Container Shipping from and to Germany

In Germany you have 3 common modes of transportation: Rail-Road, Truck and Barge-Road.
The use of truck is common for short-distances within 300kms distance and urgently required cargo. The transit-time from Port to Door is between 24-48hrs.

The German ports also have an extensive access to the rail network. Especially from Bremerhaven and Hamburg you have a variety of rail departures to several inland container yards where the transfer for the last-mile by truck takes place. Rail-road saves CO2 and logistics costs. The transit time by rail-road is between 48hrs and 72hrs. A large portion of overall container volumes in Germany are transported by rail.

Barge-Road is frequently used when containers are being shipped through Rotterdam and Antwerp due to its access to the Rhine-River. Barges can carry up to 500TEU per vessel and are commonly used when door deliveries in short distances to the Rhine-Main-River Area need to take place. In case of low water, the barges cannot carry as many containers and might have longer transit times. The Transit Time can take between 5 to 8 days.

The preferred modes of transport for the pre-/on-carriage are available on Twill.

Transit times can vary depending on the vessel schedule, whether containers need to be connected to other vessels on their journey and how many calling ports there are on the route.

For example, you can ship a container from China to Germany in 32 days, from a main port like Shanghai, but an outlying port, like Nanjing, will normally need to move on a feeder or connecting vessel to a Chinese main port first. It will then be loaded on to an international (Mother) vessel bound for Germany. In these instances, it will take longer.

There are also instances where the (Mother) vessel is destined for a European Main Port like Rotterdam or Antwerp and not Germany. When this happens, the container is removed from the (Mother) vessel and loaded onto a feeder vessel for the last leg of the journey to Germany.

You will see if your shipment or tradeline is direct or a combination via a transshipment port when you are booking with us.

Insurance is not necessarily required to ship to Germany, but you should review whether this is something you should consider based on the Incoterms® you have agreed with your supplier.

Depending on the Incoterms® chosen, the risk associated with your purchase moves at a specific point in the shipping process. For example, if you chose to work with DAP (Delivered at Place) terms then the Seller bears all Risk until the Buyer receives the goods at their final destination, while if you chose FOB (Free On Board) terms the Risk moves to the Buyer at the point it loads on the vessel at Origin.

You should always ensure you read the fine print to ensure insurance coverage meets your needs, with policies varying on commodities, routes and value. Only specific policies cover delays, while most do not. Other policies cover you only for General Average Contribution, which are the costs associated with loss or damage to a ship or its cargo, with costs shared between the owners of the ship and owners of the cargo on board.

As we are supercharged by industry leader Maersk, this means that other liability regulations are involved compared to a transport with a forwarding agency. You can find out more here.

If you’re shipping your cargo across the sea, you want to know that you won’t lose money if your cargo is damaged or lost. This is why Twill offers Value Protect, giving you peace of mind that your cargo is protected during the transportation with us.

In Germany, the customs process is different between export and import. But for both scenarios, you need an “EORI” number. If you don’t have an EORI registration number, you can get one via the German Zoll (the German customs authorities).

As an importer, you’re obliged to tell the customs authorities which kind of goods you want to import in the territory of the “Bundesrepublik Deutschland” and therefore in the European Union. Mostly, you have to pay the Import VAT which is 19% of the value of goods as well as the duty. The duty rate depends on the country of origin as well as on the article itself. If you’ve got a deferral account at the German customs, we at Twill will need to know that.

Within Germany, it is possible to arrange bonded transportation, meaning we´ll issue a so-called “Transit” document which will be cleared at a customs office near the final delivery or maybe you want to clear the customs on your own. We can also do the customs clearance at the port of discharge.

As an exporter, you’re obliged to tell the customs authorities which kind of goods you want to export outside of the territory of the “Bundesrepublik Deutschland” and therefore of the European Union. This process is separated into two steps because two different customs offices are involved. 

1. At first, you have to declare your export and the goods at the responsible inland customs office nearby the loading address (export customs office). As a result, you’ll receive a document (Ausfuhrbegleitdokument) with a Movement Reference Number (MRN) that you can upload per shipment in your Twill dashboard.

2. With the second step, you inform the customs office of the exit which is seated near the port of loading (point of leaving the EU) about your plan to export the goods. This process is called Port Filing.

At Twill, we can handle both steps but it is also possible and common that we’re doing the Port Filing for you. You just have to book the additional service of Customs Clearance that you need and give us permission to do that via the Power of Attorney (POA). Afterwards, you’ll receive a “note of export” (Ausgangsvermerk) that you mostly need for your tax declaration at the end of the year.

The customs clearance process can differ from country to country and from port to port. At Twill we realise the need to get your goods through customs and understand the challenges it may cause. That’s why we can handle Customs Clearance Services for you.