From Southampton, United Kingdom to Port Huaneme (Nr Los Angeles), United States - February, 2004

I looked to ship my bike to North America to start a trip through Mexico and South America. The air freight seemed to be way more expensive than the sea freight if you use this company. Wallenius Wilhelmson use roll on roll off car ferries for regular shipments (2 or 3 per month) on fixed routes so there is no danger (hohoho) of the ship getting diverted to West Africa en
route. I guess this is as reliable as shipping gets.

The journey takes 21 days and you need to have the bike at Southampton 3 working days prior to sailing. The only paperwork you need is the vehicle registration document. 2 or 3 days before the ship docks, a notice is sent out to the address you provide in the US to advise of the arrival date. Then all you do is go and pick up the bike. At this stage, you must pay the port tax (about $50 US) and clear customs.

This whole shipping procedure was so simple given the miles of text written on this subject. Another advantage over air freighting is that the bike does not need to be crated. In addition to the $498 basic shipping cost, I paid $50 marine insurance to cover the bike.

Shipping to the west coast of the US is only marginally more than the east coast. The cost was $20 cheaper to ship to Galveston, Texas. However, flying to Los Angeles is far cheaper ($299 return) than to Houston or Dallas and the access to the docks at Port Huaneme is much simpler.