Container & Ocean Freight, Backed by 700+ Owned Containers
FCL and LCL shipping with in-house maritime and customs expertise, 700+ owned 40ft containers, and a domestic network of 320+ locations to carry your cargo the last kilometre.
Safe & Secure Logistics provides container and ocean freight services across India’s major ports and global trade corridors — FCL, LCL, port handling and customs clearance handled by one accountable in-house team. With 700+ owned 40ft containers, in-house maritime expertise and a 75-year operating history, we control the equipment, the paperwork and the inland legs that most forwarders subcontract. The result is a single accountable partner from your factory gate to the destination door.
What our container and ocean freight service covers
Ocean freight is the discipline of moving containerised cargo by sea — and, just as importantly, managing everything that happens before the vessel sails and after it berths. Our service spans four connected functions:
FCL shipping
Full container loads in our own 40ft equipment. Your cargo travels sealed and exclusive from stuffing point to destination, with no co-loading risk and predictable transit planning.
LCL consolidation
For volumes that do not fill a container, we consolidate your cargo on regular sailings so you pay for the space you use, with the same documentation discipline as a full box.
Port handling & drayage
Container yard operations, terminal coordination, and first- and last-mile drayage on our own 2,700+ vehicle fleet — the leg where third-party handovers usually introduce delay.
The fourth function, customs, sits in-house: import and export documentation, classification, duty assessment and clearance are handled by our own maritime and customs team rather than an outsourced agent. Shippers who need clearance without the ocean leg can engage our customs clearance service directly.
How Safe & Secure runs ocean freight differently
Most freight forwarders own no assets: they lease containers per shipment, subcontract drayage and outsource clearance. Each handover adds cost, delay and a party to chase when something goes wrong. Our model inverts that.
Owned equipment. 700+ owned 40ft containers mean we are not bidding for boxes during peak season shortages. Contracted customers get guaranteed equipment availability, and every container is inspected under our own maintenance regime before it reaches your loading dock.
Owned inland network. The ocean leg is only part of the journey. Our 2,700+ owned vehicles, 70+ warehouses including cold storage, and presence across 320+ locations in 27 states mean the pre-carriage and on-carriage — where most transit variance actually occurs — run on our own network. For import cargo that needs storage before distribution, our warehousing and 3PL/4PL service receives containers directly.
In-house maritime expertise. Vessel selection, carrier negotiation, bill of lading management and port coordination are handled by our own maritime team — a capability built over 75 years since 1951, not bought per shipment.
Specialised cargo. India’s largest private reefer fleet handles the temperature-controlled inland legs of perishable and pharmaceutical shipments (see cold chain logistics), and DG tanker capability covers classified dangerous goods with the documentation each class demands.
FCL or LCL: choosing the right mode
| Factor | FCL (Full Container Load) | LCL (Less than Container Load) |
|---|---|---|
| Typical volume | Consignments large enough to fill a container | Consignments that do not fill a container |
| Pricing basis | Per container, regardless of fill | Per CBM or tonne, whichever is higher |
| Cargo security | Sealed at origin; exclusive use | Shared container; consolidation handling |
| Port transit | Faster; no deconsolidation wait | Adds CFS consolidation and deconsolidation time |
| Best suited to | Regular volumes, fragile or high-value cargo | Small, irregular or trial shipments |
The economical crossover point shifts with lane, season and cargo density, so we run the comparison per shipment rather than applying a fixed rule.
Get an instant ocean freight estimate
Enter your origin, destination and cargo details for an immediate cost indication — no registration required.
Who this service is built for
FMCG & consumer goods
Import of raw and packaging materials and export of finished goods, with containers flowing directly into our warehousing and distribution network for onward movement.
Pharma & healthcare
Temperature-sensitive imports and exports where the inland legs run on India’s largest private reefer fleet and documentation is handled by one accountable team.
Industrial & engineering
Machinery, components and project consignments — including dangerous goods requiring DG tanker capability and cargo that pairs with our project cargo and ODC service.
India’s leading FMCG, pharma and industrial enterprises trust the group across these flows, typically because a single owned network removes the coordination burden of managing a forwarder, a customs agent and a transporter separately.
How ocean freight pricing works
An honest ocean quote is built from identifiable components, and we itemise all of them:
Ocean leg: carrier base rate for the lane, bunker (fuel) surcharge, and currency adjustment factors — all of which move with the market. Port and terminal: terminal handling charges at both ends, documentation fees and, where applicable, container detention or demurrage exposure. Customs: duty and tax as assessed, plus clearance charges. Inland legs: drayage and line-haul at origin and destination, which we price off our own fleet rather than a subcontractor’s margin stack.
Rates therefore vary by lane, season, equipment availability and cargo class. What does not vary is the structure: we quote the full landed movement up front, so the approved number is the invoiced number. For an immediate indication, use the freight rate calculator; for contracted annual volumes, our team prices the full corridor including inland distribution.
Coverage: ports, corridors and the inland network
We serve India’s major container gateways on both coasts and the global corridors that feed them, connected inland to 320+ locations across 27 states. That inland reach is the practical differentiator: a container landed at port is only useful once it reaches your plant or your customer, and our 70+ warehouses and 2,700+ vehicles carry it there without a handover. Where rail makes the inland leg cheaper or faster, our rail freight and multimodal service plans the combined routing.
To confirm coverage for a specific origin or destination, check any pincode on our serviceability tool.
Why shippers choose Safe & Secure for ocean freight
The claims above reduce to verifiable facts. The group has operated since 1951 — 75 years through every cycle the Indian freight market has produced. FY26 consolidated revenue stands at Rs 1,354 Cr (US$160M+). The balance sheet is debt-free, which for a shipper means the partner holding your equipment guarantees and rate contracts carries no refinancing risk. The company is family-owned and professionally run, so decisions on service recovery are taken quickly and honoured over decades, not quarters. And the asset base — 700+ owned containers, 2,700+ owned vehicles, 70+ warehouses — means performance depends on our own operations, not a subcontractor’s.
The process: from enquiry to proof of delivery
- Enquiry and scoping. Share your lane, cargo details, volume and frequency by phone, WhatsApp or the rate calculator. We confirm feasibility, mode (FCL/LCL) and equipment.
- Quotation. You receive an itemised quote covering ocean, port, customs and inland components — the full landed cost, not a teaser rate.
- Booking and documentation. On confirmation, we book carrier space, position the container, and our customs team prepares export or import documentation in parallel.
- Stuffing and pre-carriage. The container is inspected, positioned at your premises or our CFS, stuffed, sealed and moved to port on our own fleet.
- Ocean transit and tracking. We manage the bill of lading, monitor the sailing and keep you informed of vessel milestones through to arrival.
- Clearance and delivery. Import clearance runs on arrival, the container is drayed to destination — direct or via our warehouse — and proof of delivery closes the shipment with a reconciled final invoice.
Shippers whose flows are primarily domestic can pair ocean imports with our full truckload service for onward distribution from port or warehouse.
Move your next container with an asset-owning partner
Speak to our maritime team about your lane, or check coverage for your pincode first.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between FCL and LCL, and which should I choose?
FCL (Full Container Load) gives you exclusive use of a container — typically economical above 13-15 CBM, faster at ports, and safer for fragile or high-value cargo since it is sealed at your door. LCL (Less than Container Load) consolidates your cargo with other shippers’ and you pay per CBM, suiting smaller or irregular volumes. We assess your volume, cargo type and frequency and recommend the lower landed cost, not the higher invoice.
Does Safe & Secure own its containers or lease them per shipment?
We own 700+ 40ft containers outright. This matters commercially: owned equipment removes per-shipment leasing mark-ups, protects you from container shortages during peak season, and lets us guarantee equipment availability for contracted volumes. It also gives us direct control over container condition and inspection, which reduces cargo damage claims and rejection at load ports.
Can you handle customs clearance along with the ocean leg?
Yes. Customs expertise sits in-house rather than with a third-party agent, so documentation, classification, duty assessment and clearance run in parallel with vessel planning under one accountable team. This is typically where multi-vendor shipments lose days. If you only need clearance, our dedicated customs clearance service handles that on a standalone basis as well.
Which ports and trade corridors do you cover?
We operate across India’s major container gateways on the west and east coasts, connected to our domestic network of 320+ locations across 27 states, plus international corridors for import and export flows. Because port drayage, line-haul and warehousing are on our own 2,700+ vehicle fleet and 70+ warehouses, the inland leg is under the same control as the ocean leg. Check any origin or destination pincode on our serviceability tool.
How is ocean freight priced, and why do quotes vary so much?
Ocean pricing moves with carrier base rates, bunker and currency surcharges, equipment availability, port and terminal handling charges, customs duty and the inland legs at both ends. Quotes vary because many forwarders quote only the port-to-port leg and add the rest later. We quote the full landed movement — door to door where required — so the number you approve is the number you pay. Use the freight rate calculator for an instant estimate.
Can you move temperature-controlled or dangerous goods cargo by sea?
Yes. We operate India’s largest private reefer fleet for the inland legs of temperature-controlled shipments, and we hold DG tanker capability for classified dangerous goods, with the documentation and handling protocols each class requires. Both cargo types are planned by the same in-house maritime team, so compliance is built into the routing rather than checked at the gate.
How financially stable is Safe & Secure as a long-term freight partner?
The group is debt-free, family-owned and professionally run, with Rs 1,354 Cr (US$160M+) consolidated revenue in FY26 and a 75-year operating history since 1951. For shippers committing annual volumes, that stability means the partner holding your cargo, your equipment guarantees and your rate contracts will still be standing next season — a consideration the freight industry’s churn has made genuinely material.
Proof of Scale · Since 1951
Backed by numbers, not promises.
India's largest privately-held heritage logistics platform — asset-backed, technology-enabled, and operating at national and international scale.
