Shipping route

Shipping from India to Saudi Arabia — Freight Cost & Transit Times

A standard 40ft container from Mundra to Jeddah Islamic Port 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. Saudi Arabia applies 5% customs duty and 15% VAT on imported goods.

40ft container
$1,500
20ft container
$975
Sea transit
12 days
Door-to-door
19–23 days

Freight & duty summary

ItemValue
40ft container (low–high)$1,320 – $1,725
20ft container (low–high)$858 – $1,121
Origin portsMundra, Nhava Sheva, Chennai
Destination portsJeddah Islamic Port, King Abdulaziz Port, Jubail
Major carriersMaersk, MSC, CMA CGM, ONE
Customs duty5%
VAT15%
FTA benefitStandard MFN rates apply

Indicative General Cargo rates; refreshed monthly by Tradloc's trade desk.

Departure port comparison — India to Saudi Arabia

Departure port40ft (USD)20ft (USD)Sea transit (days)
Mundra$1,500$97512
Nhava Sheva$1,545$1,00412
Chennai$1,590$1,03412

Rates differ by loading port because of terminal handling and inland positioning costs in India.

Freight cost comparison — most requested lanes into Saudi Arabia

Indicative 40ft container freight into Saudi Arabia 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.

What moves on the India → Saudi Arabia lane

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.

Saudi Arabia is the largest consumption market in the GCC, with demand concentrated in construction materials, petrochemical feedstock, food staples and industrial equipment for Vision 2030 projects.

Commodities commonly imported from India

Arrival ports in Saudi Arabia

Other origins shipping to Saudi Arabia

Other destinations from India

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Frequently asked questions

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