Container Service

Our Container Service — Vehicle Shipping Done on Your Terms

There is a reason container shipping remains the method of choice for so many of our customers, year after year. It is not just about protection  though that matters enormously. It is about control. When your vehicle goes into a container at our UK loading depot, it stays there, sealed and untouched, until it arrives at the destination port. No open decks. No salt air. No hands on it between loading and delivery. Just your vehicle, secured inside a steel box, moving safely across the world.

At Ship Cars Ltd, our container service covers both shared container (consolidation) and dedicated container (sole use) options, sailing from UK ports including Felixstowe, Southampton, and Tilbury to hundreds of destinations worldwide, every week. Whether you are shipping a standard family car, a classic vehicle, an electric or hybrid car, or a non-running vehicle that cannot travel via RORO, we have a container solution that fits.

Shared Container Service — Smart Car Shipping, Lower Cost

Our shared container service often referred to in the industry as LCL (Less than Container Load) or consolidation  is the most popular option for customers shipping a single vehicle who want the full protection benefits of container shipping without paying for an entire box.

Here is how it works: your vehicle is professionally loaded and secured inside a 40ft container alongside one or more other vehicles heading to the same destination. The container space and the ocean freight cost is shared between customers. Your vehicle is still strapped, braced, and secured to professional cargo standards. The container is still sealed. The protection is the same as a dedicated service. You simply share the cost.

This is the right choice when:

• You are shipping a standard car, SUV, or 4×4 in good working order
• You want container-level protection at a more cost-effective price point
• You do not need to include personal effects alongside the vehicle
• Your destination is well-served by our regular consolidation schedule

Our shared container sailings operate on regular weekly schedules from UK ports. Transit times and sailing frequencies vary by destination — our team will always confirm both at the point of enquiry.

Customer experience: A customer in Leeds shipped a 2018 Ford Ranger to Fremantle, Australia, via our shared container service from Felixstowe. The vehicle was collected from their home address, loaded at our depot, and arrived at Fremantle port within 58 days of sailing  on schedule, undamaged, and exactly as described at booking.

Dedicated Container Service — Complete Peace of Mind

For customers who want exclusive use of their own container, our dedicated service is the answer. Your vehicle and only your vehicle occupies a 20ft or 40ft container from UK loading to destination port. The container is sealed in your name and remains sealed until it arrives.

This is not simply a premium option for the sake of it. There are genuine, practical reasons to choose a dedicated container:

• Classic, vintage, or restored vehicles where open-deck RoRo exposure is not acceptable
• Luxury or prestige cars where the risk of any handling contact must be minimised
• Electric and hybrid vehicles, which cannot travel via RoRo due to high-voltage battery regulations — container is the only permitted method
• Non-running or non-driveable vehicles that cannot be driven onto a RoRo vessel under their own power
• Modified or lowered vehicles with ground clearance that makes RoRo loading impractical
• Customers who want to include personal effects or household items alongside the vehicle, subject to destination customs rules

Our dedicated container service operates in both 20ft and 40ft configurations. A standard 20ft container comfortably accommodates one car. A 40ft container can typically hold two cars, or one car with additional personal effects depending on destination restrictions.

Real-world example: A customer in Surrey shipped a fully restored 1968 Ford Mustang from Southampton to Sydney in a dedicated 20ft container. The vehicle had been through a full ground-up restoration and was valued at over £60,000. RoRo was never an option the car was loaded by our specialist team, braced with professional timber and lashing, and the container was sealed. It arrived at Port Botany in 57 days, immaculate. The customer’s words: “Exactly the level of care I needed.”

Container Shipping vs. RoRo — Knowing When Each One Is Right

At Ship cars ltd , we offer both RoRo vehicle shipping and container services, and we give honest advice about which is appropriate for your situation not whichever generates the larger quote.

RoRo (Roll-on/Roll-off) is a proven, reliable method for standard, fully operational vehicles on well-served trade routes. Your car is driven directly onto a specialist vessel, secured to the deck, and driven off at the destination port. It is typically the more cost-effective option on the sea freight element and works well for everyday vehicles where open-deck transit is not a concern.

Container shipping is the right call when:

• Protection is the priority over price
• The vehicle is non-running, classic, high-value, or electric
• The destination port does not have a RoRo terminal
• Personal effects need to travel with the vehicle
• The customer simply wants the highest level of security from collection to delivery

The honest answer is that neither method is universally better it depends on the vehicle, the destination, and what matters most to you. Our team will always tell you which option genuinely suits your situation.

Container Shipping Routes — Where We Sail

Our container service operates to hundreds of destinations worldwide on regular weekly sailing schedules. Here are some of our most active routes from UK ports:

Transit times shown are sea voyage only and do not include UK collection, depot processing, or destination customs clearance. Our team will always provide a realistic end-to-end timeline not just the sea transit figure  at the point of booking.

What Vehicles Can We Ship by Container?

Our container service accommodates a wide range of vehicles. We regularly ship:

• Standard cars — saloons, hatchbacks, estates, and coupes
• SUVs, 4x4s, and pickup trucks
• Prestige and luxury vehicles — including Range Rover, BMW, Mercedes, Porsche
• Classic and vintage cars — including non-running and fully restored examples
• Electric and hybrid vehicles — container only, with Dangerous Goods Declaration for the battery
• Non-running vehicles — loaded by winch or specialist equipment at our depot
• Modified or lowered vehicles with restricted ground clearance
• Light commercial vehicles and vans up to standard container height
• Campervans and small motorhomes — subject to height and weight restrictions

For particularly oversized vehicles  large motorhomes, agricultural machinery, or heavy plant — our team will advise on alternative options including open-top containers or RoRo breakbulk services.

What Is Included in Our Container Service?

Every container shipment we handle includes:

• UK collection from your home, business, or any UK address daily collections nationwide
• Professional depot loading by our experienced handling team, using appropriate timber bracing and cargo lashing
• Export customs clearance submitted to HMRC via the Customs Declaration Service
• Shipping line booking and Bill of Lading issued in your name
• Destination agent coordination — we work with trusted agents at every major port worldwide
• Regular updates on sailing status and estimated arrival

What is not included in the base container freight — and what we will always make clear upfront  are destination port charges, import duties, customs clearance fees at destination, and biosecurity inspection charges (where applicable, such as Australia). These are levied by government authorities and port operators at destination, and we will always provide an honest estimate of what to expect before you commit.

A Few Practical Points Before You Book

Fuel levels: Most shipping lines and destination countries require the fuel tank to be no more than one-quarter full prior to loading. We will confirm the exact requirement for your route at the point of booking.

Vehicle condition: For shared container services, the vehicle must be in roadworthy condition and driveable to facilitate loading at the depot. Non-running vehicles are accommodated on dedicated container services using winch loading — please advise us at enquiry stage.

Personal effects: Dedicated container customers can often include a limited volume of personal effects or household items in the container alongside the vehicle, subject to the destination country’s customs rules. This is never permitted on a RoRo service. Our team will advise exactly what is and is not allowed for your specific destination.

Marine insurance: We strongly recommend cargo insurance on all container shipments. While container shipping is inherently the safest method of international vehicle transport, marine insurance provides complete financial protection for the replacement value of your vehicle throughout the journey.

Why Ship Cars Ltd  for Container Car Shipping?

We are a specialist vehicle shipping company not a general freight business that handles cars on the side. Container shipping is one of our core services, and every member of our team understands the specific documentation, loading requirements, and destination regulations that apply to each route we operate.

We do not use one-size-fits-all answers. Every vehicle is different, every customer’s situation is different, and every destination has its own requirements. What we offer is straight talking, accurate pricing, and a service that genuinely looks after your vehicle from the moment it leaves your driveway to the moment it arrives at the destination port. That is what our customers come back for. And it is what we will deliver for you.