Shipping Query

andyrp · 09-28-2023, 11:29 AM

My car is on a vessel from Charleston to Bremerhaven (Germany) according to BMW Genius tracking; why would it go to Bremerhaven (Germany) first if the final destination was the United Kingdom?

The vessel will then go from Bremerhaven to Southampton (United Kingdom) so will my car be unloaded at Bremerhaven, and if so why, or will it carry on after that to Southampton (United Kingdom)?

I'm not clear why BMW tell me the shipping destination is Bremerhaven (Germany)

Thanks, Andy

andyrp · 09-30-2023, 05:47 PM

So the car is now in its way to Southampton (UK), not even sure it went to Bremerhaven. Do BMW ship direct from Spartanburg to UK?

BenJ25 · 10-02-2023, 03:34 AM

Hi - I have a vehicle on its way as well, might be in the UK now, and was told by my dealer that UK-bound cars head to Europe first and then to UK. Assume it just how the car transporter routing works and that not enough for dedicated US-UK only routing.

SuperYes · 10-02-2023, 07:06 AM

Mine shipped direct from Charlestown to Southampton.

andyrp · 10-02-2023, 02:43 PM

Using the information I got from BMW Genius and the car carrier vessels in Charleston around the dates quoted to me I narrowed the car carrier ship down to either the Don Pasquale or Donington. Don Pasqaule was heading Charelston to Bremerhaven and Donington was heading Charleston to Southampton.

BMW Genius originally said my car had been handed over to their logistics partners to arrange transport to Bremerhaven. However, more recent enquiries (3 of them!) have all confirmed the car is heading to Southampton so I'd assume the car was on the Donington, which docked and unloaded over the weekend.

Unfortunately, BMW Genius still think the car is at sea so I'm just hoping that's because it takes a bit of time to scan the cars through the port and update the BMW systems as I can't see what other ship it could be on.

Why am I so keen, it's threefold:
1) I've just given up my X3 which was superb and I'm not enjoying the hire car I've got as an interim (certainly makes you appreciate BMW quality).
2) I'm on holiday the weekend of the scheduled delivery week, I want to take delivery before I go away.
3) I'm excited (which I think is reason enough on its own )!!!!!!

FastMarkA · 10-26-2023, 06:30 AM

Having tracked a few BMWs from Germany to the USA, I find it helps to look at ship routes as circular instead of unidirectional.

When a ship leaves Bremerhaven, for example, it's packed full with cars that were built in Germany. Some get dropped in Southampton, some get dropped in Halifax, some get dropped in New York, and some get dropped in Charleston.

When the ship is in Charleston, it picks up a bunch of Euro-spec cars that were made at the U.S. factories, so it brings them to various ports in Europe. The ship can also pick up other vehicles at ports along the way, i.e. people shipping their cars due to a move overseas.

The loading and unloading of the ship is rather complicated mathematics equation, because if the weight/balance goes too far to one side, the sharks and fish get the cars.

barbE · 10-26-2023, 12:42 PM

[QUOTE=
The loading and unloading of the ship is rather complicated mathematics equation, because if the weight/balance goes too far to one side, the sharks and fish get the cars.[/QUOTE]

Yikes, now that would be a problem! We are opposite, as we are currently waiting on our 24 M440i Gran Coupe to board a ship in Bremerhaven! From what we have read/researched, it should be porting in Galveston.

FastMarkA · 10-26-2023, 08:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by barbE

From what we have read/researched, it should be porting in Galveston.

Have you been told you've been assigned to a ship?

It's been a while since I've tracked, but it seems like BMWs either unload in NY/NJ or GA; beyond that, they travel through the Panama Canal to Port Hueneme in CA. All of these locations have Vehicle Prep Centers where they fix the dings and ensure the builds are "americanized" properly.

TurtleBoy · 10-26-2023, 08:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FastMarkA

Have you been told you've been assigned to a ship?

It's been a while since I've tracked, but it seems like BMWs either unload in NY/NJ or GA; beyond that, they travel through the Panama Canal to Port Hueneme in CA. All of these locations have Vehicle Prep Centers where they fix the dings and ensure the builds are "americanized" properly.

There is also a VDC in Galveston. That said, I have only seen ships from Mexico go there and not from Germany. I don't follow it closely though.

barbE · 10-27-2023, 08:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FastMarkA

Have you been told you've been assigned to a ship?

It's been a while since I've tracked, but it seems like BMWs either unload in NY/NJ or GA; beyond that, they travel through the Panama Canal to Port Hueneme in CA. All of these locations have Vehicle Prep Centers where they fix the dings and ensure the builds are "americanized" properly.

Genius could not tell us if or what ship we are assigned to. There is one leaving next week that we hope that we are in the queue to take that cruise! We'd like to have it by the end of November.

My husband is chomping at the bit to track a ship. Also interesting to TurtleBoy 's point to see where it actually ports once it gets here. This was back in 1998 but my husband's 540i came in through Galveston, that may be the main reason why he thinks this one should as well. We are just playing the wait and see what happens game right now.

FastMarkA · 10-27-2023, 06:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by barbE

Genius could not tell us if or what ship we are assigned to. There is one leaving next week that we hope that we are in the queue to take that cruise! We'd like to have it by the end of November.

My husband is chomping at the bit to track a ship. Also interesting to TurtleBoy 's point to see where it actually ports once it gets here. This was back in 1998 but my husband's 540i came in through Galveston, that may be the main reason why he thinks this one should as well. We are just playing the wait and see what happens game right now.

Genius, or your dealer, should be able to see the ship's name once it's assigned.

Once you know that, there are quite a few tools for tracking, the most popular probably being MarineTraffic.

Back in 2014 I did European Delivery, and I kept a pretty detailed thread as I shared my ship's progress from Bremerhaven to NY.

https://www.bimmerfest.com/threads/f.../#post-8231214

09-28-2023, 11:29 AM	#1
andyrp Private First Class 27 Rep 110 Posts Drives: X3 30e Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: UK iTrader: (0)	Shipping Query My car is on a vessel from Charleston to Bremerhaven (Germany) according to BMW Genius tracking; why would it go to Bremerhaven (Germany) first if the final destination was the United Kingdom? The vessel will then go from Bremerhaven to Southampton (United Kingdom) so will my car be unloaded at Bremerhaven, and if so why, or will it carry on after that to Southampton (United Kingdom)? I'm not clear why BMW tell me the shipping destination is Bremerhaven (Germany) Thanks, Andy
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09-30-2023, 05:47 PM	#2
andyrp Private First Class 27 Rep 110 Posts Drives: X3 30e Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: UK iTrader: (0)	So the car is now in its way to Southampton (UK), not even sure it went to Bremerhaven. Do BMW ship direct from Spartanburg to UK?
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10-02-2023, 03:34 AM	#3
BenJ25 Registered 5 Rep 4 Posts Drives: BMW X5 50e M Sport (on order) Join Date: Jul 2023 Location: UK iTrader: (0)	Hi - I have a vehicle on its way as well, might be in the UK now, and was told by my dealer that UK-bound cars head to Europe first and then to UK. Assume it just how the car transporter routing works and that not enough for dedicated US-UK only routing.
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10-02-2023, 07:06 AM	#4
SuperYes New Member 58 Rep 26 Posts Drives: Mercedes GLC Join Date: Jul 2023 Location: United Kingdom iTrader: (0) Garage List MY2024 BMW X5 50e [0.00]	Mine shipped direct from Charlestown to Southampton.
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10-02-2023, 02:43 PM	#5
andyrp Private First Class 27 Rep 110 Posts Drives: X3 30e Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: UK iTrader: (0)	Using the information I got from BMW Genius and the car carrier vessels in Charleston around the dates quoted to me I narrowed the car carrier ship down to either the Don Pasquale or Donington. Don Pasqaule was heading Charelston to Bremerhaven and Donington was heading Charleston to Southampton. BMW Genius originally said my car had been handed over to their logistics partners to arrange transport to Bremerhaven. However, more recent enquiries (3 of them!) have all confirmed the car is heading to Southampton so I'd assume the car was on the Donington, which docked and unloaded over the weekend. Unfortunately, BMW Genius still think the car is at sea so I'm just hoping that's because it takes a bit of time to scan the cars through the port and update the BMW systems as I can't see what other ship it could be on. Why am I so keen, it's threefold: 1) I've just given up my X3 which was superb and I'm not enjoying the hire car I've got as an interim (certainly makes you appreciate BMW quality). 2) I'm on holiday the weekend of the scheduled delivery week, I want to take delivery before I go away. 3) I'm excited (which I think is reason enough on its own )!!!!!!
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10-26-2023, 06:30 AM	#6
FastMarkA Lieutenant 561 Rep 545 Posts Drives: '24 X5 50e M-Sport Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Chicago iTrader: (0)	Having tracked a few BMWs from Germany to the USA, I find it helps to look at ship routes as circular instead of unidirectional. When a ship leaves Bremerhaven, for example, it's packed full with cars that were built in Germany. Some get dropped in Southampton, some get dropped in Halifax, some get dropped in New York, and some get dropped in Charleston. When the ship is in Charleston, it picks up a bunch of Euro-spec cars that were made at the U.S. factories, so it brings them to various ports in Europe. The ship can also pick up other vehicles at ports along the way, i.e. people shipping their cars due to a move overseas. The loading and unloading of the ship is rather complicated mathematics equation, because if the weight/balance goes too far to one side, the sharks and fish get the cars.
	Appreciate 1 flatland10.50 Quote

10-26-2023, 12:42 PM	#7
barbE Private 121 Rep 78 Posts Drives: 2024 X6M60i, 2024 M440ix G.C. Join Date: Aug 2023 Location: Arkansas iTrader: (0)	[QUOTE= The loading and unloading of the ship is rather complicated mathematics equation, because if the weight/balance goes too far to one side, the sharks and fish get the cars.[/QUOTE] Yikes, now that would be a problem! We are opposite, as we are currently waiting on our 24 M440i Gran Coupe to board a ship in Bremerhaven! From what we have read/researched, it should be porting in Galveston.
	Appreciate 0 Quote