I am up very early this morning to get to the port office and onto the ship. Its 18.2 m (59 ft) water front depth can provide access for vessels of up to 250,000 tons fully loaded. And with the exception of occasional interruptions from typhoons, the port can be operated over 350 days in a year.
 Loading up the container ship. |
 The entrance to the port area. |
I board the ship and meet a few more people taking the trip, although they are going much further than I am. Cargo ships usually offer single or double bed cabins and most of the vessels have exterior cabins with sitting areas, desk, shower and WC. If you want the pleasures of gourmet travel, consider going with one of the French ships, who have excellent chefs aboard. Cargo ships can carry a maximum of 12 passengers, depending on the ship, although most vessels only have accommodation for 4 to 6 passengers.
I found that most ships can’t always carry the people along with their cargo unless organised well in advance. Some of these ships are booked up weeks in advance at a port, which is why I started to look at it when I was in India. Paperwork seems to be reasonably straight-forward, despite the added complication of passing through international and national waters. The trip for me and my camper os a simple one.
 My humble cabin. |
 On a longer trip, I would choose one of these. |
So, here I am. I have one of the modest single cabins, but I do get a porthole to look out of. Some of the other cabins are much bigger and more luxurious. I have an itinerary for my two day trip and there’s a barbecue later, so not bad at all. I’ll tell you more later.
