The problems start the moment the car rolls off the RoRo deck. Scratches, dents, a flat battery, a flat tyre: most of these were there before loading, but only a check inside the terminal gives you a chance to put them on someone else's account.
Document first, then work out which leg of the journey is liable. The carrier's responsibility ends at the handover point named in the bill of lading; the annotation on the tally sheet is the only on-site evidence you hold. Skip the inspection and the annotation before collection, and after you leave the terminal the cost is yours.
✓Inspect at the terminal before collection and have the annotation written on the tally sheet
Photos, measurements and annotation together keep all three routes open: carrier, terminal, insurer
!Photograph the car, leave the port, report later
Photos prove how the car looks now, not how it came off the vessel; the burden of proof rises sharply
!Tell the agent verbally on WeChat or by phone
No written record, the agent can deny receiving it, and the claim period runs regardless
×Claim transport damage under the vehicle warranty
The warranty covers quality defects only; transport damage is outside it and will be rejected
Three documents, three liability legs
| Document | Who signs | When it is signed | If it is missing |
|---|
| Bill of lading terms | Carrier, meaning the shipping line or its agent | Issued after loading; a copy should be in hand before arrival | You cannot tell where carrier liability starts and ends between loading and discharge, so the claim goes to the wrong party |
| Carrier's package limitation clause | Carrier, printed on the back of the bill of lading or in the tariff | Provided at booking together with the quotation and B/L terms | You expect the full vehicle value, but compensation may be capped per package or per kilo |
| Tally Sheet and Damage Report | Terminal tally clerk signs the tally sheet, a surveyor signs the damage report | Tally sheet produced at discharge and signed before collection; damage report applied for on the spot | No annotation counts as clean delivery; no signed damage report leaves both insurer and carrier without on-site evidence |
There is no uniform number of hours for reporting damage. The PICC ocean marine cargo clauses require the assured to apply to the survey and claims agent named in the policy immediately upon discovering loss, and the claim period runs at most 2 years from the date of the accident. ICC(A) 2009 asks for prompt notice, again with no fixed hours. The only deadline that binds you is the one printed in your policy.
Four steps after arrival
1Get the documents ready before arrival
B/L copy, policy, invoice, packing list, booking confirmation; one missing and the exchange of documents stalls
2Inspect the car at the terminal before collection
Walk around for full views, tape a ruler to each scratch for close-ups, test the battery with a meter and photograph it, jump-start a flat battery on the spot
3Write the findings into the tally sheet, then sign
Have the terminal note the position and size of each scratch on the Tally Sheet, apply for a Damage Report on the spot, and leave with the stamp
4Report and claim under the policy
Notify carrier and insurer at the same time, preserve the right of recovery against the carrier, and do not sign a release or waiver first
Five most common mistakes
- ✓Inspecting outside the gate only, never inside the yard: once the car leaves, it is yours and the scratch cannot be explained
- ✓Signing a tally sheet already marked in good condition: that signature admits clean delivery
- ✓Photographing a scratch close up with no wide shot: the insurer cannot tell where on the body it sits
- ✓No photo or note for a flat battery: a jump-start moves the car, but you cannot later prove it arrived flat
- ✓Signing first and reporting later, or buying cover afterwards: the time of the incident and the policy inception no longer match
Keep transport damage separate from quality issues. The article on how the warranty lands in Africa, in three models, already sets out that the warranty does not cover damage arising in transit, so scratches do not go through the warranty channel. To size the landed cost before quoting, start with the duty calculator on this site (/en/duty-calculator), but tax and transport damage are two different things.
This reflects the position verified on 5 November 2026. Bill of lading terms, carrier limitation clauses and policy reporting requirements differ between carriers and insurers; the bill of lading, the policy and the terminal tally sheet in force at the time govern.
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