By LINDSAY OLIVIER
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NORTH KINGSTOWN — The Port of Davisville got a chance to showcase its adaptability Tuesday when a 200-ton catamaran hull was loaded from a barge onto the M/V Rickmers New Orleans. The process took hours and the hull will be transported to Falmouth, United Kingdom where the construction will be finished.

The catamaran arrived from the Derecktor shipyard in Connecticut. The 600-foot Rickmers is one of the largest ships to dock in Davisville and is equipped with three onboard cranes that loaded 12 containers for export to Europe. Much of the cargo contained equipment for the catamaran as well as other industrial equipment needed oversees. The trip to Falmouth will take about a week, depending on weather and seas.

The Rickmers is part of a global network of liner services for the transportation of break-bulk, heavy lift and project cargoes.

But the Rickmers has another interesting story to tell. In addition to being a cargo ship, it is also host to three vacationing passengers. A semi-retired couple from Canada and a gentleman from Holland were on board when the Rickmers docked in the Port of Davisville.

John and Jean Locke of Hay River, Northwest Territories, Canada, have been lifetime travelers and novice scuba divers. They were interested in taking a cruise somewhere in the world and while searching the Internet, came across cargo cruises.

“I had never heard of this type of cruising and after much research on it, it seemed like a great way to see the world and it was much more affordable than taking a normal cruise,” John Locke said.

The Locke’s began the 135 days trip on Sept. 20 in Houston, Texas and will return to Houston on Jan. 28, 2010. Eighteen days into their journey Tuesday, they said they were still in awe.

“Well for one thing, you’re not sharing the ship with 1,200 other passengers and you don’t have a cruise director announcing ‘bingo at 4 p.m. on the first deck,’” Jean Locke said.

The Locke’s cabin is small, but with a little seating area, bathroom and bedroom with two twin beds, which to their surprise were quite comfortable. They eat their meals in the mess hall with the ship’s officers.

“The food isn’t extravagant, but it’s fine. We enjoy eating with the officers because they come from all around the world and the stories they tell are so interesting to listen to,” she said.

With their family back home in Canada and with limited communication access while on the ship, the Locke’s have begun blogging about their journey. Their grandkids have a world map they use to mark where their grandparents have docked. In addition, a Houston high school will also be following the Locke’s.

Since leaving Houston, the ship has stopped at Tuxpan, Mexico; New Orleans, La.; Mobile, Ala.; Philadelphia, Pa and Rhode Island. So far the biggest disappointment the Locke’s have encountered was not being able to get off the ship and explore the ports, while cargo is loaded and unloaded.

“I understand it all comes down to security, but it’s just been a little disappointing. We were able to get off in Philly and that was fun. But it’s also amazing to see this hard-working crew load and off-load all the cargo,” she said.

The third passenger, Holland resident Jan Van Der Weerd, has been on two cargo ship cruises before and does it purely for the fun. This trip he won’t be doing the full four months at sea. He began the trip in Japan on Aug. 20 and will arrive back in Holland on Oct. 16.

“This is the best way to see the world and learn so much. It’s such a life experience. The highlight of all the cruises thus far was when we traveled down the Amazon River. Just the mouth of the river could fit Holland in it, that’s how big it is. Also while you’re moving down it, you can’t see the other side because it’s so wide,” Van Der Weerd said.

The only concerns the passengers have is traveling near Somalia with the fear of pirates.

“We’re all a little nervous but we feel very safe on this ship and with this crew so we just can’t think about that right now. We’re just thinking ahead to getting to Europe and exploring,” Jean Locke said.

To follow the Locke’s journey, visit http://www.sailblogs.com/member/jlocke/.