Expert: Allan R. Hoffman, III, CTC, DS, CMP - 4/4/2001

Question
where can l obtain information on travel on cargo ships?   Thank you

Answer
Hoffman and Hoffman International Travel (trvlagt@hotmail.com) offers freighter voyages of from one week to 120 days in duration, depending on itinerary, and now represents almost 400 freighters carrying passengers worldwide. While working ships, many were built in the 1990s and later, all offer outside accommodations and many of the cabins are actually suites with a separate dayroom and bedroom, but be prepared for schedule changes.

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Note: We charge the actual fare charged by the line and add no margin.

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Just some of the companies we represent are:-

British & Commonwealth Lines:

Bank Line  (Round the World in 120 days, see also Ellerman Lines)

Canada Maritime (Trans-Atlantic service between Thamesport & Montreal)

Fyffes Line (Southampton/Belize/Honduras and Southampton/Surinam/Guyana)

P&O Blue Star Line (USA/New Zealand/Australia)

P&O Nedlloyd Containers (Round the World in 84 days and Tilbury/South Africa)

Safmarine (Tilbury/South Africa, South Africa/Far East & USA/South Africa)

St Helena Line Ltd (Cardiff/Ascension/St Helena/South Africa)     

United Baltic Corporation  (Felixstowe/Continent/Finland)

Andrew Weir Shipping (Felixstowe/West Indies/Central America)


Continental Lines:

CMA CGM The French Line, Paris  (Operating three new French-flag container ships, plus chartered German tonnage between Southampton and Malta, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Far East and China; also four French-flag ships France-Martinique-Guadeloupe. Both services are weekly. New in 2000, two ships on an 88-day Tour du Monde world cruise - see web page for further details).

Compagnie Polynésienne de Transport Maritime, Papéeté, Tahiti (Operating the 60-passenger ARANUI II between Tahiti and the Marquesas and Tuamotu Islands).   

Grimaldi Freighter Cruises, Naples  (Operating a fleet of 15, Italian-owned vessels  between Southampton and Tilbury and South America, West Africa and the Mediterranean. The 35-day Mediterranen service is called Euro-Med and now operates on a fixed day of the week basis).

Hamburg-Süd, The Shipping Group, Hamburg (The largest freighter travel bureau in Europe, representing some 160 ships serving the USA, South America, the West Indies, the Mediterranean, East Africa, the Far East and Australasia. Also represents owners such as F Laeisz and Leonhardt & Blumberg. Subsidiary Columbus Line offers passage on ships connecting the USA and Australia/NZ).

Hanseatic Shipping Co Ltd (Schulte Group), Limassol  (Managing 15 passenger-carrying cargo ships on routes from Europe to West Africa, the Middle East and the Far East , as well as services between the USA and South America, the Far East and South America, and West & South Africa and Colombo).

Horn Line, Hamburg (A subsidiary of Del Monte operating banana boats carrying 12 passengers each on routes from Europe to Guadeloupe, Martinique, Cartagena, Panama and Central America).

The Independent Container Line Route (Three ships offering summer Trans-Atlantic service between Antwerp and Liverpool in Europe and Chester PA for Philadelphia, and Richmond VA, in the USA).  

NSB Freighter Cruises, Bremen (A fleet of 50 ships operating Tilbury to Australia and New Zealand, Felixstowe & Southampton to the Far East, Felixstowe to the Indian Ocean & East Africa, USA - Mediterranean - Far East, Local Far East, US East Coast - South America and other routes).

Egon Oldendorff, Lübeck  (Operating 25 passenger-carrying cargo ships in liner trades, Australia/New Zealand to the Far East, Southeast Asia and Japan; US/Canada to India and Indonesia;Round the World; West Coast South America and tramp ships Trans-Atlantic and into the Great Lakes).

Kapitän Peter Zylmann Freighter Cruises, Maasholm (Representing several German deep sea and coastal owners operating to the USA, the Americas, Far East and Worldwide, as well as coastal cruises within Europe to Norway, Sweden, Finland, the UK/Continent, the Canaries, Madeira and North Africa)

PZM Polish Steamship Company, Szczecin  (Operating a fleet of Polish-flag bulk ships to destinations worldwide, with twice-monthly Transatlantic service in season between Amsterdam's port of IJmuiden and Cleveland, Detroit and Burns Harbor, Indiana).

Seatrade (Groningen), Antwerp  (Operating a fleet of refrigerated vessels to destinations worldwide, with departures in season between European ports and Jamaica, South Africa, Argentina and New Zealand).

Transeste Shipping, Hamburg  (Operating passenger-carrying cargo ships under German registry, this is a new web site, still under construction at time of listing.).

Vanuden Ro-Ro, Rotterdam  (Operating a Dutch-flag roro between UK/Continental ports, including Sheerness, and Mediterranean ports as far as Turkey, Lebanon and Egypt).


Schedules are subject to change due to cargo and weather.
Medical certificates are required and age limits apply with most lines.

Visas are required by all non-US citizens calling at US ports.

If you can provide specifics as to what area of the world and what dates you are looking at I am sure we can help you!

Allan hoffman CTC
trvlagt@hotmail.com