Sending mail from Europe
If you are sending us mail from EUROPE, it makes sense to send it to the Dutch national office in The Netherlands:
Mercy Ships Holland
For attention of: Silke Kessing / Ruben Galama
GLM via CONTAINER (or CREW MAIL)
– Please read the explanation below – IMPORTANT!
Ridderkerkstraat 20
3076 JW Rotterdam
The Netherlands
Phone: +31 10 410 2877
Sending mail from the US
If you are sending us something from CANADA or the UNITED STATES, please use the adress of Mercy Ships in Texas:
Mercy Ships
For attention of: Silke Kessing / Ruben Galama
GLM via CONTAINER (or CREW MAIL)
– Please read the explanation below – IMPORTANT!
P.O. Box 2020
Lindale, TX 75771-2020
USA
General information – important!
Crew Mail – letters, postcards, etc.
Whichever office you choose, there are two important things to keep in mind for either office.
Any regular mail like cards, letters etc. can be sent via CREW MAIL, which means they will arrive faster and this is free of charge for me if they don’t weigh more than 10 ounces or 283,5 grams (so please keep your letters short 🙂 ).
Note: for sending PACKAGES, please read section “container” below carefully
FOR EVERY package sent through CREW MAIL the recipient will be charged a fee.
Mercy Ships will take 8,8o USD PER POUND out of the recipient’s crew bank account.
We kindly ask you to not send anything heavier via crew mail unless we have explicitly agreed on this or you would like to refund us the recipient fee 🙂 THANK YOU!
Container – packages
Any package shipped VIA CONTAINER is FREE (yayyyyyy!) – so feel free to send anything you would like to surprise us with (unless it is an item listed on the hazardous material watchlist, which you can find attached in the FAQ section below.) Items that fall into this category will be removed from the package if Mercy Ships choose to open it for inspection. Anything sent via container, should be able to survive cold and heat, as temperatures vary a lot.
FAQ’s
When will my package arrive?
As for the shipping duration times, items sent via Container take longer to arrive. When we are in West Africa, depending on the port, they should arrive within 10-12 weeks after being processed through the offices and leaving one of the two ports.
Crew Mail usually takes 2-3 weeks to arrive.
What can I not send?
Please do not send any items that are sensitive to temperature changes or are considered HAZMAT items:
MERCY SHIPS HAZARDOUS MATERIALS WATCH
The following items are typically considered to be hazardous material and cannot be shipped through or by any Mercy Ships department. Items listed below do not represent a complete and exhaustive list, but only serve as a guideline to items that are typically classified hazardous.
•Automotive products: oils, anti-freeze, fuel, brake fluid, windshield washer fluid, transmission fluids, corrosives, toxics, flammable liquid of any type, combustibles, auto batteries, etc.
•Household materials: bleach, ammonia, disinfectants, carpet fresheners, air fresheners, window cleaner, furniture polish, bug spray, roach and ant killer, mothballs, flea collars, drain openers, rug and upholstery cleaners, etc.
•Laundry products: laundry detergent, fabric softener, etc.
•Health and beauty products: hairspray, hair remover, fingernail polish, fingernail polish remover, hair coloring products, medications, aerosols, compressed gas of any type, waterless hand- cleaner, deodorants, perfumes, etc.
•Lawn and garden products: fertilizer, pesticides, herbicides, gasoline, oil, etc.
•Barbeque products: propane, charcoal briquettes, lighter fluid, etc.
•Home/Workshop maintenance: paint, varnish, stains, oils, mouse/rat poison, enamels, paint thinners, varnishes, batteries of all types (DC & AC), etc.
Let us know if you have any other questions or need more information!
Thank you so much for being a partner on our journey!
