Shipping from india to malaysia
We did it! At the end of March, we had to make one of the most difficult decisions of our trip up to that point.
When we started our journey in June 2022, we knew that if we were going to encounter any obstacle along our way it would be around Myanmar-China. So right from the start of our trip, we looked at different routes and options.
Through Myanmar
One of them, and the route we preferred, was to drive through Myanmar. We contacted several organizations that kept in touch with us during our trip. Until January 2023, we had not heard anything from them. Then suddenly there were rumors that Myanmar might be opening its borders soon so we were extremely happy. Unfortunately, it remained rumors because by the beginning of March, there was still no progress. The organizations told us they would know more by the end of March but we couldnโt wait that long only to then maybe get a no after all.
Through China
The second option was to go through China. We had heard from several fellow overlanders who had done this before covid that it was definitely worthwhile but very pricey. In addition, many tour organizations did not respond to our email to forward us a quote and an itinerary. The companies that did respond simply said they were going to keep us informed. They had no idea when the borders would open but they said that it would not be happening anytime soon so we better not wait for that to happen. So we basically ruled out China at that point.
Shipping
The third option was to ship. This was our least favorite option. We did find some information on various fora from fellow Overlanders but the information we found was very conflicting. The price ranged from 500 USD to 5000 USD. The reviews were also somewhat contradictory. some people said it all went very smoothly and everything went according to plan. Others had terrible experiences and lost a lot of money and time. So we were a little skeptical to embark on this whole process.
Since we had not received any positive news from both China or Myanmar by early March, the only option left for us was to ship the car.
General things to know
– You actually have to contact three parties and you have to pay all of them. Along the Indian side, along the Malaysian side and the shipping company itself (line charges,โฆ). They are not in contact with each other so you have to keep the organization on the Indian side and the one on the Malaysian side both informed about any updates.
– Compare the prices of different shipping companies. In the beginning, the companies will try to ask for more money so if you have an idea of what the normal price is you can tell them that it is way too much so they know you know and they will usually adjust their price
– The duration of shipping does not take the most time. Making all the paperwork in order and getting approval from customs will take a lot of time. In India, the boat with our car left 11 days after we signed the papers. Also in Malaysia, we had to wait for a long time without our car. It took 12 days before we could pick up the car after the boat arrived. So keep in mind that you also add the cost for accomodation for 20 – 30 days to the total sum of shipping.
Shipping companies
The shipping companies of the two countries are not in contact with each other. You have to keep each company informed of all updates yourself. For example, when the car is loaded in India you have to notify the company in Malaysia and you also have to forward the container details and bill of lading (BL). It doesn’t matter to them who you work with as long as you keep everyone informed. But if they need something they will communicate this clearly to you so you don’t have to be stressed out that you missed something. The important thing to ask is where the car should go. In Kuala Lumpur there are several ports so you have to ask them clearly where to unload it. Alien logistics will tell you that it should be taken to Westport, Port Klang. Give this information to S. Pandey clearly and repeatedly so that you are sure your car will end up at the right place.
India – SECO versus S. Pandey
We contacted SECO in Mumbai and Goutam Pandey in Kolkata. These were the two organizations that we felt were the most reliable. They responded very quickly and provided adequate information. In March we were in Assam so Kolkata was way closer to us than Mumbai. Although Mumbai was a much larger port and many more people have shipped from here it was just too far away for us and we have to confess we were a little tired of driving in India so the thought of driving all the way through the center of India didnโt seem so nice to us at that time. But if we knew from the start that eventually we had to ship the car we would have made sure that we were somewhere around Mumbai because it just felt a bit more reliable. So long story short, eventually we choose to ship with S. Pandey.
Malaysia – KT haulage versus Alien Logistics
If you start comparing prices with each other, alien logistics is cheaper than KT haulage. The only minor downside to Alien Logistics is that you still must contact another party yourself to arrange ICP and motor insurance to drive in Malaysia. While KT Haulage arranges everything you need to drive your own car in Malaysia. For the ICP and motor insurance we contacted Mr. Cheong.
Before the car arrives in Malaysia, all documents must be in order. So make sure you arrive in Malaysia before the car so you can sign the documents at the office of Alien Logistics (Centro Mall, Klang โ 45 min drive from Kuala Lumpur city center). The ICP and motor insurance must be ready before they can finish the documents. Once we got confirmation from Mr. Cheong that he finished the ICP and motor insurance, we passed this on to Alien Logistics and they were kind enough to go and pick it up from Mr. Cheong themselves.
Shipping line
These are additional costs you need to consider. It is not included in the price at both SECO and S. Pandey and they donโt tell you anything about it unless you specifically ask them.
Ask them what shipping company they ship with and if they want to request the line charges from them. Goutam Pandey shipped with Baulmer Lawrie. You will pay this additional cost in Malaysia. With us, Alien Logistics advanced this amount and this amount was added to the total bill of Alien Logistics
Documents needed
India
- Carnette de passage
- Copy of passport
- List of personal belongings stuffed inside the car
- Address in Malaysia
- Copy of Indian visa
- Copy of international driver’s license
- Copy of vehicle registration
- a signed letter of declaration that there is no fuel or gas in the car and that the household battery is properly disconnected
Malaysia
- Completed carnet de passage (incl. exit stamp India)
- List of personal belongings stuffed inside the car
- Copy of passports
- Copy of international driver’s license
- ICP & motor insurance (Cheong)
- Vehicle registration copy (they specifically need to know the cubic capacity and power output (in kW and/or hp).
- Home country driver’s license copy
- Carnet de passage: front page and a blank page (if available)
- We also sent pictures from all 4 sides of our vehicle
Quotes and contact details
First, Goutam Pandey gave us a quote of 175.000 INR. We said that for this price we would drive to Mumbai because we still had a better feeling to ship with SECO (just because there were more reviews and info about shipping with them). We also found it odd that the price was the same as what SECO asked since shipping from Mumbai to Malaysia was way further. Their response: โok let me see what I can doโ. 1 hour later we got an email from them saying that the final price would be 140.000 INR incl. taxes and other charges.
Our journey
India
Signing papers
On the 21st of March, we went to Goutam Pandeyโs office (S. Pandey & Company, India Exchange Pl Road, Chitpur, Barabazar Market, 3rd floor). This is a crazy road. Make sure you stay at the beginning of the street because the middle of the street is pure chaos. We didnโt find the office right away so we drove down the street and our mirror broke twice while we were waiting for a red light. There is no parking available but there is some space to park the car along the street and there is a guard who will keep an eye on the car. We signed some papers (Copy of passport, visa, Carnette de passage and packing list) which took only 10 minutes. You can ask when you can load the car and when the vessel will leave but it will probably not be true. In our case, he said that the vessel will leave on the 25th or on the 28th. Eventually, we loaded the car on the 29th and the vessel left the port on the 2nd of April.
Car loading
We drove to the CFS (container freight station) from Balmer Lawrie on the 25th of March to check if our car would fit in a 20โ feet container. It fitted perfectly. They suggested that we gave them the key so they could drive the car into the container once the booked container was available. We didnโt like this idea so we suggested coming back once the booked container was available and driving it in the container ourselves.
On the 29th we received a message that the booked container had arrived and that we could load the car. Once we got there, we waited a long time. After several hours, customs looked at our car from the outside and took a quick look inside and we signed some papers. Since we still had a half-full tank, it had to be emptied. Also, our jerry can with spare fuel had to be handed over. So, tip: make sure you use up all your fuel before driving to the CFS. After the tank was empty (5 liters could remain) the car was ready to be loaded. Gas bottles for cooking are allowed but you have to make sure they are empty also your household batteries are not a problem, but you have to declare that you disconnected them properly. Once the car is in the container, they make sure the car is secured. Afterward, they close the door and no one can touch your car anymore. You can take the key with you to Malaysia.
On the 1st of April, we landed in Malaysia. On the 2nd we received a confirmation that the vessel had left the port of Kolkata and that it will arrive in Port Klang, Malaysia on the 9th of April.
Malaysia
Signing papers
We arrived in Kuala Lumpur on the 2nd April. The following day we went to Alien logistics office to sign some papers and have our passports with the entry stamp of Malaysia copied. Afterward, they proceeded to complete the passports. On April 9, the boat arrived with our container. On April 10, we received a message that the container with our car had been unloaded. From that moment it took quite a while before we received more information. According to Alien Logistics, itโs always difficult to get an appointment with customs and it always takes a fairly long time.
Car unloading
On the 17th of April, the customs checked the outside of the car. On April 18, we took a grab to the port to unload the car and have it checked by customs. This all went fairly smoothly. We had to pay 10 RM per person to enter the port. We got there at 3 pm (keep in mind that the port is a 1-hour drive from Kuala Lumpur and costs around 70-80 RM with a grab). At 4h30 pm they took us to our container. The port is huge! The customs asked us some questions like do you have a spare tire? Do you have a jack? Where is the manual of the car? and they check how you open the diesel tank, if you have a sun visor, if you can set your chair straight,… All fairly strange questions and checks. They never looked at the inside of the car or never looked at our personal belongings or asked any questions about it. At 5:30 pm we drove out of the port and were ready to start our next chapter with Olly!
Back on the road
Normally in India, you may leave about 5 Liters of diesel in your tank. With us, it took a very long time to drain it (due to a filter they could only use a thin wire to get it out) so they said it was enough to empty the tank to get it in reserve (around 8 liters). After driving out of the port in Malaysia we first drove to the Petron gas station next door. You have to park the car next to the pump and then first go inside to pay a certain amount (they accept credit card). Afterward, you can fill up your tank. It is around 2.2 MR/L so it is incredibly cheap! If you drive from the port to Kuala Lumpur you will pass several toll stations. Make sure you have a Touch ‘n Go card with credit on it because you cannot pay cash at the toll stations anymore. We had a Touch ‘n Go card but there was no money on it yet because the system was offline that day (see how to get a Touch โn Go card). First toll station we were able to arrange via the intercom that we could drive through for free (at least we hope that it was free because when we passed an alarm went off so we are not sure yet). Second toll station there was someone in the toll boots who could top up our touch ‘n go card.
The roads are great and people drive in their own lanes. There are lanes for slow drivers like trucks and people will let you through and are polite. Honking is not really a thing anymore unless it is really necessary. You will definitely enjoy being back on the road but you also need to adjust your driving style after all those months and thousands of kilometers on Iranian, Pakistani and Indian roads. It is nice to drive without a heart rate of 150 beats per minute for once so you will for sure enjoy your first kilometers!
Final amount
- S.Pandey (India): 140.170 INR = 1.557 EURO
- Shipping line: 925 MR = 190 EURO
- Alien Logistics (Malaysia): 1.995 MR = 410 EURO
- 11 nights in India (around 25-30 EUR/night): 330 EURO
- 16 nights in Malaysia (around 30 EUR/night): 480 EURO
- Uber to port in India: Around 70 INR = 0.70 EURO
- Grab from airport KL to KLCC: 80 MR = 17 EURO
- Grab from KLCC to port in Malaysia: 80 MR = 17 EURO
- Entry ticket to Westport, Port Klang: 20 RM = 4 EURO
- Airplane tickets from Kolkata to KL (April 2023): 127 EURO/person
- ICP, Motor insurance and broker fee (this you have to get anyway if you want to drive in Malaysia): 90 EURO
TOTAL: 3.349 EURO
As you can see, the total amount we ended up paying is quite large. But we would like to add some notes with this:
- The number of nights in Kolkata and in Kuala Lumpur is not a fixed number. It can be more, or it can be less. We think in Kolkata it will take about 10-11 nights. We didnโt send a copy of the carnette, passports, etc. through email in advance. If you do this it will probably take less time. We have heard from other people (who shipped with SECO) that the vessel left 2 days after they signed the papers. Maybe it was pure luck, maybe it was more organized over there but it is possible. In Kuala Lumpur, we think it will go quicker and smoother. In our case, we were a bit unlucky because the weekend fell just on the day that the custom check normally would take place so we had to wait for 3 more days plus we were there during Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr so everything was a bit slower. Alien Logistics said that normally it will take 5-6 days and we trust them with this.
- In India, we choose a bit more expensive hotel (IBIS) because we were both really sick the last couple of days but there are cheaper options.
- In Kuala Lumpur, there are many suites with a kitchen, washing machine, etc, and also a free pool and gym for only 30 euros/night. For that kind of luxury, we didn’t think 30 euros was a lot but once again there are cheaper options here as well.
- We personally do not include Kuala Lumpur in the total sum of shipping because we were planning to stay in Kuala Lumpur for 7 days anyway. And we definitely recommend staying in Kuala Lumpur for a couple of nights because it is just a really nice city!
- ICP, motor insurance, and broker fee you will have to pay anyway to drive in Malaysia so you shouldn’t add this to the total sum either.