FCL ocean freight
Full-container sea freight from China to the UAE, Iraq and the GCC, with one named coordinator, an itemised quote and every stage in your case file.
Dubai-licensed. How to verify us
Freight forwarding from Dubai, clear at every step.
Nil Ocean Shipping is a Dubai-licensed freight forwarder coordinating sea, road and multimodal cargo between China, the UAE, Iraq, the GCC and East Africa. You get one named coordinator on WhatsApp, an itemised quote that changes only with your approval, and an online case file for every shipment.
Quick quote and shipment tracking
Corridor snapshot
RestrictedOrigin port
CNSHA
Shanghai
+8 more
Destination port
AEJEA
Jebel Ali
+4 more
- Indicative transit · FCL
- 20–35 days
- Status as of
- 1 Nov 2026
Lane status today
As of 1 Nov 2026
- Operating4 trade lanes
- Restricted4 trade lanes
- Suspended3 trade lanes
About Nil Ocean
From the first message to final delivery, one named coordinator handles your cargo between China, the UAE, Iraq, the GCC and East Africa, and every stage, document and charge stays in plain sight.
- Services we coordinate
- 10
- Trade lanes open for requests
- 8
- Ports and hubs on those lanes
- 28
- Languages: English, Arabic, Persian
- 3
Counted from the services and trade lanes published on this website.
Services
Every leg of the journey, coordinated by one person who knows your file.
Sea freight from China, trucking across the GCC and into Iraq, customs coordination and storage in Jebel Ali. Book one service, or combine them into a single door-to-door case.
LCL consolidation
Ship smaller volumes by sea in a shared container from China to Dubai, and consolidate goods from several suppliers in Jebel Ali for the UAE, Iraq, the GCC or East Africa.
Multimodal sea + land transport
Sea freight combined with bonded or cross-border trucking: the main way into Jebel Ali in 2026 via Khor Fakkan, Fujairah or Sohar, and a flexible way to reach inland Iraq and the GCC.
GCC overland trucking
Full and part truckloads from the UAE to Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain, with customs documents prepared before the truck leaves and an update at every border.
Customs clearance coordination
We prepare and check your customs documents, estimate duties by HS code and coordinate licensed customs brokers at origin and destination, with every step visible in your case file.
Transit and re-export via Dubai
Hold goods duty-suspended in Jebel Ali, combine purchases from China and the UAE, and re-export them to Iraq, the GCC or East Africa with the destination paperwork ready.
Why Nil Ocean
Built around what importers actually worry about.
Surprise charges, silence and scattered paperwork are the most common complaints about forwarders. Each of these commitments is built into how we run your case.
A named coordinator on WhatsApp
One person follows your cargo from quote to delivery, with a named backup. No call centre.
No price change without your approval
Every new or changed charge comes with a reason, and you approve or dispute it before it is billed.
One case file for every stage
Stages, documents, charges and messages in one place, each update showing who made it and when.
Free-time countdown per container
See the last free day of every container, with an early warning before demurrage and detention start.
ETA with confidence and history
Every estimate shows how confident we are, when it was last updated and how it changed over time.
Lane status and advisories
Open, restricted or suspended: published per lane, with sourced advisories when rules or routes change.
Required-documents checklists
Know what each destination needs before the cargo moves: what is missing, under review or approved.
Verify it is really us
Before paying anyone who claims to be Nil Ocean, check our trade licence and official channels.
English, Arabic and Persian
Talk to your coordinator and use the portal in the language you do business in.
Compliance screening
We screen parties and goods in every case under UAE law and applicable UN measures.
Our corridors
Corridors we know port by port.
We move sea freight from China’s main ports into the UAE, then onward by sea or road to Iraq, Saudi Arabia, the wider GCC and East Africa, with one coordinator in Dubai following every leg.
- trade lanes
- 8
- ports and inland hubs
- 28
- countries
- 11
- working languages
- 3
Our lanes and their current status
3 lanes are currently suspended and not taking new requests. See the lane status board
What we coordinate
One coordinator. Every mode your cargo needs.
Sea, road, customs and storage are planned as one job, with an itemised quote and every stage recorded in your case file.
FCL · LCL01Sea freight
Full containers or shared space from China’s main ports
We book full containers (20GP, 40GP, 40HC) or space in a shared LCL box from Shanghai, Ningbo, Shenzhen, Qingdao and other Chinese ports to the UAE, Iraq and Saudi Arabia.
- Carrier booking, with vessel, voyage and cut-off dates posted in your case file
- LCL consolidation when your cargo doesn’t fill a container: you pay only for the space you use
- Routing and discharge port confirmed in writing before you ship
FTL · LTL02GCC & cross-border trucking
By road from the UAE across the GCC
Full and part truckloads from the UAE to Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain through official land border crossings, moved by partner hauliers.
- Truck type chosen for your cargo, including reefer and low-bed on request
- Export, transit and import documents prepared with licensed brokers before loading
- An update at each border crossing, showing the time and who posted it
Sea + road03Multimodal sea + land
By ship to a hub port, then by truck to the final destination
In 2026 much Dubai-bound cargo is discharged at Khor Fakkan, Fujairah or Sohar and trucked in bond to Jebel Ali. We plan both legs as one job and confirm the discharge port before your cargo sails.
- Route options compared by discharge port, road leg and total time
- Bonded trucking coordinated, with container and seal numbers checked
- Free time tracked from the actual discharge date
Documents · HS codes04Customs & documents
Documents checked before anything is filed
We prepare and check your customs documents, propose HS codes with a duty estimate for your approval and brief licensed customs brokers at origin and destination.
- Line-by-line check of the invoice, packing list and certificates
- Duties and taxes shown as estimates you approve before payment
- Declaration, inspection and release posted to your case file
Storage · re-export05Warehousing & re-export
Store, consolidate and re-export through Dubai
Short- and medium-term storage in Jebel Ali Free Zone or on the Dubai mainland through licensed partner warehouses, linked to the next leg: local delivery, GCC trucking or re-export to Iraq and East Africa.
- Free zone storage with duty suspended for re-export cargo
- Receiving and count check against your packing list, with any discrepancy reported
- Labelling, repacking and consolidation of several suppliers’ goods
Advisories & guides
What is changing on your lanes and how to prepare.
Sourced advisories on disruptions and rule changes, and practical guides written for importers on our corridors.
- Critical
- Warning
- Guide8 min read
- Market update7 min read
Customer portal
Your shipment in one case file. Every stage, document and charge, with who updated it and when.
When your shipment is confirmed, your coordinator opens a case file in the portal. You see the current stage, what is waiting on you, every document and every charge, in English, Arabic or Persian.
- Stage tracker with dates and the person who updated each step
- ETA with a confidence level and its change history
- Approve or dispute any new charge, with the reason attached
- Checklist of required documents: missing, under review or approved
Portal accounts are opened by our team once your first shipment is confirmed.
Case file
On trackNO-C26-00042
ShanghaiUmm Qasr1 × 40′ HC
- Booked (completed)
- Departed (completed)
- In transit (in progress)
- Customs (waiting on you)
- Delivery (not started)
In transit to Umm Qasr
Stage 3 of 5
Updated by Operations · today, 14:20 GST
Waiting on you: Upload the signed packing list
Estimated arrival
Medium confidence12–14 Dec
Last updated 2 hours ago · source: carrier
Change history
Moved from 10–12 Dec · transshipment wait
5 Dec
First estimate: 10–12 Dec
8 Nov
New charge
Awaiting youInspection handling
AED 350.00
Customs selected the container for inspection. Receipt attached.
Receipt (PDF)
Added to your bill only after you approve it.
Required documents
2 of 4 approved- Commercial invoiceApproved
- Certificate of originApproved
- Packing listNeeds a fix
- Certificate of conformityUnder review
FAQ
Common questions
Short answers to what customers ask us most. Each one links to a deeper guide where it helps.
What is included in your quote?
Every quote is itemised: origin charges, main freight, surcharges with a valid-until date, destination charges and any customs, insurance or delivery services you asked for. Each line is marked included, excluded, estimated or pass-through at cost, and anything not listed is not included. See how our quotes work.
Can charges be added after I accept a quote?
Not without your approval. If a carrier, port or authority introduces or changes a charge, we add it to your case file with the reason and supporting evidence, and you approve or dispute it in the portal before it is billed. The price we quote is the price you pay unless you approve a change.
How long is a quote valid?
Each line that can change shows its own valid-until date. Ocean freight and surcharges are usually valid for a short period set by the carrier, sometimes only days during disruptions, while our own service fees are fixed for longer. If a quote expires before booking, we requote and show what changed.
Do you publish freight rates online?
No. In 2026 rates on our corridors change quickly because of diversions and war-risk surcharges, so a published price would often be wrong. We quote each shipment with dated, itemised lines; request a quote or message us on WhatsApp.
What information do you need to prepare a quote?
Origin and destination (port or full address), a clear cargo description with the HS code if you have it, weight, volume or dimensions, number of packages, container type, cargo-ready date and the Incoterm. Tell us which extra services you need, such as customs clearance, insurance or final delivery; our CBM calculator helps with volume.
Why does my quote include a war-risk surcharge?
Carriers and insurers add war-risk or emergency surcharges for cargo calling at, or passing through, areas they treat as high-risk, which in 2026 includes the Gulf. We show each surcharge as a separate line with its source and valid-until date, so you can see what it is and when it may change. See war-risk surcharge.
Start a shipment
Tell us the route. We’ll take it from there.
Your coordinator replies with an itemised quote, and the price we quote is the price you pay unless you approve a change.
- Languages we work in: Englishالعربيةفارسی