[Inline_Six]

If you're on the NYKLine vessel "Metis Leader" that departed Bremerhaven, Germany on Feb 13, 2015, 15:02 UTC, this thread is all about that voyage. So, join us here, chill, comment, lament, let's hold hands and hold a vigil for our ship.

ETA in Port Hueneme, CA: Mar 11.
*** EDIT - ETA is now Mar 10, because the ship has made good time and is a day ahead !!! ***

Tracking home page: http://www.marinetraffic.com/ais/det...l:METIS_LEADER

NYKLine RoRo (car carrier) home page: http://www.nykroro.com/

Schedule of the voyage is attached as a PDF file. Also see picture (edited).

[baxley]

I'm schedule for the 11th... why wouldn't they unload it at Long Beach, I ordered mine at nick alexander near downtown LA... LB is far closer to that than Port Hueneme..

[Inline_Six]

Originally Posted by baxley

I'm schedule for the 11th... why wouldn't they unload it at Long Beach, I ordered mine at nick alexander near downtown LA... LB is far closer to that than Port Hueneme..

Coz it's more efficient for them (BMW North America) to have all their operations conducted via one single port for the entire region, than to have a few cars unloaded here and the rest there.

Also, the BMW VPC (Vehicle Preparation Center) is at or near Port Hueneme.

I'd say we should be thankful it's Port Hueneme, because it seems to be the port least affected by all the union strike bullshit.

[PHX767]

The real countdown has begun now that our ship has sailed. Got off earlier than I would have guessed.

[inktomi]

Pro tip I just discovered. When your ship is away from the shore and you can't get it on MarineTraffic anymore.. sign up for an account at http://www.vesseltracker.com/ and you'll get a free trial of satellite AIS vessel tracking.

Once you have an account, search for your ship, then add it to your fleet. Go to your account, and view your fleet - at the bottom it'll list the ships (only one, unless you added more) and next to each ship you need to activate sat tracking.

Then you can start refreshing that page instead

[TBro2002]

Originally Posted by baxley

I'm schedule for the 11th... why wouldn't they unload it at Long Beach, I ordered mine at nick alexander near downtown LA... LB is far closer to that than Port Hueneme..

There are several brands of cars that come through Port Hueneme. The reason is the Port of Los Angeles/Long Beach has limited space for new imported cars. The focus of the ports is the container business. Port Hueneme is only 90 minutes from LA area.

[Inline_Six]

As inktomi mentioned, our ship has gone dark on marinetraffic.com. I'm now tracking on http://www.vesseltracker.com. I signed up for a free trial Satellite account.

[TBro2002]

I was in Port Huneme today for some business. While I was there I drove past the BMW VPC. It's a huge facility with hundreds of BMW's and Mini's in a parking lot and two story garage. There was several large building and offices in the facility.

The BMW VPC is located in a large industrial park with several other VPC's for other brands. There was new cars parked all over the place.

The VPC's are all located about 1.5 miles from the actual port. When I was driving down Port Huneme Blvd. several caravans of new Mitsubishi's past me heading over to the VPC. So they actually drive the cars from the ship through city streets to the VPC.

[Inline_Six]

Originally Posted by TBro2002

I was in Port Huneme today for some business. While I was there I drove past the BMW VPC. It's a huge facility with hundreds of BMW's and Mini's in a parking lot and two story garage. There was several large building and offices in the facility.

The BMW VPC is located in a large industrial park with several other VPC's for other brands. There was new cars parked all over the place.

The VPC's are all located about 1.5 miles from the actual port. When I was driving down Port Huneme Blvd. several caravans of new Mitsubishi's past me heading over to the VPC. So they actually drive the cars from the ship through city streets to the VPC.

Thanks for the info.

Say, do you know if customers are allowed to observe their cars being processed at the VPC facility ? Can I walk in there on Mar 11 when my car arrives, to see what they do with it ?

[TBro2002]

Originally Posted by InlineSixTwinScroll

Thanks for the info.

Say, do you know if customers are allowed to observe their cars being processed at the VPC facility ? Can I walk in there on Mar 11 when my car arrives, to see what they do with it ?

You can contact BMW with question. I read a post from someone on another forum that said they took a tour of the VPC.

[TBro2002]

Here is a tour of the BMW VPC.

http://www.e90post.com/vpc/index.asp.htm

[baxley]

Is it safe to say that we're all considered "priority one" since we have ordered our cars... regardless of purchasing vs. leasing?

[Inline_Six]

Originally Posted by baxley

Is it safe to say that we're all considered "priority one" since we have ordered our cars... regardless of purchasing vs. leasing?

Yes, I don't think there's any difference in priority between leases and purchases.

What are you concerned about ?

[TBro2002]

Originally Posted by baxley

Is it safe to say that we're all considered "priority one" since we have ordered our cars... regardless of purchasing vs. leasing?

From what I read in the VPC articles, the answer should be yes. Priority one are vehicles that have already been sold.

[baxley]

Originally Posted by InlineSixTwinScroll

Yes, I don't think there's any difference in priority between leases and purchases.

What are you concerned about ?

In TBro2002 post it mentioned priority one cars make it through in 2 days... just wanted to confirm I fit in that bracket since I'm leasing.

Have you guys received a final pickup date from your dealer?

[TBro2002]

Lease or purchase, the car has a customer waiting for it. All the other cars the VPC are processing will just go sit on dealer lots, so there is no rush to get them done.

[baxley]

Looks like we're one day ahead of schedule

http://www.portofhueneme.org/vessel/metis-leader-2/

[Inline_Six]

Originally Posted by baxley

Looks like we're one day ahead of schedule

http://www.portofhueneme.org/vessel/metis-leader-2/

That's AWESOME !!! However, not sure if things will slow down closer to port.

Anyway, for now,

[Inline_Six]

Inching closer ever so slowly

[Inline_Six]

And closer !

[ellincali]

Mine is on this vessel, too. Anyone know the average transit time from Port Hueneme up to the Bay Area? My CA estimated I'd get it 7 days after the ship's arrival. Seems reasonable but of course I'd love it sooner.

[Inline_Six]

Originally Posted by elincali

Mine is on this vessel, too. Anyone know the average transit time from Port Hueneme up to the Bay Area? My CA estimated I'd get it 7 days after the ship's arrival. Seems reasonable but of course I'd love it sooner.

Hey, 7 days sounds about right; in fact, 7 days is very reasonable given that you're about 350 miles North of Port Hueneme.

It takes 2-3 days for US customs to clear your car. If it's a convertible, which is a new model variant for 2015, the EPA might stall it for up to a month, for inspection.

After clearing, the VPC at Hueneme will prepare it for the US - instrument calibration, damage repairs, etc. If you ordered accessories, they may get installed here.

Finally, it will get put on a truck and head to your dealer, where it may spend a day or two getting detailed, depending on how busy your dealer is.

Yeah, a week sounds very reasonable. For the bay area, I'd expect it to be slightly longer.

Note that our ship's arrival at Hueneme moved up one day (Mar 10 instead of Mar 11) because of the union strike affecting Long Beach. So, it will skip the Long Beach stop, so Hueneme (Mar 10) right after San Diego (Mar 9).

P.S. I lived in the South bay area for 8 years. Great food !