Be sure to verify the draft Bill of Lading as soon as possible after the ship departs. Once the original is issued, changes will incur high amendment fees and may prevent the customer from picking up the goods.
Two separate protections matter: cargo insurance and contractual risk transfer. Cargo insurance: for container or RoRo shipments, buy marine cargo insurance covering total loss and damage, typically 110% of the CIF value (average cost 0.3%–0.8%). Check exclusions — many policies exclude pre-existing damage, so a pre-shipment inspection report is essential to prove the car's condition at loading. Incoterms define who bears risk and cost at each stage: 1. FOB (Free On Board): exporter pays until the car is loaded on the vessel; risk passes to you at that point. You pay ocean freight and insurance. Common and usually cheapest if you have your own freight forwarder. 2. CIF (Cost, Insurance and Freight): exporter pays freight and minimum insurance to your port. Convenient but the insurance coverage is basic — consider topping it up. 3. EXW (Ex Works): you handle everything from the exporter's yard; only choose this if you have a trusted agent in China. Put the agreed Incoterm and port clearly in the contract, and never release final payment before the Bill of Lading is issued.
Our responsibility ends with delivering the vehicle to the Russian border or Far East port and providing the legal Chinese export documents. The payment of Scrap Tax, application for SBKTS (Vehicle Structure Safety Certificate), and activation of the final e-PTS electronic passport must be fully handled by the Russian buyer and their local customs broker.
