Submitted by Larry Space
We recently shipped our RV from Baltimore to Amsterdam. It took some research to gather the necessary information but the final process of shipping to Europe from the East Coast was a fairly simple affair.
Shipping Agents: Shipping agents deal with filling out the paperwork, booking the vessel, collecting the fee, and may deliver your vehicle to the port along with the necessary papers. Shipping companies may require you to use a shipping agent in the U.S. You will want to use one in the foreign port to handle customs issues, etc. Hoegh Autoliners BV is an exception, as they have agents in Baltimore and Jacksonville and at least in Amsterdam. Our quote from them was about $94 less than from Seabridge, a shipping agent in Baltimore. We chose to go with Seabridge because we had heard a lot of positive feedback about them and they were helpful in clarifying the details and making sure I knew what to do. The fee quoted by a shipping agent normally includes all stateside fees but does not include destination port fees, foreign shipping agent fees, or foreign entry fees. Seabridge has been used by many RVer’s and the reports are positive, although two of us did have glitches. We were delayed several hours picking up our vehicle because Seabridge made an error in one of the documents. If you ship out of Baltimore using Seabridge, they require you to deliver the vehicle to Customs and the shipping line. If you want to use Hoegh and avoid using a shipping agent you will need to deliver the vehicle yourself as well. From my perspective, delivering the van myself was good because it allowed to me confirm that they would not be inspecting the RV. See more under Shipping Personal Items. At Zeebrugge, Belgium, friends who shipped to Zeebrugge used Rita Boussemaere at Wijngaard Natie Logistics – Atlantic nv www.wijngaardnatie.be and were pleased with her. Her charge was 300 Euros or about $390.
U.S. Shipping Documents: The following shipping documents are required on the U.S. side. Your original vehicle title and five copies of both sides. If you have a lien on your RV, you will need a letter from the lien holder stating authorization to export the vehicle. If they hold the title you will need a letter stating that and for them to provide you with a copy if they refuse to release the original title to you. These letters must be originals. You may also need the weight of the vehicle, your title number, and the value if you purchase shipping insurance. You may need a document showing that your propane tank is empty and a dock receipt generated by your agent or the shipping line. You must leave your engine and cab key at the port. Whether using a shipping agent or not, be sure and confirm what documents are required.
Shipping Insurance: You can buy insurance to cover the vehicle during shipping, but it will not cover personal contents of the vehicle. Typically, it will cost about 1.5% of the value of the vehicle. No one I know actually purchased it.
Cost of Shipping: Here are the rates quoted by Hoegh for shipment to Amsterdam:
Ocean Freight 42.00USD per weight/measure (cubic meters)
Bunker Surcharge 4.61USD per weight/measure (cubic meters)
Terminal Handling 110.00USD lump sum
War Risk Surcharge n/a
Documentation Fee n/a
CDD Fee 25.00USD lump sum
Additional fees may include: propane emptying, delivery to shipping port (if you do it), foreign port fees, and shipping agents’ fees. Everything on the vehicle is included in the measurement of volume as maximum height times maximum width times maximum length. If you have a spare tire mounted on the front or back, or you don’t fold in your mirrors, or you don’t remove antennas on your roof that extend beyond other roof items, then they will be included in the maximum measurements. The added cost can be significant.
Shipping Personal Items: Previously, U.S. Customs would not allow personal goods to be shipped with the RV. Shipping companies and shipping agents may still state this requirement in their written shipping information. In a conversation with a Customs agent at the Jacksonville port, he told me they received a directive stating that they were to allow personal goods normally used in living in the RV to be shipped with it. Shipping companies may still state that “no personal goods” is a U.S. Customs rule. Shipping companies do not want to be responsible for personal items but some will allow them in spite of their written rules against it. I know of three shipping lines that have allowed personal items: K-Line, Hoegh Autoliners, and Wallenius Wilhelmsen(W&W). It is likely others companies would also. Here is a quote from Seabridge for W&W: The steamship line states that all units are to be free and clear of all personal items. If any personal items are present they will take no responsibility for these items or any damage they may cause. From the Hoegh Head of Port Operations - Mid Atlantic: : We can take it and it needs to be locked inside, however you cannot declare it on the dock receipt and the customer is shipping it at his own risk. The bottom line is that you can ship personal effects at your own risk in spite of written statements to the contrary.
Securing Personal Items: If not secure, personal items are vulnerable to theft and may end up missing when you go to pick up your vehicle at the destination port. The theft may occur before, during shipping, or at the destination port. If you are shipping a truck camper, trailer, or other vehicle where the living quarters are already physically isolated from the cab and accessed using a separate key, then your personal items are secure. Motorhomes will need a locked or securely fastened barrier (bulkhead) between the cab and living quarters in such a way that the living quarters cannot be accessed with the cab entry or engine starting key. Bulkheads are typically constructed with plywood. Do not leave a key hidden on the outside of the RV. Keep the key to the living quarters with you and give the cab/engine key to the port receiver. If U.S. Customs wishes to inspect your living quarters, then an issue arises; however, two shipping agents, one in Jacksonville and one in Baltimore (not Seabridge) both told me Customs does not inspect vehicles with the possible exception if there is a problem with the VIN number.
Since we went with Seabridge and they do not deliver the vehicles in Baltimore, I had to do it myself. I asked the Customs agent if they were going to inspect our RV and he said no. Of the three most recent owners who shipped RVs to Europe, none was inspected by U.S. Customs. I have heard of an incident where the port receiver said they needed to have the key to the living quarters in case is was to be inspected, and then items were taken. If you are worried about U.S. Customs and do not deliver the vehicle yourself, you can ask your shipping agent if they would deliver the key if required. When I delivered the vehicle, the port receiver said that he thought these types of vehicles needed to be locked, thus showing an increased awareness for security. I locked the cab before handing the key over. At the Amsterdam end, the vehicle was locked and the key stored in a secured building. No damage, nothing missing. Friends shipping to Zeebrugge also had no problems.
License Plates: Seabridge told me to remove the license plates after delivering the vehicle to the port. I did and recommend placing the plates in the secured area. When we picked up the vehicle in Amsterdam, I forgot to put the plate back on at the pickup area and got stopped on the way out because I had no plates. Having it in the vehicle, I got it and displayed it on the dash board for the short ride.
Propane: As I understand it, the Coast Guard requires that propane tanks be empty and some ports require that it be certified as empty. If the tanks are not visible, they may not even be looked at, as was the case for two shippers. Certification is a document that states the tank has been emptied and signed by someone who does that sort of thing. In our case, even if I could have shipped it with propane, I would have emptied it anyway. The RV’s are kept below deck and if a leak developed, it could be dangerous to the ship and its crew. I have been told that your propane tank will need to be purged upon arrival, but when I went to a propane distributer in Amsterdam, they said it was unnecessary and air is purged during filling. They never purge. If you have a brand new tank that has never been purged, it should be labeled on the tank whether purging is required. In that case, I recommend having the tank purged before leaving, but don’t fill it afterward, and have them empty the purging propane and give you something to prove it is empty.
Fuel: Diesel being of low flammability, the quantity in your fuel tank is not restricted. Gasoline is limited to 1⁄4 of a tank.
Shipping Port Delivery: If you handle the shipping yourself or ship out of Baltimore with Seabridge, you will need to be escorted with your vehicle to Customs and the receiving agent for the shipping line. In Baltimore I used the recommendations of Seabridge. A1 Escort Service charged me $50 per hour to take me to the port with a final charge of $50. For empty propane tank certification, it was ABC Auto Delivery, I emptied the tank myself and he charged me $25 for the paperwork after verifying it was empty. The usual charge is $100 if he empties it. He even arranged the papers in the order that Customs prefers. Both A1 and ABC were excellent. If you use ABC, get there early as they escort one or two individuals at a time and it is first come first served.
Destination Ports: I can only speak about ports in three countries -- Germany, Belgium, and The Netherlands. I only have experience with Amsterdam but know people who have shipped to Zeebrugge in Belgium, and to Germany. First, if you ship to Germany you will be required to pay a refundable deposit equal to 29% of the value of your RV. Unless you have some compelling reason to ship to Germany, avoid tying up your money and the hassles by shipping elsewhere. Two people I know who shipped to Zeebrugge in Belgium had a good experience. One of them said their agent mentioned that her fee was a little less expensive by shipping to Antwerp.
Be sure your shipping agent at the destination port tells you exactly what papers you will need to collect your vehicle. Typical documents required at the destination port are passport, original vehicle title, proof of European liability insurance (green card), and driver’s license. Your agent at the destination port can tell you if any other documents are needed. We shipped to Amsterdam and it couldn’t have been easier. When we flew to Amsterdam, we exited the airport without even having to show our passports, have our luggage examined, or even talking to customs. Picking up the vehicle was just as easy. Hoegh gave me the papers I needed and drove me to the port. The only fee I had to pay was 32.5 Euros, about $42, presumably for getting a tourist visa for the RV. If I had wanted to import the RV for other than tourist use, the fees would have been much higher with more paperwork.
Summarizing, the shipping process went very well in spite of one paperwork glitch. I was quite happy with Hoegh and Seabridge as have others been with K-Line, and W&W. Your choice may be influenced by price, schedule, and transport time. W&W’s schedule has shorter transport times.