Freighter Travel

For booking your journey with the shipping company Grimaldi, please send back the following documents filled-out and signed best by email or fax:

• Booking Form
• Passenger Declaration
• Passport: Send us a copy of your passport valid at least six months counting from voyage commencement.

After receiving your booking forms, we will send you the booking confirmation and invoice whereupon a deposit of 25% is due. The balance is payable until 2 months prior departure. 
If you pay from outside the EURO-zone, paying by credit card might be the cheapest option. But still we have to charge a non-refundable credit card fee of 2.5%. 
 

Further Documents required not later than 10 days prior departure:

• Medical Certificate: Not earlier than 15 days prior departure (for passengers of 79 years or older).
• International health insurance: Send us a copy of your Travel Health Insurance (contract on 1 page in english with your name, date of birth and contract number / validity of the Insurance about +10 days before and after the voyage) .  
• Yellow Fever Vaccination (obligatory in Latin America, Suez Canal and South Africa): Consider, that the regulations of the shipping company and ports may vary from those of the WHO.
• Copy of your Visa and onward- or return ticket (depending on your destination). This shipping company enables passengers to enter the USA with the ESTA registration.
• Let us know, if you plan to bring your bike. 

For further details we refer to:

• Terms & Conditions of Carriage
• Further Information about your voyage with the Grimaldi Lines
• General Information for Freighter Travel
• Antwerp Immigration Rules: In case of embarking or disembarking in Antwerp, consider their immigration rules.
• Booking & Travel Checklist

Without these documents the shipping company will not be able to issue the travel documents. Please take those required documents with you on board. You will recieve your travel documents about 10 days prior departure.

You will travel on a modern Containership. Please keep in mind, that the freight on board has to be handled with first priority and therefore ports of call can be changed or cancelled in a few cases on short notice. A freighter navigates based on a fixed schedule, however there can always be changes. Therefore we advise strongly to plan your arrival at the port of embarkation and the departure from the port of disembarkation flexible and to consider this when you book your tickets to or from the port. In rare cases even the cancellation of the trip is possible.

The lay time in the ports may take in most cases 8-12 hours and in a few cases up to 2 or even 3 days.

Generally there should be enough time for excursions and sightseeing for going ashore during shore leaves. The captain, the crew or the port agent are certainly happy to give recommendations.

On the day of your arrival it will probably be very busy on board as there might be a crew change, caterers and employees of the shipping company and port agents or other authorities are visiting the ship. During this time it could happen, that the captain and officers cannot welcome you, show you around or even answer your questions. But when there is less hectic this will be done. We kindly ask for your understanding! You will see, once you have left the shore a routine on board will appear.