Best and worst ports for shore leave - crew experiences
Let me share my ranking of ports based on shore leave experience after 11 years at sea:
**Best Ports:**
1. **Singapore** - Easy transport, safe, great food, Seamen's Club
2. **Rotterdam** - Good mission, easy train to city, safe
3. **Yokohama** - Safe, efficient, amazing food nearby
4. **Melbourne** - Friendly, good transport, great city
5. **Gothenburg** - Scandinavian quality, good welfare
**Worst for Shore Leave:**
1. **Ras Tanura** - No shore leave at all
2. **Fujairah** - Anchorage only, no going ashore
3. **Hay Point** - Middle of nowhere
4. **Lagos** - Safety concerns
5. **Some US ports** - USCG/CBP hassles, long immigration
This is subjective and based on my experience. What are your best/worst ports? Especially interested in hearing about ports I haven't visited.
1131 views3 replies
Replies (3)
M
Maria Santos Second Engineer
1 years ago
#1
Singapore is definitely #1. The Seamen's Mission near HarbourFront is excellent. Free WiFi, pool table, snacks. And the MRT makes the whole city accessible. I've had shore leave in Singapore about 20 times and never had a bad experience.
R
Rajesh Kumar Chief Officer
1 years ago
#2
Adding to worst: Mundra (India) - technically you can go ashore but there's nothing around for miles. And the security process to get out takes forever. Best surprise: Colombo has improved a LOT in recent years. Nice city, friendly people, and great street food.
J
John McGregor Captain
1 years ago
#3
As a British officer, I have to defend UK ports a bit. Felixstowe isn't great for shore leave but Tilbury has good train connections to London. And the seafarer missions in UK ports are among the best globally. Liverpool is my favourite UK port for a run ashore.