Mauritius Shipping

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Shipping is the transport of goods (parcels above the size of normal letters) from one place to another by land, water or air. Shipping can be done by truck, train, ships or planes; shipment by planes is more expensive than the three other means but whether it is by ship or plane, the cargos still have to be transported to the destination by trunk. With globalisation, shipping is now an important business for the transport of materials from one country to another whether it is for settlement or raw material transport to factories; it actually accounts for 90% of international trade.

Shipping procedure
Items to be shipped vary in size and nature. A shipping company thus provides services of high quality to make sure that all items are treated safely be it a historical artefact or furniture. Once a shipping company has been contacted, the personnel does material pick up at the person’s place, pack all the materials as smoothly as possible in material specific packs, drives the items to the port to be shifted and ensures that loading and travel is as safe as possible especially regarding fragile objects. While some companies directly offer insurance on the materials being transported, other companies do not and hence the person must contact other insurance companies before shipping is done as a safety measure. Else, forwarders can also be contacted for shipping processes; they are mostly concerned with the customer relationship management and all documentation while they contact other companies for the actual outdoor activities (shipping, loading and unloading). Prices vary a lot depending on the company, the time delay (normal v/s express) and the types of goods being shipped.

Courier/Parcels
Courier postage abroad can be up to Rs1,500 (Express) based on weight while normal shipping can be up to Rs 200. The Mauritius Post Office offers services like parcel shipment too and prices vary according to the weight of the parcel. A special package layered with shock absorbing material is used for parcel shipment which is at the discretion of the sender to buy so as to prevent material damage during shipping. Various sizes exist and it is advised of the sender to clearly write down his/her name and address as well as that of the receiver.

Furniture and accessories
Once a shipping company is contacted, all materials are packed as necessary or loaded onto a truck where they are unloaded at a port and then placed in a container. Once at the desired location, unloading is done and the materials are taken where they should be.

Vehicles - Cars, bike, lorries etc
Vehicle shipment can be done either by driving the vehicles directly onto the vessel or through a container and thus prices vary accordingly.

Hazardous material
Because of the nature of these things, transport is based on the United Nations’ guidelines regarding hazardous materials. It is advised of the sender to check out the regulations before shipping any type of these materials to make sure that he/she is applying by all the rules failure of which can lead to severe consequences (if an accident happens, it will be blamed on the sender).
Live materials (plant/animal/microorganisms)
For shipment of live materials, a permit from the Ministry of Agro Industries (Reduit) must first be obtained regarding the material before it can enter the island. This is to prevent the spread of disease that these organisms may carry, many of which may not be controlled outside of their home range.

Shipping companies
There are a lot of shipping companies in Mauritius offering various services such as export, packing, container rental, transport, warehousing etc both locally and internationally. Some of them are listed as follows: