Home › Sea Freight
Sea FreightSea Freight Services in Dubai
FCL, LCL and breakbulk from Jebel Ali, Khorfakkan and Fujairah to 45+ ports across the Gulf, Asia, Europe, Africa and the Americas.
Ocean Freight That Holds Its Schedule
Sea freight remains the most cost-effective way to move commercial volume, provided the schedule holds and the paperwork is right. Both are where most shipments go wrong.
We book across nine carrier partners including MSC, Maersk, CMA CGM, Hapag-Lloyd and HMM, and we operate our own container vessels on regional feeder routes. When mainline services are congested or omit a port, having our own tonnage means we have options other forwarders do not.
Whether you need a full container, part of one, or something that will not fit in either, the starting point is the same: tell us the cargo and the deadline.
Which Service Suits Your Cargo
FCL — Full Container
20ft, 40ft and 40ft high cube. Compare against LCL using your actual volume, handling needs and destination charges. A dedicated container avoids consolidation but does not guarantee faster delivery.
LCL — Part Container
Your cargo consolidated with others. Economical below 13 CBM, but surcharges are applied per CBM so they compound quickly.
Breakbulk
Cargo too large or heavy for containers, loaded loose into the hold with a stowage and lashing plan.
Out of Gauge
Flat rack and open top for cargo that exceeds container dimensions in width, height or length.
Reefer
Temperature-controlled equipment for perishables and cargo with handling ranges.
DG Containers
Hazardous cargo under IMDG, with Class 2 and Class 5 as our core competence.
Main sea freight corridors
- Gulf & Middle East
- Jebel Ali, Khorfakkan, Fujairah, Jeddah, Dammam, Sohar, Salalah, Umm Qasr, Bandar Abbas, Aden, Mersin
- Indian Subcontinent
- Port Qasim, KGTL, PICT, Nhava Sheva, Mundra, Chennai
- Asia
- Shanghai, Ningbo, Qingdao, Tokyo
- Europe
- Rotterdam, Antwerp, Hamburg, Bremerhaven, Valencia, Genoa, Felixstowe, Gdansk, Piraeus, Barcelona
- Americas
- New York, Los Angeles, Houston
- Africa
- Port Said, Alexandria, Sokhna, Port Sudan, Djibouti, Berbera, Mombasa, Dar es Salaam, Lagos, Tema, Abidjan, Durban
How a Sea Freight Booking Runs
Cargo Review
We check volume, weight, commodity and packing to recommend FCL, LCL or breakbulk.
Space & Rate
Sailing options compared across carriers, with an all-in rate including surcharges.
Collection & Stuffing
Cargo collected, consolidated where needed, and loaded with documentation prepared.
Sail & Deliver
Tracked through the voyage, cleared at destination and delivered to the final address.
The playbook
How an FCL Booking Actually Runs
Eight stages between a rate request and a signed proof of delivery, with a document handover at almost every one. Below is the sequence we run, the evidence we insist on, and the specific points where sea freight shipments stall.
Quotation that names its surcharges
Origin, destination, commodity, weight, dimensions, ready date and Incoterm. We come back with a rate that lists the surcharges separately rather than one blended figure. In 2026 base ocean freight is frequently the smaller half of the total on Gulf-facing lanes, with war-risk, emergency conflict, fuel and peak-season charges stacked on top.
Where it goes wrong: Accepting a single all-in number with no breakdown. The surcharges surface on the invoice instead of the quote.
Booking, and the three cut-offs
Space is booked and the confirmation carries the vessel, voyage, container release reference and the cut-off times. There are three and they are not the same date: documentation, VGM, and physical gate-in. We plan backwards from the earliest.
Where it goes wrong: Planning around the sailing date. More containers roll on a missed documentation cut-off than on a full vessel.
Incoterm settled in writing
EXW, FOB, CIF and DDP hand over responsibility at four completely different points on the same journey. Under CIF in particular, the seller pays freight to the destination port but risk passes to the buyer the moment the goods are on board at origin — cost and risk transfer in different places.
Where it goes wrong: Both sides assuming the other covers destination charges. It is discovered when the cargo is already accruing storage.
Container supply and loading standard
We provide the equipment and specify the stuffing pattern in advance. Taking solar modules as the worked example, a 40ft container holds roughly 500 to 600 panels depending on module size and pallet configuration — anyone quoting a fixed number without seeing the datasheet is guessing. Floor protection, brick-pattern offset stacking, inflatable dunnage between pallet stacks, first and last pallets strapped to the lashing rings.
Where it goes wrong: Factory-standard stuffing on fragile cargo. Glass breakage is visible and claimable; hidden cell microcracks are neither, and the customer finds them months later.
VGM and pre-seal evidence
The Verified Gross Mass is declared, either by weighing the packed container on a calibrated bridge or by summing item, packaging, dunnage and tare. The shipper named on the bill of lading remains legally accountable for that figure even when somebody else weighed it. Loading photographs are taken before the doors are sealed.
Where it goes wrong: No pre-seal photographs. Without them a damage claim becomes an argument instead of a process.
Shipping instruction and bill of lading
The shipping instruction is the source document for the bill of lading — whatever is in it appears on the B/L, correct or not. HS classification is checked against the datasheet rather than copied from a previous file. Solar modules sit at 8541.43; inverters are 8504 and must not share a declaration line.
Where it goes wrong: An HS code carried over from a similar product. It drives duty, permits and trade-defence exposure, and a wrong one holds the container at clearance.
Main carriage and transhipment watch
The longest stage and the one with least control, but not one to stop watching. Transhipment ports are where containers get rolled, and a roll discovered on arrival day is a roll discovered too late.
Where it goes wrong: Assuming no news is good news between sailing and arrival.
Clearance, delivery order, free time
Import declaration filed, duty assessed, delivery order issued against the bill of lading and destination charges. Demurrage runs while the box sits inside the terminal; detention runs once it has left and has not been returned empty. Two separate clocks, two separate free periods.
Where it goes wrong: Waiting for the original bill of lading to arrive by courier while the vessel is already berthed. Telex release solves this and costs almost nothing.
FCL or LCL — how we advise
| FCL — full container | LCL — shared container | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Regular volume, fragile or high-value cargo | Testing a market, topping up an order |
| Handling events | Sealed at origin, opened at destination | Consolidation and deconsolidation add two more |
| Damage exposure | Lower — nobody else touches the box | Higher — every extra handling event is a risk |
| Cost per unit | Lower once you are near a full load | Lower only well below a container load |
| Our advice on fragile cargo | Preferred | Avoid unless the volume genuinely cannot fill a box |
Rates and surcharges on Gulf-facing lanes are moving week to week in 2026. Send us the lane and the commodity and we will give you a current figure with the surcharges itemised, plus an honest view on whether the sailing you want is realistic.
Sea Freight Questions
Should I ship FCL or LCL?
Request both options for your actual cargo. Compare total charges, handling needs and current schedules; there is no universal volume threshold. Include consolidation and destination handling when evaluating LCL.
Which ports do you sail from in the UAE?
Jebel Ali is our main hub, and we also work through Khorfakkan and Fujairah depending on the service and destination.
How long does sea freight take?
It depends entirely on the lane. Regional GCC moves can be days; Europe and the Americas run several weeks, longer when routing is disrupted. We give a realistic window at quote stage rather than the carrier headline figure.
What surcharges should I expect?
Typically bunker adjustment, terminal handling at both ends, documentation, and where applicable war risk and congestion surcharges. We quote all-in so these are visible before you book.
Do you handle breakbulk and out-of-gauge cargo?
Yes. Flat rack, open top and breakbulk are handled regularly, including route surveys and lifting coordination for project cargo.
Compare FCL and LCL on the same cost basis
For containerised commercial cargo, provide the total package count, gross weight and packed volume before choosing FCL or LCL. A shared-container quotation can carry different origin and destination handling charges from a full-container booking. Ask for the total scope, not only an ocean freight rate.
For heavy, fragile or non-stackable cargo, include package dimensions and loading requirements. Confirm collection, port handling, clearance, delivery and equipment return responsibilities in the quotation.
Read the FCL and LCL comparison or use our free commercial freight quote checklist.
Compare the complete sea freight quotation
Before choosing a sailing, confirm the loading port, discharge port, cargo-ready date and proposed carrier service. Ask whether the route is direct or transships and whether your cargo needs any special acceptance.
- Quote scope: collection, origin handling, ocean freight, destination charges, clearance and final delivery.
- Cargo specification: container size or package dimensions, gross weight, volume, stackability and any loading equipment.
- Booking terms: quotation validity, cut-off dates, estimated departure and arrival, free time and equipment return location.
- Exclusions: insurance, duties, taxes, inspections and storage should be identified clearly.
For smaller loads, compare an LCL quotation with FCL on the same delivery scope. For urgent orders, ask whether a partial air shipment makes sense. Use the freight checklist to prepare the measurements before requesting rates.
Preparing a lane enquiry? Read our updated China to UAE guide or Dubai to USA guide.
Get a Sea Freight Quote
Tell us the port pair, volume and commodity. We will come back with an all-in rate and a realistic sailing.