This is a working route between two oil regions. Aberdeen supplies the North Sea, Miri and Bintulu supply the South China Sea, and most people making the move are doing it on a company assignment rather than a private decision. That changes who signs the contract and how much volume you are actually allowed under it.
Goods travel south to Felixstowe or Southampton, then eight to twelve weeks at sea as of August 2026 to a Peninsular Malaysia port and on by a second sea leg into Sarawak, Sabah or Labuan. Households cross as a part load, sharing a container and charged by the cubic metre.
It is the single most common failure on assignment moves and it is entirely predictable. A policy figure negotiated centrally does not know about your garage, your instruments or fifteen years of accumulation. Discovering the gap at survey is normal and fixable. Discovering it when the container is loaded is expensive, because the excess is charged at whatever rate applies on the day.
| Destination | State or territory | What it adds |
|---|---|---|
| Miri | Sarawak | Its own immigration authority and its own passes. A second sea leg from a Peninsular port |
| Bintulu | Sarawak | Same entry rules, but a deep water port of its own, so a direct call is sometimes possible |
| Labuan | Federal Territory | Duty free status, straightforward coming in and complicated if you move on to the mainland |
| Kota Kinabalu | Sabah | A separate authority again. Containers land at Sepanggar Bay north of the city |
Assignment packages are frequently set in one currency and spent in another, and the spread on that adds up over a posting. Currency exchange is included through trusted partners, with expertise in currency exchange, no hidden fees, 5-star consumer ratings and a competitive exchange rate.
Destination detail is on Miri, Bintulu, Labuan and Kota Kinabalu, and the entry requirements are on East Malaysia entry rules.
If this is your route, these help too: the Kuching route
The move is not carried out by us. Your enquiry goes to one vetted moving company from the AGM Group network, agm.group. On an assignment that firm usually deals with your relocation team as well as with you, and knowing which of you it takes instructions from saves a good deal of time.
The volume allowance. Company contracts are written to a fixed cubic metre figure agreed by procurement rather than to what you own, and excess discovered at the port is charged at the rate applying on the day rather than the contracted one.
Miri, Bintulu, Labuan and Kota Kinabalu rather than the capital, because the work is in the energy sector. All four sit behind separate state entry control and a second sea leg from a Peninsular port.
Ask for storage in transit quoted alongside the shipment. Goods clear customs on arrival and sit in a warehouse until keys appear, which is far cheaper than guessing at the housing and paying to store or return whatever does not fit.
It should not. Company owned laptops, survey gear and test equipment are a commercial import with separate paperwork, and mixing them into a consignment declared as personal effects exposes the whole shipment.
The collection line legitimately costs more, because goods are trucked south to Felixstowe or Southampton with an overnight. The rate per cubic metre should not differ, and that is the figure worth checking.
Malaysian import requirements are set by the Royal Malaysian Customs Department and change without notice, so confirm the current position with the moving company before shipping. For the United Kingdom side, including Transfer of Residence relief on a return move, see HM Revenue and Customs.
Send your Aberdeen address, the Malaysian delivery address, your move date, your employer's volume allowance and whether housing is confirmed. One vetted moving company prices storage alongside the shipment.
Get your free quoteA free enquiry service. We do not carry out removals. Your enquiry goes to one vetted moving company from the AGM Group network, agm.group, that covers your route.
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