Ocean and Air Shipping from Finland to India

Annual bilateral trade between Finland and India exceeded $2.5 billion in 2019. Your business may well have contributed to that figure, or you could be planning your first export from Finland to India.

In either case, this page will be of use to you. It’s packed with information about ocean and air shipping between the two nations, and guidance about customs clearance, freight pricing, and the airports and seaports in both countries.

What Are Your Options for Shipping From Finland to India?

As with many long-distance supply chains, your only choice is between ocean and air shipping from Finland to India. Both have advantages and disadvantages that will be outlined on this page.

Ocean Freight From Finland to India

Less than Container Load (LCL): LCL shipping is suitable for all kinds of consignments, but especially for smaller loads that aren’t urgently required in India. Your freight will share space in a container with products being shipped by other businesses.

Full Container Load (FCL): With FCL, you pay a flat rate for the use and transportation of a shipping container from Finland to India. The container will be exclusively for your goods, and you are not required to fill it.

Air Freight from Finland to India

If ocean shipping does not meet your supply chain needs, air freight services offer a faster logistics link when importing from Finland to India. Of course, shipping by air is also more expensive than by sea.

How Much Does it Cost to Ship Cargo From Finland to India?

A freight forwarder will calculate your shipping quote by considering:

• The distance your consignment needs to be transported
• The nature of the freight being shipped
• Whether it’s being shipped by ocean carrier as FCL or LCL, or by air freight from Finland to India
• The size, weight, and volume of your goods

If you’re unsure whether air or ocean shipping is best for you, there’s no harm in asking a freight forwarder to quote for both.

As a general rule of thumb, quotes for goods weighing less than 100 kg are likely to be similar for air and ocean shipping. For consignments over 100 kg, ocean shipping is likely to be more cost-effective than air freight. Loads weighing 35 kg or under aren’t handled by freight forwarders, but you will be able to get a quote from an international courier company.

How Long Does it Take to Ship Cargo From Finland to India?

It’s over 6,100 kilometers from Finland to India as the crow flies. Air cargo providers can cover that distance and carry out all necessary processes and procedures in five to eight days.

A vessel transporting your shipping container from Finland to India by sea will take a much longer route. For example, the distance from the Port of Helsinki to the Port of Mumbai is over 15,750 kilometers. As a result, you should allow 38 to 46 days for your ocean freight to reach India.

How Long Does It Take to Ship Cargo by Sea From Finland to India?

Below are a few examples of the time it typically takes to ship a container from Finland to India:

• Helsinki to Chennai – 38 days FCL
• Kotka to Chennai – 46 days FCL
• Rauma to Chennai – 39 days FCL

How Long Does It Take to Ship Cargo by Air From Finland to India?

The quickest way to import from Finland to India is by air. It typically takes five to eight days. This includes the time taken to consolidate the goods at Helsinki airport, get export customs clearance, fly to India, unload in India, and handle import customs procedures.

Helsinki to Delhi is the only direct route currently operating between Finland and India. If your goods are bound for other destinations in the subcontinent, extra time will be spent awaiting the transshipment of your goods between aircraft.

Customs Clearance in Finland and India

Customs clearance procedures are mandatory when shipping freight from Finland to India, and there’s no denying the complexity of the rules and regulations. Many shippers prefer to hand responsibility for the process to freight forwarders. It’s a move that’s likely to save hassle for your business, as it reduces the threat of unnecessary delays affecting your shipment.

Your forwarder will also ensure your consignment complies with customs rules and regulations in both territories. However, you will need to provide some documentation to accompany your goods, and give your freight forwarder the information necessary to complete other documents.

The most important of those documents, to be provided by you or your freight forwarder, are:

1. Commercial Invoice

2. Packing List

3. Certificate of Origin

4. Letter of Credit or other payment terms (depends on the contract between the parties involved)

5. Bill of Lading for ocean freight or Airway Bill for air freight (Shipa Freight will provide this for you)

To examine the documents we’ve listed above, please take a look at the documents list page we’ve compiled. Depending on the nature of the cargo you are shipping, you may need to provide additional paperwork. This could take the form of a permit, certificate, or license.

Should You Choose Ocean or Air Shipping From Finland to India?

Ocean Freight

If you choose ocean shipping, a freight forwarder will coordinate the transportation of your cargo from port to port, port to door, door to port, or door to door.

Most sea freight is transported inside a container aboard a cargo ship. Standard containers come in two sizes: 20ft and 40ft. The smaller size has room for 10 or 11 standard pallets. The bigger container carries up to 21. Your forwarder will advise if a standard container is fit for purpose, or if you need a specialized container. This could be a high-top, open-top, open-side, or other type of unit.

As well as container selection, you also get a choice of seaports in Finland and India. To save overland transport costs, pick the ports that are closest to your supplier in Finland and consignee in India.

Another choice you must make is between FCL and LCL shipping. You’ll find more detail about these below:

Considerations for LCL Freight Shipping

LCL shipping requires your freight to share a container with goods from other shippers. It’s a good choice if:

• You consignee in India can wait the time required for shipping
• Your freight fills only a few pallets
• You don’t require an entire container
• You’re relaxed about the idea of your goods sharing a container
• You cannot ship your cargo by air

LCL might not work for you if:

• Your cargo is perishable and needs to be in India quickly
• Your cargo is fragile and may be damaged if frequently handled or moved
• Your cargo is not suitable to be shipped in a shared container
• Your cargo is high-value and needs the strictest security measures during shipping

Considerations for FCL Freight Shipping

FCL shipping affords you the exclusive use of a shipping container that will be transported by an ocean carrier from Finland to India. It could be your best option if:

• You need a more predictable shipment time than that offered by LCL providers
• Your goods cannot be shipped in a shared container
• You want to seal your container in Finland and for it to remain sealed until reaching the recipient

Air Freight

Air shipping is often a good move if:

• Your consignee requires urgent delivery
• Your cargo is small—no more than four pallets
• Your goods are perishable, fragile, or perhaps both
• Your freight is valuable, requiring the high degree of security offered by airlines/airport operators

Ocean Cargo Port Guide

Cargo Ports of Origin in Finland

Oulu

Port Facts:

• The facility is formed of three harbors in the Oulujoki River
• Handles over 3.6 million tonnes of sea freight every year
• Oritkari is the container-handling harbor
• Good road and rail links to the port for any supplier or manufacturer based in Tyrnava, Kempele or Kiiminki

Owned By: City of Oulu.

Annual Container Volume: >52,000 TEUs.

UN/LOCODE: FIOUL.

Hamina-Kotka

Port Facts:

• Situated in the Gulf of Finland
• Only 50 km from the Russian border and 250 km from St Petersburg
• The port is a one-hour drive from Helsinki
• Processes nearly half of Finland’s container traffic
• Mussalo Terminal is the biggest container terminal in Finland

Owned By: Hamina-Kotka Satama Oy.

Annual Container Volume: >55,000 TEUs.

UN/LOCODE: FIKTK.

Helsinki

Port Facts:

• Also referred to as Helsingfors
• More than 14.5 million tonnes of sea freight was processed here in 2018
• Cargo throughput accounts for around one-third of Finland’s total trade
• Most popular exports are forestry products and electronics

Owned By: City of Helsinki.

Annual Container Volume: >491,000 TEUs.

UN/LOCODE: FIHEL.

Rauma

Port Facts:

• Western Finland’s largest container port
• The site covers 18 hectares
• Facilities include three quays and gantry cranes
• Ideal port of origin if your supply chain moves goods from Unaja, Kolla, or Nurmes
• Paper and cardboard are among the most popular imports and exports

Owned By: Euroports Rauma Ltd.

Annual Container Volume: >278,000 TEUs.

UN/LOCODE: FIRAU.

Cargo Ports of Arrival in India

Tuticorin

Port Facts:

• Home to India’s fourth-biggest container terminal
• Second-largest port in Tamil Nadu
• Almost seven percent of India’s container traffic is handled here
• Infrastructure includes three quayside cranes

Owned By: V.O. Chidambaranar Port Trust.

Annual Container Volume: >560,000 TEUs.

UN/LOCODE: INTUT.

Nhava Sheva

Port Facts:

• Also known as JNPT or Jawaharlal Nehru Port
• Originally built as an overflow port for Mumbai
• Now the biggest container port in India, processing over half of the nation’s containers
• Easy onward transportation of goods into Central and Western India, including Pune and Nashik

Owned By: Government of India.

Annual Container Volume: >5 million TEUs.

UN/LOCODE: INNSA.

Haldia

Port Facts:

• Located in Northeastern India
• Officially designated a green port in 2015
• Much of the port’s machinery runs on eco-friendly bio-fuel

Owned By: Kolkata Port Trust.

Annual Container Volume: >150,000 TEUs.

UN/LOCODE: INHAL.

Visakhapatnam

Port Facts:

• Formerly India’s largest seaport
• Located in Eastern India
• The only seaport in Andhra Pradesh
• Located close to the Malacca Straits
• Road and rail routes connect the port to locations in East India, including Odisha and Telangana

Owned By: Visakhapatnam Port Trust.

Annual Container Volume: >350,000 TEUs.

UN/LOCODE: INVTZ.

Mundra

Port Facts:

• Ranked 34th in the world’s top-50 container ports
• India’s largest privately-owned sea freight hub
• Infrastructure includes four container terminals
• Became India’s first port to process over 100 million tonnes of freight in a year in 2014

Owned By: Adani Group.

Annual Container Volume: >4 million TEUs.

UN/LOCODE: INMUN.

Other Destination Ports in India

These are the other ports in India to which goods from Finland can be shipped:

• Pipavav
• Cochin
• Mormugao
• Hazira
• Kattupalli
• Kolkata
• Chennai
• Krishnapatnam

Flying Your Freight: Airport Guide

Airport of Origin in Finland

Helsinki

Airport Facts:

• Full name is Helsinki-Vantaa International Airport
• Situated 17 km north of the city of Helsinki
• The largest airport in Finland
• Twenty-times busier than any other airport in Finland
• Capacity to process over 450,000 tonnes of freight every year

India Airports Served: Delhi

Finland to India Cargo-Only Operators: None.

IATA CODE: HEL.

Airports of Arrival in India

Delhi

Airport Facts:

• India’s busiest air cargo hub, occupying a 2,000-hectare site
• Also known as Indira Gandhi International Airport
• 16 km outside the city of New Delhi
• Currently the only international airport in India to receive direct flights from Finland
• Good road and rail connections to locations across Central and Northern India

Connected Airports in Finland: Helsinki.

Finland to Delhi Cargo-Only Operators: None.

IATA Code: DEL.

Cochin

Airport Facts:

• Serves the city of Kochi in the State of Kerala
• Was the world’s first solar-powered airport
• Features a 20-hectare cargo terminal
• Awarded ‘Champion of the Earth’ status by the UN in 2018

Connected Airports in Finland: None.

Finland to Cochin Cargo-Only Operators: None.

IATA Code: COK.

Chennai

Airport Facts:

• Located in Eastern India
• Chennai also has a major seaport
• Third largest air-cargo facility in India
• No direct flights from Finland

Connected Airports in Finland: None.

Finland to Chennai Cargo-Only Operators: None.

IATA Code: MAA.

Kolkata

Airport Facts:

• Full name is Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport
• The site covers 664 hectares
• Ranks as India’s fifth-busiest airport
• 17 kilometers outside of the city of Kolkata

Connected Airports in Finland: None.

Finland to Kolkata Cargo-Only Operators: None.

IATA Code: CCU.

Mumbai

Airport Facts:

• The official name is Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport
• Processes close to one million tonnes of air cargo every year
• Facilities include dedicated centers for perishable, radioactive, and dangerous cargo
• Can accommodate five freighter aircraft simultaneously

Connected Airports in Finland: None.

Finland to Mumbai Cargo-Only Operators: None.

IATA Code: BOM.

Other Arrival Airports in India

You can also have your Finnish exports flown to Bangalore, Hyderabad, Coimbatore, or Ahmedabad International Airports in India.

Why Ship From Finland to India With Shipa Freight?

Shipa Freight offers a refreshingly easy way to ship goods around the globe. Our online-only approach to international shipping simplifies supply chain management.

Registering to ship commodities with us is easy for new shippers. You can quickly obtain and compare quotes, then book and pay for your freight online.

There’s no need to engage multiple agencies any more when shipping freight from Finland to India.

Other benefits of using Shipa Freight when you import from Finland to India include:

• Access to the best international air and ocean cargo carriers
• Flexibility to pay by credit card, debit card or wire transfer
• Backing from world-leading shipping company Agility Logistics
• 24/7 help from a friendly customer service team
• Freedom from complex customs and compliance issues—we’ll handle them for you

Know Your Shipping Terminology

To help you build your understanding of the language of shipping, we’ve explained the meaning of two potentially confusing terms used in the industry. You’ll find those explanations below:

• Air waybill
• General average