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Who and where is Karman Shipping?
Karman Shipping specialises in cars and not other commodities. We only export to specific destinations, especially Australia, and have being doing so since 3rd December, 1984. Our offices are based in Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire although cars are either collected or received at a private warehouse near Barking, East London which is only 10 minutes from the M25 yet still on the London Underground system.

What destinations does Karman Shipping ship to?
We only handle shipment of cars from the UK to Australia, New Zealand and Hong Kong. We only ship cars and not personal effects or other commodities and we do not arrange shipping to other destinations. We cannot handle imports to the UK.

What costs need to be collated for shipping a car to Australia, New Zealand or Hong Kong?
In the UK there is the cost of shipment and shipment protection through to the destination port. There are many other costs that are payable at the destination including port, haulage and unpacking fees, customs clearance, agents, quarantine and cleaning charges, roadworthy preparation and test and licensing and registration costs. There can also be Registration Tax, Stamp Duty, Import Duty and GST to pay depending on the destination country.

What are the methods of shipment?
By far the most popular method of shipment for a car is in a container. We do not handle shared containers with frames built around cars for other people’s goods or the much less popular method of shipment roll on/roll off (like a ferry but without passengers).

How are costs obtained?
Contact us by email or telephone with your details and we will email or mail to you a written quotation for shipping and shipment protection. The destination costs and taxes information are listed in our accompanying information pack.

What are the ports, how often are the ships and how long do they take?
Most ship’s depart from the UK port of Felixstowe or Southampton on a weekly basis although we pack cars into a Container at a private warehouse near Barking, East London. Ship’s to the Hong Kong take about 3–4 weeks, to Australia 5–6 weeks and to New Zealand 6–7 weeks. A car would normally have to be packed into it’s container 5–7 days before a ship is scheduled to sail.

How big is a Container?
The inside of a container is 17’10" x 7’5" x 7’5" i.e. large enough for just about any type of car but not much room for anything else. For very large cars there is a container 19’4" long at a higher cost. Most motorhomes will not fit into a container as they are too high.

Can anything else be shipped with a car?
Any items packed inside a car or on a roof rack (up to 7’5" high) would travel free of charge at owners risk. Our competitive freight rates are negotiated with the Shipping Line for a car only.

How and when is a booking made to have a car shipped?
Normally vessel details are known many weeks in advance although bookings can be made at short notice. An ‘Application for Shipping Space’ (booking) form is available on this website and should be completed and forwarded to us (by email, fax or post) usually between a week and two months in advance of shipment along with a copy of the UK registration document (V5).

What information and paperwork is needed to ship a car?
You will need to know the destination port, which weekday the car will be delivered or (if required) it needs to be collected, the year/make/model/registration and chassis number of the car, your UK and overseas address and contact details, the shipment protection value (if required) of the car and the date you intend to leave the UK. For shipment only the car and the car keys are needed - the original car documents are not required but should not be left inside the vehicle.

What happens once a car has been shipped?
A shipping document called a ‘Waybill’ is issued once the vessel has sailed and this along with a letter and instructions from us and a shipment protection certificate is emailed to you as long as the shipping costs have been settled (anytime before the vessel sails by personal UK cheque or direct bank transfer).

What happens at the destination port?
Shipping and shipment protection costs paid to us cover through to arrival at the overseas port. Destination port/unpacking/quarantine/clearance costs as well as Import Duty and GST (and any other taxes) are payable by you at destination. It is possible for an importation to be handled by a car owner directly (although very difficult and time consuming) but we do provide a list of Clearance Agents at each port with whom the car owner can make contact. They can assist with or handle completely the arrival formalities and can provide you with a detailed quotation for their services.

Can the procedure be summarised?
Read this website, contact us for a written quotation, decide to ship a car and send to us a completed shipping form. We arrange the export, the car is handed to us and we secure it in the container which is taken to the UK port and placed on the ship. Once the vessel has sailed then we email the shipping papers to you, they are put together with all your car papers for the authorities when the car arrives at it’s destination. An agent can assist with the import, pay the taxes, the car is collected and then made roadworthy and registered.