to a named place at destination, not unloaded, import not cleared. | All transport to named place | Unloading, import clearance, duties | Door delivery where the buyer clears customs |
| DPU Delivered at Place Unloaded | As DAP but the seller also unloads at the named place. | All transport and unloading | Import clearance, duties | Terminal or warehouse deliveries |
| DDP Delivered Duty Paid | Seller delivers cleared for import with duties paid. | Everything incl. import duties and taxes | Receiving goods | Rare for B2B trade; needs a local importer of record |
Summary of ICC Incoterms® 2020. The full rules are published by the International Chamber of Commerce.
Containers
| Type | Internal volume (approx.) | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| 20' standard (GP) | ≈ 33 m³ | Dense cargo: rice, sugar, stone, tiles, metals |
| 40' standard (GP) | ≈ 67 m³ | Mixed general cargo |
| 40' high cube (HC) | ≈ 76 m³ | Light, bulky cargo: makhana, furniture, textiles, handicrafts |
| 20'/40' reefer | ≈ 28 / 59 m³ | Frozen shrimp, meat, fresh fruit and vegetables |
Approximate figures; payload limits depend on container tare and road weight rules at origin and destination.
India's export ports
Cargo handled per year (million tonnes), Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways and port operators.
Krishnapatnam Port
59.2 MMT · FY2025-26Private deep-water port (record 59.2 MMT in FY2025-26). Nellore, Andhra Pradesh.
Serves: Andhra Pradesh agri & aquaculture
Mundra Port (APSEZ)
200.7 MMT · FY2024-25India's largest commercial port by cargo; first to exceed 200 MMT (FY2024-25). Mundra, Gujarat.
Serves: Unjha cumin · Gujarat castor & guar · Morbi ceramics · Rajasthan stone
Deendayal Port (Kandla)
150.16 MMT · FY2024-25Top major port by tonnage in FY2025-26; Tuna-Tekra container terminal. Gandhidham, Gujarat.
Serves: Cumin (Unjha) · Castor · Guar · Salt · Morbi ceramics
Chennai Port
54.95 MMT · FY2024-25Container and car-carrier gateway for Tamil Nadu. Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
Serves: Sriperumbudur electronics · Chennai auto cluster · Ambur–Vaniyambadi leather · Krishnagiri granite
- Jebel Ali6-10 d
- Rotterdam22-28 via Suez; 32-38 via Cape d
Kamarajar Port (Ennore)
48.41 MMT · FY2024-25Coal, LNG, POL and car terminal with a container terminal. Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
Serves: Chennai auto cluster
V.O. Chidambaranar Port (Tuticorin)
41.72 MMT · FY2024-25Southern container port for Tamil Nadu textiles and engineering. Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu.
Serves: Tiruppur knitwear · Karur home textiles · Coimbatore pumps & yarn · Erode turmeric
Cochin Port (Vallarpadam ICTT)
37.61 MMT · FY2024-25Kerala's container gateway for spices, coir and seafood. Kochi, Kerala.
Serves: Kerala pepper & cardamom · Alappuzha coir · Kollam cashew · Kerala seafood
Visakhapatnam Port
82.62 MMT · FY2024-25Bulk and container port; main exit for Andhra Pradesh shrimp. Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.
Serves: Andhra Pradesh shrimp · Guntur chilli · Vizag pharma & API
Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port (Kolkata & Haldia)
62.88 MMT · FY2024-25Riverine container port for eastern India, Nepal and Bhutan. Kolkata, West Bengal.
Serves: Assam & Darjeeling tea · Jute products · Bihar makhana · Kolkata leather
- Singapore10-16 d
- Rotterdam26-32 via Suez; 36-42 via Cape d
New Mangalore Port
46.02 MMT · FY2024-25Coffee and cashew containers plus bulk. Mangaluru, Karnataka.
Serves: Chikmagalur & Coorg coffee · Mangaluru cashew
Paradip Port
150.41 MMT · FY2024-25Major bulk port for coal, ore, steel and aluminium. Paradip, Odisha.
Serves: Odisha steel & aluminium (Jharsuguda, Angul)
Jawaharlal Nehru Port (Nhava Sheva)
92.12 MMT · FY2024-25India's largest container gateway; served by rail from north-India ICDs. Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra.
Serves: Nashik grapes & onion · Pune auto components · Mumbai pharma & FMCG · North-India cargo via ICD Tughlakabad/Dadri
- Jebel Ali3-6 d
- Dammam6-10 d
- Jeddah Islamic Port8-13 (30+ if carriers avoid Red Sea) d
- Rotterdam18-24 via Suez; 28-35 via Cape d
- Felixstowe / London Gateway20-26 via Suez; 30-37 via Cape d
- Hamburg21-27 via Suez; 31-38 via Cape d
- Antwerp-Bruges19-25 via Suez; 29-36 via Cape d
- New York / New Jersey24-30 via Suez; 32-40 via Cape d
- Houston30-38 via Suez; 38-45 via Cape d
- Los Angeles / Long Beach26-34 d
- Montreal26-34 via Suez; 34-42 via Cape d
- Sydney20-28 d
- Melbourne21-29 d
- Auckland26-36 d
- Durban12-18 d
- Mombasa9-15 d
- Lagos25-38 d
- Singapore7-12 d
- Port Klang8-12 d
- Jakarta11-16 d
- Ho Chi Minh City11-16 d
Transit days are typical estimates and vary by carrier and routing.
Questions
FOB or CIF — which should I choose when buying from India?
Choose FOB if you have a forwarder with good India rates and want control of the booking. Choose CIF (or CFR with your own insurance) for first orders or smaller volumes: we book freight and minimum marine insurance to your port, and risk still passes when goods are loaded in India.
FCL or LCL?
Full container loads (FCL) are cheaper per unit and safer for food. Less-than-container (LCL) suits trial orders and mixed SKUs but adds consolidation time and handling. We can consolidate several product lines into one FCL.
Which Indian port will my goods ship from?
It depends on the cluster: north and west India ship mostly through Nhava Sheva (JNPA) and Mundra via rail-linked inland container depots; Tamil Nadu through Chennai and Tuticorin; Kerala through Cochin; east India and Bihar through Kolkata/Haldia; Andhra Pradesh seafood through Visakhapatnam.
Are transit times guaranteed?
No. Published ranges are typical port-to-port estimates. Schedules vary by carrier, transshipment hub and, for Europe and the US East Coast, whether vessels route via Suez or the Cape of Good Hope.