[JO3]

Who else is on the Hojin?




Hasn't made it too far from Bremerhaven yet.

[spn]

I am on it!! After months of waiting, my car finally finished production this week and is on its way. Glad to find someone else is tracking this ship. I have tracked lots of cars over the past couple years and sometimes it can be a lonely process!! I am obsessed with this, so get ready for some intense tracking! It is most fun to watch the ship go through the Panama Canal on the web cameras.

I just found out minutes ago that my car is on this ship. I will return with more tracking info. . . I have lots of links to research. (I am currently tracking a friend's car on the Camellia Ace, too)

[spn]

By the way, did you see that she's going into Southampton? I think they drop off cars in Southampton. These ships carry BMWs, Mercedes, Porsches, Volkswagens. I haven't had time to check all the port schedules to see where else she is going besides port of Hueneme. For sure, she's going into the port of LA because she has my Mercedes onboard. She could be stopping in San Diego with Porsches and Volkswagens. I will check the schedules.

Keep an eye on her. . .

[spn]

She is due into Southampton at 2100. That is England time. So, it is dinnertime there now, so she is due closer to midnight.

[spn]

Here's another map. She's at the bottom:

http://www.shipais.com/showship_im.p...572759&print=1

[spn]

She is due into the port of Hueneme on April 26. She is due into LA on April 25. Thankfully, she's not going into San Diego, which would slow her down. She must not have Porsches or Volkwagens onboard. Just MBs and BMWs. These ships hold between 5000-6000 cars.

http://www.portofhueneme.org/documen...0404065403.pdf

[spn]

The port schedules for LA and PH could change by a day or so. We will just have to wait and see as time passes.

Once she leaves Southampton (either Sun or Mon), she will head out into the Atlantic Ocean. This is the painful part for ship trackers. Ships are not trackable to us amateur trackers until she reaches the PanCanal region. (I am sure the shipping cos can do it by GPS, but we don't have that access.) She needs to be within 50 miles of shore in order for us to track on her on the AIS (automatic identification system) radar, so until she reaches the PanCanal, there is nothing we can really do but wait. There is one other web site for ship tracking, sailwx.info. Sailwx gets their data from weather observations called in by ship captains, but not all ship captains report their weather observations, as they are asked to do by the coast guard. It is a voluntary service. Some shipping cos are good at reporting and some aren't. NYK Lines (Hojin's owner), and/or their ship's captains, rarely report on the weather reporting system, so sailwx.info doesn't get their data. I checked sailwx and I don't see Hojin listed at this time, so I don't think we are going to get lucky and be able to track her by this method. One thing we can do is to keep an eye on other ships near Hojin as she makes her way out of the English Channel and maybe those ships will show up on sailwx and we can watch them and have an idea of where Hojin is while she is out on the Atlantic heading towards the PanCanal. They pretty much travel in tandem. I have tracked ships this way before.

She's due into the canal on 4/17 and due to go through the PanCanal on 4/20. I am sure she will go through the canal before 4/20. Generally, they arrive on the date they are scheduled (for Hojin 4/17), then depending on what time they arrived that day, they either just wait overnight before going through the canal, or if they arrive late in the day, they will wait another night before going through the canal. The PanCanal system is 51 miles long and these ships are so huge, they take up every inch of lock space. So, they only take these super vessels through during daylight hours. She will start the process early in the morning and come out the other side late in the afternoon. Before she starts the process, specially trained PanCanal pilots will board the ship to take her through the PanCanal system. One pilot is on the bridge and one or two pilots hang over the edge and watch her go through the locks. They don't want the ship or locks damaged. And, it generally takes about two days to get in line and get through the canal. Once she exits the Pacific side of the canal, it will take her about 6 days to get to SoCal.

[spn]

Here is an updated AIS map. She is kind of in the center and a little to the left.

[JO3]

WOW! Thanks for all the info spn!

This is the first car I've tracked and it's been exciting and painful at the same time. Glad you are on the boat with me. Keep all the good info coming!

[spn]

I will be on it all day and night long (with meal breaks, of course. ) So, stay tuned! It is difficult to wait out this process. . .but it is kind of fun, too!

[spn]

There is certainly no pride in ownership of this ship. Could they not slap some paint on her?? I hope she makes it across the Atlantic!

[spn]

Hojin holds 5,578 cars. She's kind of old, being built in 1990.

A couple ships have had accidents these past couple months. I hope Hojin holds up. I have waited so long for my car to be built!

http://www.mwerks.com/artman/publish...cle_1296.shtml

http://maritimecalamities.blogspot.c...d-to-deep.html

[spn]

Here's an updated AIS map. I think there is a third English Channel AIS tracking site, but I haven't had time to check it.

Hojin is just coming into view on the right of this screenshot. She will be heading up to the center red box in this screenshot. That is Southampton. The other AISShip web site that I posted above will track her better in Southamptom (it zooms in) once she gets closer.

[spn]

Here's an update.

[spn]

Here is the other good AIS tracking site. Since AIS only works near ports, these sites are only good in the English Channel.

http://www.ais-live.co.uk/AIS%20Live/aissolent.html

[spn]

Here's the Southampton web cam. Of course it is dark now and we can't see anything. Maybe if Hojin is still there in the morning. . .

http://www.southamptonvts.co.uk/webcams.htm

[spn]

Here is the Southampton schedule. Hojin is scheduled to depart Southampton on Sunday at noon. She will then sail to Panama.

http://www.southamptonvts.co.uk/shipping_movments.asp

[spn]

Hojin's status at Southampton has now changed from "underway" to "moored." If she is due to leave at noon on Sunday (England time), that means she should be underway in the middle of the night our time. Hurrah!

http://www.ais-live.co.uk/AIS%20Live/aissolent.html

[JO3]

Sweet!

[usc gal]

Originally Posted by spn

Hojin's status at Southampton has now changed from "underway" to "moored." If she is due to leave at noon on Sunday (England time), that means she should be underway in the middle of the night our time. Hurrah!

http://www.ais-live.co.uk/AIS%20Live/aissolent.html

You are back and tracking your car. When is it due in port? My ship came in Easter Sunday and was at my dealer Wednesday very fast and I picked her up Monday and she is beautiful and a great car .

[spn]

Originally Posted by usc gal

You are back and tracking your car. When is it due in port? My ship came in Easter Sunday and was at my dealer Wednesday very fast and I picked her up Monday and she is beautiful and a great car .

Yes, just got word yesterday that my car is on her way. Just like you, it has been a long wait, but mine took what seems like forever to build, so my wait has been in the build process. Congratulations on your car! Since yours came from South Africa, then Bremerhaven, I think you have tracked the longest. It was a marathon wait! Glad she finally arrived and no damages! Enjoy!

[spn]

JO3-I don't know if you are going to be around, but if you are, will you post screen shots from one of the AIS web sites that shows all the ship's names (like this one http://www.shipais.com/currentmap.ph...ap=isleofwight) as Hojin heads out of the English Channel? I have to leave for several hours and I am afraid I am going to miss her departure. I want to have a record of all the ships around her that are sailing with her in tendem out into the Atlantic, in case maybe one of those ships shows up on sailwx.info and heads towards the PanCanal. We can then track that ship and have an idea where Hojin is. Sometimes this tracking method works and sometimes it doesn't, but I want to give it a shot.