Everything you need to move cargo
From sourcing to freight, customs and delivery, ICL runs the full chain between your suppliers in China and Malaysia and your door in the Maldives.
Six things, and the seams between them
Most of the cost and nearly all of the delay in importing sits between the steps, not in them. Running the whole chain is how those seams disappear.
Freight forwarding
Weekly air and monthly sea consolidations from China and Malaysia into Malé, with tracking from the moment a carton is scanned at origin.
Customs clearance
Duty assessment, declarations and release under our business consignee. We attend inspections on your behalf and pass any fee on at cost.
Ex-works collection
Collection anywhere in China, including factory-floor pickup and crating, priced against several local partners rather than one.
Handling & hire
Our China team arranges local logistics, labour and heavy-vehicle hire for the jobs that need lifting rather than carrying.
Sourcing
Our Yiwu team sources from factories directly, verifies suppliers and sends QC photographs before you pay for goods you have not seen.
Storage
Warehousing at origin while you accumulate orders, and short-term holding in Malé. Ask us for the current daily rate for your volume.
What your trade actually needs
Lead times, usual mode, and the mistake each trade makes most often.
Resorts & hospitality
Island projects buy in waves — a refurbishment order, then amenities, then replacements. We hold cargo at origin until your phase is ready, then land it on the sailing that matches your handover date.
Typically: Guest amenities · FF&E and furniture · Kitchen equipment · Linen and uniforms
- Usual mode
- Sea (LCL)
- Transit to Malé
- 26–30 days
- Plan ahead by
- 6–8 weeks
Watch out: Refurbishment dates slip. Keep ten days of buffer before handover — filling the gap by air costs several times what sea does.
Retail & e-commerce
Twenty suppliers, twenty small orders, one clearance. Everything lands at the same origin warehouse under your ICL code, and we bill the combined volume instead of twenty minimum charges.
Typically: Apparel and footwear · Phone and tech accessories · Toys and homeware · Packaging and labels
- Usual mode
- Sea, with weekly air
- Transit to Malé
- 5–7 days air · 26–30 sea
- Plan ahead by
- 2–3 weeks
Watch out: Replica branding is seized at Malé. Send product photos before you pay the supplier, not after.
Construction
Steel, fittings and machinery move by sea with handling planned at both ends. We arrange labour and heavy-vehicle hire at origin, and lifting or offloading on arrival in Malé.
Typically: Steel and profiles · Tiles and sanitary ware · Machinery and spares · Cement additives
- Usual mode
- Sea (LCL or FCL)
- Transit to Malé
- 26–30 days
- Plan ahead by
- 8–10 weeks
Watch out: Oversized pieces need offloading arranged in advance. Tell us the heaviest single item when you book, not when it lands.
Automotive & marine
Parts arrive faster when the paperwork is right. We classify spares to the correct HS code, keep invoices matched to cartons, and split dangerous goods onto the routes that accept them.
Typically: Engine and gearbox parts · Outboards and propellers · Tyres and batteries · Oils and filters
- Usual mode
- Sea, air for urgent
- Transit to Malé
- 5–7 days air · 26–30 sea
- Plan ahead by
- 3–4 weeks
Watch out: Batteries and oils are restricted on air. Declare them at booking so we route them by sea rather than discovering it at the airport.
Electronics
High-value, low-volume cargo belongs on air, photographed at every touchpoint. Cartons are photographed on receipt and again before loading.
Typically: Laptops and displays · CCTV and networking · Studio and AV gear · Small appliances
- Usual mode
- Air (weekly)
- Transit to Malé
- 5–7 days
- Plan ahead by
- 2 weeks
Watch out: Customs may reassess a declared value that sits below the reference price. Keep the real invoice with the shipment.
Events & production
A show date is not negotiable. We book air space ahead of the order, clear on arrival day, and deliver straight to the venue or jetty — with return freight planned for hired kit.
Typically: Staging and rigging · Lighting and audio · Branding and print · Costumes and props
- Usual mode
- Air (priority)
- Transit to Malé
- 4–6 days
- Plan ahead by
- 10 days
Watch out: Hired equipment needs return paperwork raised before it leaves China, or it clears as an import and stays one.
Tell us what you are moving.
Send the product, the volume and the date it has to land. We will tell you the mode, the cost and the departure that fits.