Basic n00b info for international container shipping?

August 20, 2014 9:03 AM

n00b wants to do international container shipping. Please advise and assist.

Hey there,

I see a potential business opportunity, the sticking point is figuring out how to plug into the globalized container shipping business, and as cheaply as possible.

I want to be able to pack a 20' container with a used car and a bunch of household odds and ends (mostly used clothing). I then want to ship this container from Halifax to Dubai.

Where to look for this shipping service - who can provide a container and then ship it for me? What sort of pricing to expect for this? What is the "gotcha" that n00bs always screw up when trying to do this? What sort of paperwork is needed?

Thanks for any advice pointing me the right way!

posted by Meatbomb to Travel & Transportation (4 answers total)

You should chat with the freight forwarders who have operations at the Port of Halifax. In theory you don't need to use one for a full container, but given the amount of paperwork and what not that goes into this, and especially if its a one-off kind of thing, its probably not a bad use of funds to pay someone to handle that.
posted by JPD at 10:07 AM on August 20, 2014 [1 favorite]

Some of the container shipping lines now have a self-service feature on their websites even if you're not in the industry.


http://my.maerskline.com​​/appmanager​​​​/maerskline​​/public?​_nfpb=true​​&_windowLabel=portlet_schedules_byLocation_1​​​&portlet_schedules_byLocation_1_actionOverride​​​=%2Fportlets​%2Fschedules%2FschedulesByLocation​%2FrouteLookup​​​%2FsaveRouteLookup&_pageLabel​​=page_schedules_location
posted by jacobean at 11:18 AM on August 20, 2014 [1 favorite]

Try calling your local DAMCO office. They're all about logistics, but might be overkill for what you want to do.
posted by ZipRibbons at 12:52 PM on August 20, 2014

Your box will be on at least two boats as there are no direct liner routes between Halifax and Dubai. This means you will need a freight forwarder/consolidator, so JPD is spot on saying call your local gals/guys.

Here's the port's list: http://www.halifaxgetsitthere.com/en/shipping-tools/ServiceProviders/Default.aspx Sort the table by "Freight - Ocean, "Markets Served - Global" and "Services - Customs Brokerage."

I might be able to pull a counterparty risk report (if one exists) on the companies that come up to help you vet them. Feel free to memail me; I work in the oil and shipping industry and did my own intercontinental move three years ago.
posted by digitalprimate at 4:05 AM on August 21, 2014 [1 favorite]