weinschela

The shipping company that MB uses (at least I think they do; I know that BMW uses them, and I think Volvo too) has a web site (URL below) that allows you to see when boats are leaving Bremerhaven and when they arrive in Baltimore (the East Coast POE for MB). The web site is not the friendliest but its not bad. If I am reading it right, it seems that you can track a car by VIN number, whiuch means you can know precisely when it leaves Germany and when it arrives in the US -- if it works. So my question is whether the dealers are given VIN numbers at the time of shipment and whether they will release them to the customer who ordered the car (like me). Has anyone tried this?

<http://www.wlna.com/www/WEP/index.jsp>

TPAbnz

Isn't E. H. Harms the shipper for MB as well as BMW? At least that's who the manufacturers' web sites reference. The company you mention doesn't even show a destination to Jacksonville, the SE POE for Mercedes.

LIONHEAD

I tracked my car through that steamship line's website. It should give you ETD and ETA (mine come through the port of Baltimore). I called my dealer for the VIN number and they gave the VIN over the phone. They should have your VIN number if the car is already built.

weinschela

I think WW is the shipping line to Baltimore, where my car will be going. I think Harms is the shipper for European Delivery but not necessarily to all the VPCs. Maybe they are for the Southeast.

NATS64

My car was shipped by a company that did not provide tracking information. I obtained the name of the vessel from my salesman and went to the Jaxport (Jacksonville, FL) website and tracked the arrival of the ship there.

ATS

Amazing. I tracked my car that was sent to Canada and it was sent last October.. Very cool..

Status Port Time (dd/mm/yyyy hh:mm) DISCHARGED HALIFAX, NS 20/10/2003 10:34 LOADED ON VESSEL BREMERHAVEN 09/10/2003 16:47 RECEIVED AT TERMINAL BREMERHAVEN 08/10/2003 16:46 BOOKED BREMERHAVEN 07/10/2003 16:46

weinschela

The answer to my question about tracking is "yes you can." My dealer gave me the VIN and I was able to verify that it is on a boat scheduled to arrive Baltimore August 8 (05 E500). I should have it 10 days or so later. Luckily, I did not order a phone, so it shouldn't be held up at the VPC. I'll have the dealer do thephone install when I know which way MB is headed on phones. By the way, it is WW that is the shipping line (the URL is in my first post). Harms I think is for European delivery cars.

LAH

So which web site did you use to track. The two listed was E.H. Harms, which does not look to have tracking available and Wallenius Wilhelmsen which does have tracking but does not ship to Jacksonville, Fl, which is port of entry. I got my VIN today, so I would like to see if it hit a ship yet.
Thank you

weinschela

I used Wallenius because my car is going to Baltimore. I'd ask your dealer who ships to Jacksonville.

weinschela

If you go to the Wallenius site and select schedules, you can pick ports in Germany and then the US. The German port is Bremerhaven. Jacksonville is one of the US ports listed. You can then put in the approximate dates and it should show you the different boats going from Bremerhaven to Jacksonville. But I think you can also just put the VIN number in and if it is a WW ship it will then take you to the data about the "voyage" for the ship the car is on.

LAH

Thanks for the info, but when you put in Jacksonville, the search comes up empty. Dealer told me it was to be put on a ship any day, but was unable to provide any of the specifics as to vessel name. Thanks