How to Travel to Ireland by Cargo Ship

Edwin Thomas, Leaf Group Updated October 16, 2017

An alternative to pricey cruise liners and the hassles of airport security is to travel by cargo ship, and as an island nation, Ireland receives plenty of freighter traffic. Like cruise ships, most cargo ships are big enough to ensure a smooth ride in all but the worst weather, and a trip from the American East Coast across the Atlantic to Ireland typically requires only a week. All that is really necessary is a willingness to think just a little outside the box when it comes to travel, and the means to occupy all that time at sea.

Consult with freighter travel agencies, such as A la Carte Freighter Travel, Cargo Passenger Lines or the Grimaldi Group, regarding departures for Ireland from ports in your area. The standard trips arranged by these agencies encompass multiple ports, so request information on a segment trip ending in Ireland.

Call the port authority offices for whatever ports are in your local area and ask what shipping lines regularly visit their facilities. Use this information to draw up a list of potential cargo companies independent of what the freighter-based travel agencies will tell you, so you can cross-reference and compare schedules and rates. Even in the Great Lakes, shipping lines such as the Polish Steamship Company travel directly to Europe.

Book your passage, either through the travel agency or directly through the shipping company's agent or manager. No matter where you book, the average daily cost on a cargo ship will be between $100 to $130.

Buy traveler's health insurance covering at least the duration of your time aboard ship. This is an almost universal requirement of the freighter-based travel agencies, and often required by the shipping companies as well.

Pack your passport and plenty of books, DVDs, games and/or other media. While you will have a private cabin aboard the cargo ship, it is a vessel of commerce and not a cruise liner, so you will need to supply most of your own entertainment to occupy your time during the trip to Ireland.

Pack a supply of snacks. While meals are included in your fees, you will dine in the officer's mess and eat whatever is served. You should have a back-up supply of food, just in case what is offered for a given meal doesn't suit you.


  • You will need to go through passport control in Ireland, just as you would if you had flown there. Americans are entitled to a 90-day European Union tourist stamp upon arrival.





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