Freighter travel costs vary depending on the destination and can range from 100-130 euros per person per day, with a luggage allowance of 30kg-100kg (66-220lbs). Sailboats can be transported using single-axle trailers, multi-axle trailers, cargo ships, and trains. Modern shipping companies are exploring technologies like kites and wind vanes, with some even using the ship’s hull as a sail.
Sailboats can cost from 600 euros to 1,300 euros to ports cities in Norway, Sweden, Germany, and the Netherlands. Maris FreighterCruises.com offers trans-Atlantic itineraries that explore these technologies. The current cost of fuel oil for a standard Panamax ship is around USD 1 million, but the fuel cost only accounts for 35-40% of the cost.
Freighter travel is much cheaper than ordinary cruise ships, which usually charge around US200-US400 per day. However, the daily rate charged by freighters is much lower than ordinary cruise ships. An upper age limit of 77-80 years is not uncommon, as there is no doctor on board and there are often plenty of stairs.
A rough estimate for a cargo ship journey is 100-120 euros per day, with rates ranging from 120 to 150 euros per person. A 22-day journey would be over 5,500 euros. Kites were extensively tested during the maiden voyage in 2008 on a route of almost 12,000 nautical miles, although the effects were not as far-reaching.
📹 WORKING ON A CONTAINER SHIP | LIFE AS A MERCHANT MARINER
From the end of 2019 to the beginning of 2020 I spent 77 days working on a container ship as a watch standing AB.
📹 🌍 The unique experience of Travelling by a Cargo Vessel | How to travel by cargo ship | Freighter
Hello, and welcome back for a new video from around the World. Today it is from the Sea. Wonderful Seas and Oceans of …
My father was a merchant sailor on Liberty ships. He could splice ropes and even steel cable. I have his marlin spikes and he became an American citizen legally and was recognized by the US for his efforts during wartime. He would say he could get along with everyone and was always friendly and would offer help to anyone. He so enjoyed life and doing things. He was a great father. Godspeed to the Merchant Marine.
One of my biggest regrets in life is not going to the maritime academy after high school, I went to the open day, but ended up choosing not to go because I didn’t feel like moving to Vlissingen at that time. This just makes me feel the itch again… I’m 36 and work on a farm now, but I guess it’s never too late to switch it up.
My father was doing the same job, from Greece and jumped ship in New Orleans. He met my mother in Mass, also Greek and joined the army and served. Elvis was in his platoon. My father didn’t know who he was. They were in Germany together. I asked him if he ever spoke to Elvis and he said yea but didn’t like his music because he only listened to Greek music. He also said he was better looking than him, LOL!!!
I guess I was lucky to work as engineer on a bulk carrier in the seventies. I worked for the Danish company Torm Lines. I remember how we always spent at least 4 to five days in the same place. In the South of Italy close to Pompey we stayed for two weeks, so I rented a car and drove to Pompey and also Naples. We sailed for orders allover, not like a container ship which sails constantly on the same destinations. I have sailed from Constanza in the Black Sea to Salvador in Brazil and of course la Plata River too, not to mention all ports on the US east from coast Corpus Christi to Duluth. In Europe from Narvik, Norway to Italy. As officer I had signed a contract which meant 12 months on board and then 10 weeks vacation with salary and pocket money. It was such a great experience.
Interesting. Reminds me of working on a Norwegian freighter from Brooklyn to Naples via Tenerife in July 1963 when I was 16. They didn’t have container ships back them, everything was loaded and unloaded in small loads from the hold. I worked on chipping paint and polishing in the engine room. One of the high points was breakfast, where the chef would cook anything I asked for. I even had my own cabin.
Great article! A lot of the work you do I did myself as a Seaman/Petty Officer on two US Navy Knox class Frigates during my 4 year enlistment from 1977 – 1981. Standing watch (3 sections at sea), chipping, painting and cleaning were the order of the day. Seems like I never got enough sleep! We were stationed off the coast of Iran in the Gulf of Oman during the Hostage Crisis. We briefly visited (with no Liberty Call) Mogadishu, Somalia to deliver documents (years before the downing of the US Army Blackhawk). Soviet warships tailed us into and around the Black Sea (and we sailed alone). Now things are heating up again between the Russians and the USA. It seems like the Cold War never ended… I did see 20 different Ports of Call, some great Liberty (Subic Bay, Philippines and Pattaya Beach, Thailand were my favorites), and some not so great (Istanbul, Turkey and Columbo, Sri Lanka). It was a great experience for a young American. Things were much cheaper in the Far East and people were friendlier to Americans in the Pacific nations, probably due to the Japanese occupation during WWII. They did not forget their Liberators. I did a lot of ‘growing up’ back then. I recommend every young person try it, either in the Military or as a Civilian Seaman.
My dad was a Master Mariner and Captain in the Merchant Navy for many many years. He did this trip down the Suez lots of times. He later went on to be a World renowned Ship Surveyor and I spent a lot of my early childhood on board cargo ships just like that. I loved the smell! There is nothing like it! I’m sad he’s not here anymore to ask about all his travels. Great upload. Thanks 🙏
Thanks for posting! I was a Merchant Marine from ’91 to ’96. Deck Dept. O.S. first run bulk carrier Operation desert Storm. Did almost the same run as you across the Atlantic to Saudi Arabia. After that went to the west coast did the oil tanker runs to Alaska up and down that coast. Best run though was a Sea-land Container ship I worked in the Caribbean. They call it the Crescent run. New York, Jacksonville, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, New Orleans. If you ever have a chance to do the Crescent Run do it!!
Cool article. I was my units super cargo NCO my first deployment to Iraq in 03. We borded in Beaumont, TX and went around the coast to savannah, GA. Then we went across the Atlantic and through the Suez canal and up to Kuwait. I never that much exotic seafood in my life. Was amazing going through storms with boat rocking and seeing the merchant marines climbing all over our helo.s trying to keep the plastic covering on them from blowing off in the storm.
Awesome article! Took me back to working on a Mississippi river barge for 2 months in 1984 when I was 22. Alamo Barge Lines, the Molly Anne. Chipping rust with a needle gun then painting, scraping wood and lacquering, and mopping the decks of diesel oil from the exhaust..Lots of that! Absolutely right about tightening ropes and cables to secure being the most dangerous part. The weight involved would pop them like a string sometimes and sound like shotguns going off..stay out of the way! Started in Baton Rouge and went upriver to Chicago, then back down to Texas. I was ready to get off in Corpus Christi (my home state), but am really glad I did it. Something I’ll never forget. Hope life finds my shipmates Spanky and Cowboy safe and well. Thank you very much for posting this article. God bless mate! 👍👍👌✌️🇺🇸
Some of us just have the inner nomad on the outside. The innate human need to explore and move. I’ve never served on a seafaring vessel like this but the idea has definitely occurred to me. I’m an aviation guy and always have been. I travel the world by air, but getting around the globe in numerous means interests me! Spaceflight like in Star Trek would be fantastic, riding the rails all over the world, taking ships and boats, etc. I’m still waiting for my opportunity to work in Antarctica too! I’d enjoy something like this if I didn’t have a family (and a career I love), but enjoy it for those of us who think it looks like fun!
I had an opportunity to become a merchant marine back in ’76. I did the TWIC and MMC qualifications and was a month from starting my apprenticeship. I ended up receiving a small college scholarship and decided to go in that direction. I followed logic instead of my heart and passed on the opportunity to see the world while learning an important craft. This article showed me what I missed out on.
One of my school friends I grew up with got bad grades in high school and ended up getting into Mechanical Engineering, I got into Electronics. I got a nice office job. He got Merchant shipping spending months away from gf. Used to feel bad for them. But finally he got promoted so now he also sits in an office and others are doing the merchant trips. Very happy for them! They just bought a home and had a kid. Great to have father home at all the time.
I instantly subscribed when I saw him fast forward through his own introduction speech. My kind of website lol 😂 Although I appreciate the sentiment and work YouTubers put into the long intro’s of their articles, I often loose interest quick or fast forward it myself. So, thank you for being straight to the point and action!!
i remember aquiring my MMD back in ’07. but by then procedures and processes were changed due to 911. subsequent requirements were added and it was expensive! i considered it but i was already working and i was getting older and concluded that at the time it wasn’t in the cards for me! your post was awesome and it allowed me to reflect on could’ve been!👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾
This brings back great memories! I lived in Jersey City for 19 wonderful years. I loved to ride my bike to a park in Bayonne where I’d see these amazing ships going through with the tug boats. I found one of my favorite cats ever living in that park, a HUGE blue furred British Shorthair. May he rest in peace.
Cool flashback to my time at sea. I went from Seattle to (nearly in view, or not) Alaska, through the Aleutian Chain (once into port to drop off a dead body. A deceased inspector who was suspiciously found floating in a brine tank absurd a factory fishing boat owned by a Russian company that had partnerships with an American seafood company) Your 4 on and 4 off schedule is like mine, except I was 1 of a 9 man crew. Seeing the vibrator you were doing rust removal was the part that prompted my comment. Oh the hours spent with Earl and a couple of the other AB guys and occasionally the chief engineer would come to give us a pep talk saying how easy we had it in his time as an able bodied seaman he had a hand powered air compressor that burned coal and he was tasked with hauling coal himself and stoking the fires! I am making that up. He was a good friend of mine, that got me both the job in the first place as an electrician, and helped grandfather me in, writing those hours as sea time so I could start as an Oiler. Which made me slightly higher on a very short totem pole of seniority. I was ultimately still on the bottom. But the 6 voyages to Russia were really exciting. Back then, 1994 I believe, only a few American sailors had ever been there. They loved us Americans and I dug them. I tried to learn to swear in Russian, but since I was only ever with the Russian workers for a couple shifts weeks apart, I didn’t really memorize anything worthwhile. Besides, telling my friends at home to fukc off in Russian never had any impact.
So, I’m a truck driver and have been for half my life, I dropped out of college to drive a truck for a living and am home only 4 days every three weeks, my two friends who dropped out of high-school to become deck hands now make $160k plus per year and have equal time off as time spent on the sea as both are now captain of ships of their own. I realize that I madevpoor decisions and ended up an alcoholic on my off time, making far less money than I should and having far less hometime than my friends. Can you drink in your off time, provided you have enough time to sober up between shifts to sober up before coming back on duty and how did you start your journey, deckhand school or etc? I can sober up if necessary and quit drinking, I’m just too miserable now to stop drinking at night as I can have 3 beers every night as long as I have 8 hours to sleep it off,but I’m so miserable that alcohol is tge only thing that allows me to cope with my miserable existence of 21 or so days on and 4 days off per month for over 2 decades.
Well done article. Good pace. And structure. It looked a bit fun but also I’m sure it could get boring. I’d of done it back when I was younger I’m sure. It’ll be something you’ll really think back on when you’re older. My Dad was a Merchant Marine during WW2 in Adak,Alaska. He always talked about it as he got older. But thank for a very well made article. I enjoyed it.
Man this article is awesome. Early 2020 was such a strange time. I was still active duty army then. New Years my unit got emergency deployed to Kuwait and Iraq over than beef with Iran. We were told that we were going to war with Iran, so tensions were super high. I remember sitting in the desert, obsessively perusal the news as much as we could trying to figure out what was going on, heard some stuff about some new virus in china. Fast forward to 6 months later and that virus has stranded us in Kuwait with all connecting airports shut down, and they closed down all the gyms on base.
Man that looks easy as hell. Your quarters are like an apartment! I spent some time at sea with the U.S. Navy and I feel like I got robbed after seeing this. We worked 12-18 hour days, pretty much 0 private space and if you aren’t on watch you got a broom or mop or paint brush, you name it in your hand cleaning shit. We use to joke our ships are held together by the paint.
Having recently found your articles…I would love like a 1 hour or more article about a trip like this! 77 days in 12 mins…not enough time to capture the whole trip. Even if it’s monotonous; I’m all for longer form content on topics like this! Hope you’re either staying safe on the seas or relaxing in the RV. 😊
My husband Chris was a navigation officer in the Merchant Navy, and hes forever telling me stories of where he went and what he got up to. unfortunately I never knew him then but I do have a lovely photograph of him in his white uniform on the wing of the bridge sailing under the Sydney harbour bridge !
General cargo vessels are best to work on. You go to more and varied destinations and time ashore. Can’t help comparing your ship to my ships in the late 70s. One ship had no auto pilot and we steered using the familiar large wooden wheel; steering by gyro. One hour on one hour off, 4 to 8 shift. I loved it though. The ships I worked was was like living in a cheap motel room compared to the conditions on your 5 star hotel.
Great seeing the other side of things as I was in the Navy and always wondered how the guys lived and worked on those ships. I have worked on several MSC Ships as I am now working in a Shipyard in Norfolk Va. repairing US Navy Ships and MSC Ships. I kinda think and may be wrong but looks like MSC would be the way to go. I did work on several Cruise Ships years ago at another Shipyard on the west coast and can tell you I will never set foot on one for a cruise. The topside is nice and all but you get below decks they are a disaster looking for a place to happen.
Thank you for these articles! I would never know so much about the world and being on a ship. I won’t ride on a ship because of my fear of water but I will get to experience it due to these articles which are well done. I would ask that you turn the background music down or off so we can understand you when you talk. Thanks again.
The tension on those lines are no joke. I’m a docker in a RoRo harbour. One of the ships line is attached to a metal hook that has a line attached to the dock. The line between the hook and the dock bursted, and sent the 50kg (or more) hook straight on the ship, just below where the line from the ship comes from. Imagine the stored energy in the lines, that can send this heavy hook that far and up. Luckily no one was hurt. However, if the line had bursted from the ship and hit the dock, it would be a totally different outcome. Nowadays when I hear this cracking sound, I’m taking a few steps back and wait for the ship to loose the line b4 I approach the line to release it.
My last 10 years of going to sea was with Maersk. My first 10 years of going to sea was harder, but a lot more enjoyable because on a break bulk ship, you would actually get time to go ashore. It looks like you had a good trip. The bad trips give you good ‘sea stories,’ but does it suck when you are in the middle of them.
I’m curious what ship you were on and who were some of the crew. That looked like a K Class wheelhouse, and some of the other shots did too. I sailed for 4 years as 3rd Mate on box boats. I worked out of Norfolk and mostly did Maersk’s MECL routes. 2012 through 2015. I’m sure the routes have changed a bunch since I stopped. I actually can tell you guys went to some different docks/terminals than when I was in the same places. The cranes were different. The routes changed a lot when I was doing it. MECL 1 used to be a 49 day trip Newark-Charleston-Norfolk-Newark then to Jeb, before going to Port Qasim in Pakistan, then Pipavav and Mumbai, finally Salalah then back to Newark. MECL 2 was like a 60 day run. They did more USEC and also stopped in Algeciras and Djibouti, and maybe Columbo? I forget. I never did MECL 2. I made 3 trips on MECL 1 on the Maersk Kentucky. In about 2014 or 15 they reflagged a bunch of the ships, brought in a bunch of K class from foreign flags and reshuffle the order. The MECL run became a 77 day run going Newark, Charleston, Savanah, Norfolk, Algeciras, Djibouti, Jebel Ali, Qasim, Pipavav, Mumbai, Salalah, Algeciras, Newark. I did 2 trips on that run with Maersk Memphis. I did other stuff at other time, but that was my time with Maersk. I got blamed for a bunch of stupid shit I didn’t do on the Memphis and that was the second ship that’d happened to me on in only about 6 big jobs. Plus, I spent like probably 50 hours of wasted OT making a stupid, pointless log book that should have been made by some Maersk officer drone.
Hey, I’ve heard a rumor that a regular person can by inexpensive passage on a container ship, but they must perform pro bono light duties and be willing to abide by the vessel’s schedule, which naturally means the journey will take much longer than would a flight. For example, a friend of mine said that person he knew bought passage and worked on a container ship from San Diego to Sydney Australia for about $300 American. The trip was lengthy, maybe 2 to 3 weeks. Do you know if this is true (I suspect if so, then Covid may have signaled the end of such a thing). Thanks!
How much does OT usually makes up for the average seaman’s annual salary? I looked online for related salaries and they were lower than I expected. But that does not take into account OT or other incentives. And I assume your living expenses while on board are minimal or comped entirely (i.e., you’re not paying for food and berthing). Thanks for the article.
I liked this article a lot. I am a navigation equipment technician and I know these ships very well, wile Maersk themselves are not our customer, I work a lot with MSC, ONE and other minor companies, I also do tankers (Stolt, Marnavi, etc..) a lot; I always wondered how these people I meet on board live and work every day, that was very cool to see.
Seems like a natural gig to progress into after getting out of the navy. I never thought about it during my stint or I would have joined up. Pretty sure they would have found a spot for me as my forte was structural repair with standard deck seamanship and shipboard firefighting as well. The only bummer would have been that I would have to deal with the ship’s sewage system as well. That is probably the last system you want to fail, possibly a priority over the hull.
I was broke in Hamburg in 1980 and a guy picked me up in a pub. He was the first mate on a German tramp steamer. 90 metre 900 ton. He asked me if I wanted to come. Since I was starving in German winter, and couldn’t stand the people I was with any longer, I said ‘yes’. So I lived onboard ship throughout Europe for eight months. What an amazing trip. The East Germans after the the third time there, threw me out. This was 1980…. Before the wall came down. Still communist. We sailed to Denmark and I caught a ferry to England. That was the beginning of the adventure.
I have to apologize for being so late to the party and I also can’t lie I’ve seen a few of your article’s and for some unknown reason I didn’t sub up??? Go figure. Anyway I’m here now and definitely looking forward to going back thru your article’s. I definitely have my work cut out. Being that I live just outside of Toronto the minute I finish checking out the one it’s on to the great lakes one. It’s already “Qed” up and ready to go. So ya new guy here and hopefully see you in the comment section again soon 👍 🇨🇦 🔧
I like how most of those doing this back-breaking, nerve-wracking jobs on these container ships, are men. Today’s toxic feminists won’t complain about the obvious shortage of women in these kinds of jobs. They only want jobs where women will exercise control over everyone else. Salute to these men who sacrifice large parts of their lives (and comfort) to literally make the world work. Good job Joe for showing us what it’s like to live on a cargo ship. Loved this from Cape Town, S. Africa
Thanks for fast forwarding the blah, blah. My uncle was an English merchant mariner during WW2. His first ship got bombed and a young kid Reg Earnshaw was killed in the engine room by steam ( I think). His 2nd ship the Sardinian Prince was captured and sunk by the Scharnhorst. He got sick in a prison camp and was repatriated. He died soon after. Always been interested in those cargo ships anchored off our beaches. Greetings from Australia. Merry Christmas.
Well, okay you worked on a container ship and you got us viewers to watch. What was your mess like? What were your crew like? What was your bunking like? What if any was your time off ship in other ports like? What were the port authorities like? What were your toilets like? What was your food like? How did you onboard? You pretty much gave us a article of what a trip from NY to San Diego staying at Holiday Inn’s without the details. Bummer.
You need what’s called a “slow hand” with hydraulics. TONS AND TONS of pressure. I was a natural for some reason. I was always the top pick to run any the onboard CRANES too. Some were quite large!!!! I just have this “feel” for hydraulics. This is critical for safety reasons too. I received my official crane certification on a monster twin 50 ton Hagglunds Cranes at our Paul Hall union school in Piney Point, MD. If you can run those cranes well, you can run ANY crane. I was always the most accurate with a heaving line. I would win bets so often that no one would bet against me after a while. Ill never forget pointing to a nearby dump truck in Brunswick Georgia once…like Babe Ruth calling right field. I dropped that hard monkeys’ fist right in the back of that dump truck. Now days, it’s all sand bags for safety’s sake. Pussies. Nothing like a rock hard monkey’s fist!!!! sigh
This gives an interesting prespective of life on a boat, I wonder how much more there is to it and what the pay would be like. I wouldn’t mind doing it if I wasn’t a family man (or just when they finally push me over the edge lol) and they pay was decent, though I’d really love to be able to actually go and explore some of these places they stop at.
I wish i could work with you I have all the papers but no one accept to let me work on any ship in any company Just because it’s my first time But I used to work on the quay (the landing stage) In a workshop repair ship in tartus and panias port in syria for 2 years I wish you the best and be thankful for God the you have a work and you gain well from it
my brother i was in the us merchant marines 7.5 years till I lost my seniority back in late 87 a seniority taking the work of b seniority us shipping got hard all I needed was 6 days to keep my seniority and yes I still miss it I seen the world after that I started driving trucks been driving now for 35 years
Thanks for the article, but a lot of unanswered questions. What did you mean you were a bouncer? What was the food like? How much could you feel the waves? This question I realize is kind of personal, but what was the rate of pay, if you don’t mind sharing? Any ladies on board? A doctor on board? What else could you do for fun- basketball? Did you see a lot of whales? Sharks? Dolphins? What if someone got seriously hurt or sick – would a helicopter come? Did you see any pirates? – seriously. Thanks again.
Cool vid. I worked on Maersk container ships as a 3/m on the 12-4 as well. How come you couldn’t get out in port though? I always did. I know u need to catch up on sleep sometimes, especially with that watch, but you could always do that when u sail as long as your next port was more than a day away.