Multimodal transport from China:
Sea+Rail and Sea+Road · a through rate under one contract
Multimodal transport from China means sea to Vladivostok, Vostochny or Nakhodka, then rail or road to the consignee's terminal or warehouse, with no break in responsibility at the transfers. For Moscow, the Urals and Siberia the main option is sea + rail: the container leaves the port by train, and the total to Moscow is typically 25–35 days.
You get a through sea + rail rate, one contract and single tracking — instead of coordinating a carrier, a port forwarder and a rail operator. We issue a through B/L or FBL, decide where customs clearance is best — at the port or at an inland office under transit — and watch container free time along the whole route.
Specification
Specification · Multimodal transport. Standard terms · route, rate and timing are confirmed per shipment
Contract
- Service type
- Multimodal · door-to-door
- Schemes
- Sea+Rail · Sea+Road
- Rate
- single through rate
- Liability
- one operator for the route
- Settlement currency
- USD · CNY · RUB
Scheme and documents
- Transport document
- through B/L / FBL
- Transfer ports
- Vladivostok · Vostochny · Nakhodka
- Inland leg
- rail or road
- Customs
- at the port or inland under transit
- Tracking
- along the whole chain
Transit time
- Booking & positioning
- 1–3 days
- Ocean leg
- 7–14 days from China
- Port & rail dispatch
- 2–7 days
- Transit to Moscow
- about 25–35 days
Service flow
- 01
Building the through route
For the destination address we build a Sea+Rail or Sea+Road route: choose the port of loading, the transfer port (Vladivostok, Vostochny, Nakhodka) and the inland mode, and calculate a through rate.
1–2 days - 02
Booking and through document
We confirm the vessel slot and the rail dispatch (the rail transport request), and issue a through B/L or FBL under single responsibility.
1–3 days - 03
Ocean carriage
Ocean carriage on the liner schedule: China to the Primorye ports typically 7–14 days. We warn about port-call changes and roll-overs.
7–14 days - 04
Port, customs and transfer
At the port we clear the cargo under an import declaration (DT) or open customs transit to an inland customs office, then put the container on a rail flatcar or truck with no re-documentation.
2–7 days - 05
Inland leg and delivery
We deliver to the inland terminal, 3PL warehouse or consignee's door: rail from Vladivostok to Moscow typically takes 10–14 days. We return the empty and issue closing documents for the whole chain.
per route
Problems
Gaps in responsibility at transfers: each contractor has its own leg, and nobody answers for the cargo and timing as a whole.
We take the whole route under one contract and through document — one operator is responsible from the port of loading to the door.
The container is in port but waits weeks for rail dispatch while the carrier runs up detention.
We plan the rail dispatch before the vessel arrives, build free time for the whole route into the rate and consider SOC for long inland legs.
Opaque total cost: rates per leg arrive separately and the door price is unknown in advance.
We calculate one through rate to the destination and fix it in the specification before the move starts.
Documents
The core document set for multimodal carriage under one contract. The route is covered by a through B/L or FBL, and the inland rail leg by a rail waybill. The final list depends on the scheme, HS code and delivery term.
Incoterms
- FOB
- you control the whole chain from the port of loading
- CIF
- the seller pays the sea leg; the inland leg is separate
- DAP
- delivered at place
- DDP
- delivered duty paid
Documents
- Commercial Invoice
- commercial invoice
- Packing List
- packing list
- Through B/L
- the carrier's through bill of lading for the whole route
- FBL
- FIATA multimodal bill of lading issued by the forwarder
- Rail waybill
- domestic rail waybill for the inland leg
- CoO
- certificate of origin
FAQ
Typically 25–35 days: 7–14 days by sea to Vladivostok or Vostochny, 2–7 days for discharge, customs and rail dispatch, and 10–14 days by rail to Moscow. In peak periods the wait for dispatch from the port can be longer.
Ocean freight with surcharges, port handling and transfer to rail, the rail tariff and flatcar, and road delivery to the warehouse if needed. Customs duties are not included. We fix the scope in the specification so there are no extra charges along the way.
Either at the arrival port — the cargo is cleared under an import declaration and moves on as domestic freight — or the container travels under customs transit to an inland customs office near the consignee. The choice depends on the goods, inspection requirements and where the broker can work best.
One contract covers the whole route: no gaps in responsibility at transfers, no double paperwork and no disputed handovers. Cost and timing are fixed for the whole chain at once, and one operator controls container dwell in port.
A carrier's through bill of lading or a FIATA multimodal bill of lading (FBL) issued by the forwarder. Both cover all legs of the route under single responsibility; a rail waybill is also issued for the inland rail leg.
Yes, the route is built around the address: an inland rail terminal, a 3PL warehouse or the consignee's door. The final leg is by rail or road, depending on cost and timing; re-routing after dispatch is possible but costs extra.