Indonesian Coffee Export Ports: Cost & Transit 2025 Guide

A practical, numbers-first comparison of Panjang vs Belawan for shipping a 20’ container of Sumatran green coffee to Northern Europe in 2025. Costs, feeder connectivity, transit time, rollover risk, and a simple rule-of-thumb with a checklist.

If you buy or export green coffee from Sumatra, your two most practical gateways are Belawan (Medan) and Panjang (Lampung). We’ve shipped both routes for years. Here’s a concise 2025 decision guide grounded in what actually moves faster and cheaper this year.

How we compared Panjang vs Belawan in 2025

We modeled a 20’ FCL of green coffee, 19.2–21.6 tons, to Northern Europe ports like Rotterdam, Antwerp, or Hamburg. Same INCOTERM at origin. Same palletization and trucking assumptions. We pulled current feeder options into Singapore and Port Klang, recent terminal handling charges (THC), local origin charges, and real-world dwell at transshipment hubs that we and our partners have seen in Q1–Q2 2025.

Two sourcing scenarios matter most in Sumatra:

Lampung-based Robusta and South Sumatra Arabicas. Natural route is Panjang.
North Sumatra and Aceh Arabicas like Gayo, Mandheling, Lintong, Blue Batak, Peaberry. Natural route is Belawan.

We kept it apples to apples so you can compare total landed time and money, not just headline ocean freight.

Shipment profile and sourcing scenarios

Container: 20’ standard, coffee in export-ready jute bags. VGM provided via certified weighbridge.
Typical lots we ship via these ports: Robusta Lampung Green Coffee Beans (ELB & Grades 2–4) from Lampung to Europe via Panjang. Sumatra Mandheling Green Coffee Beans, Blue Batak Green Coffee Beans, Sumatra Super Peaberry Green Coffee Beans, and Gayo Long Berry Green Coffee Beans via Belawan.
Hubs: Singapore and Port Klang dominate transshipment for both ports. Colombo is an occasional third option when lines rebalance capacity.

Head-to-head: Panjang vs Belawan for Europe in 2025

We’ll keep this practical. Each point ends with the takeaway.

How often do feeders connect from Panjang/Belawan to Singapore or Port Klang in 2025?

Panjang feeder frequency. Generally 2–3 sailings per week to Singapore and 1–2 per week to Port Klang. Cut-off is typically 24–36 hours before feeder ETD. CY opening usually 3–5 days before ETD.
Belawan feeder frequency. Typically daily to Port Klang and 3–5 per week to Singapore. Cut-offs are tighter because volumes are higher and vessels fill quickly. CY opening 3–5 days. Takeaway. Belawan has better frequency and more routing options. Panjang is fine if you can live with fewer weekly departures.

What are typical 2025 THC and local charges at Panjang vs Belawan for a 20’ container?

These vary by line, terminal, and forwarder. Here’s what we’ve seen this year:

THC 20’. Panjang: USD 90–120. Belawan: USD 100–140.
THC 40’. Panjang: USD 135–175. Belawan: USD 150–190.
Other origin charges you should budget. Export doc/EDI/admin: USD 75–150. VGM: USD 20–40. Seal: USD 5–15. LO/LO or lift charges beyond THC: USD 20–50. Port security/ISPS: USD 5–15. Stuffing supervision when required: USD 40–80. Takeaway. Belawan is slightly pricier on THC, but the difference is minor compared to trucking and ocean freight swings.

Trucking cost Lampung to Panjang vs Medan/Aceh to Belawan in 2025

Lampung to Panjang. Local dray is relatively short. Expect USD 120–250 depending on distance from the stuffing site and whether you need chassis standby.
Medan to Belawan. USD 100–180 for city-area pickups. Aceh Gayo/Takengon to Belawan is the big one. Budget USD 450–700 because of distance, road conditions, and weighbridge delays. Takeaway. Trucking can erase any THC savings quickly. If your coffee is in Lampung, Panjang almost always wins on trucking.

Container truck hauling coffee through the Sumatran highlands past terraced coffee farms and a weighbridge on a wet, misty afternoon, emphasizing inland trucking realities from Aceh and Medan.

Indonesia to Europe transit time in 2025

Two realities this year. Normal via Suez and alternative via Cape of Good Hope when risk escalates in the Red Sea. Carriers toggle between these, which affects transit by 8–12 days and adds temporary surcharges.

Panjang to Rotterdam via Singapore. Feeder 2–3 days. Transshipment dwell 3–7 days in a normal week. Mainline 24–28 days via Suez, 32–38 via Cape. Total 29–38 days normal. 37–48 days in Cape periods.
Belawan to Antwerp via Port Klang. Feeder 1–2 days. Dwell 2–5 days. Mainline 23–26 days via Suez, 31–36 via Cape. Total 26–33 days normal. 34–43 days in Cape periods. Takeaway. Belawan has a time edge because of denser mainline options out of Port Klang. In disruption weeks both lengthen, but Belawan still tends to be 2–5 days faster door-to-port.

Are schedule reliability and rollover risks different in 2025?

Panjang. Fewer weekly feeders magnify rollover risk when Singapore is tight. We’ve seen 1–3 day rollovers in peak weeks. The fix is to book one sailing earlier than you think you need and avoid Friday cut-offs.
Belawan. Better frequency and more lines. Rollover still happens but it’s usually 0–2 days because there’s another feeder soon after. Takeaway. If on a hard delivery window, Belawan has higher schedule resilience.

Hidden costs: storage, demurrage, detention, and cut-offs

CY free time at origin. 3–5 days typical at both ports. Belawan sometimes stricter in peak weeks. Extra days are USD 8–15 per 20’ per day.
Export detention on equipment. 5–7 days free from empty pick to laden return is common. Overstay USD 20–35 per day for 20’. Plan stuffing windows carefully if your mill is far from port.
Transshipment storage. Singapore and Port Klang may charge if dwell exceeds the contracted window. This is rare on coffee if documentation is clean and SI is on time. Late SI is the most common trigger for extra cost.
Documentation errors. Wrong VGM or late SI can cascade into missed feeders. That’s the most expensive mistake we see. Takeaway. Build a 48-hour buffer on SI and VGM. Ask your forwarder to confirm free-time clocks in writing.

Ocean freight rates to Europe in 2025

Rates have been volatile. Directionally in 2025 we’ve seen three things: seasonality, security surcharges when carriers route via the Cape, and GRIs that stick longer than pre-2020. For a 20’ from Sumatra to North Europe, all-in ocean freight often moves in a USD 1,200–2,400 band outside of extreme spikes, with temporary surcharges of USD 300–1,000 added in high-risk weeks. Panjang and Belawan are usually within USD 50–150 of each other on the same service family. Takeaway. Choose the port on trucking and time, not because you expect a huge ocean rate gap.

Quick answers to the questions we get most

Which is cheaper for Sumatran green coffee to Europe in 2025—Panjang or Belawan?

If the coffee is in Lampung or South Sumatra, Panjang is cheaper door-to-port because of trucking. If the coffee is around Medan or Aceh, Belawan usually wins, even if THC is slightly higher.

How many days from Panjang to Rotterdam, and which transshipment hub is fastest?

Panjang to Rotterdam is typically 29–38 days via Singapore in normal weeks. Singapore is the fastest hub for Panjang routings when space is available.

If my coffee is sourced in Aceh or Medan, which export port saves more time and cost?

Belawan. The feeder density to Port Klang plus shorter trucking beats alternatives most weeks.

Feeder frequency and reliability: is one port better?

Belawan. Daily or near-daily feeders cut rollover risk. Panjang is fine but fewer weekly sailings.

What are typical 2025 THC and local charges at both ports for a 20’ coffee container?

Budget THC at USD 90–120 Panjang and USD 100–140 Belawan. Add USD 100–200 for other origin charges. You’ll be close most of the time.

Real performance we’ve seen in early 2025

When Singapore congestion flared in March, Panjang shipments rolled 2–3 days more often than Belawan because the next feeder wasn’t always next-day. Belawan via Port Klang held up better.
When carriers detoured via the Cape, Belawan still delivered 2–5 days faster average to Antwerp/Hamburg because the mainline out of Port Klang had more weekly strings.
The cheapest bookings we saw overall were simple Lampung-to-Panjang loads where inland was under USD 200 and dwell times were short.

If you want a quick sense-check on your specific week and service options, you can Contact us on whatsapp. We’re happy to sanity-check a quote or help sequence your cut-offs.

Winner by origin and priority

Lampung Robusta or South Sumatra Arabica. Panjang wins on trucking and simplicity. Consider lines that connect Panjang–Singapore with decent schedule reliability.
Mandheling, Lintong, Blue Batak, Gayo, Peaberry. Belawan wins on time and resilience. Port Klang connections give you more mainline options to Rotterdam, Antwerp, Hamburg.
When time is critical for European promos or seasonal drops. Belawan. More feeders and lower rollover risk.
When budget is everything and the coffee is already near the mill in Lampung. Panjang.

A simple rule-of-thumb

Within 250 km of Bandar Lampung. Use Panjang unless the only available sailing forces a week-long wait.
Within 300 km of Medan or coming out of Aceh. Use Belawan unless a shipper-owned strategy gives you a unique Panjang advantage.

Practical checklist before you book

Confirm feeder options and cut-offs. Ask for two alternates. For Singapore and Port Klang, check rollover history for that service family.
Lock origin free-time in writing. CY storage and equipment detention free-days make or break coffee margins.
Compare total door-to-port cost. Trucking plus THC plus origin charges. Don’t chase a USD 50 ocean rate difference.
Build 48 hours of buffer for SI and VGM. Most misses start with paperwork timing.
If you’re new to a lane, run a trial. Ship one 20’ before committing a multi-container block.

If you’re planning volumes from Aceh, Mandheling or Lampung and want to align origin consolidation with port choice, our team can preload at mill and book the matching hub. You can also browse current origins ready for export and plan backwards from port availability. View our products.