[kefler]

On Feb 5th, my car changed to 'in transit', so I followed this link:

http://www.dbh.de/index.php?id=151&L=0

and looked at what boats had left from 2/1/08 up until that day (going to Port Hueneme). The first boat was the ASIAN EMPEROR, so I went to the WWL site:

http://www.2wglobal.com/www/WEP/index.jsp

Clicked on cargo tracking, then on Auto Cargo, and entered my VIN and
I'm on it! So I went here:

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

And found the Asian Emperor docked in SouthHampton of the UK. Dunno why it stops there, either to drop off some BMW's or to pick up MINI's. I zoomed in to its area on the dock and saw tons of mini's prepped for transport, whenever the google satellite info was grabbed.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=e...&t=h&z=21&om=0


Anyways, as of this afternoon it has headed out of the english channel and I assume is off somewhere on the Atlantic. From the "dbh Logistics" page:

http://www.dbh.de/index.php?id=151&L...SIAN%20EMPEROR

The ASIAN EMPEROR has Callsign: 3FKB9

Then I went to the WMO-VOS tracking site and entered that callsign, and the
last positions reported are from 23 days ago when it was apparently on the east coast of north america.

http://www.sailwx.info/shiptrack/shi...tml?call=3FKB9

Anyways, from the 2wglobal site tracking my car, I got the Bill Number for the whole voyage which is DE719737 , and when I search by Bill Number on that site: http://schedule.2wglobal.com/AppTracking/bolSearch.do

I get a list of 971 BMW VIN's headed from Bremerhaven and headed to Port Huemene, so I wrote this rambling post to see if anyone else was on the boat.

[BB]

I'm on that big bitch too! Can't wait to pick it up at my baby at the end of the month!!!

[xtrakrispee]

My new ride is on that boat as well. ETA to Port Hueneme is 2/25. I'm hoping that we all get our rides by the end of this month..

[kefler]

Dudes, messing around on google I seem to have found another site that is showing some supposedly up to date data on the Asian Emperor. I did not see this link on the ship tracking thread in this forum, but it looks like it might be useful, only thing is I can't figure out how to zoom out the map!


http://www.shipais.com/showship.php?mmsi=357481000


Edit: that was probably the last AIS position as it left the english channel...

[bandaid]

I am unable to track this ship too! Anyone having success?

[spn]

It will not be trackable for two weeks as it makes its way towards the Panama Canal out in the open ocean. It takes about two days to get through the Panama Canal itself and about seven days to get to Port Hueneme once it exits the canal.

As of tonight, the Asian Emporer is showing that it will arrive in PH on Feb 25, http://www.portofhueneme.org/documen...0208083457.pdf so count back seven days and that is when it will be exit the PanCanal region on the Pacific side, and two days before that it should enter the PanCanal region on the Atlantic side. That means it should reach the PanCanal about Feb 16, give or take a day or two (depending on weather). If you catch it in the PanCanal you can watch the ship go through the canal on the PanCanal web cameras. I have done this several times. It takes about eight hours to go through the whole PanCanal system of locks.

I will keep an eye on the Asian Emporer on the AIS tracking system, but it won't show up on radar until it gets to the PanCanal region which should be next weekend.

[xtrakrispee]

Great Info!

[spn]

Both Asian Emperor and Aida are due into PH on the same day, Mon Feb 25, so you might want to watch the Aida thread, too. I will keep an eye on both threads/ships on the radar. If we catch the timing right, here is the web site to watch the ships go through the Pan Canal

http://www.pancanal.com/eng/photo/camera-java.html

They should both go through about the same time. Take a look at the cameras now and get your orientation. Find a map of the Pan Canal so you know where the cameras are located. There are three cameras; one at Gatun Locks, one at MiraFlores locks, and one at the Centennial Bridge.

[bandaid]

It's like we're on the dark side of the moon....

[spn]

Here's a current view of the Cristobal Anchorage, which is the beginning part of the Panama Canal. There is no sign of Asian Emperor, but I am keeping an eye on it. My guess is that she will reach the PanCanal on Saturday or Sunday, give or take a day either way.

[spn]

Here's a new web site that I found:

http://www.boydsteamship.com/daily_traffic_report.htm

The Asian Emperor is scheduled to arrive at the PanCanal on Feb 18 and is scheduled to transit the canal the morning of the 19th. You can watch for her on the PanCanal web cameras:

http://www.pancanal.com/eng/photo/camera-java.html

[xtrakrispee]

....seem like the Asian Emperor is a day late going into the Panama Canal

the initial arrival date was 2/25 to Port Hueneme. I checked the website earlier and its posting an arrival date of 2/26.

[BB]

Any updates on the ship reaching the canal?

[spn]

Originally Posted by BB

Any updates on the ship reaching the canal?

The schedule still shows AE is to arrive at the canal tomorrow. I will watch for her on radar. The "BMW" ship that is due into the canal today is the Centaurus Leader, so I am watching for her, too.

[spn]

Originally Posted by BB

Any updates on the ship reaching the canal?

Here's an upated AIS radar view of the Panama approach.

[spn]

Here she is approaching the Panama Canal, as scheduled.

[spn]

Here's an update. Cristobal Anchorage is the bay area on the Atlantic side of the Panama Canal.

[spn]

It looks like she's docking for the day. She's in that inner bay on the right. She's not scheduled to transit the canal until tomorrow. They usually take these super vessels through the canal beginning in the early morning hours. Since they take up just about every inch of the locks, they take them through during daylight hours. Two or three PanCanal pilots board the ship and guide her through the locks to the Pacific side. It takes about six hours to go from the Atlantic side to the Pacific side. So, she most likely will start her journey early tomorrow morning and the first set of locks she will enter is the Gatun Locks.

Here's the web site to watch her on the three PanCanal web cameras.

http://www.pancanal.com/eng/photo/camera-java.html

[kefler]

Cool! Thanks for keeping us updated! What website do you go to to get the AIS info for Panama? I can only find it for Europe.

[spn]

Originally Posted by kefler

Cool! Thanks for keeping us updated! What website do you go to to get the AIS info for Panama? I can only find it for Europe.

aislive.com. It is a subscription service and costs $1300./year. They have a two-week free trial, but they limit their free subscriptions, and from what I have read, it is tough to get one. If you do try to sign up, it generally takes several days for them to activate your account, so you might not be able to get a subscription before AE transits the canal. I think getting a subscription is hit and miss, but I don't know. I was able to get one, but I have read about many others who haven't had the same luck. You sign up, but never hear anything back from them. Maybe others on this forum can give you better info.

[BMW-SD-CA]

My 550i is on this ship also, but according to http://schedule.2wglobal.com/AppTrac...trackType=Auto the ship has already left the canal.

So much for the end of Feb., looks like first part of March to make it to San Diego.

BMW should offer, for a charge of course, a GPS tracking number for each car ordered. I would have been happy to pay the extra money.

Perhaps with the currents in the Pacific the ship will arrive in PH early.

Any more information would be appreciated.

[spn]

She's moved from the inner port back out into the outer bay. This outer port is where they ususally wait their turn to go through the canal. I don't know what time she'll transit tomorrow. I have awakened at 6 a.m. before to find the ship I was tracking gone and on her way through the canal and on the other hand I have waited until mid morning before a ship I was tracking had started their transit. Keep an eye on the Pan Canal web cameras in the morning. Gatun Locks is first, followed by Centennial Bridge, followed by Mira Flores Locks.