Sailing schedules from Cat Lai (HCMC) to Singapore

Tan Cang - Cat Lai sits on the Dong Nai River, and the largest vessels that can call there are about 45,000 DWT (according to the Vietnam Seaports Association). Ships of that intra-Asia size can run Cat Lai to Singapore direct, with no transshipment and transit of 3 to 3 days. Maersk operate about 1 sailings a week.

With so few departures, missing one means waiting a week. Lock in the booking before the stuffing date, especially ahead of Tet and at year-end, when space is tighter. Cat Lai gates often back up at peak hours, so plan gate-in well before cut-off. Singapore is a major transshipment hub, so state on the booking that it is the final destination.

The consignee needs a customs permit through TradeNet before the cargo arrives, either filed themselves or through a declaring agent. That requires a UEN and an activated customs account. For sea containers, the permit can only be applied for once the container and seal numbers are available from the shipper.

The Vietnam side should send the consignee the container number, seal number, invoice, packing list and B/L as soon as the box is stuffed. Waiting until the vessel sails is too late. PSA is consolidating operations at Tuas: Tanjong Pagar, Keppel and Brani move over by 2027, and Pasir Panjang in the 2040s (according to MPA Singapore). The consignee should check the arrival notice to see which terminal the cargo will be discharged at, then arrange a truck to the warehouse.

Singapore levies customs or excise duty on only four groups: alcohol, tobacco, motor vehicles, and petroleum products and blended biofuels. All other goods enter duty-free but still carry 9% GST. That means Form D (the ATIGA certificate of origin) rarely cuts the duty bill, so ask the buyer whether they need it before applying. Since January 1, 2024, ASEAN members exchange electronic Form D through the ASEAN Single Window (ASW), and the importing country's customs can reject a paper Form D.

For controlled goods, look up the HS code or product description on Singapore Customs' tool to find the regulating agency. Who pays THC and D/O fees at the Singapore end depends on the delivery terms (FOB, CIF, DAP and so on), so set this out in the contract.

The SFA (Singapore Food Agency) regulates imports of fruit and vegetables, meat, eggs, processed food, rice, fish and seafood, and SFA permits are also filed through TradeNet. For processed food, the importer registers with the SFA to get a registration number, then declares the product code, quantity and brand on the permit. Seafood needs an SFA meat and seafood import licence, plus an import permit for each shipment.

High-risk goods must come with a health certificate or test results. Frozen cooked prawns and frozen crab meat also need a health certificate from the exporting country, and are held and tested before sale. Chilled (unfrozen) cooked prawns and crab meat are banned. The Vietnam side should obtain the certificate or lab results the consignee asks for before the vessel sails, and the description, HS code and packing specification on the invoice must match the consignee's SFA records.

Homexim handles FCL and LCL ocean freight, export clearance in Vietnam and trucking the container to Cat Lai. Each shipment has one person responsible from start to finish, so shippers know who to ask about bookings, gate-in times or document corrections. Quotes itemize every charge.