Transportation and freight

VIDEO: 4 benefits of shipping cars in containers

Summary: When transporting cars by ocean, Cars in Containers shipping can offer some key benefits around safety, visibility, flexibility, and sustainability.

Updated 01 8 2025

In 2023, a record 24 million cars were shipped around the world. While many of these cars are transported on RORO (roll on, roll off) vessels, another option is Cars in Containers.

With Cars in Containers, the cars are fastened to either the floor or to racks and loaded into a container for shipping. This has several key advantages.

Cars in container shipping benefits

When using Cars in Containers for shipping, the key benefits include flexibility, fastened cargo, visibility, and optimised operations. These are explained below.

Flexibility

Container vessels run frequently, offering speed to market. They also offer easy access to a large intermodal network which in itself offers several advantages including maximising coverage and reach.

Containers can be easily lifted from the vessel to train and trucks. The container-transported cars can also be delivered close to their final destination. The result is a competitive order to delivery lead times.

Fastened cargo

Our securing and lashing techniques guarantee that your vehicles (including EVs) remain fastened and containerised throughout the journey, from origin to destination.

Visibility

Cars in Containers allows for VIN tracking to stay up to date on the car’s location. This allows for greater control and effective inventory tracking.

Optimised Operations

Cars in Containers is a more efficient way of transporting cars, as several cars can be stacked in one container. On arrival, the cars don’t need to be driven off individually. Instead, the container can be loaded straight onto a truck or train for further transport.

Choosing container shipping for cars

Shipping cars in containers offers a multitude of benefits. From greater flexibility to optimised operations, Cars in Containers will continue to be a valuable option for those seeking to transport cars by ocean and beyond.

Looking for a flexible, end-to-end solution for finished vehicles? Explore Maersk Cars in Containers.