New requirements for used vehicle shipments from Canadian load ports

Over the past year, we have seen an increasing amount of used vehicle export shipments being seized by Canada Border Service Agency (CBSA) before they leave Canada. There has also been an increase in the amount of used vehicle export shipments being stopped and the cargo seized at transhipment ports.

In order to mitigate the possibility of export used vehicle shipments being seized in Canada or abroad, effective for shipments booked after February 6, 2023, the following documents will be required, in advance of inland or port cut-off (whichever is first), for all export used vehicle shipments from Canada:

• Signed letter from the forwarder/booked by party stating that they will vet their shippers and be responsible for any fees, penalties, etc. resulting from non-compliance (letter attached) (only required one time to be applied to all used vehicle shipments from the forwarder)
• Copy of the title (ownership) of the vehicle(s) to be shipped
• Copy of the seller’s driver license (form to be signed attached)
• Bill of sale that has the buyer’s and seller’s information (address and phone number) and includes the vehicle’s VIN number, description of the vehicle(s) and value of the vehicle(s)
• Declaration paperwork that should have been provided to CBSA for these exports (this should include the Canadian Business Number)

All documents should be sent to ca.import@maersk.com with the Subject: Documents for Used Vehicle shipment 123456789 (shipment #). Please ensure these are sent at least seven days prior to the inland or port cut-off to ensure ample time to review the documents. If these documents are not received before the cut-off, the shipment will be cancelled and cancellation fees will be applied. For bookings with activity, the shipment will be rolled to the next available vessel and would be subject to Maersk spot penalty fees, adjusted freight rate or other default penalties. Containers in our possession at the time of the roll will further be subject to a roll fee of $325 USD per container plus applicable export demurrage.

In addition to the above new requirements, for all used vehicle shipments booked after February 6, 2023, we will no longer accept diversion requests to Mersin, Turkey or Jebel Ali, UAE.

As a reminder, we do not accept used vehicle shipments where the booked by party or the shipper on the booking are not a Canadian business entity.

We hope that by putting these new requirements in place we can deliver your shipments in a timely manner while being in compliance with all regulatory requirements.