The essentials at a glance. Figures marked as indicative depend on the carrier, season and cargo, and are confirmed in your quote.
| Equipment | 20GP, 40GP, 40HC; reefer, open-top and flat-rack on request |
|---|---|
| Main origins | Shanghai, Ningbo, Shenzhen (Yantian), Guangzhou (Nansha), Qingdao, Tianjin, Xiamen |
| Main destinations | Jebel Ali and Khor Fakkan (UAE), Umm Qasr (Iraq), Dammam and Jeddah (Saudi Arabia), other GCC ports |
| Indicative transit, China → UAE | About 20–35 days port to port in 2026, including east-coast discharge and bonded trucking; varies by carrier and season |
| Indicative transit, China → Umm Qasr | About 25–40 days port to port (published ranges); confirmed per booking |
| Free time at destination | Set by the carrier per port and container type; written on your cost sheet |
| Price changes | Only with your approval, with a reason for every new line |
|---|
| Facts as of | 1 November 2026 |
|---|
As of 1 Nov 2026
These are the same stages you will see in your case file in the customer portal.
We check the cargo, route and timing, and screen the parties and goods before we quote.
You receive an itemised quote and approve it in the portal or on WhatsApp.
You or your supplier upload the invoice, packing list and other documents to the case file.
We book with the carrier and post the booking number, vessel and cut-off dates.
The container is collected, stuffed and export-cleared; you approve the draft bill of lading.
We post ETA changes, the discharge port and the date free time starts.
You approve duties, the cargo is released and delivered, proof of delivery is uploaded and the file is closed.
Your quote itemises every charge, so you can see exactly what is covered before you approve it.
FCL is usually the better choice when your cargo fills most of a container or needs to travel sealed from origin to destination.
Most cargo moves in standard 20ft, 40ft or 40ft high-cube dry containers; special equipment is booked case by case.
| Container | Nominal capacity | Practical load (typical) | Common use |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20GP | about 33 CBM | 25–28 CBM | Dense cargo: tiles, steel, machine parts |
| 40GP | about 67 CBM | 55–58 CBM | General cargo, furniture |
| 40HC | about 76 CBM | 65–68 CBM | Light, bulky cargo |
| Reefer, open top, flat rack | Varies | Varies | Temperature-controlled or out-of-gauge cargo |
External dimensions follow ISO 668; internal sizes, tare and maximum gross weight vary by container, so we check the carrier's specification and the road-weight limits on your delivery route. See container sizes and capacity.
Since about 1 March 2026 most mainline container ships have not transited the Strait of Hormuz, so many Dubai-bound containers are discharged on the UAE east coast or in Oman and moved to Jebel Ali by road.
Under Dubai Customs Notice 03/2026 (8 March 2026), containers discharged at Khor Fakkan or Fujairah can travel to Jebel Ali by bonded truck while the bill of lading keeps Jebel Ali as the final destination (Al Tamimi & Company). This adds a road leg, possible anchorage waiting and surcharges such as war risk or contingency trucking. Before your cargo leaves origin we confirm the discharge port, who arranges the onward truck, when free time starts and where the empty is returned. Our lane status board shows the dated position for each lane.
Every line is marked included, estimated or pass-through, and no new charge is added without your approval.
| Cost block | Examples | How it appears |
|---|---|---|
| Origin | Pickup, export clearance, origin terminal handling | Included or estimated, per your Incoterm |
| Ocean freight | Base rate per container | Included, with a validity date |
| Surcharges | Bunker, war risk, emergency or contingency trucking | Separate lines, each with reason and validity |
| Destination | Terminal handling, delivery order, bonded trucking | Included or estimated |
| Duties and taxes | UAE customs duty (generally 5% of CIF value) and 5% import VAT; Iraqi duties per HS code | Pass-through at cost |
| Time-related | Demurrage, detention, storage | Only if free time is exceeded; we warn you in advance |
UAE duty and VAT rules are published by Dubai Customs and the Federal Tax Authority.
We agree free days in writing, prepare documents before arrival and show a countdown for every container.
Free time is set by the carrier's tariff or your contract and differs by port and equipment. We record the agreed days on your cost sheet, start the countdown at discharge and warn you before it ends. Most bills are avoided when the delivery order, customs documents and truck are ready before the vessel arrives; see demurrage vs detention.
No: Nil Ocean Shipping is a forwarder that books space with ocean carriers, so we confirm the vessel and voyage in your case file once the carrier confirms the booking.
If a carrier rolls your booking to a later vessel, the case file shows the reason and the new departure date, and your coordinator tells you on WhatsApp the same working day.
A short brief is enough to start: pickup address or port, destination, commodity and HS code if known, number and type of containers, approximate weight, Incoterm and cargo-ready date. You can request a quote online or message your coordinator on WhatsApp in English, Arabic or Persian.
A typical checklist. Your coordinator confirms the exact list for your cargo and destination, and you upload everything in the portal.
Every shipment is screened against applicable sanctions lists and checked for restricted or prohibited goods before booking. Some routes and commodities need extra documents or cannot be accepted.
Compliance & sanctions policyRestricted & prohibited goodsLane status
Answers to the questions customers ask most about FCL ocean freight.
Direct sailings to Jebel Ali have typically taken about three to four weeks port to port. In 2026, discharge at Khor Fakkan, Fujairah or Sohar plus bonded trucking can add days, so we work with an indicative 20–35 days and confirm the range on your booking.
No. We are a forwarder, not a carrier, so space is confirmed by the shipping line. We post the vessel and voyage in your case file once the booking is confirmed, and if a booking is rolled we record the reason and the new departure date.
The price we quote is the price you pay unless you approve a change. Surcharges such as war risk carry their own validity date; if a carrier changes one, we show you the new line with its reason and evidence before anything is added.
Free time is set by the carrier's tariff or contract for each port and container type. We write the agreed days on your cost sheet and show a countdown from discharge, so you can plan clearance and collection in time.
Yes. We can collect from several suppliers in China and stuff them into one container at a consolidation warehouse, which is often cheaper than several LCL shipments. Each supplier's documents must match the final packing list.
Yes, either direct to Umm Qasr or via Jebel Ali with a feeder. Iraq requires a registered importer, e-verified certificates of origin and invoices, and a COC for regulated goods, so we start those checks before booking.
ChinatoUnited Arab Emirates
FCL and LCL sea freight from Shanghai, Ningbo, Shenzhen, Qingdao and other Chinese ports to Dubai, with 2026 routing via Khor Fakkan, Fujairah or Sohar and bonded trucking to Jebel Ali.
ChinatoIraq
FCL and LCL sea freight from Shanghai, Ningbo, Shenzhen, Qingdao and other Chinese ports to Umm Qasr, or through Jebel Ali or Türkiye, with Iraq's 2026 customs rules (ASYCUDA, Decision 957/2025, e-verification) built into every case.
ChinatoSaudi Arabia
FCL and LCL sea freight from Shanghai, Ningbo, Shenzhen, Qingdao and other Chinese ports to Jeddah or Dammam, or via the UAE with overland trucking to Riyadh and the Eastern Province, with SABER and FASAH requirements checked before loading.
United Arab EmiratestoIraq
Feeder, RoRo and overland options from Jebel Ali and Dubai to Umm Qasr, Baghdad and Erbil, including JAFZA storage and re-export, with Iraq's 2026 document checks prepared before departure.
United Arab EmiratestoKenya
FCL and LCL sea freight and re-export from Jebel Ali and JAFZA to Mombasa, with Kenyan documents such as the IDF and KEBS certificate checked before loading, and onward transit on the Northern Corridor where we can cover it.
LCL is usually cheaper for small shipments because you pay per cubic metre; FCL becomes cheaper once your cargo fills a large part of a container. For many importers the break-even sits somewhere around 12–18 CBM for a 20ft, but it moves with rates and destination LCL fees. Compare landed cost, not freight alone, and weigh transit time, handling and risk.
7 min read1 Nov 2026
Next step
Send your route and cargo details. A named coordinator replies with an itemised quote and the next steps.
FCL ocean freight means you book a whole container (20GP, 40GP or 40HC) for your cargo alone. Nil Ocean Shipping, a Dubai-licensed forwarder, books the space with the carrier, coordinates pickup, export and import formalities and delivery, and records every stage in your case file. In 2026 many Dubai-bound boxes reach Jebel Ali via Khor Fakkan or Fujairah and bonded trucking, so transit times are indicative and confirmed for each booking.
A standard 20ft container is about 5.9 m long inside and holds about 33 CBM; a 40ft holds about 67 CBM; a 40ft high cube is 30 cm taller and holds about 76 CBM. In practice cartons and pallets load to roughly 25–28, 55–58 and 65–68 CBM. Maximum gross weight is commonly 30,480 kg, but the container's own plate and road limits on your route can be lower.
7 min read1 Nov 2026
Demurrage is charged while your full container sits in the terminal beyond free time; detention is charged while you keep the carrier's container outside beyond free time. This guide explains how free time is counted, what drives the bills, why they appear even when you did nothing wrong, and how to avoid and dispute them.
7 min read1 Nov 2026
Most cargo from China to Dubai travels by sea, in a full (FCL) or shared (LCL) container, from ports such as Shanghai, Ningbo, Shenzhen or Qingdao. Since March 2026, with the Strait of Hormuz largely closed to mainline ships, many services discharge at Khor Fakkan, Fujairah or Sohar and finish by bonded truck to Jebel Ali. Plan for several weeks door to door and budget for surcharges, UAE duty (generally 5%) and 5% VAT.
8 min read1 Nov 2026
With most mainline container ships avoiding the Strait of Hormuz since March 2026, Dubai-bound cargo is discharged at Khor Fakkan, Fujairah or Sohar and trucked to Jebel Ali. Here is how the route works, what it adds in time and cost, and what to confirm before you book.
7 min read1 Nov 2026
