Is cargo ship travel sustainable?

Catherine Mack
Freelance travel writer
Responsible tourism

As author of Ecoescape Ireland, to be published end May, I have been travelling betweb London and Ireland every few weeks for the last few months by train and ferry. I find the Virgin 9am service from London to Holyhead excellent, which then links up with an early afternoon Irish Ferries crossing (the largest car ferry in the world, so huge capacity), and then straight into Dublin port in time for a pre-dinner pint.

The main problem for me is that tourism facilities are not geared up to deal with ferry passengers. Hiring a car is almost impossible, although Dan Dooley Irish car rental company does offer a meet and greet service to Dublin and Belfast ferry port. See http://www.dan-dooley.ie/. I had to pay an extra fee to be met at Belfast port, as I arrived at 6.30 am, which I was told was "anti-social hours". I asked if they charge the same supplement to air passengers picking up cars at dawn, but was told "We have offices in airports, Madam, so that is easier".

Similarly, trains to and from ferry terminals in Dublin are non-existent, unless you use the suburban Dun Laoghaire Port, or travel to Rosslare. When you get a cab, you may be sure the driver will ask you "You're afraid of flying then, are you?".

For more information on all the best ways to travel slowly to and in Ireland, see ecoescape Ireland. You can pre-order a copy at www.ecoescape.org.

I still feel that piggy backing someone elses emissions is the next best thing to carbon free travel (remember to switch out the cabin lights if you're not there) but the comments about a freighter being as bad as 2000 lorries seems to ignore the fact that it may carry 5000 or more containers so there's still a benefit. I'd hate to see 5000 freight lorries crossing Central Asia as some "green alternative" - although it would employ more than the 20-30 running large freighters.

I feel that shipping by sea is the least damaging of the long haul options but if western nations changed our tastes (en-masse rather than the enthusiasts reading this) then there would be less need to move huge tonnages vast distances.

Richard

I think that that Ireland especially gets complex. I would say that a fast ferry is "better" than an aircraft as long as you avoid a long drive on your own! Fast ferries are powered by what are basically aircraft engines but have a greater payload (no need for lift - the sea does it) but even "slow" ferries run fast enough (greater than 17 knots)to be operating outside the economical cruise band. All standard ferries are in this group.

The real advantage of a ferry in "green" terms is that with the higher passenger and cargo payloads the footprint per passenger should be lower (if the engine is efficient) but the benefits that I tend to emphasise are less hassle (simpler security checks) and a chance to stretch and enjoy the ship (no tin tube limitations). I think that people think fast means less agro but that is no longer the case - I believe London to Paris compares well. The only problem I feel with Ireland is the pitifull train service to the ports.

Hope this helps.

Richard

how about passenger ferry travel? With regard to shorter distances from europe to uk and ireland is it better to fly or take a fast ferry???

I basically agree with the arguments put forward in the original post. It seems that the prospect of substantial efficiency gains for ships is more promising than for planes. It also encourages the ideal of slow travel, which is important in terms of travel culture change.

If in a year or so the technology has been looked at and we find ourselves in a similar position to aviation (i.e. with some efficiency gains possible such as those detailed in the recent New Scientist article, but with economic/industry barriers so great that change looks almost impossible) then we should re-assess. Until then I believe it is OK to support the dual use of energy for cargo and passengers at the same time, especially as we don't have that option with flying.

If we need to go back to sailing ships and the days of pirates then that's another matter altogether, and we should cross that bridge when we come to it!

There are 2 core issues when considering freighter travel in ethical terms.

1 - The ethical issues of the freighters themselves - mostly related to its pollution issues and the lesser problem of the way poor communities are exploited for cheap labour.

2 - The choices for the passenger.

The link between the 2 means we may be using an ethically grey form of travel to gain at the personal level.

I agree that the use of "bunker fuel" is problematic but if the industry could be persuaded of the benefits of building scrubbing equipment into the funnels the exhaust would be less an issue but that good maintenance practices will have benefits in the short term as the output from funnels varies from almost clear to pretty black.
I think that an issue often overlooked with freighters is the situation for the crew. Most come from poor communities and are frequently away for 9 months at a time (I was told by one officer that Tuvalu had 15 month contracts). They also find it had to get ashore as a result of the increased security since 9/11 which means that they can be restricted to their vessel for very long periods.

The opportunities for the passengers are very different. Firstly our "marginal" fuel use (what we add over what is needed without us) is tiny and as we are on a freighter this isn't linked to an increase in global travel. When this is added to the space generally available on freighters and the opportunity to visit areas that are difficult elsewhere (e.g. Bridge and Engine Room under supervision) a very different experience can be had. A passenger on a freighter also sees the crew in a different way and can share their company and learn from them much more easily then elsewhere - I remember karaoke nights with the crew while at sea and long chats with the Captain as the highlights of a short trip.

My own view would be that the industry needs to be encouraged to improve its performance and treatment of its staff but that passengers have a positive role to play and encourage a wider use of a more ethical means of travel.

I have only had one short voyage on a freighter but I am definitely looking for another and I feel that this could be a greater resource than it is at the moment, but we must learn the benefits of "slow travel" for it to have a bigger impact - time is often against it.

Richard

Whilst shipping goods across the world may be polluting it is much better than flying them across the world. Plus I think that by tagging along you are in fact making better use of the fuels used to power the ship. Not only are they transporting goods they are now transporting you. To my mind this gets more value from the fuel in the same way that a car with 5 occupants is more virtuous than a car with only one.

I'm not sure that this mode of transport would work for me though. I only get a limited amount of time off and wouldn't really want to spend half of it on a ship getting to where I wanted to go.