Freight Forwarding in Mumbai

A Freight Forwarder That Is Also Your Customs Broker

S. K. Agency has been one of the working freight forwarding companies in Mumbai since 1990, moving air and ocean cargo through JNPT, Nhava Sheva, Mumbai Port and the Sahar Air Cargo Complex, with Gujarat covered from our Bhuj-Kutch office at Mundra and Kandla.

The difference worth knowing: most forwarders hand your documents to a separate customs broker when the cargo lands. We are the customs broker. We hold our own Custom House Agent licence and AEO-LO status with Indian Customs, so the freight and the clearance sit on one file with one team. That handover between forwarder and broker is where most avoidable delay, and most of the finger-pointing, happens.

Ocean Freight

• FCL (full container load) in 20ft, 40ft, high cube, reefer, flat rack and open top.
• LCL consolidation for volumes that do not justify a full container.
• Out of gauge and break bulk where the cargo will not fit a box at all, including RORO for wheeled and tracked plant.
• Rate agreements with major lines, and space protection on tight sailings.
• Demurrage and detention management - we file ahead of vessel arrival so the container is not accruing charges while paperwork catches up.

Air Freight

• Consolidated, direct and charter uplift through Sahar Air Cargo Complex.
• Time-critical and AOG movements where the cost of the delay dwarfs the cost of the freight.
• Temperature-controlled and pharmaceutical cargo, including quarantine coordination.
• Dangerous goods handling with correct declarations and packing certification.

What We Handle Around the Freight

Booking the space is the easy part. The work that decides whether a shipment lands cleanly is the documentation and the compliance around it:

• Bill of lading and airway bill issuance, and letter of credit document sets that actually match the LC terms.
• Certificates of origin, including free trade agreement claims where a lower duty rate applies.
• Customs clearance at destination, filed in-house on ICEGATE.
• Regulatory approvals before arrival: FSSAI, Plant Quarantine, Animal Quarantine, BIS and CRS registration. See legal compliance services.
• Cargo insurance, survey coordination and claims support.
• Warehousing and inland transport to final delivery.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a freight forwarder?

A freight forwarder arranges the movement of cargo on behalf of an importer or exporter. The forwarder does not usually own the ship or aircraft. It books space with carriers, consolidates cargo, issues transport documents such as the house bill of lading, and coordinates trucking, warehousing and customs formalities at both ends. A customs broker, by contrast, is licensed specifically to file customs declarations. S. K. Agency is both, which is why the handover between freight and clearance does not create a delay.

What is the freight forwarding process?

For a typical import: the forwarder books space with a carrier, the supplier hands cargo over at origin, export clearance is completed, the cargo sails or flies, documents are transmitted ahead of arrival, the Bill of Entry is filed on ICEGATE, duty is assessed and paid, customs gives out of charge, and the cargo is trucked to the consignee. The forwarder coordinates each step and keeps the documentation consistent throughout, since most delays come from documents that do not reconcile with each other.

How much does freight forwarding cost?

Ocean FCL is quoted per container by route and equipment type. Ocean LCL is charged per cubic metre or per tonne, whichever is greater. Air freight is charged on chargeable weight, the higher of actual and volumetric weight. On top of base freight sit origin and destination terminal handling, documentation, customs clearance, duty and IGST, transport and any storage. Ask for a landed cost estimate rather than a freight rate alone, because the freight line is often the smaller half of the number.

What is the difference between freight forwarding and logistics?

Freight forwarding is the arrangement of transport and the associated documentation and customs work for a shipment. Logistics is the wider discipline covering inventory, warehousing, distribution, order fulfilment and the flow of goods through a supply chain. Freight forwarding is one function within logistics.

What is the difference between FCL and LCL?

FCL means full container load: you book an entire container, sealed at origin and opened at destination. LCL means less than container load: your cargo shares a container with other shippers, so it is consolidated at origin and deconsolidated at destination. LCL suits smaller volumes but adds handling steps and usually takes longer. As a rule of thumb, once cargo exceeds roughly half a container, FCL is often cheaper and always simpler.

Do I need a freight forwarder and a customs broker separately?

Not if one firm holds both capabilities. Using separate providers means the forwarder hands your documents to a broker, and that handover is where most avoidable delay occurs. S. K. Agency is a licensed Custom House Agent as well as a forwarder, and holds AEO-LO status, so freight and clearance are handled by the same team against the same file.

Get a Freight Quote

Tell us the origin, the destination, what the cargo is, and roughly what it weighs and measures. We will come back with a rate and a realistic transit time, and flag any licence or registration you will need before it ships. Call +91-22-4341 1999, email sanjay@sk-agency.com, or send us the shipment details.

Related: Custom Clearance Agent in Mumbai, Project Logistics & Over Dimensional Cargo, Break Bulk / RORO, Free Trade Warehousing Zone. Tools: Incoterms 2020 guide, container dimensions, shipment tracking.