Before the COVID pandemic struck, passengers could access most cargo travel routes and see the world solely from the water.
Deep sea voyages are no longer possible, with shipowners and charterers seeing ‘little enthusiasm to resume long haul cargo travelling’.
But, there is still limited short haul European, Mediterranean, Baltic, and South Africa routes on offer for the niche cargo passenger.
Westward Shipping News has had a look at what’s available and investigated the pros and cons of seeing what type of people travel on cargo ships.
Cargo travel is still recovering from COVID lockdowns, but new routes are being selectively added all the time.
Firstly, travelling on cargo ships is mainly for people with time on their hands and falls under the checklist of slow travel.
With green shipping and a new era of sail cargo, people concerned with the world’s carbon footprint will feel more excited that, being a passenger, you’ll leave hardly any carbon footprint.
Travellers with a love of the sea, marine life, and cargo shipping will get a nautical buzz.
If you are a traveller that needs to be around lots of people and Wi-Fi all the time, or could experience potential cargo travel delays with the ship leaving a day earlier, then that could be a travelling problem.
Something to be aware of is that many cargo ships have age restrictions, and most have not got great facilities to take children.
Book early is the cargo passenger mantra, because there is a limited number of guest cabins, and routes sell out quickly!
Fares normally include port fees, meals, and use of facilities, but check with the cargo providers.
For more information about cargo voyages checkout the web link: www.cargoshipvoyages.com
