Mark Twain

My article this month is about travelling by sea - but not as we know it!.

International travel will never be the same after the events of September 11 ; heightened levels of security at airport terminals will cause delays and build bottlenecks for both travellers and cargo alike. But apart from these inconveniences the real difference will be in attitude . If you weren't already paranoid then you will be now - anyone leaving their seat during the flight will be a potential security threat until they return to take their rightful place .

The many people that did not enjoy air travel before the terrorists attacks will now be going out of their way to avoid flying and it is likely that ocean travel will become the preferred option when they take holidays.

We all know about the ocean cruise lines such as Cunard, P&O and Viking Line but for those travellers that can do without the commercial trappings there is the appeal of jumping aboard a cargo vessel and sailing the high seas on a container ship . Most shipping lines do not advertise the fact that they take paying passengers as this is not core business activity and it must be managed to suit the captain and the crew. The price of the "ticket" is often negotiable and is usually similar to airline rates to the same destination - in the past the price was discussed with the master and the money was often divvied up amongst the crew as it was seen as a perk of the job. These days you need to contact the shipping company directly and take it from there.

A Regular Cruise Ship !!

When I was at Contship containerlines we had a client that took an around-the-world cruise on one of our vessels that departed Rotterdam and returned there 84 days later - the vessel had called at North European ports , sailed across the Atlantic to New York then down the eastern seaboard before calling Tahiti, Noumea, Auckland , Australian ports then up through South East Asia, the Meditteranean and back to Rotterdam ! We also had a couple of writers take long voyages because they wanted the solitude and inspiration of the high seas but not the shuttleboard games and hordes of holidaymakers you get on the cruise ships . These days cargo vessels are rarely in port for no more than 24 hours so it doesn't leave much time for site seeing - you do have the option of staying longer and then catching a flight to meet up with the ship later on but that kind of defeats the purpose doesn't it?.

The "Alternative" Cruise Ship ( and yes - it really is pink !! )

My wife works for a shipping company in Auckland and one day soon she will take a trip from Auckland to Lyttelton on one of their vessels as a fun way to visit the Christchurch office. I am hoping to come along for the ride as it's an experience that not a lot of people get to take and will only be a day trip down the coast which suits me fine.

But to do it for 84 days - I think that's stretching it a bit far!

Previous Diary - The history of Containerisation. read more ....