Indonesian Seafood Export Ports: 2025 Transit Times Guide

Reverse-plan a Monday morning Toyosu Market delivery from Indonesia by sea. We compare 2025 reefer transit times and reliability from Jakarta, Surabaya, and Bitung, explain Busan vs Singapore/Kaohsiung transshipment, and show exactly how many buffer days you need for customs and last-mile to Toyosu.

If you sell frozen seafood into Tokyo, you’ve probably learned the hard way that “transit time” and “Toyosu arrival time” aren’t the same thing. A vessel can berth on a Saturday, and you’ll still miss the Monday morning market if customs or devanning slips. We’ve spent years tuning this lane for sashimi-grade tuna and premium reef fish, and we’ll share the playbook we actually use.

The 3 pillars of a reliable Indonesia–Tokyo reefer plan

Choose the right Indonesian port for both speed and frequency. Fast on paper doesn’t matter if the feeder is fortnightly or rolls reefers in peak weeks.
Pick the connection pattern wisely. Singapore/Kaohsiung vs Busan can swing timing by 1–3 days depending on the week and the cut-off.
Build an honest clearance and last‑mile buffer to hit Toyosu’s Monday dawn window, not just “port ETA Tokyo Bay.”

Here’s the thing. Once you reverse-plan Toyosu’s delivery window, your origin and sailing choice become obvious. Let’s walk through what we’ve found works in 2025.

Typical 2025 port-to-port reefer transit ranges to Tokyo Bay

We’re using Tokyo Bay broadly because most services call Yokohama more frequently than Tokyo. We often book to Yokohama and truck across the Bay. It’s usually faster in real life.

Jakarta (Tanjung Priok) to Yokohama/Tokyo: 12–16 days on most weeks. Fastest proformas can land in 10–12 days with a same-week Singapore or Kaohsiung connection, but assume 13–15 days when planning a Monday Toyosu.
Surabaya (Tanjung Perak) to Yokohama/Tokyo: 13–18 days. When feeders line up perfectly, 12–14 is doable. More variability than Jakarta, especially around holiday weeks.
Bitung to Yokohama/Tokyo: 11–16 days. Pure sea miles are shorter northbound and some weeks are genuinely fast via Kaohsiung or Busan. Reliability depends on feeder frequency and space. We treat Bitung as “potentially fastest, but plan conservative.”

Practical takeaway: Jakarta is usually the most predictable for weekly departures and space. Surabaya is competitive if your factory is in East Java and you’re flexible on arrival day. Bitung can win on speed for North Sulawesi tuna, but treat schedule reliability as a risk factor.

Is Busan transshipment faster than a direct Yokohama call?

Short answer. Sometimes, but not usually. Intra-Asia services from Indonesia to Japan still mostly transship. When your choice is:

Route A: Indonesia → Singapore/Kaohsiung → Yokohama/Tokyo
Route B: Indonesia → Busan → Yokohama/Tokyo

Singapore/Kaohsiung is often equal or faster because the southbound feeder leg is shorter. Busan’s advantage is frequency and very tight Japan coastal connections. If your schedule needs a weekend Yokohama berthing, Busan can be the decider. In our logs, Busan tends to match Singapore on end-to-end time only when the connection wait is under one day.

Actionable tip: Ask your forwarder for the specific transshipment dwell on the week you’re booking. A 24-hour dwell in Busan can beat a 2–3 day wait in Singapore. Otherwise, stick with Singapore/Kaohsiung for predictability.

Reverse-plan a Monday morning Toyosu delivery

We design backward from a 03:00–05:00 Monday delivery into Toyosu cold bays.

Customs + food sanitation clearance: Budget 1–2 business days if documents are perfect and you’re not selected for inspection. Pre-file the Food Sanitation import notification via NACCS several days before ETA.
Devanning and cold storage transfer: Half to full day. For Monday delivery, we often devann Saturday afternoon or Sunday with a bonded cold store near Shin-Kiba or Ota.
Trucking Yokohama/Tokyo Bay to Toyosu: 1–2 hours at night if you hold your window and avoid peak.

What this means in practice:

Ideal vessel berthing: Wednesday or Thursday the prior week. Friday berthing is possible, but any inspection or weekend labor constraints put Monday at risk.
Worst choice: Sunday berthing. You’ll struggle to clear and devann in time for a dawn Monday market without paying premiums and taking on risk.

What cut-off day in Jakarta do I need to make Monday Toyosu?

Use this simple planning math for Jakarta:

Target Toyosu delivery: Monday, Week T
Aim for Yokohama/Tokyo berthing: Wednesday or Thursday, Week T‑1
Typical port-to-port for Jakarta: 12–16 days. Plan 14 days unless you have a proven loop.
Feeder gate-in cut-off Jakarta: 2–3 days before feeder ETD

Example that works consistently:

Monday Toyosu: Mar 10
Berth Yokohama: Mar 5–6
Depart Singapore/Kaohsiung mainline: Feb 27–Mar 1
Jakarta feeder ETD: Feb 24–25
Gate-in cut-off Jakarta: Feb 21–22

We tell customers to be ready to gate-in two Fridays before your Monday Toyosu. That keeps you out of “Hail Mary Friday berthing” territory.

Which Indonesian port is genuinely fastest for frozen seafood to Tokyo?

Best pure speed potential: Bitung, when a northbound feeder links tightly to a Kaohsiung or Busan mainline. If you export tuna loins or saku from North Sulawesi, this can shave 1–3 days. We often use it for premium tuna like Yellowfin Saku (Sushi Grade) and Bigeye Loin when buyers want an early-week arrival.
Best reliability: Jakarta. More weekly options, more space, and more consistent connections. For high-volume reef fish like Grouper Fillet (IQF) or Pinjalo Fillet (IQF), hitting Monday matters more than theoretical speed.
Middle ground: Surabaya. Good for East Java production. Slightly longer median transits but a workable path for Monday Toyosu if you aim for Wednesday berthing and avoid holiday cut-offs.

How many days should you budget for customs and last mile in Tokyo?

If everything is perfect: 1 business day after berthing.
What we actually plan: 2 business days. That absorbs a random hold, lab pickup timing, or a busy cold store.

Non-obvious tip: Book to Yokohama even if your forwarder suggests Tokyo. We’ve found Yokohama has better frequency and yard productivity. The trucking cost across the Bay is minor compared to the risk of missing Toyosu’s window.

Which carriers are most reliable into Japan in 2025?

In our experience, inbound Japan lanes are strongest with carriers that have dense intra-Japan networks and strong reefer ops:

ONE for Japan coastal frequency and yard support.
Evergreen and CMA CGM for stable intra-Asia connections via Kaohsiung.
SITC as a dependable feeder partner out of many Indonesian ports.

Watch 2025 network updates. The Maersk–Hapag “Gemini Cooperation” launches in 2025 and promises improved schedule reliability on hub-and-spoke routes. We’re trialing it where it shortens dwell in Singapore/TPP. Regardless of carrier, ask for the exact transshipment hub, proforma dwell, and on-terminal reefer monitoring process. The best reefer service is the one that keeps your box powered and moves it on the first available connection.

Does shipping from Surabaya or Bitung save time vs Jakarta?

Surabaya can be competitive if your factory is nearby and you hit a same-week Kaohsiung connection. But we add one extra buffer day versus Jakarta.
Bitung can be fastest on the right week. The catch is feeder frequency and space around peak seasons. If you need a guaranteed Monday Toyosu every week, Jakarta usually wins on predictability.

Busan vs Kaohsiung for Indonesia–Japan

Busan: Best when you want multiple Japan calls across a weekend and can catch a tight transfer. Technically longer sea miles from Indonesia, but excellent onward frequency to Yokohama.
Kaohsiung/Singapore: Often shorter end-to-end, simpler documentation flow for us, and fewer surprises on yard handling.

We choose Busan when the connection keeps berthing at Yokohama no later than Thursday. Otherwise we prefer Kaohsiung or Singapore.

How holidays in Japan and Indonesia affect your lane

Japan: Golden Week (late April–early May), Obon (mid-August), Silver Week (September), and New Year closures slow customs and trucking. Aim to berth Monday–Wednesday the week before a holiday, not Thursday–Friday.
Indonesia: Idul Fitri/Lebaran brings weeklong slowdowns in factory gate and port ops. Book one sailing earlier than usual.

If your buyer insists on Monday Toyosu during a holiday week, plan to berth Tuesday or even Monday of the prior week and store domestically. Yes, storage costs money. Missing Toyosu costs more.

Common mistakes that kill Monday Toyosu deliveries

Booking to Tokyo instead of Yokohama when frequency matters.
Assuming “port-to-port 12 days” equals “Monday-ready.” You still need clearance and devanning time.
Ignoring gate-in cut-offs. Reefers can’t rush the yard if you miss the window.
Shipping to arrive Friday. It works until it doesn’t. One random inspection and your cargo misses Monday.

Quick product note for Toyosu buyers

If you’re shipping high-value sashimi lots, small transit changes matter. Our sashimi items like Yellowfin Saku (Sushi Grade) and Bigeye Loin typically go on the fastest available loop from Bitung or Jakarta. For frozen reef fish like Grouper Fillet (IQF) or Pinjalo Fillet (IQF), we bias toward reliability and Wednesday/Thursday berthing so stores can stage for Monday’s Toyosu orders. Browse options here: View our products.

What to do next

Lock the Monday you need, then work backward two Fridays for Jakarta gate-in, or add a day for Surabaya and Bitung.
Demand the exact transshipment hub and dwell for your week. If the wait is over 48 hours, ask for an alternative loop.
Pre-file Japanese Food Sanitation docs 3–5 days before ETA and pre-book a bonded cold store slot for weekend devanning.

Need help mapping your specific lane and buyer’s window? We’re happy to share our current week-by-week options and cut-offs. If a tight Monday is mission-critical, Contact us on whatsapp and we’ll check live schedules and transshipment dwell for your origin.

We’ve delivered to Toyosu for years. The secret isn’t magic. It’s picking the right origin-port loop, insisting on a tight connection, and protecting two business days for clearance. Do that, and Monday morning starts being a plan, not a hope.