**FOB (Free On Board) means Indonesia Sea Moss delivers your dried Eucheuma cottonii loaded onto the vessel at an Indonesian port — usually Surabaya, East Java — with export clearance and documents handled; freight and insurance become yours from that rail. Raw dried cottonii runs USD 4-12/kg FOB, indicative per 2026.**
FOB is the workhorse Incoterm for Indonesian seaweed (rumput laut). It draws a clean line: our desk gets the goods cleared, trucked to port, and lifted onto your nominated ship. From the ship’s rail onward — ocean freight, marine insurance, destination duties — the cargo sits on your account. Buyers who already hold freight contracts or want to control routing almost always ask for FOB.
Surabaya (Tanjung Perak) in East Java is the practical loading gateway. It is the country’s key processing and export hub for cottonii, close to inland drying and cleaning lines, and served by every major container line. Farms in NTB, NTT, South Sulawesi and Maluku feed raw dried bales toward this corridor.
What exactly are you buying at FOB Surabaya?
An FOB price covers the seaweed itself, inland haulage to the port, export customs clearance, and the standard document set — up to the moment cargo crosses the ship’s rail. It does not include sea freight, insurance, or anything at the destination.
Here is the honest split:
- Included in FOB: dried cottonii, bagging in polypropylene-wrapped bales (50 kg or 100 kg sacks), inland transport, port handling, export clearance, plus COA, COO, phytosanitary and fumigation paperwork.
- On your account after the rail: ocean freight, marine insurance, destination clearance, import duty, and last-mile delivery.
Because freight is excluded, an FOB figure is the cleanest way to compare seaweed suppliers head-to-head — you are reading the mill-plus-port cost, not a freight lane that shifts week to week.
FOB vs CIF vs CNF — which term fits your shipment?
The three terms Indonesian seaweed exporters quote most are FOB, CIF and CNF (also written CFR). They differ only in who pays freight and insurance.
| Incoterm | Freight paid by | Insurance paid by | Risk passes to buyer | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FOB | Buyer | Buyer | At ship’s rail, load port | Buyers with own freight contracts |
| CNF / CFR | Seller | Buyer | At ship’s rail, load port | Buyers who want freight handled, insure themselves |
| CIF | Seller | Seller | At ship’s rail, load port | First-time or hands-off buyers |
Note that under all three, risk legally transfers at the load port — CIF does not mean we carry risk to your warehouse. It means we prepay freight and a minimum insurance policy. Pick FOB when your forwarder quotes sharper ocean rates than ours; pick CIF when you would rather receive one landed-style number.
What does raw dried cottonii cost at FOB in 2026?
Our canonical FOB band for raw dried Eucheuma cottonii is USD 4-12/kg. The spread is real and driven by moisture and cleanliness, not by negotiation theatre.
| Grade tier | FOB USD/kg | Typical spec signals |
|---|---|---|
| Commodity / salted, higher-moisture | 4-7 | Salted or sun-dried, moisture ~37-39%, more foreign matter |
| Standard dried | 6-9 | Moisture ~35-37%, impurity around 3-5% |
| Higher-grade, low-moisture clean | 9-12 | Moisture under 35%, impurities under 2%, sorted Grade A/B |
| Cleaned / washed food-grade bulk | 25-55 | Post-processed, food-grade, sold cleaned not raw |
These are FOB indikatif per 2026, and they move with harvest, moisture and grade; the final quote is confirmed against your spec and MOQ. Branded Western retail sea moss sells far higher on shelves — that is a consumer product, not our FOB wholesale quote.
One caution on comparing listings: quoting units vary wildly. A public export listing was posted “starting at $1330/Bags” from Indonesia — undated, priced per bag rather than per kg, and moving with volume, packaging and destination. Always convert to price-per-kg on a stated moisture basis before you compare, or the numbers mislead.
How does an FOB seaweed order actually work?
The path from first message to loaded container runs in clear steps.
- Send your spec. Grade, target moisture, monthly volume, destination port, and required Incoterm. WhatsApp or the form below reaches the desk within 24 working hours.
- Get a quoted FOB band. We confirm a price against current harvest and your spec, plus MOQ and packaging (50 kg or 100 kg bales).
- Trial order. Typical MOQ starts at a 1 MT trial, rising to 20-100 MT contracts once the batch clears your lab.
- Sample and COA review. You verify moisture, ash, foreign matter and carrageenan (karagenan) yield against a batch Certificate of Analysis before committing tonnage.
- Contract and payment. Terms are set — T/T, 100% LC at sight irrevocable, or 100% advance — with delivery 30-60 days after payment is approved.
- Loading and documents. Cargo is baled, trucked to Surabaya, cleared, and loaded; you receive the full document pack for your import clearance.
What payment terms and documents ship with the cargo?
Indonesian seaweed exporters typically offer three payment routes, all indicative and confirmed in the contract:
- T/T (telegraphic transfer) — common split deposits against balance on documents.
- 100% LC at sight, irrevocable — bank-secured, favoured for larger contracts.
- 100% advance — simplest for small trial lots.
Delivery is generally 30-60 days after payment is approved, shipped worldwide. Container maths helps you plan volume:
| Container | Approx. capacity |
|---|---|
| 20 ft | ~15 MT |
| 40 ft | ~23 MT |
| 40 HC | ~25 MT (about 350 × 100 kg bales) |
Standard export documents include a Certificate of Analysis, Material Safety Data Sheet, Fumigation Certificate, Phytosanitary Certificate and Certificate of Origin; Halal and HACCP/ISO 22000 certificates are supplied on request. Some exporters run multiple FCL per month, so container-scale programmes are realistic. But to be straight with you: we never guarantee your destination customs clearance, and any moisture, ash or heavy-metal figure is claimable only from a specific batch COA, never as a blanket promise.
Get an FOB export quote
Ready to price a container? Our sourcing desk, operated by Bali Premium Trip, returns a spec-matched FOB quote within 24 working hours — send your grade, target moisture, monthly volume and destination port.
- WhatsApp: (https://wa.me/6281128590000)
- Email: [sales@balipremiumtrip.com](mailto:sales@balipremiumtrip.com)
Indonesia Sea Moss is part of Juara Holding Group — an Indonesian group operating from Bali across Indonesia since 2015.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is included in an FOB seaweed price from Indonesia?
An FOB price covers the dried cottonii, polypropylene-wrapped baling, inland trucking to port, export customs clearance, and standard documents — up to the ship’s rail at Surabaya. It excludes ocean freight, marine insurance, destination duty and import clearance, which pass to you once the cargo is loaded aboard your nominated vessel.
Which port do Indonesian seaweed FOB shipments load from?
Most dried cottonii loads through Surabaya (Tanjung Perak) in East Java, the country’s key processing and export gateway. Farms in NTB, NTT, South Sulawesi and Maluku feed bales toward this corridor. Other ports are possible by arrangement, but Surabaya offers the deepest carrier options and proximity to cleaning and drying lines.
What payment terms do Indonesian seaweed exporters accept?
Three routes are standard and all indicative until contracted: telegraphic transfer (T/T), a 100% irrevocable letter of credit at sight, or 100% advance for small trial lots. Delivery typically runs 30-60 days after payment is approved. Larger container contracts usually move on LC at sight for bank-secured comfort on both sides.
How much dried seaweed fits in one export container?
A 20 ft container holds roughly 15 MT, a 40 ft about 23 MT, and a 40 HC around 25 MT — approximately 350 bales of 100 kg each. Typical orders start at a 1 MT trial and scale to 20-100 MT contracts. Some exporters run multiple FCL per month.