Shipping to and from Australia

Your complete guide to shipping to and from Australia. Find the right route, get Maersk office locations, discover local solutions, payment options and more.

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Import

Get up-to-date local information about import procedures and restrictions, demurrage and detention, container pick-ups and more.

Document	Issuance Date
Document Arrival Notice	Issuance Date 10 days prior to ETA
Document Import Invoice	Issuance Date 10 days prior to ETA
Document Delivery Order (EDO)	Issuance Date 9 Days prior to ETA (All pre-conditions Closed)
Document Carrier Sea Cargo Report	Issuance Date 72 Hours Prior to ETA

Customers in Australia are offered Combined Detention & Demurrage for import shipments. This means you will have one combined free time period and compensation for the utilisation of equipment inside and outside of terminals or depots.

The Import Detention & Demurrage period in AU is calculated starting on the container discharge date to the gate-in empty return date.

Free Time days are determined based on whether the booking was placed under SPOT, Contract or Tariff Terms & Conditions. The terms of your booking can be found on your under the Shipment Overview or the Arrival Notice Document.

The Import Free Time Calculator is available via the Dashboard to calculate how many free days apply to your shipment and the last free date before detention is incurred.

Tariff Import Detention & Demurrage

Direction: Import
Effective Date: 1st October 2019
Free Time: Calendar Day
Currency: AUD
Calculation Period: Inclusive of the discharge date to the gate-in empty return.
Free Time Days Offered: 8 Days

Container Type	Day 1 – 8	Day 9-20	Day 21 +
Container Type 20’ DRY	Day 1 – 8 Free	Day 9-20 AUD 80 per day	Day 21 + AUD 120 per day
Container Type 40’ DRY / 40’ HDRY	Day 1 – 8 Free	Day 9-20 AUD 160 per day	Day 21 + AUD 240 per day
Container Type 20' REEF	Day 1 – 8 Free	Day 9-20 AUD 130 per day	Day 21 + AUD 220 per day
Container Type 40' REEF	Day 1 – 8 Free	Day 9-20 AUD 260 per day	Day 21 + AUD 440 per day
Container Type 20' Specialised	Day 1 – 8 Free	Day 9-20 AUD 100 per day	Day 21 + AUD 160 per day
Container Type 40' Specialised	Day 1 – 8 Free	Day 9-20 AUD 200 per day	Day 21 + AUD 320 per day

NOR will be charged as DRY equipment

Contract Detention & Demurrage

Contractual Free Time is applied to the booking if the Price Owner’s contract includes additional free days on top of the standard tariff free days.

Contracts must be applied to the booking prior to the collection of the first container under the release for the contractual free time days and rates to apply.

Separation of Terminal Storage

Terminal Storage is defined as the compensation for utilising the port, terminal or depot or inland container yard facilities. Australian port companies charge customers directly for storage compensation.

This allows a clear distinction of the compensation applied for utilising the port, terminal or depot facilities (Storage), and the compensation incurred for utilisation of equipment beyond the agreed free time days inside terminals or depots (Demurrage).

Re-use containers

Customers eligible for container re-use will need to place their request through Matchbox. Import Detention will cease calculating from the request date and export detention under the new booking will begin.

Public Holidays and Free Time

Maersk will offer extended import and export demurrage & detention free time during Public Holidays. This concession only applies where Public Holidays fall within a customer's agreed free time period and in such cases, the free time will be extended to include these days.

Date	Day	Description
Date 03-Jan-22	Day Monday	Description New Year’s Day
Date 26-Jan-22	Day Wednesday	Description Australia Day
Date 15-Apr-22	Day Friday	Description Good Friday
Date 18-Apr-22	Day Monday	Description Easter Monday
Date 25-Apr-22	Day Monday	Description ANZAC day
Date 14-Jun-22	Day Tuesday	Description Queen’s Birthday
Date 25-Dec-22	Day Sunday	Description Christmas Holiday
Date 26-Dec-22	Day Monday	Description Boxing Day

Check and request your Delivery Order through the Maersk.com Dashboard:

EDO request

View the status updates on your EDO pre-condition release tasks:

Bill of Lading Surrendered
Prepaid Charges Cleared at Origin
Collect Charges Cleared at Destination*

*Bank Transfers can take up to 24 hours before it clears for EDO release. Shipments won’t be released based on bank remittance prior to the clearance period. For further information visit the Payment Tab.

Arrival Notices

The Arrival Notice is a courtesy document issued to alert customers of incoming shipments. The document can be downloaded from the Shipment’s Document tab or you can subscribe to Notifications to receive it via email.

It is ultimately the Consignee’s responsibility to ensure they are aware of incoming shipments and to monitor the tracking status.

The Letter of Authority or LOA is a legal document approved by the consignee to authorise their Agent/Freight Forwarder to act on their behalf.

LOAs extend authority to

Receive import documentation (EDO, Arrival Notice, Invoices & BL Copies)
View Import Free Time online
Extend Forwarder Credit Terms to the Consignee

Contact our local Customer Service team on Live Chat to set up a Letter of Authority for your Agent.

Customs House Brokerage

Our Customs Brokerage service can help you manage the complexities of border controls and customs regulations. Partner with our team of experts and let us manage your brokerage needs.

To include Customs House Brokerage to your supply chain or view more information click here.

Carrier Sea Cargo Report

Maersk as the carrier will submit the Sea Cargo Report for import shipments into Australian ports. The import cargo manifest is reported 72 hours prior to ETA to the Australian Customs Authorities based on the information specified on the Bill of Lading.

Consignees that have not purchased Maersk’s Customs Brokerage service are responsible for lodging an Import Declaration with customs to clear their cargo.

You can check the status of the Carrier Manifest through the online Delivery Order request system or contact us via Live Chat.

Equipment Restrictions

40’ GP Containers – Container type not accepted in Adelaide & Fremantle Ports
45’ Container – Not Accepted in any Australian Port
20’HC Container – Not Accepted in any Australian Port

Commodity Restrictions

Live Animals - The import of live animal in Australia is not accepted by Maersk.
Cocoa Liquor – Commodity only accepted in REEFER containers
Bark: Bark is a prohibited import in Australia. If timber has been used in the container, the packer must make a declaration to state whether the timber has been inspected and found free of bark contamination.

If a packing declaration has timber declared and there is no bark statement, the container will be ordered for unpack inspection at an approved Australian Quarantine Inspection Service (AQIS) premises.

For more information about commodity restrictions, please click here.

Dangerous Cargo

Maersk does not accept inland transportation of the below dangerous goods cargo:

Class 1 - Fireworks – Explosive
Class 5.1 - UN no.1942 Ammonium Nitrate,
Class 7 - Sensitive cargo

Shipping Party - Consignee

Shipments must be consigned to an Australian Business with an ABN number or have an Australian Freight Forwarder or Agent acting on a foreign Consignee’s behalf. Maersk will not release cargo to individuals operating without an ABN.