- Usual option
- Shared container
- On request
- Dedicated 20ft
- At sea
- 3 to 6 weeks
- In transit
- Marine insurance
The shipping leg is the part people can picture least. The car disappears into a box at one end and reappears weeks later at the other, and in between it is somewhere on the ocean.
It helps to know exactly what happens to it. This guide explains how your car travels from Hong Kong, the choice between a shared container and one of your own, and what protects it along the way.
Why a container
Let’s start here, because it shapes everything else. We ship Hong Kong cars in containers.
The alternative for many routes is roll-on roll-off, where cars are driven onto a specialised vessel and parked on open decks. It has its place, but it means more people driving your car and more exposure along the way.
A container keeps the car enclosed from the moment the doors close in Hong Kong to the moment we open them at our own facility in Castle Donington. It is protected from weather, salt spray and casual handling for the whole voyage. That’s why we use containers for Hong Kong cars as standard.
Shared containers
Most cars travel in a shared container, alongside other cars heading to us. It is the usual option and the one we recommend for most people.
Each car is loaded and secured individually, so sharing a container does not mean cars resting against each other. What you share is the container and the voyage, which means you share the cost of both. It is the sensible, economical way to bring one car halfway round the world.
The main difference is control over dates. With a shared container, we confirm your car’s sailing when you book and keep you posted in the portal. If you have fixed dates to work around, tell us when you ask for a quote.
A dedicated 20ft container
If you want the car to travel on its own, we can arrange a dedicated 20ft container on request.
People choose this for a few reasons. The car may be particularly valuable or rare and the owner wants it to travel alone. Timing may matter, and a container to yourself can be booked around your dates. It costs more than sharing, because you are paying for the whole container rather than a share of it.
Tell us when you ask for a quote and we will price both options so you can compare.
For most people, sharing is the right answer. The car is just as enclosed, just as insured and just as carefully loaded. The dedicated option is there for the owners who want it, not because a shared container is second best.
| Shared container | Dedicated 20ft | |
|---|---|---|
| Availability | Usual option | On request |
| Cost | Shared between cars | Whole container |
| Timing | Confirmed when you book | Booked around your car |
| Car enclosed for voyage | Yes | Yes |
| Marine insurance | Yes | Yes |
Collection and loading
The journey starts at your door. We collect the car from your address in Hong Kong and take it to the container-loading warehouse. Hong Kong has no postcodes, so when you book, a clear address and directions help. Our collection map shows the areas we cover. Whether the car lives in a car park in Mid-Levels or outside a village house in the New Territories, the process is the same.
At the warehouse, the car is loaded into the container with care. It is positioned, secured and checked before the doors are closed.
A few things help on your side. Leave the car clean enough that its condition can be seen clearly, and remove personal belongings and valuables unless we have agreed otherwise. Hand over the keys we ask for, and keep the Vehicle Registration Document and your identity document with you rather than in the glovebox, because you will need them for the Hong Kong paperwork after the car has gone. The container then goes through Kwai Tsing, Hong Kong’s container port, and onto the vessel.
Marine insurance
The car is covered by marine insurance whilst in transit. Shipping is a well-trodden route and the vast majority of voyages are entirely uneventful, but cover is there in case something goes wrong at sea or during handling.
Ask us about the cover when you get your quote and we will explain what it includes for your car.
At sea
The voyage is typically 3 to 6 weeks. The range is there because schedules vary with the vessel, the route and the time of year. We will not promise you a particular sailing, but we will keep you updated.
You can follow the car’s progress in the customer portal, so you are not left wondering where it has got to.
When it arrives
This is where our setup makes a difference. We are fully authorised HMRC CDS customs agents, so customs paperwork is organised in advance. That means the container is not left waiting at the port, running up storage fees, whilst someone sorts out the forms.
The container comes to our own facility at Castle Donington, Derbyshire, which holds up to 300 cars, and we unload it there. Your car then moves straight into conversions, testing and registration on the same site.
Next steps
If you would like to compare a shared and a dedicated container for your car, Get a quote and mention it in the form. For the full shipping picture, see our shipping page. We’d be more than happy to help should you need it.
Questions
People also ask
Is a shared container safe for my car?
Yes. Each car is loaded and secured individually inside the container, and the car is covered by marine insurance whilst in transit.
When would I choose a dedicated container?
If you want the car to travel on its own, perhaps because it is especially valuable or you want the container to yourself for timing reasons. A dedicated 20ft container is available on request.
Why not roll-on roll-off?
A container keeps the car enclosed for the whole voyage, protected from weather and handling, and it is unloaded at our own facility rather than driven off at the port.
Where is the car loaded?
We collect it from your address in Hong Kong and take it to the container-loading warehouse. From there the container goes through the port at Kwai Tsing.
