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 drop-offs 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

Country: Australia
Direction: Import
Effective Date: 1st July 2024
Expiry Date: Until further notice
Free time: Calendar days
Currency: AUD
Invoiced: Per container, per calendar day, per container type
Application: The free time and charges applied will be those in place in the origin price calculation date (PCD)

Freetime: “Free Time” is the period agreed between the Carrier and the Merchant for which Demurrage & Detention shall not be paid by the Merchant.

Combined D&D: Compensation payable when the Merchant holds Carrier’s Container beyond the agreed amount of Free Time for the combined period inside and outside the terminal, port, or depot.

Terminal Storage: Compensation for utilizing the port, terminal or depot facilities beyond the agreed amount of Free Time. Port storage is not included into combined demurrage and detention tariff but port operator charges storage directly from customers.

Name	Start	End
Name Storage	Start Day when laden container has been discharged from the vessel to the terminal	End Day when laden container has been picked up (gate out date)
Name Combined Demurrage and Detention	Start Day when laden container has been discharged from the vessel to the terminal	End Day when empty container has been delivered to the Agent (gate in date)

Combined D&D - Port collects Storage

Combined DnD - Port collects Storage - 1232

Combined detention and demurrage tariff

Container Type	Day 1 – 8	Day 9-20	Day 21 +
Container Type 20’ DRY	Day 1 – 8 Free	Day 9-20 AUD 100 per day	Day 21 + AUD 150 per day
Container Type 40’ DRY / 40’ HDRY	Day 1 – 8 Free	Day 9-20 AUD 200 per day	Day 21 + AUD 300 per day
Container Type 20' REEF	Day 1 – 8 Free	Day 9-20 AUD 175 per day	Day 21 + AUD 260 per day
Container Type 40' REEF	Day 1 – 8 Free	Day 9-20 AUD 350 per day	Day 21 + AUD 550 per day
Container Type 20' Specialised	Day 1 – 8 Free	Day 9-20 AUD 125 per day	Day 21 + AUD 200 per day
Container Type 40' Specialised	Day 1 – 8 Free	Day 9-20 AUD 250 per day	Day 21 + AUD 400 per day

Please note above charges are exclusive of GST
Above tariff does not apply to SPOT bookings. Spot terms and conditions are documented online at time of booking
NOR will be charged as DRY equipment

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. Please refer to the Local holidays information in the Overview tab.

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
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.