Import on the water? Map the handovers, ship to door.
The line, your clearing agent, SARS, the port, us and you: see who holds the box at each step, which paper passes, and where we take over.
- 6 partiesOne map
- RIBLicensed remover in bond
- K9Our depot’s SARS code
One import, nine handovers.
- 01
Paper first
Your clearing agent declares the goods to SARS, gets the release and pays cargo dues, while the box waits at the terminal.
- 02
Released to us
Your delivery instruction names us, and the line’s delivery order releases the box to us as the transporter.
- 03
Gate-out to your door
We collect on a booked appointment and run it up the N3, with status emails from instruction to final delivery.
- 04
One contact
A service advisor is your single point of contact for every handover that’s ours, with our 24-hour control centre behind them.
Request an import transport quote
Your import
Step 1 of 7- Truck booked by
- —
- Customs
- —
- Cargo
- —
- After the port
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- Going to
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- Vessel due
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- Handover map
- Optional
The paper, then the box
The box can’t leave the port until the paper is in order: the declaration, the release, cargo dues and the delivery order. Then it’s ours, until it reaches your door.
Before it moves
- The declarationYour agent to SARS
- SARS’s status1 is release, 2 an inspection
- Cargo duesPaid before the box goes
- The delivery orderFrom the line, naming us
Once it’s ours
- Gate-out and the N3Full containers to Gauteng
- Remover in bondFor boxes not cleared or stopped
- Customs-licensed depotGermiston, SARS code K9
- Status by emailFrom instruction to delivery
Send these with the instruction
The packing list (piece count, weights, dimensions), the cargo type and handling needs, whether it’s hazardous, the customs status and the delivery instructions.
What stays with your agent
The customs declaration and the duty: we don’t clear goods. Release times, free days and the line’s charges are set by SARS, the terminal and the line.
One contact
A service advisor is your single point of contact for every handover that’s ours, with our 24-hour control centre behind them.
Where we operate
Our head office and 24-hour control centre are at 69–71 Barlow Road, Jupiter, Germiston, beside our customs-licensed depot, with an office in Durban. From there we take imports over from the clearing agent’s instruction: the release, the gate-out, the N3, the bond, the depot and the door.
- Germiston depot69–71 Barlow Road, Jupiter, Germiston 011 873 4786
- Durban · Greyville81 Berea Road, Greyville, Durban 031 305 0438
Part of Shipping & General Transport
Shipping & General Transport is a privately owned South African logistics company built on trustworthiness, perseverance and reliability. Supply Chain Logistics Solution is one of its specialist services: an import container’s handovers, from the ship to your door.
Visit shippingandgeneral.co.zaQuestions about import handovers
Can’t find your answer? Our team is a phone call away.
Call 011 873 4786What happens to an import container between the ship and the door?
About nine handovers. The line sends an arrival notice; your clearing agent declares the goods to SARS and gets a status back; cargo dues are paid; the line gets its release paperwork and a delivery instruction, and issues a delivery order to the transporter; the box gates out on a booked appointment, travels, is delivered, and the empty goes back to the line. The handover map above draws yours.
What’s the difference between merchant haulage and carrier haulage?
With merchant haulage you (or your agent) choose the transporter, and the delivery instruction names it: that’s where we come in. With carrier haulage the line books the truck, and the instruction gives the delivery address, the date and a contact. If the line delivers, our Germiston depot can still be the delivery address, for unpacking or storage: confirm it with us first.
What does the line need before it releases the box?
Each line publishes its own list. One line in South Africa asks for the original bill of lading or a release letter, the SARS release notification, cargo dues, payment and the delivery instruction, by close of business on the day the vessel arrives. Your clearing agent knows each line’s rules. Our sister site has the port checklist.
What do SARS’s status codes mean?
SARS answers every clearance declaration with a status. 1 is release. 2 is a physical inspection: an unpack, an X-ray scan or detention for Customs. 4 and 5 mean another government agency may still detain the goods, 6 rejects the declaration, and 13 asks for supporting documents. Your agent receives them.
What if customs hasn’t released the box when the ship arrives?
It can still leave the port, in bond. In-bond delivery instructions are due within 72 hours of discharge; otherwise the terminal may move the box in bond to a licensed depot, at your risk and cost. We’re a registered remover of goods in bond, and our customs-licensed depot in Germiston (SARS code K9) stores uncleared boxes until final release.
What if SARS stops it for an inspection?
We move customs-stopped boxes in bond to our depot, or one you nominate, for the examination. Our team does tailboard, tunnel and full unpack exams, with a daily status report until final release.
How long does the terminal store a box free?
It depends on the terminal and the cargo. At Durban’s Pier 1 a standard import gets 3 days, from 00h01 on the day after discharge; reefers get 3 days off-peak and 2 in the peak, and some dangerous goods classes may not be stored at all. Our sister site counts the days.
What’s the difference between demurrage and detention?
They’re the line’s charges, under its own tariff, on top of the terminal’s storage. Demurrage runs while the full box waits at the terminal; on one line’s tariff it counts from discharge until the box gates out. Detention runs while the box is out, until the empty is back. Unpacking at our depot frees the container sooner, which may limit detention.
Who takes the empty back?
The empty goes to the depot the line allocates, and other depots turn it away, so check the line’s current list. Our site doesn’t state empty returns, so confirm the empty leg with us in the quote.
Do you clear goods with SARS?
No: your clearing agent declares the goods. We’re a preferred provider to multinational and local clearing and forwarding agents, and we work from their instruction: we take the release, collect the box, move it in bond when it isn’t cleared, and deliver it.
What should we send you?
The packing list (piece count, weights, dimensions), the cargo type and any handling needs, whether it’s hazardous, the customs status and the delivery instructions. A service advisor is then your single point of contact, and status emails go out from instruction to final delivery.
What does it cost?
We don’t publish prices. Answer the short questions in the quote form, add your handover map if you like, and we’ll quote on your actual import.
What’s on the water?
Seven short questions, plus your handover map if you like. No prices online, just a quote on your actual import.
