China to Colombia Sea Freight

Ningbo → Cartagena Container Shipping

Ningbo to Cartagena container shipping, priced per box rather than per CBM. This is the lane to book when the cargo fills a container or when it should not share one: machinery, stone, steel, building materials and project pieces all move better as FCL because nothing else is loaded around them. Plan on 28–38 days port to port port to port.

Port-to-port means exactly that: the rate ends at the Cartagena terminal gate. Typical dwell at destination runs 4–10 days before the box is available for collection, and that window sits outside the transit figure above. Origin haulage, export declaration, destination clearance, duty and delivery beyond the terminal are all quoted separately, so ask for a door figure if that is what you are comparing against.

Indicative rate. The figures below are benchmarked against current bookings on this lane group. They are a planning reference, not a firm offer — the booking rate is confirmed against the specific sailing when you enquire.

Rate by Container Type

• 40NOR — USD 4,800 per container
• 40HQ — USD 6,200 per container

Scope, Exclusions and What to Check Before Booking

This is a port-to-port FCL rate for Ningbo to Cartagena. It covers ocean freight for one container and stops at the Cartagena terminal gate. Everything either side of that — trucking to Ningbo, customs at both ends, duty and tax for Colombia, inland delivery — is quoted on request rather than bundled, which keeps the freight number comparable between carriers.

• Priced per box in USD for 40NOR and 40HQ, not per KG or per CBM — utilization is yours to optimize
• Transit 28–38 days port to port port to port on Ningbo to Cartagena, subject to the sailing booked
• Heavy and out-of-gauge cargo is core traffic here: machinery, steel, stone, building materials, project pieces
• Cut-off and free time attach to the specific sailing; demurrage begins the day free time expires
• Reefer, dangerous goods and out-of-gauge are priced case by case rather than from the card
• Clearance at destination is handled by DIAN — Dirección de Impuestos y Aduanas Nacionales; the consignee must be registered to import
• Destination conformity for Colombia: INVIMA registration for food, cosmetics and medical devices; conformity certificates for regulated electricals

The most expensive mistake on a Ningbo to Cartagena booking is not the freight rate, it is free time. Demurrage and detention start counting at the Cartagena terminal whether or not your consignee is ready, and on a bad week they can exceed the ocean freight itself. Confirm how many free days the booking carries before you fix a collection date.

Before you book, confirm two things with your consignee: that they are registered to import into Colombia, and that whoever is named as importer of record accepts the duty liability. Those are dull questions and they are also the two that most often surface only after the cargo has already sailed.