People ask "is RoRo or container cheaper?" as if it is one question. It is not. It is six questions wearing the same trench coat - and the answer changes depending on how many vehicles you are shipping, what kind, whether you have personal effects, and what destination port you are sailing into.
The short version
Choose RoRo when
Single car or 2 cars. Salvage / non-running OK. No personal effects. You want the cheapest, fastest path. Most West Africa ports have weekly RoRo service.
Choose container when
3+ vehicles in a 40' HC. Mixing cars with parts or household goods. High-value vehicles (security). Destination port has limited RoRo coverage. You need a fixed sealed unit.
Scenario by scenario
| Scenario | RoRo | Container (40' HC) |
|---|---|---|
| One car, running, to Lagos | Wins almost always. Frequent sailings, fraction of container cost. | $3,500-$6,000+ ocean freight for one car inside a mostly-empty box. |
| Two cars, running, to Cotonou or Tema | Usually still wins. Two RoRo bookings sometimes earn a small volume discount. | Feasible (strap-down lashing), but you still pay for empty space. |
| Three or four cars, same destination | Per-car cost stops scaling at this volume. | Often wins. 3-4 sedans fit a 40' HC. Sealed unit helps with auction cars. |
| One car + personal effects | Effects inside the vehicle not allowed (rare exception: one small sealed box in trunk). | Wins. Load the car and pack everything else around it. |
| Salvage, non-running, or stripped | Non-runners ship on a mafi trailer (small surcharge). | Heavy-damage shells often ship cheaper as cargo, not as a vehicle. |
| Heavy equipment (excavator, forklift) | RoRo or break-bulk for true yellow-iron. | Rarely fits container height/weight envelope. |
| High-value vehicle ($100K+) | Higher statistical theft and damage risk in transit. | Sealed container premium is cheap insurance for luxury, classic, exotic. |
| Destination has limited RoRo service | Banjul, Conakry, Freetown — RoRo calls are infrequent. | Container via Dakar or Tema with onward truck often beats waiting. |
Cost components, side by side
| Component | RoRo | Container (40' HC) |
|---|---|---|
| Inland trucking | Per car | Per car (loose) or per container |
| Origin handling | Lower | Higher — stuffing labor |
| Ocean freight | Per CBM or per linear meter | Flat per container |
| Origin docs / AES | One filing | One filing |
| Insurance rate | Slightly higher per $ value | Slightly lower |
| Destination handling | Lower | Higher — destuffing |
| Customs at destination | Per vehicle | Per vehicle (still itemized) |
The fill-rate rule. A container's flat rate is worth it once you can fill 60-80% of it. Below that threshold, RoRo's per-CBM pricing keeps you out of paying for empty space.
Transit-time differences
RoRo and container often share the same vessels and ports, so transit times are usually similar. Container can run 3-5 days slower due to stuffing/destuffing. RoRo is gate-to-gate the most efficient.
What we recommend
If you tell us the cargo and the destination, we'll quote both. The cheaper option is the cheaper option - we don't have a preference, and we run both lanes weekly.
Not sure which is right for you?
Send us the cargo list and destination. We'll quote RoRo and container side by side.