FAQ

A freight forwarder or broker is an agent who acts on behalf of importers, exporters or other companies or persons to facilitate and organize the safe, efficient and cost-effective transportation of goods. Information typically reviewed by a freight forwarder includes the commercial invoice, shipper's export declaration, bill of lading and other documents required by the carrier or country of export, import, and/or transshipment. Wallenius Wilhelmsen Ocean will not accept any shipments from private persons directly. If you want us to ship your private vehicle, we require you to use a freight forwarder. Contact our local Customer Service department if you need assistance in finding a local broker or forwarder.

Contact your local Customer Service representative for further information.

Arrange payment for any collect charges; for original bills of lading - ensure a properly endorsed original bill of lading is lodged at one of our offices; ensure customs clearance has been received and check for details about how to collect your cargo. Contact your local Customer Service representative for further information.

The transport of your cargo is governed by the terms and conditions of the Bill of Lading or Sea Way Bill issued for the shipment of your cargo.

For a complete presentation of the terms and conditions of the Wallenius Wilhelmsen Ocean Bill of Lading or the Wallenius Wilhelmsen Ocean Sea Way Bill, please see "Bill of Lading terms"

Please be aware that both the maritime law and the terms and conditions of the Bill of Lading or Sea Way Bill limit Wallenius Wilhelmsen Ocean's liability for loss or damage to cargo. Therefore we strongly recommend our customers to purchase a marine transport insurance policy before commencement of the transport.

The Wallenius Wilhelmsen Ocean Bill of Lading serves 3 purposes:

* it is a transport contract (contract of carriage)

* a receipt of cargo

* a document of title (right to take delivery)

This feature is recognised by the Bill of Lading being consigned "to order of" which means that it is a negotiable document that transfers the title to the goods. This feature is commonly used when transactions are financed through letters of credit and/or goods are traded during the transit.

The title to the goods can be transferred by a simple endorsement on the document by the holder of the Bill of Lading and by handing over the Bill of Lading to the new owner, in much the same way as a personal check is endorsed.

The IMO number consists of the three letters "IMO", followed by a unique seven-digit number assigned to sea-going merchant ships. In some countries this number may be required to clear your cargo through customs.

Each port may have different requirements and procedures for accepting cargo at origin as well as delivering cargo at destination. This depends on port authorities, customs authorities as well as local terminals. We recommend you contact the port directly to obtain the necessary information. To assist we have contact details on our "Port Information" pages.