Unlike flights you can’t just book this yourself on the spur of the moment.
You will need an Agent that specialises in Freighter Cruises and several weeks notice.
I’ve definitely discovered that you shouldn’t really be looking at a trip any less than 2 weeks, (although I’ve got away with 9 days), and that you need to be really flexible about dates.
Ship schedules can alter depending on the weather, how many containers are being offloaded or added, and how busy the Port is. I’ve read blogs of passengers that have spent 2 days at Port waiting to board or depart.
I googled for every Agent I could find, and contacted about 6 places worldwide. The only reply I got was from Hamish Jamieson at Freighter Travel (NZ)
Hamish has been very helpful – and believe it or not, arranged my holiday while he was on his own.
He co-ordinated with Hamburg on my behalf, finding approximate dates and locations that suited me.
I just had to read and sign the conditions, scan my passport and get a declaration from my doctor that I’m fit and healthy enough to spend the duration of the trip with no doctor on board.
Oh and pay the money of course.