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13 June 2012

The Options you have for shipping cars overseas by ocean


K International Transport is an experienced Freight Forwarder and NVOCC (Non Vessel Operating Common Carrier), so if you are looking for an international shipping company for cars that is able to guide you through shipping cars internationally then you have found it. There are two ways to ship your vehicle abroad by ocean transport:

  1. Containerized Shipping
  2. Roll On / Roll Off Shipping
In order to decide between these two methods of shipping vehicles overseas, you should take the following into consideration:
  • How many cars am I shipping?
    • If you are shipping multiple cars we may be able to fit 2 or more of them into a 40'HC shipping container, which may translate into savings on your international shipping price.
  • Where do I want to send my cargo?
    • Roll On / Roll Off vessels do not serve as many ports as container vessels, so if you have a specific port in mind, ask us for the service options there. The extra money it costs to ship by container may be dwarfed by the costs of getting your vehicle from the nearest Roll On / Roll Off port to your final destination. 
  • How large is the vehicle I am shipping?
    • Roll On / Roll Off cargo is priced by the total cubic meters of a shipment (or, in the case that tonnage exceeds cubic meters, by the amount of short tons). If your vehicle is nearly as large as a 20' shipping container (dimensions of shipping containers), it may actually be more economical to ship it inside a container. This mostly applies to trucks (lorries) and wheeled construction equipment.
  • Do I need to send personal effects with my vehicle?
    • If you ship a car overseas on a Roll On / Roll Off vessel, every steamship line requires that no personal effects are left in the vehicle, and will reject the car if personal effects are present. So if you are moving or for some other reason have extra things to ship with the vehicle, you will have to send them separately, or put them together in a container.
Both shipping methods are secure, but a container will be sealed by the warehouse and not opened (unless given an intensive inspection by customs) until claimed at the port of discharge.

Another consideration for container shipping is the cost to unload the vehicle and return the empty container at the port of discharge, which are generally not included in our quotations, because the charges would be in the local currency and would have to be paid directly to the terminal/port.

Whichever way you choose to ship your car, motorcycle, truck or bus abroad, K International is glad to advise you and arrange the shipment for you. Please visit our rate request page, email us (inquiries@kinternational.com) or give us a call at (212) 267-6400.