I'm planning on winding up in Vladivostok in September and am trying to find a way to get me and the bike to Anchorage. Been looking at the ferry to South Korea solution, but see on the Korean Air Cargo site â–’â–’ Korean Air Cargo - To be a respected leader in the world airline community â–’â–’ , that they fly 737's with cargo and passengers from Vladivostok to Seoul, then 747's (cargo only) direct Anchorage. From the Korean Air passenger site Korean Air it looks that passengers are shunted through Seattle, and then to Anchorage. The 737's apparently have a cargo door restriction of 48x34 inches, but I would think is good enough for most bikes.

I'll contact them and find out if there are any further restrictions, rates, etc... but in the meantime ... has anyone ever used this carrier for air shipping out of Vladivostok? It would seem to be pretty straightforward.

P.S. If you're checking out the Korean Air cargo site, Vladivostok is listed under "Europe". Took me a while to find it.

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Samuel Longiaru
Kamloops, BC Canada
1975 BMW R60/6
http://thetwilightproject.net

Well I might have answered my own question. I spoke with the Korean Air Cargo office in Los Angeles and was told that freight from Vladivostok is limited to 40 kgs. Apparently the door is 34" HIGH and 48" WIDE and they only have one guy loading by hand. Maybe I'm just rediscovering stuff everyone else knows?

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Samuel Longiaru
Kamloops, BC Canada
1975 BMW R60/6
http://thetwilightproject.net

Hi Sam,

Yep, for reasons of feasibility, cost, and time the vast majority of people, go by ferry from Vlad to Korea, by air from Korea to North America (eg. Seattle) , and then ride up to Alaska. There's a few writeups on this which make good background reading, but it's a good working assumption to start with. All those places will be cool in comparison to a summer in the 'Loops' although the Gobi Desert may make you think of home. Cheers.

Hi,

I been following the discussions on shipping from Magadan/Vladivistok to Anchorage for almost a year now, but it seems like there is very few that have posted any clear info and contacts for freight forwarders.

Me and my friend is doing an RTW on two off 1939 model Nimbus bikes with sidecars this year, ETD in April. See KCCD - Kong Krøsus - King Croesus. It will approximately we will ship the bikes from Russia to Alaska, so I'm quite interested in info here as well.

Does anybody have info on:

1) Potential freight forwarders with contact info
2) Estimated lead time (depending on shipping route of course) and frequency of vessels/planes
3) Prices

I know Kudu expeditions is doing this route and will ship in September, so I have sent them a mail asking how they do it. If I get any feedback or find anything myself I will let you know.

Best regards,

Tormod

I just posted this in another thread, but it seems to fit here too:

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I've been looking into getting my bike shipped from Vladivostok to Anchorage in September and after numerous emails and phone calls to Korean shipping companies (my sister-in-law speaks Korean ) this is the best that I've been able to come up with so far.

Hanjin (a large world-wide shipping company) will pick the bike up at the ferry dock in Sokcho and transport it by bonded truck to Seoul (Inchon) for about $700 US including custom fees, airport fees, etc. They insist that it be wood crated, however. From there it can go either Korean Air or Northwest Air to Anchorage. I have not investigated other US destinations. Also, I have not investigated whether this will work in reverse, but don't see why it wouldn't.

Korean Air rates are $2.80/kg, 1,600 kg minimum. Northwest's rates are $2.80/kg, 600 kg minimum, so a significant savings. Not sure why there is any premium and I am not just paying the cubed weight, but that seems to be the case. But in any event, according to Hanjin, (and the best I can figure out) the difference between the two airlines is due to the fact that Korean Air has a regular daily shipping schedule to Anchorage and Northwest's is on a "confirmed" basis. My impression is that in a practical sense, it just means that you have to book a specific schedule with NW and cannot merely show up at Incheon and expect it to go out on the next flight. For a $2,800 savings, I can be flexible. My last email from Hanjin suggests that if I notify them when it is leaving Vladivostok (or Zarubino) on the ferry, then they will make arrangements and confirm with NW.

I tried dealing directly with Korean Air, but they insist I handle everything through an agent, and would give no indication of their rates. They only confirmed that they would handle the cargo. I have not contacted NW directly, but seem to be getting the straight goods from Hanjin. And as it seems that they will be able able to handle everything from Sokcho to Anchorage, I'll probably stick with them.

My contact at Hanjin is Kim Deok Kyung, deokkkim {AATT} hanjin {DDOTT} co {DDOTT} kr . Mr. Kim I think is trying pretty hard for me. Seems to be a nice guy, and gets back right away if I have a question. Might be an option for some.

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Samuel Longiaru
Kamloops, BC Canada
1975 BMW R60/6
http://thetwilightproject.net

I don't know how relevant this is, but it looks like Vladivostok Air will be resuming flights between Vlad and Anchorage in July 09 and will run them through mid-September 09:

VLADIVOSTOK AIR

If I remember correctly, they did ship bikes last summer.

Oh yeah, I'm new here And I don't work for Vlad Air, just did some looking in to it last summer for some folks planning a trip this way.

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http://pdxelizabeth.tumblr.com/