These information refer to freight transports by AWI staff, cooperating university, institutes other comissioned companies for scientific or technical tasks onboard RV Polarstern

AWI logistics organizes the transport of expedition goods and ensures that equipment and instruments are brought on board, customs cleared, at the right time and complete. 



Please consider:

  • The collection point for freight is the AWI port warehouse where the freight has to be delivered to and collected from.
  • Consider your equipment in due time and collect information in the necessary way. (EIS or forms)
  • 7 - 8 expeditions, each with abt. 50 participants lead to about 3000 freight items which need to be handled legally corect, complete and in time.
  • Every exception from the standard handling way leads to interruptions of the whole process and needs to be avoided by all means.
  • Transfer of the freight onto Polarstern is garantueed only by meeting the deadlines.

  • The procedures are well planned, based on many years of experience.
    Please respect our work as we respect yours!


  • Plan to use your equipment on different expeditions with enough in-between time for repairs, transportation, and customs clearance. We cannot absorb or mitigate planning errors on your part.



  • The AWI port warehouse and the berth of Polarstern in Bremerhaven are located in the free port.
  • Special legal customs regulations apply and must be observed.
  • Violations are administrative or criminal offenses for which the person responsible for the cargo is personally responsible.
  • Each package must be customs cleared before it arrives at the port warehouse.
  • Each package must be registered in the port warehouse, following customs law..
  • Each package must be customs cleared before it leaves the port warehouse.
  • If necessary, customs reserves the right to inspect the goods at any time.
  • The total equipment on board the Polarstern has to be declared, handled and customs cleared according to customs law, otherwise the ship will not be allowed to sail or enter the port.
  • There is no negotiating with customs at any time!
  • All procedures need preparation, care and time!
  • The schedule/deadlines take these processing times at AWI and customs into account.
  • The procedures are well planned, based on many years of experience.
    Please respect our work as we respect yours!


Please only use the freight module of the EIS (Expedition Interface System) to register the equipment you bring on board- https://eis.awi.de

The EIS allows you to create the relevant documents for your freight while you administer your freight data in this system. You can even work together with your team on the documentation of your freight. As data will not be erased, you can create your future freight from existing freight items you created once in the EIS.

Helpful information can be found in the EIS while processing your freight and here: (EIS freight module manual)



General instructions

  • All freight has to be seaworthy (shock-resistant, stackable, sealed and waterproof).
  • We expect freight to be frost-resistant.
  • Frost-sensitive items must be delivered separately and marked accordingly.
  • Please deliver your freight on palette if you have more than 10 boxes.
  • If you have items that are too heavy or too large to carry you have to make sure that they can be transported with a forklift.
  • If your item can only be moved by crane you have to provide suitable shackels, ropes or straps. Technical aids suiting to your item may not be available onboard!
  • In order to avoid confusion remove all older markings, labels or stickers.
  • All pieces of freight require special labelling on every side for identification (colour coding & signs; see below)

  • AWI uses aluminum boxes for safe packing with good experience.
 
  • Secure your boxes with simple locks or stable cable ties. This is a minimum of security against unauthorized access. In case of opening of boxes via authorities (customs) the loss of a cheap lock etc. is financially irrelevant.

  • Pay attention to the deadlines for documents and freight handling set for your expedition!

  • Do not communicate with the ship directly even though that may seem easier to you!
     
  • Non-registered freight cannot be taken onboard due to security reasons.


How do I have to mark the freight?

  • All pieces of freight have to carry labels with a ident number and other information on four sides and on the upward side (see expedition label on the right side).
  •  All pieces of freight have to be marked with colour coding (e.g. coloured tape) on four sides and the upward side (see example below).
    In case your institution does not have a colour code yet, ask the freight division about it (Transport@awi.de).





                                     Example for an expedition lable:


Delivery to the harbour storehouse

  1. Delivery of the freight documents to the freight division via Expedition Interface System (EIS).

  2. Return of the freight documents together with barcodes from the freight division

  3. Making an appointment for delivering your freight to the harbour storehouse

  4. Prepare the single administrative document (SAD) for the freight and have it stamped upon entering the free-trade harbour. Use a copy of the barcode freight list as attachment.

  5. Personal delivery of the freight to the harbour storehouse and hand over of the single administrative document and the freight lists with barcode

  6. The last 2 tasks have to be carried out by the driver upon delivery with a transport company.

       SEE ALSO THE GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS ABOVE !

Is your freight already stored in the harbour storehouse?

  1. Separate freight list containing items from the harbour storehouse only

  2. Packing lists for these packages

  3. Information about these packages in your Email to the freight division

  4. Appointment with the harbour storehouse for handover of the freight

  5. Marking packages with the  labels / signs

  6. Handing over freight to the storehouse staff


Dangerous goods from AWI members

  1. AWI members put their dangerous goods into the rooms assigned for dangerous goods in house E and house D at the time scheduled for this.

  2. Do not put dangerous goods of external participants in these rooms!

  3. Make sure your goods are marked according to the rules for labelling of dangerous goods.

Dangerous goods from external participants

  1. Dangerous goods from external participants can only be brought to the harbour storehouse at the dates given in the time schedule.
    The storehouse is not entitled to store such goods, therefore delivery and storage is not possible on other days.

  2. Make sure your goods are marked according to the rules for labelling of dangerous goods.


Frozen and chilled goods

  1. Frozen or chilled goods must not be delivered to the harbour storehouse!

  2. The harbour storehouse has no cold storage. Temperature control or uninterupted power supply cannot be garantueed.

  3. Please register such goods with the freight division. You will get an appointment for direct delivery to Polarstern.

  4. You have to take your goods onboard to the cold storages yourself. Thus it is warraneted that you goods are stored at the right temperature.

  5. AWI members please inform the AWI customs division 7 working days before delivery in order to have enough time for preparation of customs documents if necessary.

  6. Frozen or chilled goods must not be taken onboard without previous registration.

Direct delivery to RV Polarstern (in Bremerhaven)

  1. Delivery for delayed equipment or freight directly to Polarstern shortly before departure is only possible in exceptional cases.

  2. You must give a good justification for the late delivery.

  3. Direct delivery to Polarstern will be prohibited should the impression arise that regular delivery deadlines were neglected without cause.

  4. Hand over a freight list to the freight division. You will get an appointment for direct delivery to the ship.
    Please make sure you keep this appointment!

  5. AWI members please inform the AWI customs division 7 working days before delivery in order to have enough time for preparation of customs documents if necessary.

  6. Non-registered freight cannot be taken onboard due to security reasons.



Single pieces of freight required directly on departure

If you need some of your packages for installations etc. right after departure you may store them separately onboard.
Explicitly mark these packages and inform the AWI harbour storehouse staff upon delivery. Otherwise the single packages will be stored together with the rest of the freight in containers.





Pick-up of freight from the harbour storehouse

  1. Updated freight documents have to be handed over at the end of the expedition via the EIS on board.

  2. You will be informed after arrival of the freight at the storehouse. Pick-up including the required customs documents has to be registered with AWI customs divison. You will be given a notice about deposit of the finished papers in the harbour storehouse.

  3. Make an appointment for pick-up of the freight from the storehouse and bring documents that may be required additionally.

  4. Bring along customs documents and order for relocation for collection of your freight.


Collection of dangerous goods from the harbour storehouse:

Pay attention to the fact that you have to collect dangerous goods before or together with the rest of your freight!

Dangerous goods must not left behind in the storehouse!

In case you entrust a transport company with the collection of freight make sure that they are entitled to carry dangerous goods.



Delivery to the ship abroad

If you want to send freight to a harbour abroad you have to inform the AWI ship coordination and the agent and declare that any costs for services of the agency (e.g. transport of freight from the airport to RV Polarstern) are payed for by you and your institution.

Your delivery shoul arrive in the port of departure at least 10 workdays before departure to make sure all necessary paperwork there can be done in time. Customs clarification abroad might take a while.

All equipment you need to bring onboard must be registered in the EIS/freightmodule in due time.
Non-registered freight cannot be taken onboard due to security reasons.

   

Every piece of freight has to be marked the following way:

  In transit to:

Master of RV "POLARSTERN"

Attn.:  "Recipient onboard"
c/o:     "name of agency"
           "Address of agency" (see here)  


Collection from the ship abroad

Containers for return freight have to be noted by the cruise leader during planning of the expedition. Thus storage space on the ship can be prepared appropriately and containers are stored on deck so that they can be accessed in the harbour.

Single pieces of freight can be shipped from foreign harbours as well. Contact the agency on-site via your cruise leader!

External participants take care of the freight and customs handling themselves and on their own account.

AWI ship coordination may organize a return freight container if there are several single pieces of freight going to Bremerhaven.

Always inform AWI ship coordination about return freights at home or abroad in due time.


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