Shipping to and from Belarus
Your complete guide to shipping to and from Belarus. Find the right route, get Maersk office locations, discover local solutions, payment options and more.
Import
Get up-to-date local information about import procedures and restrictions, demurrage and detention, container drop-offs and more.
Demurrage
As Belarus is a land-locked country please refer to country of port of discharge web-page at Maersk.com site for detailed info regarding demurrage terms.
Detention
In case of truck delivery to Belarus we grant 2 calendar days for container unstuffing. Later fee 200 USD is applicable for every day.
In case of rail delivery to Belarus we grant 5 calendar days for container unstuffing. Later fee 20/30 USD for 20'/40' containers is applicable for every day. Railway terminal storage fee should be paid by the consignee in additional to our detention charges.
Container release procedures
If your company is listed on bill of lading as notify party, Maersk will send a fax with container arrival notice several days prior to the arrival of the container to Ilyichevsk / Riga / Klaipeda port.
Please note that arrival notices are distributed automatically. Maersk keeps track of undelivered arrival notices however cannot guarantee that arrival notice is sent to actual consignee. For example, if your trading partner put himself as notify party in bill of lading, respectively he will receive arrival notice.
Upon container arrival to Ilyichevsk / Riga / Klaipeda port, please contact our import customer service by email msqcusimp@maersk.com or by phone +375 17 203 86 77. Please be ready to advise container or bill of lading number.
For taking delivery of the cargo, the package of documents has to be surrendered to Minsk office before the vessel arrival to Ilyichevsk / Riga / Klaipeda to ensure timely transfer and processing of documents by port forwarders and avoid any demurrage.
Customer service will find out whether there any charges are to be paid and issue respective invoice. If bill of lading originals were released, you will be asked to surrend them.
Local authorities may ask for additional documents.
Upon container arrival to the port, customer has 3 or 5 free days to pick up his cargo, depending on container type. Days exceeding free time are subject to storage / demurrage charge.
Freight
Freight rate (transportation price) must be agreed before any shipment. Please contact Sales department msqsal@maersk.com with all freight requests.
In your request, please indicate the following information:
- your company name, contact person, telephone, fax or email
- commodity
- cargo pick up point
- cargo delivery point
- container size and type
- special requirements, if any, or your comments
Any additional information about your future shipment is welcome. For dangerous cargo, please indicate full commodity name, IMO class and UN number. For temperature controlled cargo, please advise required temperature and humidity.
Origin countries or local locations
If rates for a desired location could not be retrieved in erates, please contact Sales department msqsal@maersk.com , which will quote accordingly.
Hazardous cargoes
Erates do not cover trucking and rail tariffs for IMO cargo. Please contact Sales department msqsal@maersk.com which will quote accordingly.
Special cargoes
OOG, Break-bulk and IMO cargoes are subject to standard Maersk approval procedures.
Booking
Please place your booking by sending an email message to Sales department msqsal@maersk.com. Alternatively you can use our website at Maersk.com or send a fax to +375 17 203 86 77.
Booking must be in written form and contain the following information in order to be processed smoothly:
- stuffing date, time and address
- container size, type and quantity
- contact person and phone number
- destination (delivery address is not required at this stage)
- any other information relevant to the shipment
In case of carrier haulage, please allow at least 24 hours to coordinate pick up.
For dangerous cargo, please indicate full commodity name, IMO class, UN number, special requirements (for example temperature), if required.
Customs clearance is not included in freight and is not performed by default.
Freight collect acceptance
Any freight collect must be approved prior loading cargo at origin. In this respect please send freight collect acceptance request to Orderhandling department msqord@maersk.com.
Request should be sent with the below mentioned details:
- Shipper
- Consignee full style (address, person in charge, phone, fax and / or email of the consignee)
- Commodity
- Number of containers
- POR/POL/POD (Place of Receipt/Port of Loading/Port of Discharge/Place of Delivery)
- Charges to be paid on collect
- ETA port of discharge (Estimated Time of Arrival)
On this basis we can
- approve / disapprove shipment,
- make sure freight will be paid.
Documentation
You may be required to provide special documentation for certain commodities. Please contact MSQINT/MSQORD for coordination.
Shipping instructions have to be sent to Maersk by the following means:
Via website (preferred option). Via email to msqcusimp@maersk.com or by fax +375 17 203 86 77.
Shipping instructions should contain the following information:
- shipper name and address
- consignee name and address
- notify party details
- commodity description
- piece count, package type and weight
- receipt and delivery location
Please provide shipping instructions before container leaves Ilyichevsk / Riga / Klaipeda port. Although it is possible to submit shipping instructions later, we will not be responsible for any fines that arise due to late submission of shipping instructions. These fines will be passed on to the shipper or forwarder concerned.
Bills of lading originals
The bill of lading will be issued as per proper shipping instructions.
Bills of lading originals can be released after vessel departure from the port and only against full payment of prepaid charges.
Customs
Occasionally the customs authority on Belarusian border inspects import / export containers which incur additional expenses (e.g. positioning of the container to the inspection site, stripping, and stuffing). The merchant covers these expenses.
Oversized, excisable and dangerous cargos at Baltic Container Terminal (Riga) are accepted on case by case basis. Acceptance is subject to Sales msqsal@maersk.com and Branch manager msqmng@maersk.com approval.
Reefers are not acceptable on CIS Rail Service. Terminal (Riga) accepts Reefers on case by case basis subject to Sales msqsal@maersk.com