Car Shipping to Tamatave (Toamasina), Madagascar

About Port of Toamasina

Toamasina is Madagascar's main port, run by the Société du Port à gestion Autonome de Toamasina (SPAT). Its container terminal handled 250,284 TEU in 2024, up 13.4 per cent on 2023. A USD 639 million expansion, about two-thirds funded by Japan through JICA, is building a new deep-water container quay, C4, and the first 333 m of it were handed over on 21 March 2026.

Area served: The port serves the whole of Madagascar, including the capital Antananarivo, which it reaches by rail.

How Vehicles Are Handled at Tamatave (Toamasina)

The container terminal is run by Madagascar International Container Terminal Services Ltd (MICTSL), part of ICTSI, under a concession that began in 2005 and has been extended to 2040. The port has no dedicated RoRo or car terminal. In 2012 SPAT said imported vehicles were being handled at quays poorly suited to them and proposed a combined passenger and RoRo quay for car carriers of up to 320 m, with a vehicle storage area. Current sources give no sign that it has been built. The new C4 quay, planned at 470 m, is designed for container ships of up to about 14,000 TEU.

Port authority

SPAT (Société du Port à gestion Autonome de Toamasina)

Container terminal operator

MICTSL (ICTSI), concession to 2040

Container throughput

250,284 TEU (2024)

Vehicle handling

No dedicated RoRo terminal. Vehicles use the general quays

Expansion

C4 container quay, 333 m of a planned 470 m in service from March 2026, USD 639 million project

Shipping a Car from the UK to Tamatave (Toamasina)

We handle the whole UK side of an export to Tamatave (Toamasina): sourcing the vehicle, tax-free supply from the selling dealer where the car qualifies, collection from any UK address, UK customs clearance and export documentation, and loading onto the ship by RoRo or container. Current carrier schedules show 3-8 weeks port to port, sailing from Southampton, London Gateway, Liverpool, Felixstowe and Newcastle. Lines on the route include Höegh Autoliners and MSC.

Any import duty and taxes are paid by the importer, whoever clears the car. We can arrange customs clearance, registration and delivery to your door through a local agent, quoted separately, or work with an agent of your choice. For costs, the full sailing schedule and everything else about exporting to Madagascar, see our Madagascar shipping guide.

Upcoming Sailings to Tamatave (Toamasina)

Dates are carrier estimates and must be reconfirmed before booking.

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