Tim , if you go to
www.vesselfinder.com or one of the similar websites , you can track a container ships movements , if you know the vessels name , which should be on your shipping paperwork.
It won't get you the bodyshell any quicker or add anything to your project but it is quite interesting to follow.
I have imported a couple of vehicles from the states in the past and its interesting to see boats being diverted to Europe on route etc.