Shipping from India to Syria

Corridor summary

Indian raw materials and pharmaceutical inputs for Syrian factories, through Latakia, Tartous and Damascus

This corridor carries commercial cargo from Indian manufacturers and suppliers to Syrian factories and importers: industrial raw materials for production plants, pharmaceutical raw materials such as bulk drugs, active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and excipients for medicine factories, chemicals, textiles, machinery and spare parts. Cargo sails from an Indian port to Latakia or Tartous, directly or through a relay, and is cleared and delivered inland by our Damascus office.

Midtrans Shipping And Services was established in Damascus in 1998, continuing an Al-Khouli family logistics activity in Syria that began in 1960, and works from offices in Dubai, Jebel Ali, Damascus, Tartous and Latakia and a partner office in Guangzhou and Hong Kong. There is no MIDTRANS office in India: Indian cargo is booked and routed by our operations desk, and our own team in Damascus handles the destination.

Route options

Direct to Latakia or Tartous, or through Mersin, Beirut, Aqaba or Jebel Ali

Primary: an Indian port to Latakia or Tartous. Full containers move on direct or transhipment services from the Indian load port to Latakia or Tartous; where the service tranships, the hub is named in the quote. Smaller consignments of raw materials or pharmaceutical inputs travel as LCL in a consolidation. This routing has the fewest handlings: a full container is not opened on the way. See FCL container shipping to Syria and LCL consolidation.

Mersin, then road through Turkey. The container discharges at Mersin and runs by road to a gate such as Cilvegözü (Bab al-Hawa) or Öncüpınar (Bab al-Salameh). The trade-off is handling: the normal case is a back-to-back transfer to a Syrian trailer in the customs yard, so the cargo is tallied twice and must travel palletised and marked. See Turkey to Syria shipping.

Beirut, then road through Lebanon. The cargo enters Syria at a crossing such as Jdeidet Yabous (Masnaa). The trade-off is a second movement and a transit country. See Lebanon to Syria shipping.

Aqaba, then road through Jordan. From Jordan's Red Sea port the cargo runs north under customs transit and crosses at Jaber into Nassib on the Damascus highway. The trade-off is a road leg the length of Jordan and a sealed transit file that must be closed at the exit office. See Jordan to Syria shipping.

Jebel Ali, then sea or road. Cargo from several Indian suppliers can be received and grouped at our Jebel Ali warehouse, then continue by sea to Latakia or Tartous, or by road through Saudi Arabia and Jordan to Nassib. The cost is a second leg and a UAE exit or re-export filing. See Jebel Ali warehousing and consolidation.

Air. Urgent pharmaceutical raw materials, samples and spare parts leave an Indian airport and reach Damascus through a connecting hub named in the quote. Large orders can be split, urgent items by air and the rest by sea, with a separate invoice for each mode. Every routing is confirmed at booking. See air freight.

Gateways and ports

Indian west and south coast ports, routed to Latakia or Tartous

Indian cargo loads at the port that fits the supplier's location and the Eastern Mediterranean sailings. Mundra, Nhava Sheva (JNPT) and Mumbai on the west coast are the main container gateways, with Pipavav, Kandla and Cochin also used; Chennai, Visakhapatnam and Kolkata serve suppliers in the south and east. These are load ports, not MIDTRANS offices. If the supplier prefers another port, name it with the enquiry.

In Syria, Latakia is the principal container gateway and the shorter road to Aleppo and the north; Tartous is the conventional and bulk port and the shorter road to Homs and Damascus. In Damascus our office clears cargo at the port or the airport and delivers to the consignee's warehouse, plant or project site. Jebel Ali is run from our Dubai office.

Equipment and cargo fit

Containers and reefers, drums, IBCs and flexitanks, project cargo

Sea freight is booked in 20 ft, 40 ft or 40 ft high cube containers, FCL or LCL by volume. Temperature-sensitive pharmaceutical raw materials go in reefer containers or with cold-chain packing, with the temperature range stated by the shipper written on the booking; see temperature-controlled freight.

Dry raw materials move in bags, drums or big bags on pallets. Liquid raw materials and chemicals move in drums, IBCs or flexitanks with a safety data sheet, and hazardous classes travel only after carrier acceptance. Machinery, spare parts and packaged plant units are planned from the manufacturer's drawings (dimensions, weights, lifting points). See project cargo and dangerous goods.

We move commercial and industrial cargo only. We do not handle household goods, furniture, personal effects, baggage, relocation cargo or courier shipments.

Documentation set

The Indian export file and the Syrian import file

India side. The exporter holds an Importer Exporter Code (IEC), and the shipping bill is filed with Indian customs before loading. The shipment travels with the commercial invoice and packing list, a certificate of origin where the Syrian side needs one, a certificate of analysis for pharmaceutical raw materials and a safety data sheet for chemicals.

Shipping and Syrian side. A commercial invoice naming the material and its grade, a packing list with weights and dimensions per package, the bill of lading or air waybill naming the consignee exactly as registered, and a certificate of origin legalised where the Syrian side requires it. A licensed commodity needs the importer's prior import approval from the Syrian Ministry of Economy and Foreign Trade, and medicines and their raw materials may need registration or health documents. Jebel Ali adds the UAE re-export papers (customs clearance in the UAE).

Our Damascus office checks the HS code and the file before sailing and confirms when it is complete; duties, taxes and permits are confirmed with the Syrian customs authority and the appointed broker (customs clearance in Syria, customs clearance hub).

Conditions that change the plan

Storage, hazard and route factors we check for each file

Pharmaceutical raw materials. Bulk drugs, APIs and excipients are planned around their storage class: ambient, cool or cold-chain. The temperature range comes from the shipper and is written on the booking, and we check the sailing, any transhipment and the free time at the Syrian port before we book, so the connection suits the material.

Chemical raw materials. Chemical raw materials travel with a safety data sheet. Hazardous classes need carrier acceptance, correct marking and dangerous goods documents before booking, so we settle them at enquiry stage, not at the port. This summary is for shipment planning.

Transhipment and relay. Services from India to the Eastern Mediterranean may call Latakia or Tartous directly or tranship at a hub on the way. The carrier's service decides the hub, the connection and the handling, so we name them in the quote.

Carrier, port and Syrian rules. The Syrian port a service calls, any relay and carrier acceptance of chemical or dangerous cargo are checked per booking, with empty return terms and free time at Latakia or Tartous. Prior import approvals are checked with our Damascus office first. On the road options, whether the load runs through or transfers at the crossing is stated before loading.

What we need to review a request

Cargo, packing and consignee details for an India to Syria quote

Send the Indian pickup address and any preferred load port, the commodity and HS code if known, the grade, the package count, gross weight, dimensions or CBM, the ready date and the Incoterm if agreed. For pharmaceutical or chemical raw materials, add the storage class and the certificate of analysis or the safety data sheet.

For Syria, send the consignee name exactly as registered, the delivery point, the preferred port and whether a prior import approval is held.