INFO: No More Banana Boats
cru...@cruisepeople.co.uk
01 Dec 09
At one time Elders & Fyffes, the Geest Line and the Horn Line were all
well-known for carrying passengers between Europe and the Caribbean in
their fleets of banana boats. This had been true for more than a
century, until October 2009, when the long-standing Horn Line, the
last line still carrying passengers, closed its service to the French
West Indies and Costa Rica. Its three ships, the 12-passenger HORNBAY,
HORNCAP and HORNCLIFF, are being transferred to parent company Del
Monte's trade between the US and Costa Rica but will no longer carry
passengers.
"Luckily, however," says Kevin Griffin, managing director of London-
based The Cruise People, passenger agents for CMA CGM The French Line,
“this is not the end of being able to travel to the Caribbean by cargo
ship. With the expansion of CMA CGM's Caribbean services in recent
years, there is now a choice of three alternative routes operated by
ten modern container ships, all built in the last few years.” Two
services are provided in French ships while the third is offered in
chartered ships operated by German owner NSB.
The longest-standing service is the weekly French West Indies Line,
operated between Le Havre, French ports and Martinque and Guadeloupe.
Ocean liners such as the ANTILLES and FLANDRE once served this vital
trade, but today it is provided by four modern 12-passenger ships, the
2003-built CMA CGM FORT ST GEORGES, FORT ST LOUIS, FORT ST PIERRE and
FORT STE MARIE. Equipped with an owners cabin, four double cabins and
two singles, they also have an outdoor swimming pool. Calls are made
at Dunkirk, Rouen, Le Havre and Montoir and at Pointe a Pitre,
Guadeloupe, and Fort-de-France, Martinique. Fares for the 28-day round
voyage start at €2,230 (about £2,030) per person double or €2,280
(about £2,075) single but one-way passages can aldo be booked from €95
(about £86) per person per day.
The second service is operated by four new ships, the 2007-built CMA
CGM ARISTOTE, HERODOTE, HOMERE and PLATON, each with an owners cabin
and two double cabins for up to six passengers, and a swimming pool.
Sailing from Tilbury, Rouen and Le Havre, they operate to St Martin,
Port of Spain, Degrad de Cannes in Cayenne and Belem, Fortaleza and
Natal in northern Brazil before returning via Leixoes and Rotterdam to
Tilbury. Fares for the 42-day round voyage start at €3,360 (about
£3,055) per person double or €3,780 (about £3,435) single and part
voyages can be booked from €90 (about £82) per person per day.
The third route is operated by the 2007-built German-flag CMA CGM
ESPERANZA and CMA CGM FORTUNA, which each offer a single owners cabin
accommodating only two passengers. Leaving Tilbury and Le Havre, this
route calls at Kingston, Port-au-Prince, Cartagena, Santo Tomas,
Puerto Cortes and Puerto Limon or Puerto Moin in Costa Rica before
returning via Kingston, Rotterdam, Antwerp and Hamburg to Tilbury. It
is the only remaining sea passage to Costa Rica now that the Horn Line
service has closed. Fares for the 42-day round voyage start at €3,780
(about £3,435) per person double or €5,040 (about £4,580) single plus
€245 in dues and taxes, and part voyages can be booked from €90 (about
£82) per person per day.
For further information and passenger availability for CMA CGM
container ships please contact The Cruise People's Dessy Sajewicz at
020 7723 2450, Freephone 0800 526 313 or de...@cruisepeople.co.uk or
visit their web site at www.cruisepeople.co.uk/cma.htm.
-Ends-
For further details please contact Kevin Griffin at The Cruise People
on 020 7723 2450 or at cru...@cruisepeople.co.uk.
The Cruise People specialise in niche cruise markets including ultra-
luxury, small ship cruising, expedition voyages and freighter
travel.