Shipping to and from New Zealand

Your complete guide to shipping to and from New Zealand. 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

Check and request your Delivery Order through the Maersk.com Dashboard:

EDO request

It is important to note that to request EDO any interested party should be a release to party on the shipment. Authority written confirmation is required for this to be set up.**

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

Country: New Zealand
Direction: Import
Effective Date: 1st October 2019
Expiry Date: Until further notice
Free time: Calendar days
Currency: NZD
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 1-7	Day 8-20	Day 21+
Container Type 20' Dry	Day 1-7 Free	Day 8-20 NZD 80 per day	Day 21+ NZD 120 per day
Container Type 40' Dry	Day 1-7 Free	Day 8-20 NZD 160 per day	Day 21+ NZD 240 per day
Container Type 20' Reef	Day 1-7 Free	Day 8-20 NZD 130 per day	Day 21+ NZD 220 per day
Container Type 40' Reef	Day 1-7 Free	Day 8-20 NZD 260 per day	Day 21+ NZD 440 per day
Container Type 20' Specialised	Day 1-7 Free	Day 8-20 NZD 100 per day	Day 21+ NZD 160 per day
Container Type 40' Specialised	Day 1-7 Free	Day 8-20 NZD 200 per day	Day 21+ NZD 320 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.

Agent Authorisation

Consignees can nominate an Agent/ Freight Forwarder to receive import documents and act on their behalf.

**To set up the authorisations: email nz.import@maersk.com with your agent in CC.

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.

Invoices

The collect invoice is issued to the Consignee or nominated agent’s email address 10 days prior to ETA. An additional PDF copy is uploaded to MyFinance for easy 24/7 access.

Payment will be cleared up to 24 hours after the transaction if the BL or invoice number is reference in the payment description. For multiple invoice transactions you can submit your payment remittance and breakdown to nz.import@maersk.com.

NB) Remittance refers to bank remittances, not internal instructions for payment.

De-Hire Depots

Empty containers should be returned to the nominated depot on the EDO within the designated free time. A Drop Off surcharge may occur where the customer dropped off the empty container to a different depot.

Maersk Customs Services

Our Maersk Customs Services 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 Maersk Customs Services to your supply chain or view more information click here

Carrier Sea Cargo Report

Maersk as the carrier will submit the sea cargo report to NZ Customs for import shipments into New Zealand ports. The import manifest is reported 72 hours prior to the vessel’s first port of call into New Zealand.

Consignees that have not purchased Maersk’s Customs Brokerage service are responsible for lodging an Import Declaration with customs to clear their cargo.

Documentation Deadline for importing cargo to New Zealand

The information on the Bill of Lading must be finalised with Maersk 72 hours prior to the vessel’s first port of call into New Zealand. If Maersk does not receive the completed mandatory details within this timeframe, New Zealand Customs may refuse to discharge the containers at the destination port and impose infringement notice on offenders.

It is the responsibility of the shipper to ensure compliance with this deadline. Maersk New Zealand will not be held accountable for fines or penalties incurred due to shippers not forwarding complete documentation requirements in a timely manner, and will hold shipper liable for any delay, storage costs, fines or penalties incurred as a result.

Equipment Restrictions

45’ Container – Not Accepted in any New Zealand Port
20’HC Container – Not Accepted in any New Zealand Port

Due to rail tunnel height, the railing of High Cube containers is subject to confirmation. Please check with your booking agent when using High Cube containers. There is no restriction for the use of high cube containers for road carriage.

Weight and Measurement Limits

We will not accept a shipment over the allowed payload weight for the container.

ROAD: A surcharge may apply for containers with a VGM of greater than 25MT. If permits are to be obtained, additional costs may apply too.

RAIL: Max weight accepted for a 20ft on rail is 32.5MT VGM

Max weight accepted for a 40ft on rail is 35MT VGM

Transport Restrictions

Following are commodities which cannot move via Rail in New Zealand:

Break Bulk (BB)
Wheat/Grain
IMO (with prior approval only)
Out of Gauge (OOG) (with prior approval only)

Special Cargoes

Maersk does not accept LCL shipments to/from New Zealand.

Prohibited packing material

Soil
Peat
Raw, green or contaminated moss
Used sacking material
Hay
Straw
Chaff

Shipping Party - Consignee

Shipments must be consigned to a New Zealand registered business or be to the care of a New Zealand Freight Forwarder/ Agent. Maersk will not release cargo or documents to individuals operating without an NZBN.