Listed shipments:

On the Bangladesh side:                                                                                         

Costs:

At PIL Shipping we talked to Mr Jakir and paid the following:

- container: US$ 250

- VAT (tax): US$ 18.45

- Bill of Lading: US$ 4.48

- Total: US$ 272.94 which now [Sept '05] is around 18284 taka.

It was possible to pay in dollars but PIL Shipping does not accept credit cards.

Filling in an address of the sender and receiver on the shipping document may seem complicated, if not impossible [if you don't have a receiving party] but we tackled this one by filling in Coen’s full name and passport number in both blanks.

Via PIL Shipping we found a customs broker, Mr Ahsan of A2Z International. To him we paid the following:

- a fixed price for his work, for documentation and customs: 5000 taka

- costs for stuffing and lashing [securing the car in the container]: 1000 taka

- total: 6000 taka [around 75 euros]

Names, Addresses, GPS points:

PIL:

Isphahani Builing, 3rd floor

Sheikh Mujib Raod, Agrabad C/A

Chittagong

tel: 713301, 713306, 727791

[gps: N 22˚19.434" - E 91˚48.737"]

A2Z International, customs broker:

Mr Ahsan

Progressive Tower [Mezzanine Floor]

1837 Sk. Mujib Road, Agrabad

Chittagong

Tel: 810541 / 810342 or cellphone: 0189 - 320833

[gps: N 22?19.722" - E 91?48.710"]

Customs office [where we went with Mr Ahsan to get the Carnet stamped]:

[gps: N 22˚18.741" - E 91˚47.918"]

On the Singapore side:

Costs:

At PIL Shipping we talked to Mrs Alice and paid the following:

- THC [Terminal Handling Charges] and VAT [tax]: S$ 187

- DO [Delivery Order]: S$ 50

- Totaal: S$ 237

S$ = Singapore Dollar, the rate was S$2.06 for 1 euro

Via PIL Shipping we found our customs broker, Dave of RongDe. To him we paid the following:

- a fixed amount for trucking, lifting and opening the container: S$ 240

- our agreement included that we would do the unlashing ourselves to save costs but when the time came Mr Dave found somebody to do this for us [without costs]. He also arranged for a truck with a compressor so we could inflate the tires again.

Names, Addresses:

PIL Shipping:

We don't have the complete address but it's a huge building on Cecil Street, which lies between the Thian Hock Keng temple and Lau Pa Sat Hawker Centre [see your guidebook].

Dave Gordev of RondDe, customs broker:

Warehouse:

Keppel Distripark Blk 513 #02-108

Kampong Bahru Road

Singapore 09449

tel: 6377 5256-59

Office [we didn't go there, we only went to the warehouse]:

7, Keppel Road Tanjong Pagar Complex

#03-40 Singapore 089053

tel: 6223 1833

From: Malaysia - Kuala Lumpur

To: Argentina - Buenos Aires

Date: January 2007

ON THE MALAYSIAN SIDE:

Names and addresses:

SHIPPER: CMA-CGM:

Here we spoke with Mrs Wen Wan Wen and Mr Daryl JES Ch'ng, two very friendly, helpful persons whom we are happy to recommend.

Address:

Level 11, Maybank-Assurance Tower

Dataran Maybank

No.1, Jalan Maarof, 59000 Kuala Lumpur

tel: 60 3 2295 7888

email: kua.marketing@cma-cgm.com

website: www.cma-cgm.com

The Maybank-Assurance tower is situated next to the LRT [a type of skytrain] "Bangsar"

gps: N.03.07.590 - E. 101.40.680 

The Terminal [port]:

The CMA Terminal is situated in the Westport of Port Klang, where you put your car in a container. The customs

house where you get your Carnet stamped, is also located here.

Address:

From Kuala Lumpur take Highways E2, E11 and E5, direction Port Klang. Follow the signs "Pulau Indah", which will be followed by signs "Westport".

gps: N. 02.56.937 - E. 101.18.386

CFS:

CFS is a company situated at the Terminal, and they arranged for the container to be ready for us at the Terminal. CMA arranged the contact between us and:

Mr. Lim [tel: 012-2117030]

Mr Wan [tel: 012-3822247]

Costs:

At CMA we paid the following in US dollars [$] and Malaysian Ringgit [Rm]:

- container $1250

- BAF [transport costs related to the oil price, so variable per month] $ 297

- SMK [kind of insurance, fixed price] $ 6

- THC [Terminal handling charges] Rm 335

- Bill of Lading Rm 110

- costs DHL [to have the Bill of Lading sent to the Netherlands] Rm 68

At the Terminal we paid the following charges to CFS:

- Trucking and haulage Rm 205

On the spot they also took care of the lashing of the car [including materials] without charging extra.

Procedure:

1. At CMA-CGM in Kuala Lumpur a booking was made for the container and here we paid the bill. CMA gave us the seal for the container and also made the arrangements with CFS for us.

2. At Westport you first go to customs: at the reception you can ask for someone from the export department.

Give them your Carnet and they will stamp it. It took Coen ten minutes to do this.

3. After customs you drive into the Terminal, where you put your car into a container. However, in order for a container to be there, it has to be brought from a depot and this is what CFS does. CFS also made sure there was a ramp and a compressor, so we could inflate our tyres once the car was in the container. Our car is so high that the tyres have to be deflated for the car to fit underneath the doorpost [2.28m]. Once inside the container, there is enough space between the roof of the car and the roof of the container, so the tyres can be inflated again. Next the CFS took care of the lashing.

4. After everything is ready, you lock the container yourself with the seal that CMA gives you.

5. Standard procedure means that after the container has been loaded on board, you can pick up the Bill of Lading at the CMA office in Kuala Lumpur. But as we were flying to the Netherlands before that, we were left with two options:

a. CMA would send the Bill of Lading to CMA in Rotterdam where we could pick it up [costs € 25]

b. CMA would send the Bill of Lading directly to our home address in the Netherlands with DHL [costs Rm 68].

ON THE ARGENTINEAN SIDE:

Names, Addresses, GPS points: 

Shipping agent CMA-CGM:

Here we spoke with Mrs Nadia Veuthey. She speaks English and is very helpful. 

Address:

Emma de la Barra 353 - 1st floor

C1107BXA Buenos Aires

tel: [54-11] 5556-1000

CMA-CGM is located in Puerto Madeiro, on the east side of Capital Federal, Buenos Aires.

email: [of Nadia]: bua.nveuthey@cma-cgm.com

website: www.cma-cgm.com

EMBA:

This is a tiny office in a huge complex on the corner of Avenida de los Inmigration and Avenida Rámon Castillo. This complex is situated north of Puerto Madeiro and at walking distance [to the northeast] of the Retiro train station.

Opening hours are limited: 09.30 - 13.00 o'clock and 14.30-16.30 o'clock.

The Terminal [harbor]:

Terminal 1, 2 and 3 are next to the office of EMBA. Payment has to be made in the building of TRP [Terminales Rio de la Plata], a little further down the road. From EMBA a free shuttle bus drives back and forth between the buildings.

gps: S 34.34.961 - W 058.22.101

Costs on the Argentinean side:

CMA gives you a bill in US dollars [US$] which has to be paid at a bank downtown. We paid CMA the following: 

- River Plate Toll US$ 90

- THC Destino US$120

- Logistics fee US$ 30.25

- Delivery Order US$ 54.45

- Total costs, including tax = US$ 294.70

At the Terminal [TRP] we paid the following in pesos. Strangely enough the bill is in US dollars, but payment can only be made in pesos!

- Verification US$ 193.60

- Cargo de seguridad US$ 9.68

- Devolucion mty importacion US$ 24.20

- Cargo manipuleo US$ 110.11

- Tasas a las cargas impo US$ 3.63 per ton US$10.89

- Total costs, including tax: US$ 348.48 = 1081 pesos.

Procedure:

1. Two days before the arrival of the ship you can go to CMA to pay the bill, which you do at a bank downtown. Payment can be made in US dollars.

2. Payment at the bank.

3. With the receipt you go back to CMA, where they will then prepare the Delivery Order.

4. You go to EMBA with the following documents:

- Bill of Lading

- Delivery order

- Carnet de Passage

- Passport

- Car registration papers

- [international] driver’s license

EMBA makes copies of all these documents and adds some more of their own.

5. Nothing else can be done until the ship has arrived and your container is ashore.

When this is the case, then:

6. You go to the TRP building with all your papers and pay the TRP bill. Payment has to be made in pesos!

7. TRP adds some more papers and sends you to someone inside the Terminal. This was Damian and, as far as we understand, he is the guy that takes care of individual containers that are unloaded inside the Terminal.

8. Damian takes you to your container. A ramp is available, as are men to open the container and unlash your car. He also took us to a nearby place to inflate the tyres.

9. The car has to be left near the exit of the Terminal. Damian has more papers, which you have to take to the TRP building.

10. At the TRP building they give you another paper and back you go to Damian, who [surprise, surprise] makes copies.

11. Now the Terminal procedure is taken care of. You go back to EMBA, to the Verification department.

12. Depending on how they feel, they will either sign your Carnet and some other papers [as happened in our case] or they insist on inspecting your car [as we hear from others]. Again more papers need to be filled in. By the way, EMBA gave us permission to stay in the country with the car for 8 months, we have no idea if this is standard procedure.

13. With these last papers you exit the Terminal and hand them to the official in the booth.

14. Right outside the Terminal some officials are awaiting you, wanting to see your third party insurance, so make sure you have one.

On the Australian side

- use an agent to import a vehicle on Carnet de Passage!!!  We've heard horror stories of people who didn't. We used:

I.O.S.A. (Indian Ocean Shipping Agencies)
contact Craig Rowan
'Old Police station'
opposite shed D
Victoria Quay
Fremantle WA 6160
E mail: c.rowan@indianoceansa.com.au
Tel: +61 8 9430 6266
(Mobile: +61 411596645)

As it was coming up to Christmas it was very busy in the port of Fremantle. Because of the good contacts which Craig had we had our Landy back in 3 and half working days (which is quick for Australian 'bureaucratic' standards. 1 day unloading of ship, 1 day waiting for the container to go from the docks to the customs/quarantine depot, and 1 day of unpacking and (extra) cleaning of the Landy. All in all not a cheap exercise, so you should count on a total costs of AUD1600. This includes AUD 250 for the ageny, AUD 500 for the transport from the docks, customs was AUD 50 and Quarantine charges a minimum of AUD 113) We had some problems with quarantine so extra cleaning was required which cost an additional AUD200 (=GBP 80). It's only money..... 

- After you are finished with customs and quarantine (Make sure that the vehicle is a clean as new as quarantine is especially picky with mud underneath) you are in free to go onto the Australian roads. (This is weird compared to other countries where they will make sure you have insurance. Australian customs don't seem to be worried about that although obviously it's a legal requirement. We've heard stories from overlanders who exactly did this and hit the Australian roads without insurance and inspections of vehicles) In principle it goes as follows in WA (Western Australia) as Australian law requires that you register an temporarily import of a foreign vehicle: First you have to phone the vehicle licensing centre on telephone number 13 11 56, where a very friendly lady told me that you can get a 48hr permit (read; third party insurance) so you legally can drive from customs depot to the vehicle licensing centre. This will cost you AUD 15.80 and you can organise this over the telephone and pay by credit card. Then you can drive legally to vehicle licensing and inspection centre. We went to the one on the corner of Leach Highway and Stock road in Willagee (as this is the closest one to the port of Fremantle) who seemed to be familiar with temporary imports on Carnet de Passage. You actually have to get the vehicle through a mini MOT test which is done a little bit south of the licensing centre (S32'03.475, E115'47.574). Make sure that you are there at 07.30AM as they are understaffed and will take about 4 hours to do 10 vehicles!!  After this vehicle test (they check the lights and drive around for a minute to check if the brakes are working) which takes 5 minutes but the paperwork takes a long time, you can go to the licensing centre itself to get the registration organised (Australia is the only foreign country we will visit, and the only country we know, where they actually test a foreign vehicle for road worthiness). You will get also the compulsory third party insurance which is only valid for injury not for property. This means that if you hit an expensive Mercedes with your Landy you will still have to pay the costs to the third party in case of an accident. In WA the registration has no minimum cover period but the maximum is 12 months or the expiry date of the carnet. If you want to stay longer then the expiry date of the carnet you will have to get a new carnet send to you and re-register your car in the state you will be driving at that time. I've been told that they will also only register to the expire date of your visa, so make sure your visa is valid for long enough (although they didn't ask us)

This registering costs us AUD 116.80 and because we wanted also third party insurance for property we went to the RAC in Booragoon and we got a years third party insurance for property for AUD132.75

- top tip: Use the internet for FREE at most public libaries in Australia! 

- As our carnet was only valid until the 25th May, we had to get a new one send over from the ADAC in Germany. Karina Stephani was very helpfull with this and we picked up the new carnet from DHL in Darwin. As Roel had phoned Darwin customs a couple of weeks before and explained the situation we went to a customs officer called Bill and all was done in less then 10 minutes, free of charge. He stamped the old carnet and opened the new one and all was done. Officially Australian customs is not allowed to extend your old carnet so they require a new carnet from your own country (in our case not our own country but Germany), although we've heard that Adelaide customs seems to be very easy and will still extend your old carnet for 3 months. Perth definitely not.

- In Exmouth we had to extend our Australian registration. This is a legal requirement in Australia. The lady at the department for planning and infrastructure in Exmouth had never dealed with a foreign vehicle but was very very helpfull and we extended our registration for 1 month (normally only possible for 6 or 12 months but as I explained we would ship out the car on the end of June she extended it for 1 month only). The costs were only $22

On the South African Side:

• Day one, on Monday, at the office of our agent we signed the papers to confirm the shipment. At that same moment the agent immediately made the bookings and within half an hour everything was arranged.

• The next day, on Tuesday, we want back to pay the shipment (cash in local currency) and to bring the Carnet.

• During the next couple of days the agent kept in contact in case there would be any delay.

• Luckily there was no delay, so three days later, on Friday, we went to the terminal (SACD, see list below for GPS data) were everything was well organised. When we arrived everybody was informed and waiting for us. First we did the customs clearing. A custom officer, who was picked up by our agent checked our car, the chassis and engine number and asked us some questions. Then the loading started. We drove the car into the container where two people professionally packed and tighted the car. After everything was done the container was sealed and we were given a document with the seal number and the container number. Then everything was finished and after our agent had dropped the customs official back at his office he returned to bring us the fully signed carnet and gave us a ride to town.

• After everything was done Dewald, the person at the office who arranged our shipment, called to check if everything was OK.

• During the next days Dewald kept us posted about the date the ship would sail and we received all the information to track our container on the internet.

• A couple of days later, again without any delay, the original bill of loading was send to us in Holland by courier.

All in all our agent did it all and everything went very smooth. The name of this agent is:

Federal Clearing Forwarding

42 Colestreet

Cape Town

Responsible for import matters is: Dewald Bester

email: dewald@fedclear.co.za

internet: www.fedclear.co.za

phone: 0027-21-4485043

The shipping company that shipped our container is Safmarine.

The costs of this shipment was:

Oceanfreight (Container) = 6900 ZAR

BAF (transport costs related to oil price) = 1656 ZAR

Line release charges: 450 ZAR

THC (Terminal Handling Charges): 795 ZAR

Transport of container from depot to port: 650 ZAR

Documentation: 200 ZAR

Agency costs: 95 ZAR

Communications: 35 ZAR

Cargo dues: 835,68 ZAR

Packing container: 1000 ZAR

Exam attendance (bringing the customs to the terminal, bringing the customs back to the office in town, bringing the signed carnet back to the terminal): 100 ZAR

ISPS (no idea what this is): 41,40 ZAR

Couriers costs (Bill of Loading to Netherlands): 250 ZAR

The total of all these costs is: 13008 ZAR (1 South Africa Rand - 1 Euro)

On the South African side we had no other costs. All the costs where paid to our agent. If you choose to deal with the shipping company yourself you should pay the first three costs (container, BAF, Line release charges) to the shipping company and the other costs to the agent.

On the South Indian Side:

The shipping company we used for shipping the car is Safmarine.

On arrival in Mumbai we had to pay the following costs to Safmarine:

7668 INR to Safmarine for documentation, transport, cleaning and duty stamp.

We had the help of an agent to organise this, but you can also do this yourself. Make copies of Carnet, passport and Bill of Lading and go the office of Safmarine. Here you

hand over the Bill of Lading and after paying for the costs at mentioned above you get a delivery order in return. With this order you can pick up the car from the terminal.

In most harbours, after arrival of a container, you have five days to empty the container and to return it. After these 5 days you will have to pay.

Responsible for all import matters at Safemarine is Mr. Kore (Import manager). His phone number is: 9821520939

Another thing you have to organise before receiving your car is obtaining a confirmation from the WIAA (The Indian Automobil Assosiation) that your Carnet is original. Just go to the WIAA office (on the corner close to Chateau Windsor Guesthouse, most taxi drivers know this place). Close to the entrance is a copy shop. Make copies of your Carnet and passport and go to Mr. Mashedo of the tourist department (second floor). He will write a request to the Assosiation who issued your Carnet for a confirmation of the Carnet is original. As soon as he receives this confirmation he will make a Proof of Authentisity of Carnet which you need for the customs. The price for this service is not fixed but we paid 1000 INR. You can reach Mr. Machedo on phone number: 022 22041085 (from inside India).

When these things were organised we gave our original Carnet and Passport of the owner to our agent who went to the harbour to organise all paperwork on the day before we received the car.

To get our car cleared we used an agent. Something we would definitely recommend because if you do not know the right persons, clearing can be quite a hassle. Finding an agent in Mumbai was not easy. Many agents just refused to help, did not know what a Carnet was or charged us ridiculously high prices. The highest offer we received was of 3500 USD. Mr. Parab, the agent we eventually found charged us 15000 INR. This price is on top of all other fixed costs to be paid to the shipping company, WIAA and the warehouse.  His details are:

Mr. Jay Parab

Contessa Forwarders

29, Imperial Chamber

2nd Floor, Wilson Road

Ballard Estate

tel: 2613101

Mobile: 9867309777

Mr. Parab organised it all well and very fast. We received our car on the second working day after arrival. Although most taxi drives do not know this place it is easy fo find. His office is opposite the back entrance of the main customs building in Ballard Estate. Most drives do know where this is.

With a friend who ownes an insurance company Mr. Parab also organised a Third Party Insurance for us. This lady visited us at our hotel where all the paperwork was done. For a 12 month insurance we paid 3500 INR, of which about 500 INR was for the service to come to our hotel a few times. The insurance itself was 3043 INR.

The total costs for clearing the car on the Indian side were:

1000 INR = Obtaining a Proof of Authensity of your Carnet at the WIAA

7248 INR = Costs for unloading, transport and cleaning of the container. This must be paid to the shipping company.

  410 INR = Duty stamp. No idea what it is, but must also be paid to the shipping company.

8500 INR = Warehouse costs. Must be paid to the terminal where the container is stored.

15000 INR = Agency fee. This we paid to Mr. Parab our agent.

Even after Mr. Parab had done all paperwork in advance getting our car through customs still took us a whole day. Around 11:00 we arrived at the terminal but we did not receive the car before 19:00. Whilst we could do nothing more than just wait the men of Mr. Parab drove from one official to another to gather all stamps and signatures. On the spot the engine number and chassisnumber of the car was checked at least four times. However nobody was interested in what we carried inside the car.