We book sea freight in and out of Kerala on the trades our clients actually use — the Gulf, Southeast Asia, China, Europe, the UK and North America. Because the same firm clears the cargo, the booking is made against a realistic clearance date rather than an optimistic one.
What we book
- FCL — 20ft, 40ft, high cube and open top on main trades, import and export.
- LCL — consolidated boxes for volumes that do not justify a full container, weekly to the main destinations.
- Reefer — temperature and ventilation settings confirmed in writing before loading, which is where most reefer disputes begin.
- Break-bulk and charter — machinery, plant and heavy lifts that will not go in a box.
If you are not sure whether your cargo should move FCL or LCL, or in 20ft or 40ft units, our container reference explains what limits you first. For dense cargo like rubber it is weight; for coir it is volume; and the two answers point at different equipment.
Cochin, Vizhinjam and transhipment
For years most Kerala boxes moved through a transhipment hub — typically Colombo — before reaching a mainline vessel. Vizhinjam has changed the arithmetic for some trades by taking mainline calls directly on the Kerala coast.
Whether that helps you depends on the destination, the service, and how your cargo reaches the port. Direct is not automatically faster if the sailing is weekly and you miss it. We look at the actual schedules for your lane rather than assuming the newer gateway wins.
What a sea freight rate actually includes
A quoted "freight rate" is one line in a bill that has several. The single most common source of unpleasant surprises in first-time importing is a rate that was compared against another rate covering different things.
| Charge | What it is |
|---|---|
| Ocean freight | The sea leg itself, port to port |
| Origin THC | Terminal handling at the load port |
| Destination THC | Terminal handling at the discharge port |
| Bill of lading fee | Documentation charge levied by the line |
| Seal, VGM and admin fees | Small per-container charges that add up across a programme |
| Free time | Days allowed before demurrage and detention begin — a commercial term, negotiable |
| Surcharges | Congestion, peak season, low sulphur and currency adjustments, as applicable |
Which of these fall to you rather than your counterparty is decided by the Incoterm in your contract, not by the shipping line. Our Incoterms 2020 guide sets out where each term draws the line, and why FOB is the wrong choice for containerised cargo.
The clock starts before you think
Free time is the number worth negotiating. Demurrage runs while the container sits inside the terminal; detention runs once it leaves and is not yet returned empty. Both are charged by the line, and both are separate from the terminal's own storage charge.
Additional free days cost very little when the booking is made and a great deal when the container is already accruing. If your clearance profile is complex — licences, testing, an agency referral — say so before the rate is fixed rather than after.
Documentation
We handle the paperwork that travels with the cargo: bills of lading, verified gross mass filing, certificates of origin, and the shipping instructions that ensure the bill reads the way your letter of credit requires.
VGM is the one that most often catches exporters, because the obligation sits with the shipper named on the bill of lading and the cut-off falls earlier than the physical closing. Our VGM and SOLAS guide covers the two permitted methods and what happens when the figure is wrong.
Common questions
Do you handle both FCL and LCL from Kochi?
Yes. LCL suits volumes that do not fill a container, though once you are past roughly half a box it is worth comparing against FCL, because LCL is priced on volume and consolidation adds handling at both ends.
Can you book freight if another agent is clearing the cargo?
Yes, though most clients end up giving us both because the two jobs constantly refer to each other. Splitting them means someone has to relay information between two firms at exactly the moments when speed matters.
Is Vizhinjam faster than Cochin for exports?
Sometimes, and it depends entirely on the destination and the service. A direct mainline call can save the days a transhipment leg adds, but only if the sailing frequency suits your production. We compare the actual schedules for your lane.
What is the difference between demurrage and detention?
Demurrage is charged by the line for the container remaining inside the terminal beyond the free days. Detention is charged once the container has left the terminal and has not yet been returned empty. The terminal separately charges its own storage.