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If a shipping agent has been appointed, your first step is to visit him. If one has not been appointed, find one.
He will need one of the original copies of the BOL, with your signature on the reverse, indicating your approval that this agent is receiving the goods on your behalf.
Go through the costs that he will charge you. For example, I unlashed my own vehicle, rather than pay S$150 for the privilege of watching a guy cut a dozen cables and knock out the wheel chocks. Hell, I needed the exercise anyway.
Singapore is a major port. It is therefore not as flexible as Bangladesh: it cannot be, otherwise it would grind to a halt.
Your goods must be offloaded outside the port area. If you have a normal container (standard Land Rover, etc), your container will be moved by a standard skeletal trailer artic. If it's a flatrack, then, to comply with Singaporean traffic/height regulations, you must use a low loader......kerching.
Either way, you will have the situation where your vehicle is in front of you, but 4 feet higher than you'd like it to be. That's just over a metre in metric, but still too high to drive off. You'll need a ramp.
"We can get a crane to lift the container off the truck." Telephone call. S$200. Kerching. "I'll take it off the container in kit form before I pay S$200 for a crane - there must be a warehouse around here with a loading bay." Sure enough, a few more questions found a loading bay with ramp, just over the road.
The Singapore Customs had impounded the 101 - more a misunderstanding than a problem. Being there, I got on the 'phone to the customs officer just after my agent had said "tomorrow" and was able to clear the misunderstanding and obtain clearance the same day.
Just two examples of why you should be along for more than just the ride for every step of the way.
Shipping is all about money. There are agents, who work with trucking companies, whose brother owns a cranage outfit. Each step of the way, it's your money they'll willingly spend while metering out their "necessary" services to you. Beware.
For the record, if you need a loading bay to offload your vehicle from a container, there is a multi-storey truck park (heaven on earth!) at 31 Jurong Port Road. This has adjustable height loading bays, with ramps down to grade. It was free for me to use this facility.
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