FAQs
Please click the links below to learn more about frieghter voyages.
Age Limits
Most shipping companies will not accept persons of 80 years or over.
Due to the hazards inherent in travelling on a freighter, very young children
cannot be accepted as passengers. Please check before you make a reservation as
the age limits vary with each shipping company. It should be pointed out to parents
contemplating taking children on a freighter voyage that there will be no facilities
for children on board and they will have to kept under their supervision at all
times.
Baggage
It is natural to assume that a freighter will have plenty of room for
baggage. However nowadays all available space is dedicated to containers and therefore
passengers’ baggage must be limited to whatever can be carried up the gangway
and stored in their cabins. Some shipping companies also impose a weight limit.
Booking a Voyage
Study the Destinations and Prices pages on this site and choose
an itinerary and destination. When you have chosen your itinerary, please fill in the booking enquiry form or ring, email, fax or write to us and we will
check the dates and availability of the voyage you have picked.
Advance Registration – if a request is made for a voyage for which a schedule
is not yet available, we can usually accept an advance registration. In this case
you will be asked to send a Registration Fee of £100 per person together
with the Registration Form and we will register you for the voyage required. As
soon as the schedules are available, we will send an Offer of Accommodation and
ask you for a deposit (from which the Registration Fee will be deducted). Should
the voyage not materialise or is unsuitable for you, the Registration Fee can
be transferred to another itinerary or repaid in full.
Communications
Most vessels are equipped with satellite telephone and fax equipment
– please note, however, that this is an expensive form of communication. Prior
to departure a list of port agents is normally supplied in order that family and
friends can send letters to await you at ports en route. The ship’s officers will
assist you with information about sending mail from ports of call. Internet access
is not normally available to passengers and email is usually reserved for shipping
company use. However on some vessels, the Captain may agree to send the occasional
email on your behalf.
Container Terminals
The terminals where the vessels berth are very different from
the ports used by cruise ships and ferries. They are always busy with heavy vehicles
coming and going and large moving cranes which are used to load and unload the
containers. Container terminals can be very dangerous places to be if you do not
have your wits about you.
Most container terminals are situated a long way from the centre of a town or
city, thus making it too far to walk. A taxi is usually essential to transport
passengers from ship to shore, which can usually be arranged either by the local
ship’s agent who will be on board when the vessel arrives, or by one of the Officers.
This should be borne in mind when deciding how much currency to take with you
on your voyage.
Currency
It is usually necessary to pay for on board purchases with cash, not
personal or travellers cheques or credit cards. You will be advised which currency
is acceptable. For use ashore, take a supply of local currencies with you, in
accordance with the itinerary, preferably in small denominations. Most vessels
do not have exchange facilities.
Diets
It cannot be guaranteed that passengers with special diets (e.g. vegetarian,
gluten–free, etc) will be catered for, though with this proviso the ship can be
advised in advance about any special requests. However, if you are allergic to
any types of food, there can be no guarantee that your needs will be met.
Disabled Passengers
Freighters are not designed to cater for disabled passengers
– there are usually a lot of stairs to climb and the gangways can be steep and
awkward. Some vessels do have lifts, but they are switched off in bad weather.
Therefore we regret that anyone with a physical disability or mobility problems
will not be permitted to travel.
Dress
There is no “dressing up” on freighters, casual clothing is all
that you will require throughout your voyage. There is no necessity to take any
formal clothes with you.
Embarkation
Whilst we may be able to give you an approximate sailing date, it
is likely that this will change. The exact date of departure for your voyage may
not be confirmed until approximately two or three days beforehand. Embarkation
instructions are usually enclosed with the Passage Tickets, however it is likely
that contact will need to be made with the Port Agent in order to obtain confirmation
of the vessel’s exact time of departure. Once the time of sailing has been established,
the embarkation time can then be confirmed.
On the day of embarkation, you will either make your own way directly to the vessel
at a given time, or will be asked to go to the port agent’s office from where
you will be escorted to the vessel. If you have to travel a long distance, it
may be advisable to spend at least one night in a hotel near to the embarkation
port. If you are joining a vessel outside the UK, you will be asked to contact
the ship’s agent at the embarkation port in order to find out exactly where and
at what time to join the vessel. (see Port Agents).
Insurance
Insurance cover is compulsory for all passengers travelling on freighters.
Your insurance company must be made aware that you are travelling as a fare–paying
passenger on a cargo ship which does not carry a doctor. The policy must include
medical cover of at least £2,000,000 or its equivalent and, of course, adequate
cancellation cover is strongly recommended. You will be asked to supply a copy
of the cover note and the insurance company’s emergency medical assistance
number before the tickets can be released. We will supply you with details of
our preferred insurance broker when confirming the booking.
Laundry
As a rule, ships have a self-service launderette, usually with a washing
machine, washing powder, dryer and ironing board.
Lifts
Some ships have lifts – many do not. In bad weather lifts are switched off,
so passengers may have to negotiate several flights of stairs between, for instance,
accommodation and the restaurant.
Medical
Vessels which take up to 12 passengers do not carry a doctor though some
may have a dispensary and at least one of the officers will have first aid training.
Therefore shipping companies will not accept as a passenger anyone who has a severe
or chronic health condition, including, in some cases diabetics who rely on injections,
and those who take Warfarin. If you require medication you must take a sufficient
supply to last the voyage. All passengers must have a medical certificate (on
a Strand Voyages or shipping company’s form) signed by their doctor.
Onward Travel
Passengers taking one-way voyages often wish to book hotels, tours,
car hire and flights. We can make any travel arrangements for you, but remember
– you need to be flexible to co-ordinate them with freighters’ changeable
schedules.
Passenger Protection & Bonding
Strand Travel Ltd, of which Strand Voyages
is a division, is a fully bonded member of the Association of British Travel Agents
(ABTA – www.abta.com) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA –
www.iata.org) as well as being a member of the Passenger Shipping Association
Retail Agents Scheme (PSARA – www.psa-psara.org) and Advantage Travel Centres
(www.advantage4travel.com), the UK’s largest independent travel organisation.
All passengers booking a voyage with Strand Voyages are also fully protected by
ESR Insurance Services for up to £10,000 per person in the unlikely event
that the shipping company fails financially.
Pets
Regrettably no shipping company will accept animals of any sort aboard their
vessels.
Port Agents
The Port Agent is a very busy person, whose responsibilities lie with
the berthing arrangements of the vessels and overseeing the loading and unloading
of the containers or any other cargoes carried. He or she also has first-hand
information on when a vessel is expected to berth. It is therefore necessary to
contact the Port Agent to confirm embarkation and sailing times.
For voyages departing from the UK, we will make contact with the Port Agent and
having established the embarkation and sailing times, we will then telephone you
with the information. However, for overseas departures it will be necessary for
you to contact the Port Agent yourself to obtain this information. This being the case,
we will provide you with the telephone number of the Port Agent’s office and you
should then make contact a few days before the expected date of departure. Please
do not discuss any other matter with the Port Agent other than to confirm the
vessel’s date of departure and the time you may embark.
Security
Security in ports is usually extremely tight and it is not possible for
any unauthorised person to walk on to the terminal without first obtaining permission,
or in some cases without an official escort. You may be subject to baggage and
personal searches similar to those experienced at airports, either before embarking
or on board the vessel.
Smoking
Smoking restrictions are determined by the Captain. Normally smoking is
allowed in cabins (subject to sensible precautions such as not smoking in bed)
and on deck (except when refuelling).
However it will be left to passengers to agree amongst themselves about smoking
policy in passenger areas such as the lounge.
Time in Port
It is important to remember that since most of the vessels are containerised
and loading and unloading is highly mechanised, the amount of time spent in ports
is usually quite short. For example, a vessel may arrive at a port early in the
morning, discharge its containers and be ready to depart by early afternoon. However,
there is usually sufficient time to disembark, do a little sightseeing and return
to the vessel before she sails.
Tipping
The steward who cleans your cabin or serves you in the Officers’
Dining Room will always be grateful for a tip at the end of the voyage. However
the level of tipping is a personal matter and should be based on your satisfaction
with the way he has performed his duties. There really are no set rules with regard
to tipping on board freighters.
Vaccinations & Inoculations
Some ports and countries require passengers to
have vaccinations or inoculations. We will inform you about those which are compulsory,
though you should consult your GP about the advisability of taking other precautions.
Vehicles
Apart from Roll–On Roll–Off vessels, generally all other vessels only
carry vehicles which are containerised. We regret that we cannot make any arrangements
for the carriage of vehicles on any freighters except for Ro-Ros.
Visas
We will advise you in advance if you require visas for any ports of call
– often we are able to arrange these on your behalf. For most countries, in addition
to the cost of the visa, there will be a handling fee, although we will confirm
actual costs at the time of enquiry. In most cases it is necessary for your passport
to be valid at least 6 months after the date of your visit to the country concerned.
You are reminded that it is your responsibility to ensure that you are in possession
of the correct documentation to enter a foreign country.
Visitors
Due to increased port security we regret that it is not possible to visit
ships in port, nor for relatives and friends to board the ship to see you off
on your voyage.
