Updated 18 September 2026

RORO Sailing Schedule 2026

Live vessel dates for car and vehicle shipping from the UK to worldwide destinations. Sailings ex Southampton, Tilbury, Sheerness and Teesport. Always confirm closing dates with our team before delivering cargo.

Updated 18 September 2026

Shipping Schedules — South Africa & Namibia, Africa, Jamaica & Turkey

Current vessel departures from the UK. Select a route tab for receiving dates, closing times, sailings and arrivals.

🌍 South Africa & Namibia

Ex Sheerness (Car Terminal, Lappel Bank, Sheerness Docks, Kent ME12 1RS)

Sunrise Ace V 0145A — vehicle RORO sailing from Sheerness to Walvis Bay.

Receiving for all cargo: Car Terminal, Lappel Bank, Sheerness Docks, Kent ME12 1RS — Monday to Friday 08:00 to 16:30.
Sheerness receiving dates: open from Monday 7th September until Monday 23rd September at 16:30hrs very latest — no exceptions (closed weekends & bank holidays).
Vessel maximum height 4.80m.

Vessel / Service	Closing & Sailing	Arrival
Sunrise Ace V 0145A (Max Height 4.80m)	ETS Sheerness: 26.09.2026	ETA Walvis Bay: 09.10.2026

Red Sea disruption: ongoing conflict in the Red Sea and Yemen continues to affect 2026 sailings to the Middle East, India, Pakistan and parts of East Africa. Some routes carry limited or no vehicle capacity. Contact our team if your destination is not listed below.

🌎 Americas, USA & Canada 🦘 Australia 🥝 New Zealand 🇹🇷 Turkey 🇪🇺 Europe 🇦🇪 UAE & Middle East 🌴 Caribbean & Latin America 🌍 Africa (East, West & Southern)🌏 South Asia & South Pacific 🇬🇧 UK (Imports into the UK)

🌎Americas, USA & Canada

13 sailings

Red Sea disruption may affect availability — confirm before booking.

RORO & Container Sailings (Sep–Oct 2026)

MIXED

Port / Vessel	Sailing Dates	Transit
Brunswick — Georgia	4, 9, 15, 16, 23, 28 Sep · 6, 12, 14, 21, 27 Oct	20–25 days
Charleston — South Carolina	4, 9, 15, 16, 23, 28 Sep · 6, 12, 14, 27 Oct	11–26 days
Galveston — Texas	9, 16, 24 Sep · 7, 20 Oct	15–39 days
Altamira — Mexico	9, 16, 24 Sep · 7, 20 Oct	23–59 days
Port Hueneme — California	8, 9, 14, 15, 21, 24, 25, 28 Sep · 5, 9, 12, 26 Oct	22–36 days
Tacoma — Washington	8, 14, 15, 21, 29, 30 Sep · 12, 26 Oct	13–31 days
Baltimore — Maryland	4, 8, 9, 10, 15, 22, 23, 27 Sep · 6, 10, 14, 21, 22, 27 Oct	10–47 days
Jacksonville — Florida	23 Sep · 20 Oct	8–20 days
Long Beach — California	2, 5, 9, 21, 24, 25, 28 Sep · 8 Oct	23–35 days
New York — New Jersey	2, 11, 12, 17, 22, 26, 29 Sep · 3, 9, 16, 23, 27 Oct	8–42 days
Halifax — Canada	2, 11, 12, 17, 22, 26 Sep · 3, 9, 16, 23 Oct	5–38 days
San Diego — California	4, 20 Sep · 3 Oct	23–59 days
San Antonio — Texas	Contact us for dates	—

🦘Australia

8 sailings

RORO Sailings (Sep–Oct 2026)

RORO

Vehicles cannot be loaded on some sailings — confirm with our team

Port / Vessel	Sailing Dates	Transit
Melbourne	8, 10, 14, 17, 20, 27, 28, 30 Sep · 9, 13, 17, 23, 27, 29 Oct	8–63 days
Brisbane	10, 17, 20, 23, 27, 28, 29, 30 Sep · 5, 9, 12, 13, 17, 23, 29 Oct	24–92 days
Fremantle	5, 10, 12, 17, 19, 23, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30 Sep · 12, 13, 17, 23, 29 Oct	8–100 days
Port Kembla	10, 17, 26, 27 Sep · 13, 17, 23, 29 Oct	43–58 days

Shared Container (Sep–Oct 2026)

SHARED CONTAINER

Port / Vessel	Sailing Dates	Transit
Melbourne	5, 19, 26 Sep	43–49 days
Brisbane	8, 19, 26 Sep	42–85 days
Adelaide	5, 8, 12, 19, 20, 26, 29 Sep · 12, 23, 26 Oct	41–67 days
Sydney	Contact us for dates	—

🥝New Zealand

3 sailings

Shared Container (Sep–Oct 2026)

SHARED CONTAINER

Port / Vessel	Sailing Dates	Transit
Auckland	8, 10, 12, 13, 19, 20, 23, 26, 28 Sep · 4, 5, 12, 13, 16 Oct	17–67 days
Lyttelton	5, 12, 13, 19, 27, 30 Sep · 4, 16, 23, 29 Oct	57–80 days
Tauranga	8, 11, 15, 21, 22, 26 Sep · 5, 12, 19, 26 Oct	14–86 days

🇹🇷Turkey

2 sailings

Autoport, Kocaeli (Izmit) — Ex Portbury, Bristol

RORO

Port / Vessel	Sailing Dates	Transit
Emerald Leader	Closing 16 Sep · Sailing 18 Sep 2026	ETA Autoport 5 Oct 2026
Coral Leader	Closing 21 Sep · Sailing 23 Sep 2026	ETA Autoport 9 Oct 2026

🇪🇺Europe

16 sailings

RORO Sailings (Sep–Oct 2026)

RORO

Port / Vessel	Sailing Dates	Transit
Cyprus — Limassol	4, 8, 10, 13, 18, 19, 27, 29 Sep · 2, 6, 12, 23 Oct	13–20 days
Portugal — Setubal	9 Sep · 28 Oct	3–37 days
Greece — Piraeus	9, 15, 22, 30 Sep	17 days
Spain — Valencia	8, 14, 18, 21 Sep · 21, 23 Oct	9–39 days
Spain — Vigo	9, 15, 22, 30 Sep	6 days
Spain — Pasajes	6 Sep	4–11 days
Spain — Sagunto	9, 15, 22, 30 Sep	11 days
Spain — Santander	6 Sep	3–11 days
Italy — Salerno	21 Sep	15–45 days
Italy — Savona	14, 18, 26, 29 Sep · 6, 13, 17, 18, 19, 21 Oct	24–57 days
Italy — Palermo	20, 22, 29, 30 Sep · 5, 25 Oct	4–11 days
Italy — Civitavecchia	14, 18, 26, 29 Sep · 6, 15, 19, 21 Oct	23–33 days
Italy — Livorno	9, 15, 22, 30 Sep	12–13 days
Malta — Valletta	22 Sep	14–33 days
Germany — Bremerhaven	14, 18, 29 Sep · 6, 19, 21 Oct	4–7 days
Belgium — Antwerp	8, 14, 18, 21, 29, 30 Sep · 3, 6, 21 Oct	1–7 days

🇦🇪UAE & Middle East

9 sailings

Red Sea disruption may affect availability — confirm before booking.

RORO Sailings (Sep–Oct 2026)

RORO

Port / Vessel	Sailing Dates	Transit
Saudi Arabia — Jeddah	3 Sep · 8 Oct	12–49 days
Jordan — Aqaba	3 Sep · 8 Oct	10 days
Qatar — Doha	Contact us for dates	—
Kuwait — Shuwaikh	Contact us for dates	—
Saudi Arabia — Dammam	Contact us for dates	—
Bahrain — Mina Salman	Contact us for dates	—
Abu Dhabi — Khalifa Port	Contact us for dates	—
Dubai — Jebel Ali	Contact us for dates	—
Oman — Sohar	Contact us for dates	—

🌴Caribbean & Latin America

1 sailings

Jamaica — Kingston

RORO

Port / Vessel	Sailing Dates	Transit
Hoegh Yokohama	Closing 14 Sep · Sailing 16 Sep 2026	ETA Kingston 15 Oct 2026

🌍Africa (East, West & Southern)

9 sailings

South Africa & Namibia — Ex Sheerness

RORO

Receive at Car Terminal, Lappel Bank, Sheerness Docks, Kent ME12 1RS, Monday–Friday 08:00–16:30. Open 7–23 September; final acceptance 23 September at 16:30. Closed weekends.

Port / Vessel	Sailing Dates	Transit
Sunrise Ace V 0145A (Max 4.80m)	ETS Sheerness 26 Sep 2026	ETA Walvis Bay 9 Oct 2026

East Africa — Ex Sheerness

RORO

Receive at Car Terminal, Lappel Bank, Sheerness Docks by 16:30 on 23 September 2026. No weekend or late deliveries.

Port / Vessel	Sailing Dates	Transit
Sunrise Ace V 0145A (Max 4.80m)	ETS Sheerness 26 Sep 2026	Walvis Bay 9 Oct · Dar es Salaam 16 Oct · Mombasa 17 Oct 2026

West Africa — Ex Tilbury

MIXED

Cargo is accepted only with a standard shipping note and UK customs-clearance documents.

Port / Vessel	Sailing Dates	Transit
GREAT LAGOS 0726 — Containers only	Container closing 23:59, 16 Sep · ETS Tilbury early 19 Sep 2026	Direct: Abidjan, Cotonou, Lagos, Tema · Transhipment: Bata, Dakar, Douala, Lomé
GRANDE GABON 0526 — RORO	Open 14 Sep · RORO closing 15:00, 23 Sep · ETS Tilbury 26 Sep 2026	Direct: Abidjan, Cotonou, Lagos, Tema · Transhipment: Bata, Dakar, Douala, Libreville, Lomé, Luanda, Pointe-Noire
GRANDE GABON 0526 — Containers	Merchant: EDC 20ft closes 15:00, 22 Sep; LCT closes 23:59, 22 Sep · Line haulage closes 23:59, 23 Sep	ETS Tilbury 26 Sep 2026

South Africa — Durban

RORO

Port / Vessel	Sailing Dates	Transit
Hoegh Detroit	Closing 21 Sep · Sailing 23 Sep 2026	ETA Durban 15 Oct 2026
Hoegh Sunlight	Closing 6 Oct · Sailing 8 Oct 2026	ETA Durban 30 Oct 2026
Hoegh Starlight	Closing 8 Oct · Sailing 10 Oct 2026	ETA Durban 2 Nov 2026
Hoegh Seoul	Closing 26 Oct · Sailing 28 Oct 2026	ETA Durban 19 Nov 2026

🌏South Asia & South Pacific

2 sailings

Weekly ex Southampton & Felixstowe

MIXED

Port / Vessel	Sailing Dates	Transit
South Pacific weekly service	Apia (Samoa), Gladstone, Darwin, Newcastle, Townsville, Honiara (Solomon Islands), Noumea (New Caledonia), Nukualofa (Tonga), Papeete (Tahiti), Port Moresby, Lae, Madang, Kimbe, Rabaul (PNG), Port Vila, Santo (Vanuatu), Suva, Lautoka (Fiji), Rarotonga (Cook Islands), Guam, Pago Pago, Majuro, Tarawa, Dili, Bell Bay (Tasmania)	Contact for vessel dates
South Asia weekly service	Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh	Contact for vessel dates

🇬🇧UK (Imports into the UK)

1 sailings

Worldwide imports to UK ports

MIXED

Port / Vessel	Sailing Dates	Transit
All worldwide origins	Inbound RORO and container services to Southampton, Tilbury, Sheerness and Teesport	Contact us for arrival dates, customs clearance and UK delivery

Schedule data sourced from UK shipping agents and carriers. Last updated 18 September 2026. Dates subject to change without notice.

How the 2026 RORO sailing schedule works

The Ship Cars publishes a rolling 60 to 90-day Roll-on/Roll-off (RORO) sailing schedule for car and vehicle shipping from the UK. The 2026 schedule consolidates vessel dates from major carriers including Wallenius Wilhelmsen, K-Line, NYK, Höegh Autoliners, Glovis, Grimaldi and ACL into a single table, organised by region.

Each entry shows the discharge port, departure dates from the relevant UK port, and transit time in calendar days. Where vehicle capacity is limited or restricted (East Africa personal effects, Australia non-loading sailings), we flag the constraint inline so you can plan delivery, customs documentation and RORO shipping or shared container bookings without surprises.

UK departure ports for RORO in 2026

Southampton

Primary global RORO hub. Weekly sailings to Europe, the Middle East, USA, Australia, New Zealand, Southern Africa and the South Pacific. Operated by Wallenius Wilhelmsen, Höegh Autoliners and K-Line.

Tilbury

London Gateway and Tilbury2 Terminal. Weekly Grimaldi RORO and container service to West Africa (Lagos, Tema, Cotonou, Abidjan, Casablanca) and Höegh sailings to Southern Africa.

Sheerness

Specialist RORO terminal for East and Southern Africa, Walvis Bay, Dar es Salaam and Mombasa. Vessels include Glovis Sigma, Precious Ace and Amethyst Ace.

Teesport

Höegh and Glovis sailings to Southern Africa. Convenient for North England, Scottish and Yorkshire collection postcodes.

RORO routes by region

Europe. Weekly RORO sailings ex Southampton and Bristol to Spain, Italy, Germany, Cyprus, Portugal and Greece. Transit 3 to 20 days.
Middle East. Weekly and fortnightly sailings to Jeddah, Dammam, Jebel Ali, Sohar and Aqaba. Routings affected by Red Sea disruption — many vessels currently route via the Cape of Good Hope. See country guides for UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
Africa. Weekly Grimaldi service ex Tilbury to West Africa (Lagos, Tema, Cotonou, Abidjan), plus Höegh and Glovis sailings ex Sheerness and Teesport to South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania and Nigeria.
Americas. Multi-weekly sailings to Baltimore, New York, Brunswick, Charleston, Long Beach, Halifax and Veracruz. Both USA and Canada corridors run RORO and container.
Australia and New Zealand. Fortnightly RORO and weekly shared container sailings to Melbourne, Brisbane, Fremantle, Adelaide, Auckland and Tauranga. See Australia and New Zealand.
Caribbean and Latin America. Monthly sailings to Kingston, Port of Spain, San Juan, Castries, Basseterre, Cartagena and Paramaribo. Country pages: Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago, Barbados.

Cargo closing times and delivery deadlines

Most carriers close cargo acceptance 48 to 72 hours before vessel departure. The Grimaldi West Africa service closes RORO every Friday at 16:30 and container every Thursday at 21:30 with no late deliveries accepted. Höegh and Wallenius vessels typically close two working days before sailing. Plan UK collection or self-drop accordingly, or use our car shipping cost calculator to estimate door-to-port turnaround.

Documents required before sailing

DVLA V5C log book (original)
Photo ID (passport or driving licence)
HMRC NOVA / C88 export entry
EORI number for commercial exports
Commercial invoice with declared value
Bill of Lading or Sea Waybill
Marine insurance certificate
Pre-shipment inspection (where required)

Full documentation guidance is available on our customs clearance page and in our guides and articles.

Frequently asked questions

How often do RORO ships sail from the UK in 2026?

Most major routes from Southampton, Tilbury, Sheerness and Teesport sail weekly or fortnightly. Europe and West Africa run weekly. Australia, New Zealand, the Caribbean and East Africa typically run every two to four weeks.

Which UK ports do RORO vessels depart from?

The four main UK RORO export ports in 2026 are Southampton (global routes), Tilbury (West Africa, USA East Coast), Sheerness (East and Southern Africa) and Teesport (Southern Africa). Bristol and Immingham handle selected European sailings.

Are sailings affected by the Red Sea disruption?

Yes. Routes via the Suez Canal to the Middle East, India, Pakistan and parts of East Africa are still affected by the Red Sea and Yemen conflict in 2026. Many carriers are routing via the Cape of Good Hope, which adds 10 to 20 days transit. Always confirm dates before delivery.

Can I deliver my vehicle on the day of sailing?

No. Most lines close cargo acceptance 48 to 72 hours before vessel departure. West Africa via Grimaldi closes Fridays at 16:30 for RORO and Thursdays at 21:30 for container. Late deliveries are refused.

What is the difference between RORO and shared container in the schedule?

RORO means the vehicle is driven on and off the vessel as wheeled cargo. Shared container means two to four vehicles are loaded into a sealed 40ft container alongside other UK vehicles. Shared container is the default for Australia and New Zealand.

How do I confirm a sailing date?

Submit the online quote form with your vehicle make, model, registration and chosen destination port. We will confirm vessel name, closing date and ETA in writing before booking.

Confirm your next UK RORO sailing

Submit your vehicle details and destination port for a written quotation. We will reply with vessel name, closing date and ETA within one working hour.

Get a Free Quote