Ro-Ro Shipping Explained: Moving Vehicles and Wheeled Cargo by Sea
Roll on / roll off vessels let cars, trucks and machinery drive straight on board. How Ro-Ro works, what it suits and how to prepare your vehicle.
Ro-Ro stands for roll on / roll off. Instead of lifting cargo with cranes, wheeled cargo is driven on and off the vessel over ramps. It is one of the simplest and safest ways to move vehicles by sea — and on the Caspian, Ro-Ro and ferry services are an important link for trucks and rail wagons.
What can travel by Ro-Ro?
- Cars, vans and buses
- Trucks and trailers
- Construction and agricultural machinery on wheels or tracks
- Project cargo loaded on trailers or roll trailers
Advantages
- Fast loading and discharge.
- Less handling than lift-on/lift-off.
- Ideal for multimodal road–sea routes: the truck drives on, sails, and drives off.
Preparing a vehicle for Ro-Ro
- Clean the vehicle and remove personal belongings.
- Keep fuel at a low level according to the carrier’s rules.
- Check the battery, brakes and tyres; report any leaks.
- Prepare registration and ownership documents for customs.
Containers or Ro-Ro?
Smaller vehicles and motorbikes can also travel in containers, which adds protection. Larger machinery often moves more economically by Ro-Ro or on flat racks.
Viking Group arranges vehicle moving by Ro-Ro and the shipment of vehicles, boats and motorbikes in containers, including customs support. Learn more on our Sea Freight page.