Dear everybody,
I’m an amateur novelist and I’m looking for information on ships that sailed directly from South America to Africa in 1983, whether they were merchant ships, cruise ships, private yachts, or even scientific vessels—it doesn’t matter. The idea is that my character can board one of them to cross the Atlantic, as I don’t want him to fly, for creative reasons.
Specifically, I’d like to know if any ships left Guyana (perhaps Georgetown) for Africa directly.
If you’re aware of such movements, do you know which companies and ships operated this route, the destination ports, the cargo carried, and the dates of these voyages?
Any other information on ships leaving Brazil for Africa would also be welcome.
Your help would be greatly appreciated,
Michael
I have to make a guess, never been in any South America to Africa trade. I have been in US to South and West Africa and South America to US trades.
Africa and South America produce similar commodities. Cocoa Beans Tobacco etc grow both continents no reason to trade between the two. Few manufactured goods in West Africa nothing to sell in South America. Never saw any volume of construction or Agricultural machinery exported from either continent . Brazil does build trucks and busses that could go to WA but most African vehicle imports are used. Situation with the smaller countries either same.
I understand a few cruise ships repositioning according to season do move South Africa to Brazil can’t say sure.
My advice used in a booksome sort of scientific or mineral/oil exploration vessel. Others may have more to offer
Brazil & Venezuela are/were large oil producing countries in the 1980’s & now. Guyana wasn’t a large oil producing country in the 1980’s but is now. In the 1980’s there were dozens of Offshore Supply Vessel (OSV’s) companies that moved hundreds of vessels from South America to Africa (Nigeria, Congo, Angola, South Africa) back & forth, depending on the contracts & where drilling rigs moved. Seismicgraph vessels would also shuttle to & fro. Some of the company names, some now out of business, Tidewater Marine, PGS, Western Geophysical, Tidex, Ensco, Trico, Zapata Marine, Gulf Fleet, Edison Chouest Offshore, Seacor Marine, Sea Bulk Marine, Hornbeck Offshore, Crosby Towing, Jackson Marine, State Marine.
I’m sure if you search this forum long enough using the right key words you could find several sea stories from mariners who made such voyages in the 1980’s.
Thanks for the reply. I know it’s not a major trade route, but the continents aren’t that far apart and there are cultural connections, so… I also thought there would be a connection with South Africa, as it’s quite modernized. I also think South Africa may have tried to buy products through some South American countries, while many Western countries were boycotting them. I’ll keep looking.
Thank you for all this information. I will follow your advice and explore this forum further. I hope I find something interesting or that someone else will post here. If something else come in mind, feel free to write again.
It really depends on the port pairs, and period. 1983 I can’t imagine much trade South Africa - Brazil. Guyana poor troubled country then. Guessing those days and today it’s supplied mostly from Panama
However any of the larger ports Africa, South America, South East Asia you see small vessels, many re-purposed from other uses serving the small islands and ports. They can go anywhere if it pays. Miami good example.
Mariner reading fiction immediately notices errors. Good example of getting it right is Frederick Forsyth’s “The Dogs of War” he nailed it.
I’ll try to make it right. Thanks for the reading suggestion.
Look at this site and keep paging down to see which ships left where and where they are going. There are similar port authority sites for every port in the world.
Safmarine had their service running between the east coast of South America and Joburg (I think) in the 80’s, Couldn’t even say what they were trading but even in the transition from a military dictatorship in the 80’s, Brazil had regular service.
Joburg?
Distance between Johannesburg and Dolphin Coast is 483.76 km. This distance is equal to 300.6 miles, and 261.04 nautical miles.
Source: Distance Between Johannesburg and Dolphin Coast
Capetown, East London and Durban are more like ports in South Africa,
PS> They may have called at other ports in West Africa as well, like Luanda and/or Walvis Bay.
Surprised it took a day for someone to remark on this!