I will be travelling to Israel this Summer to work with an archaeological team documenting their excavation. Among other things, I will be taking a Leica MS60 for both detail measurement and a bit of scanning. It is a really beautiful and versatile instrument. Unfortunately, it is a bit on the large, heavy and particularly expensive side. I am seeking advice regarding how to transport and insure the MS60 for the trip. I do not have any experience with long-distance transport of a total station or insurance coverage.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Call your insurance guy. I think you need 'international named equipment inland marine' with an umbrella to boot.
Since I only hear horror stories, I think you are going to really-really-really want it. I would pay down the deductible too (it probably won't cost much more for $500 deductible than $5000 deductible.) Our insurance guy Danno will tell you that this is like baseball: '3 strikes and your out.'
Be sure to declare it going in so you can get it back out without paying duty.
Are you going to ship it or carry it? (I would personally ship it and insure it for 110% of it's replacement value.) Then I would hold the theft insurance end-to-end on top of the shipping insurance. It will be tricky to declare this properly so you don't have to pay duty to get it back. And if it gets seized in customs it might take you 6-months to straighten it out. Plus there is a risk of them destroying it.
That said, it might make more sense to rent one from the local dealer or borrow one from a local surveyor.
A local customer just left for the same destination with a pile of equipment on Tuesday this week. I believe that they pack the pieces in with their underwear. But that would be tricky to pull off with a MS60 😀
M
Be aware that using a common carrier any insurance claim is made only to the sender.
Years ago I sent a Trimble total station back for a repair. I placed it in its case in the original factory, foam lined box. After the repair Trimble put the instrument in its case in a peanut filled box. UPS managed to drop the box and actually broke the case. UPS would not reimburse me because I was not the shipper for the return trip. I do not know if they ever paid Trimble, but they were large companies and they did a lot of business. Since Trimble failed to use the correct shipping method I held them liable. I was not about to send my instrument back for a checkup the same way Trimble sent it to me. They sent me two factory boxes, one with a loaner instrument and the second with a brand new case. I put my instrument in the new case and back into the foam lined factory box. I returned it via UPS insured and also purchased the return shipment ticket with insurance, so if it reoccurred I would be the one getting payment. When Trimble returned the check ou instrument they also sent the return ticket for the loaner.
So be aware of who the insured person actually is when send your equipment both ways.
Bring an archeological site that will eventually get written up and publicized including the details on the equipment used, Leica could most likely give you a good deal on new equipment with a buyback or rental agreement. It cost you nothing to ask and says you hassle and shipping downtime on your own equipment.
Paul in PA
There are two separate things involved, three if you count Customs, four or more if you consider the return.
Shipping:
Here in Mexico DHL is the very best shipper, especially for international. The other common ones in the US (FedEx, etc.) really drop the ball with everything once the package crosses the border... (attempting to deliver to the Wrong address, then destroying the package as undeliverable).
Please check with your contacts in Israel and see what works there. And make damned sure the Correct Delivery Address is used.
Customs will be involved, how the shipper deals with that is unique to each shipper.
Insurance:
speak with your regular agent, and the shippers. I don't do much with insurance, see the other comments above... and get it in writing from your insurance agent (some are actually quite ignorant)
Customs:
Your selected shipper should be able to facilitate that, but the Time involved could be significant.
I assume you will be shipping it back home again, that may be very different.
enjoy your adventure!
I probably ship more stuff internationally than anyone else I know. And after re-reading my and other comments above I need to add a VERY important factoid:
Batteries: You can not ship Lithium-Ion Batteries without a Chem Certificate. So you need to contact whoever made the batteries that you are using right away and ask for copies of their ChemCertificates. You need to put complete copies in the pouch on top of the box if you ship. I would put a copy online someplace as well so if you get a call from UPS/DHL/FedEx in the middle of the night you can say go to this web address and print out another copy.
You need to discharge all of the batteries to less than 30% of full charge.
Don't put in equipment boxes, pull them and distribute through your party's carry-on luggage. You can't check them.
An alternative would be to ship them by container (like on a boat,) but you don't have time for that now.
You might also check into purchasing batteries when you get there.
Still excited about this?
🙂 M
Many thanks for all of these comments. Indeed, "international inland marine" coverage was what I needed, and knowing that from the beginning has helped a lot (thanks Mark). Unfortunately I was not able to obtain such insurance stand-alone as either an individual or small business. However, the university I am working with was able to get a rider on their larger fixed-assets policy.
I also got some feedback from the director of the Albright Institute in Jerusalem, who has travelled multiple times with his total station. Interestingly, his recommendation is to carry the instrument as a personal carry-on. I say interestingly, since that requires removing it from its case.
And yes, still excited, even though it is costing some gray hair.
Steve Patterson, post: 374485, member: 11708 wrote: Many thanks for all of these comments. Indeed, "international inland marine" coverage was what I needed, and knowing that from the beginning has helped a lot (thanks Mark). Unfortunately I was not able to obtain such insurance stand-alone as either an individual or small business. However, the university I am working with was able to get a rider on their larger fixed-assets policy.
I also got some feedback from the director of the Albright Institute in Jerusalem, who has travelled multiple times with his total station. Interestingly, his recommendation is to carry the instrument as a personal carry-on. I say interestingly, since that requires removing it from its case.
And yes, still excited, even though it is costing some gray hair.
Good luck Steve and I am looking forward hearing about your trip when you get back.
Ed
