RoRo or container
RoRo (roll-on/roll-off) means the car is driven onto a dedicated vehicle carrier and secured on a deck. It is normally the cheaper option and it sails frequently. Container shipping puts the car inside a sealed box — more protection from weather and handling, room for spare parts, and the option to share a container.
We ship from Bremerhaven and Hamburg. Bremerhaven is the largest vehicle transhipment port in Europe with worldwide connections; Hamburg adds strong inland connections and flexibility.
How long it takes
Direct sailings from European ports to the Middle East generally run about 10 to 25 days at sea, depending on the service and whether the vessel is direct or transships. Sailings to Dammam are commonly quoted longer than those to Jebel Ali.
Sea time is not the whole story. Add loading dates, the export formalities before departure and customs clearance at your end. We give you the realistic door-to-port window rather than the shortest number a carrier advertises, and we track the vessel while it sails.
Marine insurance
Cargo insurance is arranged separately from the freight and priced against the declared value of the car. We quote it as its own line so you can see what the cover costs and decide with your eyes open. It is not somewhere to economise on a vehicle worth tens of thousands of euros.
Import rules that decide what can land
GCC states apply a unified external tariff, with passenger vehicles at a standard 5% of CIF value. On top of that, several countries restrict the age of imported vehicles — commonly reported as a five-year limit for Saudi Arabia and the UAE, and seven years for Oman.
These rules change, and the authority that decides is your national customs, not us. We check the current position for your destination before you commit to a specific car — because an age limit discovered after purchase is an expensive discovery.
Sources
Public references for the rules described above. Requirements change — we confirm the current position for every car we handle.
- RoRo ports in Germany: Bremerhaven, Hamburg and Emden compared
- RoRo transit times — how long shipping actually takes
- Saudi Arabia’s five-year rule for imported vehicles
- GCC used-car import guide: fees and paperwork
