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Logistics Courses in India

Short version. Blue Ocean Academy offers 17 logistics courses for learners in India, in three routes. CILT qualifications: the International Certificate and the International Diploma in Logistics and Transport, delivered live online, plus self-paced certificate programmes in shipping and freight forwarding, distribution and transportation, and international trading. Examined professional designations: the ASCM Certified in Logistics, Transportation and Distribution (CLTD) and the IPSCMI Certified Shipping and Freight Forwarding Professional. Self-paced Mastering Business Excellence programmes in shipping fundamentals, containerisation, break bulk, port operations, marine insurance and law, the IMDG Code, freight forwarding, strategic forwarding, AI in shipping and ethics. Everything is live online or self-paced. If you know the role you are in, use the course finder below. If you are choosing between a CILT qualification and CLTD, read logistics certification in India first. This page is for learners in India; if you are in the UAE, see logistics training in Dubai and the UAE.

Who these courses are for

Freight forwarding and shipping staff in forwarders, NVOCCs, liner agencies, CHAs and port operators who want a credential for the work they already do.
Transport, fleet, warehouse and distribution supervisors moving into planning and management.
Graduates and career changers who need the vocabulary and the shipment lifecycle before anything else. India's National Logistics Policy has made logistics a mainstream career track: the government reported in September 2025 that over 100 universities and institutes now offer logistics-related courses and that over 65,000 professionals were trained under the policy between 2023 and 2025.
Managers who need network design, cost control and strategy rather than another operational course.
Employers standardising skills across a branch network. Every course here can run as an in-house programme; see corporate training in India.

Logistics overlaps with supply chain and procurement, and job titles in India blur the three. If that is your question, read what separates supply chain, logistics and procurement before choosing. Supply chain courses have their own India hub, as do procurement courses.

The three routes, and what you actually receive

Route	What you receive	Who awards it	How you are assessed
CILT qualification	The CILT International Certificate or International Diploma in Logistics and Transport	Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT International)	Examination set by CILT
Examined designation	CLTD (ASCM) or CSFFP (IPSCMI)	ASCM; IPSCMI	External, proctored exam
Self-paced programme	A Blue Ocean Academy certificate of completion	Blue Ocean Academy	Course assessment

Blue Ocean Academy is the training provider in every case; the awarding body sets the syllabus and the exam. Three self-paced programmes in this catalogue (shipping and freight forwarding, distribution and transportation, international trading) are built to CILT's professional framework and are listed under CILT in our catalogue; the exact CILT status of each is stated on its course page.

Find your course by role

Freight forwarding and export-import operations

Fundamentals of Shipping — 49 guided hours, foundation level. The shipment lifecycle, documentation, Incoterms 2020 in practice. Start here if you are new.
Freight Forwarding — 48 hours. Ocean, air and multimodal execution, documentation, cargo insurance and claims, pricing and quoting.
Certificate in Shipping and Freight Forwarding — 45 hours. Ocean and air freight operations, multimodal, dangerous goods, Incoterms, customs, freight pricing, insurance, digital forwarding; ends with an end-to-end shipment simulation.
Certified Shipping and Freight Forwarding Professional (CSFFP) — IPSCMI designation, live online. Eleven modules across trade flows, documentation, customs, Incoterms, pricing and risk.
Strategic Shipping and Freight Forwarding — 48 hours, for forwarding managers: network design, service models, rate management, the freight technology stack.

The full forwarding route, including which course suits which job, is in our guide to shipping and freight forwarding courses in India.

Shipping lines, ports and terminals

Containerisation and Shipping — 45 hours. Container types, vessels and alliances, terminal operations, documentation and maritime regulation.
Break Bulk Cargo Operations — 48 hours. Project and heavy-lift cargo: vessel selection, stowage, lashing, load calculations.
Sea Port Operations — 46 hours. Vessel calls, cargo handling, yard flow, safety, customs collaboration, digitalisation.
Marine Insurance and Mercantile Law — 45 hours. Policies, underwriting, hull and P&I cover, claims, general average, maritime contracting.

Transport, distribution and warehousing

International Certificate in Logistics and Transport — CILT, live online. CILT positions it for people "moving into, or who are already within supervisory or team leader roles".
International Diploma in Logistics and Transport — CILT, live online. For "professionals involved in planning logistics operations and who are already in supervisory or operational management roles"; four units, examined.
Certified in Logistics, Transportation and Distribution (CLTD) — ASCM, live online. Logistics strategy, network design, capacity and demand, order and inventory management, warehousing, transportation, global logistics, reverse logistics.
Certificate in Distribution and Transportation — 45 hours. Network design, mode selection, route planning, fleet operations, last mile, transport costing.
Logistics and Transportation — 45 hours. Hidden logistics costs, carrier evaluation and procurement, daily transport planning, last-mile strategy.

Warehousing and inventory have their own guide: warehouse, inventory and planning courses in India.

Dangerous goods and compliance

Fundamentals of IMDG — 47 hours. The IMDG Code: classification, packaging, marks and labels, documentation for dangerous goods by sea. This is an awareness programme and does not replace the function-specific training the Code requires an employer to provide.
Ethics in Shipping — 45 hours. Corruption risk, documentation integrity, sanctions, seafarer welfare.

International trade

Certificate in International Trading — 45 hours. Export readiness, process flows, Incoterms 2020, customs classification and valuation, trade controls, payment methods and trade finance.
For Incoterms in depth, see Incoterms 2020 and international trade courses in India.

Strategy and technology

AI in Shipping and Freight Forwarding — 47 hours. Visibility, exception handling, routing, documentation automation, pricing.
Strategic Shipping and Freight Forwarding (above) for the commercial layer.

CILT and CLTD, as the issuers define them

CILT International runs a ladder: Entry Award, Introductory Certificate, Certificate in Logistics and Transport, International Diploma, Advanced Diploma. We deliver the Certificate and the International Diploma. CILT states that candidates for the Diploma need "significant knowledge of logistics and transport operations and an awareness of the integrated nature of supply chain activities", ideally from work experience or prior study; the Diploma has four units (one mandatory, electives from supply chain management, transport operations and transport planning), is assessed by examination, and CILT indicates 12 to 18 months part time and 360 guided learning hours. CILT also runs CILT(UK), a separate qualification suite; the two should not be confused, and our course pages say which applies.

ASCM CLTD is one computer-based exam of 150 questions in 3.5 hours, sat at a Pearson VUE test centre or online through OnVUE. ASCM states no eligibility requirement. Holders maintain the designation with 75 points every five years or lose it and must re-sit. Our CLTD explainer covers content, preparation and India logistics in detail.

Which fits you depends on what you do. Transport and multimodal planning in a shipping or forwarding context leans CILT; warehousing, distribution network and inventory decisions inside a manufacturer or retailer lean CLTD. Logistics certification in India: CILT and CLTD compared takes the decision apart role by role.

Formats and fees

Live online (instructor-led): scheduled cohorts with recordings. The CILT qualifications, CLTD and CSFFP run this way; most offer a self-paced alternative on the course page.
Self-paced: recorded modules and assessments at your own pace, with the guided hours shown above. All Mastering Business Excellence programmes are self-paced.
In person: arranged through our centres when a cohort justifies it. Ask the advisor; we do not list a batch calendar we cannot keep.

Fees are shown in Indian rupees on each course page for visitors in India. CILT, ASCM and IPSCMI set their own exam and membership fees, which are separate from our tuition and shown on the course page or in the enquiry reply. We do not publish a fee table here.

Exams in India

CLTD: Pearson VUE centres operate in Delhi NCR, Pune, Hyderabad, Kochi and most large cities, and OnVUE lets you sit at home or in the office. Seat availability for a specific exam appears only when you schedule, so we do not promise a named centre.
CILT: examinations are set by CILT International and scheduled through us as your training provider; your advisor confirms the sitting pattern for your cohort.
IPSCMI CSFFP: a proctored examination arranged through the course.
Self-paced programmes: assessed within the course.

Choosing, in five questions

Are you in forwarding and shipping, or in transport and distribution? Forwarding and shipping: start with Fundamentals of Shipping or the Certificate in Shipping and Freight Forwarding, then CSFFP. Transport and distribution: the CILT Certificate or Diploma, or CLTD.
Do you need letters after your name? CLTD and CSFFP are designations; CILT qualifications are formal professional qualifications; self-paced programmes are skills with a certificate of completion.
How many years have you supervised or planned operations? CILT positions the Certificate for people moving into supervision and the Diploma for those already managing operations. CLTD has no entry rule but assumes practical context.
Do you handle dangerous or project cargo? Add IMDG or Break Bulk to whatever route you choose.
Is your employer paying? Ask which body their senior logistics staff hold. Consistency inside a team has value.

Studying from your city

The course is the same anywhere in India because delivery is live online or self-paced. What differs is where you sit an external exam and whether you can meet an advisor in person.

Kerala and Kochi: our Kochi centre in Infopark, with the port, export and spice-trade context on logistics and supply chain training in Kochi.
Delhi NCR: New Delhi and Noida.
Pune: training in Pune. Hyderabad: training in Hyderabad.
Chennai, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Ahmedabad and everywhere else: live online or self-paced, with Pearson VUE or OnVUE for the ASCM exam. We do not have premises in those cities and will not imply that we do.

Frequently asked questions

Which logistics course is best in India for a beginner? Fundamentals of Shipping if you are heading into forwarding or shipping; the CILT International Certificate if you are already supervising transport or warehouse operations and want a formal qualification.

Is a logistics diploma from CILT recognised in India? CILT is the international professional body for logistics and transport and its qualifications are recognised by employers across the sector. Recognition is employer-specific, and the Diploma is a professional qualification, not a university degree.

CILT or CLTD? CILT for transport-centred and shipping-centred roles and for a staged professional ladder; CLTD for distribution, warehousing and network roles and for a single-exam designation. Our comparison goes deeper.

Are online logistics courses credible? The CILT and ASCM credentials are identical whichever way you studied; the exam is what certifies you. Self-paced programmes evidence skills and carry a Blue Ocean Academy certificate.

How long do the courses take? Self-paced programmes list their guided hours (45 to 49 hours each). Live online cohorts run over several weeks. CILT indicates 12 to 18 months part time for the International Diploma.

Do you guarantee a job in logistics? No. We train you for recognised qualifications and real skills; placement promises are not how professional qualifications work.

Talk to a course advisor

Tell us your role, your city and what you want the qualification to do for you, and an advisor will recommend one or two courses rather than a list. Speak to a course advisor.