European Delivery Redelivery: The Voyage of the 535d and the Asian Emperor – The Diesel Driver – The Joy of Diesel Driving

The return drive to Munich

The trip across the ocean went slowly.  En route, the carrier encountered a huge storm in the North Atlantic and turned back to take shelter.  At some point, it appears that some of the cargo broke loose, possibly due to the storm, and shifted, resulting in damage to the cargo and to one of the ship’s decks.  The extent of the damage was made fully known when she reached her first port of call in North America, in Halifax, Nova Scotia, on February 15.  Several large John Deere tractors were completely demolished, and John Deere combines and Mercedes-Benz sprinter vans were also damaged.  According to eyewitness accounts and photographs posted on the Web, the farm machinery was nearly unrecognizable.  A report from a BMW dealership employee posting on a blog that covered the accident said that 1,200 BMWs were on the Asian Emperor and that 30 were damaged.  A second report indicated that Mercedes-Benz had 800 cars on this voyage.

Before the Asian Emperor could set sail for New York, it required repairs to its damaged decks and fittings, and dock workers had to pump spilled fuel out of bilges.

The vessel arrived in New York (technically, in New Jersey, but still called the Port of New York) on March 6 and my car cleared customs the same day.  Typically, customs clearance can take up to a week, so this was a good sign.

BMW of Manhattan

Once offloaded, also on March 6, the 535d was driven a short distance to BMW’s Vehicle Distribution Center.  The BMW Vehicle Distribution Center (VDC) is the point of entry for all BMWs, Minis, and Rolls-Royces arriving in the United States.

BMW’S VEHICLE DISTRIBUTION CENTER

The New Jersey Vehicle Distribution Center (BMW has four total in the United States, the others are in Baltimore, Maryland, Brunswick, Georgia, and Port Hueneme, California) sits on 26 acres.  Roughly 90 BMW employees work at the New Jersey VDC and their day typically runs from 6:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

The facility processes an average of 300 cars per day (and, at times, up to 600) including new and European Delivery BMWs, Minis, and Rolls-Royces, which arrive from various BMW factories across the globe.  The facility holds 3,000 cars, and a recent 10-acre expansion can hold an additional thousand vehicles.

Click here to continue to Page 3 – Redelivery and Virtual Tours of the Port

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