Can I just say that computer people are not the only nerds. I've learned in the past months that car buffs can be major nerds as well. I live with one. Here's an example. Last week he placed an order for a new car - let's call it the "Precious." He immediately went online to some car forum where he exchanges messages/advice with a bunch of other car nerds and learned that you can actually track the Precious from the production process, through the shipping process, to the time it gets to the dealer.

Are they talking about the transport of some life-saving medical device? Or aid to starving people? Or perhaps a ship full of refugees coming to America in search of a better life?

No.

They're referring to a hunk of overpriced metal that is getting more royal treatment than humans in developing countries. Here's an excerpt:

As soon as your status changes to 'In Transit'...check the shipping company’s website (Schedules) to figure out what ship your car is on.

For east coast deliveries, the shipping company’s website (Wallenius Wilhelmsen) is http://www.2wglobal.com/www/WEP/index.jsp. They update their schedule in real-time and changes the color of the ‘stops’ to Red after the ship arrives at different ports, signifying that the ship has docked. My ship took exactly 11 days to get from Bremerhaven to New York City. Sometimes, if your ship reports its status, you can track your ship while it makes its way across the pond. Go to http://www.sailwx.info/ and search by ship name. Keep in mind that my ship never showed up, so its really luck that you may see it.

Depending on how much time has lapsed between your ship docking and your car getting off the ship, it may take a while to show up at the Vehicle Preparation Center. A lot of wait times in this area is due to the number of cars ahead of yours, and the time it takes to actually wash off all the foreign soil of every vehicle that comes off the ship. Generally, this takes about 7-14 days.