Car Carrier Ship Tracking

James, I looked over the thread and the following boat is not listed. Any chance you could drum up some info? I tried vesseltracker and marine traffic and that did not work for me.

Sunbelt Spirit

 

My car is on the Bellona; I haven't been able to track that too. Any chances that's showing up?

 

and how were you able to track the ship with your new car?

thanks

 

She said it would arrive in port around July 15th, so maybe that's why. Thanks for checking!

 

My car is on the same boat so I am tracking the Bellona as well.

Looks like according to the first page its just off the coast near San Fran and set to arrive today at 6.

Voyage Related Info (Last Received):

Draught: 7.5 m
Destination: BENICIA
ETA: 2009-07-12 06:00
Info Received: 2009-07-12 13:46 (0d, 0h 45min 12s ago)

 

OOooohhhh. My dealer in Plano, TX said a car allocated to them should arrive at port Monday, so I hope it is on that ship. I REALLY thought he was blowing smoke since he didn't know a vessel name, VIN#, nothing, and said I should have it between 15-30 days. That made me think they were just putting me on a list.

 

Noobie question:

I've recently placed a deposit for a particular vehicle as shown on a Vehicle Inquiry Report. The ship's name (Kentucky Highway) was also noted. Additionally the report showed a "Category" status of "A". Doing a bit of research, I've determined that the ship is now headed back toward Japan after a recent port visit in the US.

Am I to conclude that the vehicle was on that ship, unloaded (somewhere) and is currently under some sort of preparation for shipping inland to my dealer? That might jibe with the dealer's stated expectation of seeing the vehicle by the end of the month (or early August).

 

I checked with my Columbus, Ohio, Toyota dealer on Friday and my order (Prius V with the AT package, Sandy Beach Metallic, leather in Bisque) had a status A with a delivery date of July 21. Today (Monday, July 13, 2009), the status changed to F with a delivery date of July 20, 2009. They were able to provide me with a printout of the "Inventory Detail" for my Prius showing my VIN and carrier vessel INDIANA HIGHWAY with a "Ship Date" of 07/11/09.

The MarineTraffic.com itinerary for the INDIANA HIGHWAY shows June 29 (Longview), June 29-30 (Portland), June 30 (Longview), and July 3-4 (Los Angeles). The INDIANA HIGHWAY currently appears to be heading back to Japan.

Questions:

(1) How can one tell which port is used to transport cars to the midwest?

(2) Apparently the "Ship Date" does not pertain to the vessel. Does the "Ship Date" indicate the date the vehicle was scheduled to leave the port facility?

(3) My professional detail person is telling me not to let the Toyota people do the interior and exterior prep. He says to instruct them to remove the plastic film from the inside and outside, but not to touch it otherwise ... no washing, no tire or interior dressings, no removal of adhesive residue from the protective flm, no wipedowns, etc. He's going to do a four-hour detailing ($200) with claying of my new Prius. Am I being overprotective my Prius V or doing the best thing for it?

 

I called Toyota of Plano today and he looked on the computer and said it would arrive at port (Benicia I suppose) on 7-21-09. Is he blowin smoke or what?

 

It's hard for anybody to make a judgment on that, given the limited information you've provided. You should ask them for a copy of the vehicle inquiry report--it includes the vessel name, which you can track on various web sites.

 

Ship date is when it leaves the port (by truck or train).

Status F stands for freight, which means it's ready to leave, or already has left, the port.

When I've taken delivery of expensive sports cars, I tell them exactly what your detailer told you. The benefit is you don't risk some minimum wage car wash guy messing up you paint, but the downside is it will be more difficult to determine if the paint is damaged when you take delivery, since it's not clean. I didn't give my dealer any special instructions in this regard for my Prius--and washed, clayed and waxed it myself a few days later. For your color (mine is silver) I wouldn't stress over risking any minor swirl marks.

 

Hey James, any update on the Sunbelt Spirit? Both Marine Traffic and VesselTracker don't have any info.

 

James, do you have any info on the Bellona? I didn't see it in your previous updates, but I've been told is due in to the port 7/15 (tomorrow).

Thanks!!

 

Voyage Related Info (Last Received):

Draught: 7.5 m
Destination: LONGBEACH
ETA: 2009-07-15 06:00
Info Received: 2009-07-14 07:08 (0d, 15h 15min 53s ago)

See it here: BELLONA - 8402371 - Vessel's Details and Current Position

So it looks like you're getting a car through Dianne as well! Yay for Texas getting cars from Cali!