Transport and logistics: Follow one offering through the chain
Shipping, road, rail and air freight, warehousing and passenger transport operators
Follow one offering through the chain
An export container from NCR to Europe
Follow one box by freight corridor to Nhava Sheva, onto a container ship and through the paperwork that clears it.
Boxes and ships built in Asia
91%ship tonnage built in East Asia, 2025The steel container is usually leased from a container lessor, and the ship that will carry it was almost certainly built in East Asia: some 91% of ship tonnage completed in 2025 came from yards in China, South Korea or Japan. Owners often lease both boxes and vessels for years, spreading their capital cost across many voyages.1
Constraint With 91% of new tonnage from three countries, India's shipbuilding ambitions start from a very small base. St SteelPnt Paints and coatingsAl AluminiumHI Energy-intensive industryVehicles, ships, rail, aircraftFinance: banking, insurance, marketsDiesel for trucks, bunker for ships
42.1%fuel's share of road-freight costFuel is the biggest running cost in most freight. The truck that brings the box to the inland depot burns diesel, which makes up 42.1% of Indian road-freight costs, and the ship burns marine fuel oil bought at bunkering ports. Refiners such as Indian Oil and Reliance supply both, and oil price spikes pass straight into freight rates.2
Constraint India imports most of its crude oil, so freight costs move with world oil prices and the rupee. Oil Crude oilRef Refining and reformingTk Tankers, barges and fuel trucksDouble-stacked on the freight corridor
~50%Dadri-JNPA transit time cutAt the Dadri inland depot the box goes onto a double-stack train on the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor, which runs nearly 1,500 km to Jawaharlal Nehru Port and was fully opened in September 2026. A haul that once took close to 72 hours now takes roughly half as long, and India's operational dedicated corridors together average some 435 freight trains a day.3,5
Constraint The final 326 route km alone cost over ₹20,700 crore, and rail still carries only about 25% of India's freight. St SteelCu CopperRail Rail tractionRW Railway electrification and wireless powerVehicles, ships, rail, aircraftConstruction and infrastructureCraned aboard at Nhava Sheva
8.17 mnTEU handled at JNPA, 2025-26At Jawaharlal Nehru Port near Mumbai, terminal operators lift the box off the train, stack it in the yard and crane it aboard. JNPA handled a record 8.17 million TEU of containers in 2025-26, up 11.9% on the year before, and 102 million tonnes of cargo in all, making it a main gateway for northern and western factories.4
Constraint Deep-water berths are scarce, so congestion at one or two west-coast ports can delay trade for weeks. St SteelCem CementDist Distribution grids, mini-grids and interconnectorsICE Internal combustion engines and gensetsConstruction and infrastructureMachinery and equipmentComputers and electronicsMost freight still goes by truck
~70%Indian freight moved by roadNot every box gets a train. Many exporters truck containers straight to port, hiring small fleet owners through brokers or apps such as BlackBuck. Road carries nearly 70% of India's freight against about 25% by rail, and shifting more heavy, long-distance cargo to rail and coastal shipping is the big efficiency prize.5,2
Constraint Diesel is 42.1% of road-freight cost, and most trucks belong to small owners with little capital to upgrade. Oil Crude oilRbr Natural rubberUr UreaICV Combustion road vehiclesVehicles, ships, rail, aircraftAcross the sea with a giant line
21.5%MSC's share of container capacityA container line such as MSC sells the exporter or its forwarder a slot on a scheduled service to Europe. Ocean shipping is highly concentrated: on mid-2026 Alphaliner data MSC alone runs 21.5% of world container capacity and the top ten lines about 85%. Rerouting round Africa to avoid the Red Sea has lengthened Asia-Europe voyages by about 30%.6,7
Constraint Ten lines control about 85% of capacity (calculated), so Indian exporters are price-takers when rates spike. Oil Crude oilSt SteelMeOH MethanolShp Ship propulsionLNG LNG chainVehicles, ships, rail, aircraftComputers and electronicsPaperwork that moves the box
7.97%India's logistics cost, share of GDPThroughout, a freight forwarder books the train and the ship, and a customs broker files the shipping bill so the box can be examined, sealed and cleared. Their work is part of a large bill: India's logistics cost was about ₹24.01 lakh crore, or 7.97% of GDP, in 2023-24, and every slow handover between road, rail and port adds to it.8
Constraint Documents, inspections and mode changes add days; digital platforms help only when every agency shares data. Software and IT servicesFinance: banking, insurance, marketsWhat the chain shows
India's new corridor and record port volumes cut costs at home, but the ships, boxes and ocean lines that set freight rates are controlled abroad.
Sources
- Data insights: maritime and other transport (shipbuilding by country, 2025) UNCTADstat, 2026
- India's logistics cost pegged at 7.97% of GDP in first systematic study (reporting DPIIT-NCAER, including fuel's share of road-freight cost) Outlook Business, 2025
- PM Modi dedicates final WDFC sections, completing JNPT-Dadri freight route Cargo Connect, 2026
- JNPA sets new record with 102 mt cargo handling in 2025-26 Indian Infrastructure, 2026
- Road to rail: unlocking India's freight potential World Bank, 2025
- Largest container shipping companies at the end of H1 2026 (Alphaliner Top 100 data) Container News, 2026
- Review of Maritime Transport 2025, Chapter 1 UNCTAD, 2025
- Assessment of Logistics Cost in India (DPIIT-NCAER), summary Press Information Bureau, Government of India, 2025