Shipping a car for the first time may always feel like a daunting task, however with the right company, right people and the right advice it is generally stress-free. Here are some essential considerations you should make when shipping your car to Kenya or any other country around the world.
Shipping Method
The first thing to consider is shipping method – there are three types of shipping methods namely:
1. RoRo Car Shipping
2. Containerized Car Shipping
3. Air Freight
RoRo stands for ‘Roll on Roll Off’ and is a method whereby the cars are delivered to the docks where they await loading once the vessel comes into the port. The vessels are loaded onto ships which are built for the purpose of carrying cars – you can think of it as a huge floating underground parking in the ocean. RoRo shipping is most often the most cost-effective method of shipping cars.
Containerized Car Shipping is very familiar to most shippers as everyone knows what a container is. Depending on the number of cars, they can be loaded into a 20FT container which can accommodate one car or alternatively a 40FT container that can accommodate two cars. The cars are loaded into the container and latched onto the container floors to ensure no movement during transit.
Air Freight is the quickest means by which the cars are loaded on to an aeroplane and unloaded at their final destination. Transit times are very short however freighting by air is very pricy and is therefore a deterrant for most car dealers or manufacturers looking to get their vehicles from A to B.
Pre Shipment Requirements
It is important to know whether the country you are shipping to has any requirements that need to be completed prior to exporting the car. For example in Kenya, all cars need to be inspected by JEVIC in the UK prior to shipping. If this inspection is not carried out the importer could face a fine of 15%. There are various bodies in the UK that carry out preshipment inspections such as Intertek, JEVIC and SGS. The best person to advise you is your shipper if they have enough knowledge and specialize on a region or alternatively the clearing agent or embassy for the particular country.
Destination Taxes
One of the worst assumptions is that there will be no costs involved in the destination country – this may lead to a very costly shipping experience. We advise all our clients to ensure they are fully aware of what kind of money the tax authorities will ask for at the destination country, as failure to do so may see you lose your car.
In countries such as Kenya, the import taxes are almost the same as the cost of the car if not more. If the importer does not have the necessary funds to clear the car, it may lead to the storage costs being accumulated at the shipping port, and therefore car shipping then becomes a very expensive exercise.
Watch out for Part Two of our tips for first time shippers. Contact sales@auto-kenya.com in case of any enquiries.