Container shipping Rotterdam to Richards Bay

You want to ship a container from Rotterdam to Richards Bay (ZARCB)? Sea freight has many advantages: e.g. you can transport high volumes for a reasonable price, it’s convenient and you can track the cargo in real time. Transporting a container by sea with food or furniture can be arranged by shipping companies such as COSCO. They offer all kind of containers. There is made a difference between (FCL) Full Container Load and partial shipments (LCL). Via our transport agents we provide you with up-to-date information about international transport Richards Bay (ZA RCB). We provide you with useful information about the different types and ways of sea freight. Besides this we share a export plan in 5 steps. Mail us with your needs and we will send a quote with a competitive rate.

Ocean shipping is a very popular, staunch and affordable way to transport large and heavy loads.
Compared to air freight, you can transport larger volumes for a better price.
Sea freight is great for worldwide relocations and carrying breakbulk or personal effects.
The Port of Richards Bay is a frequently chosen port in South Africa.
We handle a wide variety of container sizes including: 20 FT, 40 FT, 40FT HC and Insulated, Hard-Top, Dry Van, Open-Top, Refrigerated, Tank containers.

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Shipping to Richards Bay (ZARCB) from Rotterdam (NLRTM)

Ocean freight shipping is the container freight transportation of cargo by shipping lines. Your products are loaded into the container. The freight forwarder will reserve a container for you. The cargo will be trucked to the shipping vessel at the port of departure (POD) Richards Bay (ZA RCB), and will be transported by sea to the terminal at the POD. They can get you services like port-to-door, port-to-port, door-to-door, door-to-port. In the list below you will find important information about the port of destination.

Port of departure	Port of Rotterdam (NLRTM)
Country of departure	Netherlands
Port of destination	Port of Richards Bay
Country of destination	South Africa
Port Code	ZARCB
Transportation time	+/- 31 days
Shipping prices	$$
Local address	P O Box 181, Richards Bay 3900, South Africa
E-mail address	south-africa@containershippingservice.com
Website	www.transnetnationalportsauthority.net
Telephone number	359053604

Freight Forwarder Rotterdam – port of Richards Bay

Details of your shipping
Enter the origin of shipment and the POD (port of destination). Choose if you want to ship a full container for yourself (FCL) or (LCL) and partial shipments. Also select container size (20 ft, 40 ft of 40 ft high cube).
Packing the container
Primarily, your load need to be prepared in the right way. To limit damage, it is a good idea to use pallets. Also make sure you have good labels.
Export documents
In the situations that you export cargo to Richards Bay (ZARCB), you will have to provide special export documents (for fast customs clearance): commercial invoice, export/import customs declaration, packing list, certificates of origin, bill of lading. A Bill of Lading is a required document provided by a carrier to a shipper to acknowledge that they have received the goods and that the freight has been booked correctly.
Agree on who bears the risk (Incoterm)
Freight forwarders make us of incoterms to define the seller’s and buyer’s responsibilities. The Incoterm determines who is the risk-bearing party for transit, insurance and customs clearance. Much chosen incoterms are Delivery Duty Paid (DDP), Ex Works (EXW), Cost, Insurance Freight (CIF).
Track and Trace shipment
Use the Ocean Shipment Tracking to check where your shipment is right now. You can check the status when the vessel is departed from the port of origin (POO), arrived at the port of arrival (POD) and when the cargo was transported to the ultimate recipient.

Sea freight from Richards Bay (ZARCB) to Rotterdam (NLRTM): find a suitable container

You want to ship a container from port of Richards Bay – (ZA RCB) to port of Rotterdam – (NL RTM)? It is highly recommended to ask an appropriate container. They come in different sizes (20ft & 40ft) and all kind of container conditions (FCL shipment or LCL shipping). Many shipping lines operate on this route. Major towns near the seaport are Richards bay, Empangeni, Esikhawini, Eshowe, Sundumbili, Ulundi, Stanger, Ballitoville, Greytown, Durban, Mondlo, Ncotshane, Vryheid, Epumalanga, Pietermaritzburg, Ekuvukeni, Dundee, Howick, Paulpietersburg, Umkomaas. In the paragraph below we help you choose the right type and provide info about the most popular products. We are happy to provide you with more information about Documentary Credit.

Information and benefits of 20 foot container

20 ft. containers (also known as dry van) is the most popular container size. They are easy to transport, that means they are quite cheap. Very suitable for the transport of personal effects and movings. What you might not know: TEU abbreviation stands for Twenty Foot Equivalent Unit.

This box is a very suitable choice for sending goods overseas.
A 20-foot container has the following dimensions: 6058mm x 2438mm x 2891mm.
A 20’ft container can hold eleven pallets.
You must take into account a maximum permitted weight of +/- 27.700 kg.

Explanation about a 40 foot container

The 40-foot container offers twice as much space as the 20-footer. They are very suitable for e.g. industrial goods and retail products. All this makes it a very effective means for transporting large loads by sea. Finally, there exist a bigger and higher ‘high cube’ edition. They are 1 foot higher than a regular container. Stuff can be stacked high.

Very popular with large and bulky goods.
The dimensions are as follows: 12.19m long x 2.44m wide x 2.59m high.
It can carry between 23 and 24 Europallets in one tier.
The max. weight is limited to +/- 28.900 kilogram.

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What is a FCL container and what are the benefits?

If you have enough goods to fill an entire container, then a full container is often worth it. Freight carriers then talk about FCL (Full Container Load). You don’t need to share space with others like LCL. It is a popular transport method: faster transit time, a smaller chance of damage to the freight and it’s more cost-effective. There are also disadvantages: it is not suitable for importers and exporters with lower shipping volume and it is harder to unload the FCL shipment. There are also other departure ports. See for example Antwerp to Richards Bay (ZARCB) and Hamburg to Richards Bay (ZARCB).

FCL means that you have the entire container space to yourself.
Perfect for the transportation of large amounts.
Recommended for shipments from 15 m3.
Available at: e.g. MSC, Hapag-Lloyd, CMA CGM, ONE, Maersk.

What is a Less than container (LCL)?

If your cargo does not fill an entire 20-foot or 40-foot container, inquire about the possibilities for a shared container. You choose a LCL (Less Than Container Load) contract. What we mean by LCL is that you just pay for the amount of space used in a single container. You consciously opt for various benefits such as: you can send some good in a cheap way, you can save on inventory costs and it is faster during peak-season. Worth mentioning: if your shipment takes up more than half a container, then it is often more interesting to go for an FCL shipping. The total costs are calculated based on the actual volume that the shipment occupies in a shared shipping container.

LCL means that a partial container is booker for the freight.
A good solution for shipping volumes between 3 m3 and 14,5 m3.
You just pay for the used volume of the full container.
Easier to find space during peak season.
Available at: e.g. ZIM, Wan Hai, HMM, POL, Yang Ming.

Special containers for special freight

The range of boxes is very diverse for international cargo shipping. Each type of cargo needs a different solution. The Dry van is the most used type worldwide. There are specially developed transport options for liquids, flour, coffee or cocoa or other special goods. We give a short explanation below. You can also read more information about shipments to Beirut (LBBEY), port of Karachi (PKKHI), Barcelona (ESBCN) harbor and terminal Umm Qasr (IQUQS).

Bulk Containers: used for transport of foodstuffs or bulk such as wheat, rice and corn.
Flat Rack Containers: the walls allows for the loading of cargo from the top and/or sides.
Hard-Top Containers: the latter has a removable roof due to which the door header can be pivoted outside.
High-Cube Containers: are similar in structure to standard boxes, but a little taller.
Insulated Containers: ideal for Storage or Shipping Dry Goods.

Open-Top Containers: enables oversized cargo such as timber and scrap metal to be loaded from the top.
Palletwide Containers: the ideal type for transporting many euro pallets.
Refrigerated Containers: reefers are used for goods which need to be transported at a constant temperature.
Tank Containers: are basically, cylindrical vessels held within a standard 20ft ISO frame.
Ventilated Containers: the best option for for organic products.

Main types of ocean cargo: What do you want to ship?

Transporting cargo by sea from Rotterdam (NLRTM) to Richards Bay (ZARCB) have all kinds of advantages: low prices, high sea vessel load capacity and it’s better for the environment than air freight. The main categories of ocean cargo imported via sea shipping includes: roll on/roll off, dry bulk, break bulk, liquid bulk, neo bulk. Below we give an explanation.

Car shipping: a professional company ships your vehicle internationally.
House Moving: get your private goods shipped for relocation.
Removals (Household Goods): your household effects are shipped precisely and neatly.
Liquid Bulk: e.g. chemicals, hydrogen, biofuels, kerosene, petroleum, diesel.
Dry Bulk: iron ore, grain, coal and coils, plates, lumber, sugar.
Roll on Roll off (RORO): a type of shipping that is used for transporting things such as vehicles.
Breakbulk: small containers of freight are unloaded from pallets and packed into the ship’s hold.
Retail & other: load like toys, sports equipment, electronic goods, clothes, art and antiques and drinks, shoes, furniture, machines, fashion.

All you need to know about international transport (FAQ)

How long does it take for a container ship to go from Rotterdam to Richards Bay?

Shipping a container from Rotterdam (NL) to Richards Bay takes approx 31 days. The distance to be covered is about 7500 nautical miles. 1 nautical mile is equivalent to 1.85 km. That makes the distance 13890 kilometers. When you send something by sea, you will have to deal with ETD and ETA. ETD means the date and time the vessel will leave the dock. Estimated time of arrival (ETA) is the date and time that a shipment is predicted to arrive. The precise shipping time depends on the boat speed, sea weather condition and type of cargo.

What are the costs of a shipping container to Richards Bay (ZARCB)?

Shipping rates from Rotterdam (Netherlands) to Richards Bay (South Africa) are average. The total cost depends on various factors such as cargo type, period of the year and other costs like stacking and siting. We invite you to contact us for a quote for your transport.

What customs documents do i need?

When you are exporting goods to Richards Bay, then you must have the administration in order for customs clearance. Exporters need to include the following documents with their goods: Packing List, Bill of Lading, Insurance Certificate, Certificate of Origin, Letter of Credit, Import/export Licenses. For more information, please contact the customs of South Africa or view the website of the port/government (www.transnetnationalportsauthority.net).

What is the best Incoterm for my shipment?

Incoterms describe the rights and obligations of both seller and buyer. The most commonly used Incoterms are FOB and CIF. CIF (Cost, Insurance and Freight) means the exporting party arranges the costs of transporting the cargo to the port of origin. The meaning of Free on Board (FOB) is the seller is responsible for all expenses the cargo till the moment that it’s all loaded into the vessel. Other popular Incoterms 2000 are: Ex Works (EXW), Carriage Paid To (CPT), Free Alongside Ship (FAS), Delivered Duty Paid (DDP) & Carriage and Insurance Paid To (CIP), Delivered at Place Unloaded (DPU), Cost and Freight (CFR).