Vehicle shipping from Europe to South Africa & Namibia

We specialise in shipping cars, 4×4’s, Motorhomes, Campervans & Camping trucks to South Africa & Namibia and offer shipping services on fast, frequent Roll on Roll off (RORO) and container vessels to all major South African ports including Cape Town, East London, Port Elizabeth & Durban and Namibia (Walvis Bay).

Departures are from major European (EU) ports including the UK (Southampton, Tilbury, Liverpool, Felixstowe, London Gateway and Bristol), Belgium (Zeebrugge & Antwerp), Germany (Bremerhaven & Hamburg) , Netherlands (Rotterdam) and others.

Services also operate from the USA, South America (Colombia, Uruguay and Argentina) & Australia. Transhipment services can be arranged for other destinations including India.

Some sailings are direct from Europe to Africa, and others are stopping services. Sailing can take between 20 and 40 days depending on the departure and destination ports.

*Note shipments to Walvis bay from the EU depart from Bremerhaven, Sheerness, Antwerp and are south bound only. Shipments from the USA depart from Baltimore & Brunswick.

RORO Services

There are regular, reliable Roll on Roll off services to and from Europe, we recommend people to book on direct services that go non stop between Europe and South Africa as these provide a little more peace of mind regarding security than the stopping services via the Americas or West Africa.

Returning from South Africa we have 4 services, three of these are direct with no stops once leaving South Africa, until arrival at the first port in Europe.

The other is a stopping service to Europe via West Africa (Tema, Abidjan, Dakar, Conakry) or South America (Santos Brazil, Montevideo, Zarate, Vitoria).

The stopping service is usually cheaper than than the direct services.

The services are good value for those with oversized vehicles, but also provide comparative costs to sharing a 40ft container for a smaller vehicle.

The import / export costs of shipping RORO is significantly cheaper than container shipping in Southern Africa.

RORO shipping schedules Europe to Port Elizabeth & Durban South Africa & Walvis bay, Namibia

*please note the stopping service normally stops at the following ports outside of Europe – Dakar, Conakry, Abidjan, Tema, Lome prior to Walvis Bay in Durban.
*Currently the number of bookable ships are limited, since any vessel continues to Australasia ( Australia New Zealand) required all cargo to be fumigated, therefore we can only put cargo on vessels which do not continue to Australia New Zealand.
*Carrier 2 – spot pricing / which must be verified with the carrier for specific sailings.

RORO rates

To Southern Africa, rates start from $70 per cubic metre, special rates are available for vehicles under certain heights / volume. Import costs are typically $500-$800 depending on port, carrier and vehicle weight / dimensions.

Returning from Southern Africa to Europe, rates start from $70 per cubic metre, special rates are available for vehicles under certain heights / volume. Export costs are typically $450 – $800 depending on port, carrier and vehicle weight / dimensions.

Instant Shipping Quotation

Southern Africa Container Shipping Services

We offer weekly container services from most major ports in northern Europe to South Africa (Cape Town & Durban) and Walvis BayNamibia.

We have a strong network of partners in Walvis Bay Namibia, Cape Town and Durban South Africa who can help you with any import requirements you may have.

Container shipping rates (from)

We can offer the following prices from UK and European ports (Antwerp, Rotterdam, Hamburg), to South African ports of Cape Town and Durban. Prices for Namibia on request.

20ft/40ft HC

EU ports  €1,500 / €2,550
UK ports  £1,350 / £2,000
*The above costs include all export costs, shipping, stuffing and customs clearance. Some costs are variable depending on the port of departure and will be confirmed with your booking.

Instant Shipping Quotation

Import
We can appoint an clearing agent on your behalf or provide you a list of reliable agents to choose from.

Local port costs and clearing charges are generally high in the region, expect costs to be between $500 & $1200 depending on the method of transport and the size of the vehicle.

Import  / Export Requirements

Southern Africa

Temporary imports
For Southern Africa, we only ship vehicles for tourism purposes with a valid Carnet. If the vehicle is to be imported permanently, a carnet is not required, however taxes and duty will be payable.

For import, we ask that the original carnet is with our local agents at least a week prior to the ship’s arrival so that they may complete the necessary customs formalities.

For export, we recommend you arrive in the city of departure a week before sailing to complete customs formalities. Customs formalities can take place a few days before the vehicle is taken to the port. Under normal circumstances, the vehicle is dropped off at the port 48 hours before the vessel’s arrival.

Permanent imports
If you plan to permanently import your vehicle in to South Africa first obtain an ITAC import permit and a LOA prior to shipping it from the UK.

Travel Insurance

We would strongly recommend a Travel insurance policy for travel in Africa. Read more about Africa Travel Insurance.

Booking

We recommend booking Africa bound services 2-3 months before departure due to the high volume of cargo on this route. To obtain a quote please complete our online quotation form.

To make we request the following information:

• Copy of Vehicle Registration
• Copy of passport
• Copy of carnet (temporary imports only)
• Copy of Bill of sale & ITAC Import Permit (if permanent import)

Recommended Reading / Information

The Overlanding Africa facebook group is the best resource for travellers with their vehicles, providing information on routes, campsites, visas, border crossings and much more. Join today and meet other travellers.

Port Connections to and from Africa