Shipping a Car from Korea: RoRo vs Container — Cost, Time and Safety Compared

RoRo: the car is driven onto the ship

With Roll-on/Roll-off shipping the car is driven into a purpose-built car carrier and secured on an enclosed deck. Pros: the cheapest method, regular sailings to Gulf ports (Jeddah, Dammam, Jebel Ali, Shuwaikh, Hamad, Sohar) as well as North Africa and Latin America, and fast loading. Limits: no personal items inside the car, and the car must be drivable.

Container: more protection, more flexibility

The car is secured inside a 20 or 40 ft container. Pros: full protection from weather and handling, the option to ship two or three cars in a 40 ft container to share the cost, and room for spare parts. Cons: more expensive for a single car, and it needs unstuffing at the arrival port.

Quick comparison

Cost: RoRo is cheaper for one car; a container is cheaper per car when shipping 2–3 together. Time: similar (20–45 days depending on destination), RoRo is usually quicker to load and unload. Safety: a container offers the highest protection; RoRo is safe for most cars and run by major lines. Marine insurance: recommended either way for high-value cars.

Our recommendation

Everyday or mid-range car: RoRo. Luxury, sports or classic car: container with insurance. Dealer shipping several cars: 40 ft container. In every case we quote both so you can choose.

Indicative freight rates and sailing times to each Gulf country are in our guide to shipping cars from Korea to Saudi Arabia and the Gulf; the ports and documents for Saudi Arabia are in importing cars from Korea to Saudi Arabia.

Frequently asked questions