Shipping policy

Last updated: ADD DATE

This policy sets out how consignments move, what timings you should plan against, and how delays, damage and shortages are handled.

1. Transit times

The figures below are door to door and include customs clearance and delivery. They are realistic averages, not guarantees — sailing schedules, flight availability, port congestion and customs examination all move them.

Hyderabad is inland. Sea cargo discharges at a coastal port and moves to ICD Sanathnagar by rail under customs bond, which adds several days compared with delivery to a port city. We quote door-to-door figures rather than port-to-port ones.

2. Delivery coverage

Delivery is to the address given at booking. The vehicle arrives at your premises; labour for unloading is arranged on request and quoted separately. Tell us at booking if there is no loading access or no staff available.

3. Packing

Goods must be packed to withstand the transit mode. LCL cargo in particular is handled at a consolidation warehouse in China and again at a CFS in India, and is stacked against other importers’ goods. We check packing suitability at our warehouse before loading and will tell you if we consider it inadequate, but the packing itself is the supplier’s responsibility.

4. Insurance

Cargo insurance is available and quoted separately, typically at around 1.125 percent of goods value. It is not included by default. Where cover is declined, loss or damage in transit is not recoverable from us.

5. Customs and duty

• Duty and taxes are assessed by customs on the assessable value — goods plus freight plus insurance.
• Rates are those in force on the date the bill of entry is filed.
• Where a category requires certification or registration before release, the consignment cannot be cleared until it is in place.
• Examination, testing and any resulting charges are at cost.

6. Demurrage, detention and storage

A limited number of free days apply after arrival. Beyond them, the terminal charges demurrage and the shipping line charges detention, daily, until the cargo moves and the container is returned. These charges are payable by you at cost, including where the delay arises from a customs query, a missing certification, or an inability to take delivery.

We file bills of entry before arrival and flag certification requirements at the enquiry stage specifically to avoid them.

7. Shortages and damage

• Check the consignment on delivery, before signing.
• Note any visible damage or shortage on the delivery document at the time.
• Notify us within 7 days, with photographs of the packaging and the goods.
• Retain the packaging until the claim is resolved.

Claims raised later, or without evidence, generally cannot be pursued with the carrier or the insurer, which limits what can be recovered.

8. Delays outside our control

Vessel and flight schedules, port congestion, rail availability, customs examination, weather, strikes and regulatory action are outside our control. We will tell you as soon as a schedule changes and, where a delay would be commercially damaging, price the alternative so you can decide. We do not compensate for delay caused by these events.

9. Prohibited and restricted goods

We do not carry goods prohibited under Indian import policy, and restricted goods only with the required approval in place. Dangerous goods — including lithium batteries, magnets, aerosols, flammable liquids and powders — must be declared before booking. Undeclared dangerous goods are offloaded at origin and the resulting costs are yours.

10. Contact

Questions about a specific consignment are fastest on WhatsApp with the bill of lading or airway bill number to hand. Contact details are here.