A standard 40ft container from Mundra to Khalifa Bin Salman costs approximately US$1,500 (range $1,320–$1,725) with a total sea transit of 12 days and typical door-to-door lead time of 19–23 days including port handling and customs clearance. Bahrain applies 5% customs duty and 10% VAT on imported goods.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| 40ft container (low–high) | $1,320 – $1,725 |
| 20ft container (low–high) | $858 – $1,121 |
| Origin ports | Mundra, Nhava Sheva, Chennai |
| Destination ports | Khalifa Bin Salman |
| Major carriers | Maersk, MSC, CMA CGM, ONE |
| Customs duty | 5% |
| VAT | 10% |
| FTA benefit | Standard MFN rates apply |
Indicative General Cargo rates; refreshed monthly by Tradloc's trade desk.
| Departure port | 40ft (USD) | 20ft (USD) | Sea transit (days) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mundra | $1,500 | $975 | 12 |
| Nhava Sheva | $1,545 | $1,004 | 12 |
| Chennai | $1,590 | $1,034 | 12 |
Rates differ by loading port because of terminal handling and inland positioning costs in India.
Indicative 40ft container freight into Bahrain across the lanes importers request most often. The India lane is highlighted, so you can see instantly whether switching origin would materially change your ocean freight line item. Figures are the mid-point of each lane's assessed range and exclude duty, VAT and destination clearance.
India is the shortest deep-sea lane into the Gulf and supplies agri commodities, engineering goods, steel and chemicals through Mundra, Nhava Sheva and Chennai.
Short-sea style transit of roughly a week, with high sailing frequency and the lowest freight cost per TEU of the major origins.
Bahrain clears through Khalifa Bin Salman Port and also serves as a lower-cost entry option for cargo trucked onward to Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province.
Run the freight estimator for India → Bahrain.