A big thing isn’t sinkings but theft.
And I always hid guns in the tire compartment when I shipped. Cause I'm an outlaw. :-)
I bought my 65 mustang from my sister when she lived in Hawaii and had it shipped in a container back to Portland.
As for insurance ask yourself if you can afford to replace the items out of pocket.
Yes, but my company paid for it.
Returned with expensive rugs and funiture, nothing damaged, nothing missing.
Good experience.
My only experiences were with Govt. paid moves in the military. They turned out OK. The cars ended up really dirty.
probably
Many times in the industrial context.
There are stages of insurance that are specific and we found anything not specifically insured each step go missing.
You are crazy not to get the insurance, it might seem high, but stuff does happen.
You should be dealing with a freight forwarder on this (basically a broker) and they can advise you what to do. They are far less expensive than a moving company. If you are doing this as part of your job, the company should be able to give you some good referrals.
Had a buddy ship his Harley from Japan back to the states - never made it.
Depending on the container and container location placement you are very likely to get saltwater ingress.
Definitely get the insurance. Inventory and photos.
If your just on an expat and coming back in a few years store stuff you can do without or give it to good will - especially if you can just get temporary while your there.
If it’s truely long term then it’s an opportunity to upgrade/replace.
Find a reputable shipping agent and ask these questions. I have shipped horses, household goods, and automobiles. The good agents have the right answers, but they will probably recommend maritime insurance. Container vessels seldom sink, but the containers on the deck go into the drink frequently. It’s a cruel, cruel sea.
Are these rare collectibles?
” I don’t hear about many container ships sinking. Is it worth it to buy this insurance?”
The way insurance works is the risk is built into the price of the insurance. If the risk is low, the premiums should be cheap, compared to the value of the goods you are insuring.
The only real question should be: can I afford to lose these goods, if everything goes wrong?
If that answer is no, then you should probably get the insurance, I think.
All of your belongings and two cars? Yeah...
Do you insure your home or apartment? Of course.
I had to deal with a run of the mill moving company wrecking every piece of wooden furniture I owned. It took about six months to settle it.
Insurance for once in a life (or twice in a life) thing(s) is relatively cheap.
Be sure to put soft blocks around the tires of your car, as sometimes bad weather in encountered and the ship rocks and sways, and this causes the vehicle to rock for-and-aft and if you haven’t put soft blocks around the tires, the tires will roll some and rub against the usual hard stops and this rubbing will ruin the sides of the tires. Happened to me when my vehicle was shipped to the UK when I was on active duty.
A container ship was lost at sea with all hands and cargo in the Caribbean a couple of months ago.
I knew someone who shipped all his stuff to France. Turns out some family of gypsies stowed away inside the container for 6 weeks. Destroyed pretty much everything.
I’m sure yours will be fine though.
I work for ARC on a US flagged car carrier (MV Honor). Every now and then we go to Rhoda. Normally we are on a liner service that does northern Europe, specifically Bremerhaven, Antwerp, and Southampton. The parent company Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics can get you a quote. W&W has ships going all over the place and can get your stuff there. They can load small containers or boxed home goods along with your POV’s.