Shared Container Shipping to Africa from the UK: The Safer Option

Shared container is the strongly preferred method for vehicle shipments to most of Africa because RORO vessels suffer documented in-port theft and tampering at several major African terminals — Apapa and Tin Can Island (Lagos), Tema (Ghana) and parts of East Africa. A sealed steel container removes that exposure: nobody opens it between the UK consolidation hub and the destination warehouse.

The Ship Cars operates fortnightly shared container consolidations from Tilbury and Felixstowe to every major African port.

- Nigeria — Tilbury / Felixstowe to Apapa and Tin Can Island (Lagos). 21 to 32 days. From £1,400.
• Kenya — Felixstowe to Mombasa. 28 to 40 days. From £1,500.
• Ghana — Tilbury to Tema. 18 to 28 days. From £1,400.
• South Africa — Felixstowe to Durban and Cape Town. 22 to 32 days. From £1,400.
• Tanzania — Felixstowe to Dar es Salaam. 28 to 40 days. From £1,550.
• Uganda — Felixstowe to Mombasa, then onward inland to Kampala. 30 to 45 days. From £1,750.
• Egypt — Felixstowe to Alexandria and Damietta. 14 to 22 days. From £1,500.
• Morocco — Tilbury to Casablanca and Tangier Med. 10 to 16 days. From £1,350.
• Cameroon — Tilbury to Douala. 22 to 32 days. From £1,650.
• Senegal — Tilbury to Dakar. 14 to 22 days. From £1,500.
• Mozambique — Felixstowe to Maputo and Beira. 30 to 42 days. From £1,750.
• Ethiopia — Felixstowe to Djibouti, road-haul to Addis Ababa. 32 to 45 days. From £1,950.
• Ivory Coast — Tilbury to Abidjan. 18 to 28 days. From £1,500.

We also operate weekly to fortnightly Caribbean shared container consolidations: Jamaica (Kingston, 18 to 24 days, from £1,800), Trinidad & Tobago (Port of Spain, 22 to 28 days, from £1,900) and Barbados (Bridgetown, 24 to 30 days, from £1,950).

Import rules vary widely:

- Nigeria — Customs duty 35% (20% duty + 15% levy) on most cars, plus 7.5% VAT. Right-hand drive permitted.
• Kenya — 25% duty + 20% excise + 16% VAT. Vehicles must be under 8 years old. Right-hand drive.
• Ghana — Duty 5 to 20% by engine size + 12.5% VAT + age penalty for vehicles over 10 years.
• South Africa — Personal-import permit required (ITAC). Duty 25% + 14% VAT + ad valorem 0 to 25%.
• Tanzania, Uganda, Mozambique — All RHD, 25% duty + VAT, age penalties on cars over 8 to 10 years.
• Egypt — Heavy restrictions; usually only returning Egyptians and diplomats.
• Morocco — 17.5% duty + 20% VAT. Age limit 5 years for non-residents.

See our UK customs clearance guide, the Nigeria guide and the South Africa guide for country-specific detail.

- Always insist on a sealed container. Numbered seals are the single best protection against tampering.
• Use a reputable destination broker. A bad broker can stretch a 5-day clearance into a 5-week one.
• Document the vehicle exhaustively before loading. Time-stamped photos of every panel, the interior, the engine bay and the odometer.
• Plan for inland haul. Uganda, Ethiopia, Rwanda and parts of DRC require inland trucking from Mombasa, Dar es Salaam or Djibouti — factor 7 to 14 days and the road-haul cost.
• Check the age limit before you ship. Several African countries refuse cars over 8 to 10 years old, or apply punitive duties.

Request a free quote or browse all African destinations. African corridors are benchmarked on our car shipping costs guide.