On Monday 23rd of October I finally boarded Höegh Jeddah, after a short delay due to bad weather. As a welcome gift, I got an orange coverall, a quick tour, and a security brief. Then my daily life onboard began, which, except for the abundant meals, basically consisted of sitting alone in my cabin with nothing else to do except writing.
Here’s a free advice to publishers who struggle with authors who never keep their deadline: Send him or her onboard a cargo ship for a few weeks. There is nowhere to go, nothing to do, and the internet is very slow. It’s the perfect Writer’s Prison. The last few days I have written more than I did the entire last month!
The perfect Writer’s Prison is going through some big changes, however. The last couple of days, many of the crew members have been busy installing cables for Marlink, a new and faster Internet system. For writers, internet is a curse – all too often I end up spending half of the working watching cute dog videos and reading heated Facebook-debates about topics that I’m not even interested in – but for the crew, internet is nothing but a blessing. They stay far away from their family and friends for half a year or longer in a row. Hopefully, faster internet will make the distance feel shorter and the months pass faster.
At night, the ambience onboard changes completely. From being a peaceful, tranquil place where everyone is busy performing their assigned tasks, the vessel turns into a floating “Philipinas got Talent”-show. The crew onboard sure knows how to party! They are all experienced karaoke singers and very skilled dancers, which is more than can be said about me, but what happens onboard, stays onboard – unless someone, God forbid, uploads it on TikTok.
As we left Santander and made our way through the Bay of Biscay, the sea was rather rough. Before boarding the ship, people told me that you cannot feel the waves on such a big vessel. They either lied or had no idea what they were talking about. Today we reached the African coast, and the air is already noteworthy warmer, and the sea is, thankfully, calmer. This adventure is heading in the right direction.
30 October 2023
Höegh Autoliners ASA, has reached an agreement for the sale of the vessel Höegh Bangkok (IMO931847) for a price of USD 63,000,000. Höegh Bangkok was constructed by Höegh at the Uljanik shipyard in 2007 and has a capacity of 6500 CEU. She is sailing under the NIS flag and is unencumbered.
18 April 2024
Roll-on/Roll-off or RoRo shipping is one of the most popular choices for car owners looking to transport their vehicles across long distances or overseas. As the name suggests, this ocean shipping method allows cars to be driven directly onto a specialized RoRo vessel and driven off at the destination port, making this process highly efficient. If you are planning to ship your car internationally, this guide will explain how RoRo works and what you should know.
18 April 2024
Transporting a vehicle across borders involves its fair share of complexities, but, with the right preparation, this process can be navigated smoothly. So, whether you are planning to relocate to a different country or simply want to use your personal car during a holiday, this article will guide you through the key aspects of international car shipping.
05 March 2024
Shipping company Höegh Autoliners ASA is making significant progress in its ambition to make the Aurora Class the world's first PCTC vessel to run on ammonia. Today, they have been granted almost USD 14 million (NOK 146 million) in Enova funding to use the alternative and sustainable fuel for two of their vessels.