European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 03, 1969, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 6 the stars and stripes monday february 3, 1969 commercial ways and Means gotta ship that car yourself it can be done by Peter Muiir staff writer so you be just been informed that for whatever reason you Are not eligible to ship you privately owned car Back to the United states at government expense. Don t despair this predicament is not at All uncommon and it May still be worthwhile to consider commercial s h i p ment if you Are determined Totake your Charger to the land of the great pm. For servicemen and . Civilians stationed anywhere in Central Europe West Ger Many Belgium and the nether lands the procedures an costs involved Are about the same. Since the major ports like Hamburg Bremerhaven Rotter dam and Antwerp Are relatively close together freight rates Don t vary a great Deal. Different in . Things Are Little different i great Britain where printed Price lists Are hard to come Brand where forwarding agents apparently like to make their own deals with the individual Cus Tomer. One agent said it would Cost $195 to ship an my midget to the East coast and $215 tothe West and Gulf coasts. Ocean freight for an Austin Healey was quoted As $200 and $230, respectively and for a Volkswagen Beetle As $215 and $275. A11 prices include port handling charges the agent said. For those stationed in South Ern european countries like Italy Spain or Greece it is advisable to investigate very care fully because rates tend to Besky High and sailing schedules infrequent. A spokesman for the . Navy in Naples for instance said that most american servicemen in Italy who have to ship their cars commercially try to bring them up to a German or dutch port. To ship a Standard size american made Pov from Naples to the East coast costs any where from $400 to $450, he said and even a Beetle Type Volks Wagen costs $390 to get it across the  comparison $100 is charged for the same vow turned in a Bremerhaven Germany and go ing to any East coast , by necessity most of the information Here concerns car shipments from Central Europe. The costs involved basically break Down into three separate items Ocean freight Marin insurance and the so called port handling fees. Many shippers on t even require that the vehicle be turned in personally at Wiley see know and obey traffic Laws Don t learn the by Accident. The departure port. Instead Theca May be dropped off at Vari Ous Inland pickup Points fro where they Are hauled to the port via trailers. But the Cus Tomer has to pay for the convenience of  has just about everything else Ocean freight rates have been going up Over the years to 1.5 per cent of the value of the car As declared by the Cus Tomer. It covers non delivery theft pilferage denting and scratching during transport. Usually a minimum Premium is required one agent quoted $16.50as the Bottom fee. A British agent said the insurance is $6 for every $1,000 Usa eur fatal accidents since july 1 army motor vehicle. Non army motor vehicle weapon and explosive asphyxiation drowning other a of Jan 31 1868 1969 61 67 3 1 9 31 69 0 4 7 14 totau6 16u 135 with the latest increase taking effect on Jan. 1. The rates depend on the destination port and on the Dimen Sions of the car specifically its cubic meter volume. Shipping agents among them the Amer ican express co. Have rate schedules at hand for mos makes both american and european which you May  a specific make of car is not listed the automobile willbe measured at the port by a bonded inspector to compute the fare. Rate schedules current cubic meter rates listed by major shippers in Ger Many Are $18 to the East coast new York Philadelphia bos ton Norfolk Baltimore an Newark  $23 to the West coast los Angeles san fran Cisco Long beach$17.50 to the South Atlantic ports Charles ton Savannah Jacksonville and $15.50 to the Gulf ports hous ton Mobile new Orleans Gal Veston Miami. Lump sum charges for Volks Wagen Beetle models by Ocean freight have been set at $100to the East coast $175 to the West coast $110 to the sout Atlantic and $90 to the Gulf. A Standard size american car say a Chevrolet Camaro is shipped for $210 to the East,$270 to the West. $205 to the South Atlantic and $185 to the Gulf. Actually most of the Automo Biles shipped commercially by american military person Nel from Europe Are foreign made said a spokesman for Bremen forwarding agent. This is simply because most .manufactured pos Are eligible for government  handling fee in addition to the Ocean freight the customer has to pay a so called port handling fee which May vary from $20 to $30, de pending on the size of the  Money goes for services performed from the time the owner delivers the car to the agent until the vehicle is actually aboard the freighter. Such services include washing and steam cleaning the car to meet . Customs and agricultural requirements waxing the chromium plated parts to pre vent rust and corrosion and preparation for transport Drain ing gasoline and disconnecting the Battery the fee also pays for unlimited storage up to loading time delivery to the pier customs clearance marking and proper documentation Cranage Quay dues postage and  the automobile is in the shipper s hand it is insure against All risks. Finally there is the Marin insurance which has to be taken out and which varies from 1 covered if the car is going Toan East coast port and $8 if it is headed for a Gulf or Westcoast port. Although the shipping Agency generally will take care to pro vide the proper documentation it does need the registration title issued by the Provost Marhsa for cars registered with the . Forces in Europe. For cars registered under a customs License or German plates the Littlegreen Booklet issued with the z Zoll plates or the Ger Man car registration Kraft  is required. Al vehicles also need to be accompanied by a valid Green insurance card. Once the car actually has Bee sent on its merry Way across the big wide Waters the shipping agent will Issue the Bills of lading the receipt that Theca actually is being shipped to the port requested and will sen two copies to the client s Home address or to the port of Desti nation in your name via registered air mail. One Agency specifies that the automobile should be in its hands about one Day prior tothe intended departure or at least on the morning of the sail ing  another requires a least two Days. For customers unable or unwilling to personally deliver the car at the port Many shipping companies list pickup Points elsewhere in Ger Many where the automobile can be turned in. One agent quoted Standa drates for this hauling service to Bremerhaven $40 from Frank Furt $55 from Munich $45 from Mannheim etc., whether it s Volkswagen or a Cadillac. In Britain the Standard haul ing charge quoted to american servicemen is $24 from various pickup Points to Harwich port on the East  the car is turned Over to the agent its trunk As Wellas the Interior should be empty except for the spare tire and the Jack we therefore advise you says the instruction Booklet Ozone company to pack your per Sonal effects in solid wooden cases with steel band or Well packed seaworthy Cartons clearly marked with your Home address and have these shipped together with your car at a Nom Inal freight charge. Arrange ment for packing can be made by  customer s Choice what about payment most companies give the Cus Tomer the Choice of either pay ing All charges involved at the time the automobile is turned in or at the port of Destina Tion where the steamship com Pany will collect the amount due plus a collection fee of unto 5 per cent of the amount shown on the Bills of lading excluding Ocean freight. So obviously you d be better off pay ing in Europe. Payment usually can be made in Marks or dollars travellers or personal checks. The shipping agent also gives his customers detailed instruction on the clearance procedure sat the port of destination. One very very important Point to keep in mind make sure you can pick up your Pov within the five Days of free storage because delays can Bea costly proposition. Almost All transatlantic car shipments Are via so called non conference vessels there i actually no difference in serv ice except in the rates quoted and in the frequency of Depar Tures announced according Toone shipping agent. Shop around transit times for vessels Are from Germany to new York about 12 Days to Philadelphia Boston Norfolk Baltimore etc., about two weeks to the Gulf ports an average of three weeks and to the West coast anywhere from four to five weeks. It s also possible to ship car to the great lakes ports but Only from March to octo Ber with the trip taking about three  final word it does pay to Contact More than one for warding agent for exact rates and services  May not be a great Deal of difference when it comes to the Ocean freight but there May be with minimum Marin insurance required with port handling fees and if applicable with Piggy Back service to the port of  Quality of personal serv ice and supervision of the car handling tends to fluctuate with different shipping agencies said one insurance Man. Some have a better reputation than others specifically when it comes to the handling  retired Hung up. And miss the service scene Youdon t have to miss the stars and stripes you can have stripes mailed to your Economy or business address Send Check to the stars & stripes attn subscription dept., Apo 09175 German address 61 Dart fast poit Foth 1034 annually$3aeo