Shipping Vehicle from Northeast

Transporting to port should be no big deal.  First contact the companies you wish to get bids on shipping to VI.  They should be able to help arrange pickup/delivery to port, if not can probably give recommendation.

I used Blue Ocean Transport to ship a Jeep Cherokee from north of Boston.  They handled everything from finding the trucking to the port in Florida to recommending a service on St. Croix that could take care of the inspection and registration.

The key things you need are the title, which is hopefully clean, to make everything easier and proof of residency on the island.  One thing to be aware of, the fuel level needs to be less than 1/4 full.  This is a requirement of the over water shipping and there is a fee to drain the tank if it’s above the maximum limit.

Total time from first phone call to pickup to delivery was only about 3 weeks.  Very lucky or very efficient, not sure which.

Good luck with your move.

Posted by: @jaldeborgh

I used Blue Ocean Transport to ship a Jeep Cherokee from north of Boston.  They handled everything from finding the trucking to the port in Florida to recommending a service on St. Croix that could take care of the inspection and registration.

The key things you need are the title, which is hopefully clean, to make everything easier and proof of residency on the island.  One thing to be aware of, the fuel level needs to be less than 1/4 full.  This is a requirement of the over water shipping and there is a fee to drain the tank if it’s above the maximum limit.

Total time from first phone call to pickup to delivery was only about 3 weeks.  Very lucky or very efficient, not sure which.

Good luck with your move.

Couple states south.  I'm shipping to St. Thomas. Do you mind how much it cost you from pick-up to drop-off?  I don't think I will be using a service for the inspection, etc. 1) transit trucking 2) cargo ship prices

@scubadoo  What are your recommendations? 

Thank you!

My total cost to move the car (2019 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk) from my home north of Boston to the island of St. Croix was $2960.00.  The cost for importation, inspection, registration by a local service recommended by Blue Ocean Transport was $1050.00, this included their fee of $250.00.  Insurance for the Jeep on St. Croix is about 30% higher than we were paying in MA.  I hope that helps.

Also not there can't be anything inside the vehicle.  I've used Crowley and Tropical shipping in the past but I'm going to give Blue Ocean a shot next time.  That sounds like a great price.  And having them deal with inland transport is probably the way to go.  There are a ton of companies out there and most of them want you to have cash on hand when the vehicle arrives at port.  Which isn't really a viable option for us most.  Not to mention a lot of them are just a pain in the butt. 

I know you said you weren't interested in having someone get the car road-ready when it gets to STT, but if you change your mind, Boynes Trucking is very reasonable (around $100) and they get it done and you just go pick the car from them.  Saves a LOT of running around and headache.  I don't recommend Top of the Line for that....and not so much International Logistics either.  My last few experiences with them weren't so great.  

Blue Ocean Transport Estimate for 2016 Jeep Cherokee Limited 

• $2,790 - $3,290 range estimate (From Door to St. Thomas, VI port)

       $   45 U.S. Mainland Documentation Processing Fee

The following is our rate and shipping information based on vehicle being 900 cubic feet and not exceeding 6 feet 5 inches in height and 80 inches in width

(You delivering vehicle to our terminal location in Jacksonville, FL to St. Thomas, VI

 $1,890 Ocean Freight

$45 U.S. Mainland Documentation Fee

You delivering vehicle to Fort Lauderdale, FL port to St. Thomas, VI

 $1,690 Ocean Freight 

$45 U.S. Mainland Documentation Fee)

¿For any vehicle being shipping, it is a requirement to file an Electronic Export Information (E.E.I.) filing with the U.S. Census.  For this item, you would need to provide us with a Federal Tax ID / EIN number and provide us with written a authorization to file it.?

For documents, we will need the following

        ▪︎ Picture ID

         ▪︎  Copy of Title, without liens (Should.               you not have a title without a lien,                 you would need to provide a letter               from the company financing the.                   vehicle/holding lien that they                         authorize you to ship the vehicle                    overseas)

• Shipper Letter of Instruction (we will provide you with this form)
• Insurance Instructions Form
• Written Authorization form filled out with your Federal TAX ID / EIN number on it, if value of vehicle is over $2,500 (we will provide you with this form)

@jaldeborgh   Thanks for the info.   I shouldn't being paying more than you because I'm more south than you and shipping to Stt.

@stjohnjulie   "Boynes Trucking is very reasonable (around $100)".  That sounds like a great price. Just might go that way. Thanks for the recommendation. 

All the forms were very straight forward, the EIN number had me confused as I’m just an individual and not a company but after speaking to the agent at Blue Ocean it was fairly straight forward and cost nothing.  Apparently SS numbers are forbidden these day’s. 

Sorry, one more thing. The SUV is not registered, has no tags, or insurance. 

It's waiting at the dealership for finishing touches. 

With the above, can the vehicle still be land transported and cargo shipped?

I plan on buying insurance through the transporter & shipper.

Also, does Blue Ocean stow your vehicle open air or in a container? I'm not shipping anything else down. I'm taking everything out the vehicle that isn't bolted down 🙂

Based some of the other threads as long as it’s used and has a clean title you might be okay.