1. Road Limitation

Direct truck transport

Maximum weight on German roads = 40 tons

* incl cooling chassis

Rail/Road & Barge/Road combined transportation

Maximum weight on German roads = 44 tons

2. Terminal Limitation

• Please see above

3. Transhipment Restrictions

• Subject to local laws

4. Shipment of Waste(s)

• All shipments of wastes related to Basle Convention or similar regulations via German Ports (Import, Export and Transit Onboard) or transported to, from or through German territory need to be checked and approved before the booking can be accepted.
• Please provide details of Shipper and Consignee, and whether the waste is listed in "Green, Amber or Red" waste list.

5. Dangerous Cargo

• Bremerhaven and Hamburg: DG cargo to be reported 24 hrs prior to arrival
• Following materials are to be approved: Class 1 - 4.2 - 4.3 - 5 and 7
• When you want to ship tank containers of hazardous nature with us, please provide following documents:
  • cleaning certificate
  • hazardous certificate / shippers declaration

6. Customs Requirements

The ports of Bremerhaven and Hamburg are liable to the general customs laws of the European Community (EC). In general we differentiate between Free Ports (Eurogate Bremerhaven & HHLA/Bukai Hamburg) and Non-Free Ports (HHLA/CTA Hamburg)

• Import:

Free Ports:
All containers have to be discharged with Customs Summary Declaration. The Summary Declaration will be settled with the physical discharge of a container.
Remark: EU Commission in collaboration with local port authorities currently reviews possible elimination of the free port status effective 01.01.2013.

Since 01.01.2011 all cargo has to be announced 24 hours prior loading on EU-bound vessel (EU24 Regulations) to the customs authority of first port of entry in the EU.

 

 

Non-Free Port:
All containers must be discharged with Customs Summary Declaration referenced to MRN of Entry Summary Declaration where applicable, based on manifested shipper's load stow and count details in the non-Free-Port area, latest 24 hours prior to discharge of the mother vessel (via EDI).

General:
Manifest changes related to the Entry Summary Declaration should not be arranged after presentation of the Arrival Notification to first office of entry as they would result in data mismatch between Entry Summary Declaration and local Customs Summary Declaration.
Customs Clearance or generation of Transit Document referring to shipper's load stow and count shall be carried out before leaving the Free Port/Non-Free Port area. For transportation based on Transit Document, Customs Clearance shall be arranged at the place of delivery. 
In general Customs Clearance is carried out by the consignee (or their service provider).

 

OOCL also gladly offers Customs Clearance and Transit Document services on request.

 

Export:

Each container/cargo designated to be exported out of the EC has to be declared at the shipper's customs-office (Form EX-1) The submission of the export declaration data can also be carried out electronically.

• Hamburg:
  A "Z-Number" will be issued after declaration; after that the shipper needs to present the original export document at the customs-house latest 24 hours prior to the departure of the vessel.
• Bremerhaven:
  Same principle as in Hamburg, here named "BHT-Number". 
   
• For ocean transhipment cargo no customs document is necessary. A simplyfied declaration will be performed by ocean carrier to report transshipment cargo to customs in order to receive Z-/BHT-Number. A declared export from another EC country has to be demonstrated only on rare occasions. 
• For overland transshipment cargo a Z-Number resp.BHT-Number has to be applied for. For export proof purposes the transshipment customs clearance procedure is sufficient. In general the creation of Z/BHT-Number is carried out by customs broker / forwarder.

OOCL also gladly offers Customs Brokerage services on request (please contact Rüdiger Wüst, Tel. ++49-421-1605872).