A trip like those of before, in which to enjoy the authentic experience of crossing the ocean, its unique smells and its unpredictable temperament. That is precisely what transoceanic voyages aboard a freighter offer. A little-known and very exclusive mode of travel, only 1% of the world’s container ships accept passengers and can accommodate about 12 people.
Those willing to pay between 90 and almost 135 euros a day can become sea lions for weeks, or even months, depending on the length of the journey. Passengers usually stay in officer cabins, without the comforts of a luxury cruise, but with what is necessary for the journey. They also have access to an entertainment room filled with books, a CD player and ping pong tables. During the voyage, passengers are required to participate in the day-to-day duties of a container ship.
Around this modality of travel a small group of agents specializing in travel on merchandise transport ships has emerged. It is a small business, with an annual revenue of less than 5 million euros, according to Hamish Jamieson, founder of Freighter Travel, to Business Insider. Nothing comparable to the 30 million euros a day that most shipping companies earn. In 2019, the number of people who booked a trip aboard a cargo ship did not reach 4,000, according to estimates by travel agencies.
The pandemic has had a full impact on freighter travel. The traditional passenger cruise business was one of the first outbreaks of the pandemic, with numerous outbreaks that forced the suspension of operations, and the freighter business was no exception. In March 2020, most cargo ship operators banned the entry of passengers, in an attempt to protect their crews from Covid-19. Two years later, freighters have still not relaxed these restrictions.
At first, freighter travel agencies responded to this situation by refunding tickets or holding passenger deposits in the hope of rebooking them later. However, in 2021 the panorama did not change and, for the moment, almost none of the large shipping companies venture to offer trips on their cargo ships.
Despite this, smaller shipping companies such as Langsamreisen and Hamburg-Frachtschiffreisen, the freighter division of travel agency ATPI Hamburg, plan to resume operations in the spring or early summer. ATPI Hamburg, in particular, already has reserved seats on cargo ships that will travel from Germany to Iceland and from the United States to South America in March, according to The Wall Street Journal.
What do shipping companies expect from 2022?
For the cruise industry, the pandemic and the slowdown in activities that it caused led to an 81% drop in passengers between 2019 and 2020, as well as the loss of half the jobs in the industry and a 59% drop in contribution to the world economy, according to the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) in its latest report.
Since they resumed operation in July 2020, CLIA lines have welcomed more than 6 million passengers. Looking ahead to 2022, they hope to recover their entire fleet. As for the volume of passengers, they expect to return to 2019 levels between the end of this year and next.
Some figures that support the observations of members of the sector. Last summer, Norwegian Cruise Line told Business Insider that there is pent-up demand and a desire to return to sea.
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