Shipping From India To Singapore

Searching for a reliable freight forwarder to handle your shipping from India to Singapore? M&P International Freights may be the company for you.

We have years of experience in the freight forwarding industry. Whether you require shipping by air or sea, our team of specialist would be able to advice you on the best course of action.

Typically, there are two types of container transportation methods while shipping goods from one country to another:

• Less than Container Load (LCL) and
• Full Container Load (FCL).

In an LCL shipping method, a shipper does not need an entire container for his goods. In other words, his goods don’t require one full container. He, therefore, books his cargo with a consolidator and accommodates his goods along with the goods of another shipper(s). The consolidator arranges for a fully loaded container (FCL), and consoles the shipments of the other shippers, and separates and delivers each shipment at the final destination.

LCL shipping helps a shipper to keep his inventory low, as it allows you to ship in lower volumes. As an importer, if you want to free up cash flow, this is the ideal method to choose; as this maintains a steady flow of inventory in smaller quantities. Smaller orders bring down inventory investment and allow shippers more flexibility. However, LCL does increase the risk of damaged goods, as you do not have control over the cargo that will be loaded with yours. Additionally, there might also be a risk of the shipment getting lost in-transit, as it goes to multiple destinations before reaching yours.

If a shipper has adequate amount of cargo to accommodate in one full container, he books an FCL. In an FCL shipping method, all the goods in a container are owned by one shipper. However, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the container will be ‘fully loaded’ with cargo. The cargo can be half loaded or quarter loaded. It only means that entire container is booked by one single shipper.

In an FCL method of shipping, the cargo delivery takes shorter time. The shipper saves on time and as soon as the FCL shipment arrives at the port, it’s unloaded from the vessel and delivered to the destination. FCL is also cheaper than LCL per unit of freight. There is higher security and fewer risks of damage or loss-in-transit. However, if you are shipping less than 15 cubic meters in a 20ft GP container, it is not very cost effective.

A shipment from India to Singapore may typically take between 8 to 11 days, depending on the port of Departure. If the shipment is leaving from Chennai, it takes approximately 8 days. If the port of departure is Mumbai, it may take up to 11 days.

The import of goods to Singapore is governed by the Singapore’s Customs Act, Goods and Services Tax (GST) Act, and Regulation of Imports and Exports Act. A GST and/or a duty are levied on all goods which are imported to Singapore for domestic consumption. In order to export shipments from India to Singapore, a shipper has to follow the below mentioned steps:

The list of prohibited goods includes (but not limited to):

• Chewing gum (except approved oral dental and medicated gum by the Health Sciences Authority)
• Chewing tobacco and imitation tobacco products (for example, electronic cigarettes)
• Shisha
• Smokeless cigars, smokeless cigarillos or smokeless cigarettes
• Dissolvable tobacco or nicotine
• Any product containing nicotine or tobacco that may be used topically for application, by implant or injected into any parts of the body
• Any solution or substance, of which tobacco or nicotine is a constituent, that is intended to be used with an electronic nicotine delivery system or vaporizers
• Nasal snuff (with effect from 1 August 2016)
• Oral snuff (with effect from 1 August 2016)
• Gutkha, khaini and zarda (with effect from 1 August 2016)
• Cigarette lighters of pistol or revolver shape
• Controlled drugs and psychotropic substances
• Endangered species of wildlife and their by-products
• Firecrackers
• Obscene articles, publications and video tapes/discs
• Reproduction of copyright publications, software, video tapes, video compact discs, laser discs, records or cassettes
• Seditious and treasonable materials