Contship Offers Passengers Sales

Contship Containerlines is offering passenger voyages directly to the public. The voyages are available on the Contship Aurora, Contship Australis and Contship Borealis - that Contship has recently introduced the eastbound routing of its contra-rotating services in the Europe-Australasia trade.

The three new vessels are the first to be owned by Contship. Each has a total capacity of 4100 teu, including 1300 reefer plugs, making them the world's largest reefer contsinerships. The Contship Aurora provides accommodation for five passengers on a voyage that will take them from Northern Europe via the Suez Canal to Australia and New Zealand, returning through the Panama Canal with calls on the US eastern seaboard.

The full round-trip will take nearly 70 days. For those seeking a shorter taste of sea life other route combinations and durations are available. Contship Aurora has two spacious twin bedded cabins and a single cabin, all offering outside views of the sea and with private showers and WC. The cabins are fitted with beechwood furniture and fittings. "Despite the continuing popularity of more traditional passenger services on cruise liners, there will always be a strong niche market of keen sea travellers who prefer the less structured lifestyle found onboard freighters," said David Halliday, CEO of Contship Containerlines.

"There is nothing mass-market or commercialised about a freighter. Over 7 million people now holiday each year on cruise ships, some carrying up to 3,000 people - hardly a 'get away from it all' experience. On our ships passengers can escape the world and take life at a different pace." There is no separate passenger lounge so passengers are invited to share the comfortable Officers' Recreation room that has a large screen television and a bar. Meals are taken in the Officers' Mess. Ports that will be visited on the round the world service include: Tilbury, Hamburg, Rotterdam, La Spezia, in Europe; Damietta in Egypt; Freemantle, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane in Australia; Auckland, Napier and Port Chalmers in New Zealand; Manzanillo, Panama; Savannah, Philadelphia and New York in the USA and Zeebrugge in Belgium before returning to Tilbury.