HOW TO SHIP YOUR CAR OVERSEAS:ROLL ON ROLL OFF V. CONTAINER
So you have decided to ship your car overseas. You have contacted a reliable international car shipping company or freight forwarder and have provided them with the vehicle make, model and year and the port of departure and arrival. They have given you two quotes: one for a roll on/roll off (also known as RORO) shipment and one for shipment in a container. What’s the difference and how do you choose? There are advantages and disadvantages to each method. The best choice may depend on the type of car you have and where you are shipping. A container shipment means your car will be loaded into a container at a warehouse near the port and will be shipped overseas in that container. The container will be taken off the vessel and taken to a warehouse at the destination port where it will be unloaded for pick up. The advantages of a container shipment are:
You can ship from almost any port in the U.S. to any port in the world that accepts container vessels.
Your car will be securely fastened in the container (blocked and braced) to prevent it from shifting around and being damaged.
Your car will be greatly protected from the elements (weather, waves, etc.) on the vessel.
You can load the car/container with other items you wish to ship. There is no additional cost as you are paying for shipping the container, not the car inside.
The disadvantages of a container shipment are:
It is more costly as there are significant costs associated with loading and unloading containers.
You will probably need an agent in the arrival country to arrange for the unloading of the container and import customs clearance.
The size of the vehicle is limited to the size of the container.
Beware! If the price quoted by your car shipping company is less than RORO or sounds too good to be true, a less reputable international car shipper may be placing your car in a container together with one, two, three or even four other cars! This defeats the purpose of shipping in a container to prevent damages to your car. Further, if there is any export or import clearance issue with another car in your container, your car may be held up as well. It is the container that is cleared, not each car.
A RORO shipment means your car will be driven on to a vessel at the port of departure and then driven off at the arrival port. The advantages of a RORO international car shipment are as follows:
In almost all cases, the RORO method will be less costly. Cost is determined by the dimensions of the car; the bigger the car, the higher the cost; but in almost all cases, less than a container.
In many cases, you can drive the car to the port yourself (and pick it up too); therefore the overall transit time will be shorter.
You will not need an agent at the county of destination. To depart the U.S., you will only need to supply the overseas car shipping company with the original title and certain basic information regarding yourself, the vehicle and the recipient.
The port and/or terminal fees at the destination will rarely exceed a couple of hundred dollars.
The disadvantages of a RORO shipment include:
Lack of availability in every port.
Your car will be parked outside at the ports and maybe outside on the vessel, thereby exposed to weather and salt water.
Your car may be damaged as it is driven on or off the vessel.
No personal items may be placed in the car.
As a general rule, the international car shipping company will recommend that a more expensive car be shipped in a container. So a 2013 Mercedes should probably go in container. A 2002 Toyota Corolla can go via RORO. These are the easy examples. The cars in between are trickier and it is tough to say where the line is. In most cases the car shipping company will leave it up to you.
No matter whether you ultimately decide on a container or RORO, you should always get transportation insurance covering the value of the car and the transportation costs, plus 10%. There are never guarantees against damage or a catastrophic event such as the vessel sinking. You overseas car shipping company can assist you with obtaining all kinds of insurance.
About the Author
Richard Washburn is the author of this article on international car shipping. Find more information, about international car shipment here
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