|
NEWS BULLETIN
October 2004
|
| October
31 |
| Acknowledgements:
Gary Andrews, Ian Collard, John Lewis, Tommy Dover and
"others". |
|
NOTES & NEWS
Your web
master has returned after a visit to Cóbh which turned out to be
somewhat interesting meteorologically around the middle of the week!
Please
note that this week's update has been posted in two stages - with the
first batch of galleries posted yesterday. Please check "What's
New" for details.
As usual
when I am away a backlog of material has built up for the web site, this
will be cleared towards the end of the week.
Also I
would like to apologies to anyone who is still awaiting any email
replies as I have not completed working my way through these either.
John H.
Luxton
ISLE OF
MAN STEAM PACKET COMPANY
SUPERSEACAT TWO did not
operate Liverpool - Dublin on Sunday October 24 or Wednesday / Thursday
October 27 / 28 due to adverse weather conditions. She was reported
running behind schedule on reduced power on October 31.
LADY OF MANN
operated 21:00 Liverpool - Douglas in place of SUPERSEACAT TWO on
October 27 and returned on the 07:00 sailing the next day.
A reminder for those in
the UK who are fortunate in not having to work on Fridays during the
next few weeks that the LADY OF MANN recommences her winter day drips
from Liverpool on November 04, 2004. Departs Liverpool at 08:00 -
arriving Douglas at 12:00. Returning 13:45 and arriving back at
Liverpool at 17:45.
WICKLOW
& EAST COAST NOTES
from Tommy Dover
WICKLOW PORT
Coaster
caller's included KORALLE , MAREIKE , SCOT EXPLORER , EWALD ,
ANKE ANGELA , RIKA and UNION MARS
The Clarke Group of
Rathnew have announced they are planning to phase out it's coal bagging
operation in the new year , there will be a knock on effect at
Wicklow port as about 12 'coal boats' discharge each year.
Traffic in the bay
included LÉ ROISIN, BLACKFRIARS, MAERSK
WESTLAND
, RHEIN CARRIER, ASGARD 11,
SEVERN
FISHER, GAMBLER, SEA
SHANNON
and GRANUAILE.
Wicklow lifeboat RNLB
ANNIE BLAKER launched in the early hours of Saturday ( 23rd ) morning
after a yacht with 2 people onboard was reported to be in danger of
sinking, off the Wicklow coast as she was taking in water. The lifeboat
located the yacht and brought her safely into Wicklow. The sea
conditions at the time were described as choppy with force 4/5 winds.
During the week Gales
lashed the coast coupled with spring tides caused damage and flooding
along the Wicklow Coast , luckily the South East of the country took the
brunt of it. The coaster SEA BRISE went aground at Kinsale , the ship has
visited Wicklow on many occasion's in the last few years.
ARKLOW PORT
Holyhead Towing's AFON
BRAINT is currently operating out of the port on the wind turbines
on the Arklow bank.
K. BAASE
SEEBRIZE
[1990 grt ]. The German owned 1974 coastal bulker grounded on rocks on
the east side of the outer harbour at Kinsale during the early hours of
Thursday October 28 during the storm which battered the south of Ireland
and the UK.
The
ship, which is registered in Belize and has a mainly Polish crew, had
discharged her cargo of animal feed earlier in the week at Kinsale Quay
and was due to sail to Rotterdam. However, her skipper had decided to
seek shelter during the storm.
However,
she is believed to have dragged her anchor and run aground. An attempt
of refloat her on the evening of October 28, 2004 proved
unsuccessful, however, she was refloated on the Friday morning tide.
<photos>.
STENA
LINE
HSS
STENA EXPLORER was forced to return to Holyhead whilst undertaking her
morning sailing to Dún Laoghaire on Thursday October 28 after being
damaged by a wave.
The
damage occurred when the ship was 30 minutes into the 08:55 sailing. All
sailings are cancelled until further notice.
IRISH
FERRIES
2005
REFIT SCHEDULE
ULYSSES:
5th Jan last
sailing 02:50 ex Holyhead. Sails
to H&W Belfast. Resumes
service Dublin January 12, 21:05
ISLE OF INISHMORE
4th Jan last sailing 14:30.
Picks up Holyhead sailings with
09:05 on January 5th. Dry-docks in
H&W on January 12. Resumes
service Ex Rosslare January 20, 21:00
JONATHAN SWIFT
4th Jan last sailing 20:15 ex
Holyhead. January 5th
Drydocks in H&W. Resumes
service January 19 ex Dublin 12:15
ADVERSE WEATHER
DISRUPTION
ISLE OF INISHMORE on
Wednesday October 27 the ship which was due to arrive at Pembroke Dock
at 12:30 was stormbound off the Pembrokeshire Coast for twelve hours.
This resulted in the cancellation of the 14:30 Pembroke - Rosslare and
the 21:00 Rosslare - Pembroke.
NORMANDY - due to
adverse conditions the following sailings were cancelled:
Cherbourg to Rosslare 19:00 Tuesday October 26 and the 17:00 Rosslare to
Cherbourg on Wednesday October 27, 2004.
JONATHAN SWIFT
sailings were cancelled on October 27 / 28.
ULYSSES sailed as
normal.
ROYAL
FLEET AUXILIARY
SIR GALAHAD - departed
from North Western Ship Repairers on the evening of October 27.
NORSE
MERCHANT FERRIES
LAGAN VIKING entered the
Liverpool Dock system at Langton Lock on October 30 and proceeded to the
former Norse Merchant berth at Brocklebank. However, this was vacated on
Sunday to allow a car carrier to berth.
On Sunday LAGAN VIKING
was noted in Canada Dock, having lifeboats tested and other work carried
out.
There is a rumour
circulating on the waterfront that LAGAN and MERSEY VIKINGS may be
sold and chartered back as has happened to MERCHANT BRILLIANT and
MERCHANT BRAVERY.
|
| October
20 |
| Acknowledgements:
Gary Andrews, Sean Robertson, Dave Crolley, Ian McPherson, Judith
Bridges and "others". |
|
NOTES & NEWS
A
reminder that your web master will be away between October 23 and 29.
All urgent communication should be via text or phone - 07973363370.
Please do not call the landline as relayed messages often loose their
meaning!
All
outstanding orders for ISS CD ROMS have been dispatched. Please note
that orders placed between now and October 29 will not be dispatched
until November 1st / 2nd.
The next
web site update will be on October 31st.
ISLE OF
MAN STEAM PACKET COMPANY
SEACAT
ISLE OF MAN will not make her last public sailing of the season [and
probably her final sailing for the Steam Packet ] from to and from
Liverpool on October 21 due to forecast adverse weather conditions. Her
final sailing was the 10:30 from Liverpool to Douglas on October 20.
Passengers
on the 07:00 sailing will be diverted to the BEN-MY-CHREE whilst the
10:30 Liverpool - Douglas will be operated by the LADY OF MANN, which
would have had to sail light to Douglas to position for her weekend
sailings to Dublin and Liverpool. It is understood that SCIOM had been
due to cross to A&P Birkenhead on Thursday afternoon for the pm
tide. However, it is not clear if that will be effected by the weather.
SUPERSEACAT
TWO - the Thursday Liverpool - Dublin sailing is in doubt.
PONTUS -
The floating terminal berthed at Prince's Landing Stage is believed to
have been sold.
CALEDONIAN
MACBRAYNE
ISLE OF LEWIS is
understood to be heading for Birkenhead on Monday October 25 for refit.
She is scheduled for a morning arrival, presumably at A&P
Birkenhead.
LIGHTSHIP
PLANET
The sale
of former Liverpool Bar Lightship PLANET has been confirmed. [Lamb
Banana - October 17] However, the identity of the buyer is as yet
unknown. However, the buyer is said to be in talks with the preservation
group. Therefore, there is a possibility that she might not yet leave
Merseyside.
IRISH
FERRIES
ULYSSES -
departed earlier from Dublin on October 12 and 13 due to work being
undertaken on one of the engines. The ship operated on reduced power.
The early departure was made to ensure she made her scheduled slot at
Holyhead.
IRELAND -
FRANCE ROUTE RESTRUCTURED
On October 20 the Irish
Continental Group plc announced the restructuring of the Ireland to
France service.
Irish
Continental Group plc announced that its Ferries Division is
restructuring its service between Ireland and France in order to reduce
costs and maintain competitiveness. The action is being taken against a
background in which the volume of cars carried on the Ireland / France
route has fallen 7% in the year to date compared with 2003.
The
initiative, which is a consequence of demand in the market place for
lower fares, together with additional competition from sea and air
carriers, in some cases State-assisted, will see crewing of our Ireland
/ France service transferred to a third party staffing agency who will
employ fully qualified EU crew.
It
follows a restructuring of crew rosters, principally on the Irish Sea,
during 2004, which has enhanced competitiveness on the Ireland / UK
routes.
The change will involve a reduction in directly employed seagoing
staff of approximately 150 people, of whom approximately 125 are
permanent and 25 are long-service temporary staff.
A number of seasonally-employed personnel will also be affected.
Irish Ferries employs a total of 1,200 people.
A
voluntary severance package, to meet the requisite number of seagoing
staffing reductions, will be offered throughout the fleet.
Personnel from the Ireland/France service who decide not to avail
of the voluntary severance package will be offered a transfer to the
Irish Sea ships.
It is envisaged that the proposed redundancies/transfers will be
completed before the end of November when
the
operation of the Continental service will cease for the winter months.
Services will recommence in March 2005.
This
development complements other initiatives being implemented including
the streamlining of the sales distribution process (which involves the
relocation of our call centre / retail outlet from Dublin’s city
centre), a further concentration on maximising bookings via the internet
and other cost reducing initiatives throughout the group including
Dublin terminal operations.
The
various initiatives will give rise to an exceptional charge to be taken
in the results of the group for the year to 31 December 2004.
The amount will depend, inter
alia, on the profile of those opting for voluntary severance but it
is likely to be in the region of €7 million.
B
& I Line / City of Cork Steam Packet
INNISFALLEN
1969 sister to MUNSTER and LEINSTER arrived at Alang, India for
scrapping on the 17th October.
KING
HARRY FERRY
It was
announced this week that the King Harry Ferry which operates between
Feock and Philleigh across the River Fal has been recognised as one of
the world's top ten most beautiful ferry trips.
Ranked alongside the Staten Island Ferry from Manhattan, the Star Ferry
in Hong Kong and the Sydney to Manley Ferry in Australia, the King Harry
Ferry was placed ninth by the Independent newspaper's travel writers.
Tim Light, managing director of
the ferry, said it had been a "nice surprise" to open the
newspaper and see the article.
"We had no idea we were being
featured, so to see our little ferry listed alongside those in Dubai,
Venice and Canada is amazing," he said.
"It has created quite a stir
and I'm sure I speak for everyone who works here, both on the ferry and
in the offices, that we have all felt a great deal of pride in being
associated with such a well-known ferry."
The article, How To Get From A To
B The Scenic Way, was written by Ryan Levitt and published in the
Independent on Friday. A ride across Dubai Creek topped the list.
Of King Harry Ferry, which crosses
a tranquil point of the River Fal, Mr Levitt said: "For more than
five centuries a ferry has taken passengers from Feock, near Truro, to
Philleigh, on the Roseland Peninsula, in Cornwall. There are conflicting
stories as to why the ferry is named the King Harry, but the most
intriguing associates it with Henry VIII who, it is said, spent his
honeymoon with Anne Boleyn at St Mawes Castle. Today, the ferry has
become a valuable commuter service, taking passengers to the office
across the scenic Fal Estuary."
The King Harry Steam Ferry has
been in operation since 1888, although steam has not actually been used
to propel the vessel since 1956 when conversion was made to diesel
electric propulsion.
PENINSULAR
& ORIENTAL STEAM NAVIGATION COMPANY
P&O
CHIEF EXECUTIVE REAFFIRMS COMMITMENT TO IRISH SEA
P&O Chief Executive, Robert
Woods, took the opportunity of a visit to Larne and Cairnryan on October
20 to make clear the company's commitment to its Irish Sea ferry
operations.
Following a crossing onboard
European Causeway and a tour of the Port of Larne, Mr Woods had high
praise for the operation. "P&O Irish Sea has continued to
perform exceptionally well despite difficult market conditions.
"We confirmed our commitment
to the Larne-Cairnryan route in recent years with the purchase of two
new sister ships, European Highlander and European Causeway, which have
since established themselves as among the best and most reliable on the
Irish Sea. Freight carryings are at an all time high while our
confidence in the passenger market has been underlined by the
introduction of our seasonal fast ferry service between Larne and
Troon."
Port operations at both Larne and
Cairnryan were also commended by Mr Woods: "A successful ferry
business is dependent on a first-class service from our ports. The
calibre of the Port of Larne's operation has been publicly acknowledged
through the prestigious title "Irish Port of the Year" which
was recently awarded to the port for its commitment to customer
service".
Plans are underway for a major
development at the Port of Cairnryan which will reinforce its position
as one of the leading ports serving the Irish Sea.
TRAVELSCOPE
The 1990-built WALRUS (ex CROWN
MONARCH, CUNARD CROWN MONARCH, NAUTICAN), currently sailing on overnight
gambling cruises from Hong Kong is to be chartered to UK operator
Travelscope. In 2005, she will be renamed REMBRANDT 2 sailing from
Tilbury, Greenock, Larne, Liverpool, Cardiff and Southampton |
| October
17 |
| Acknowledgements:
Gary Andrews, Michael Pryce, Brian Mc.Grath, Adrian Sweeney,Tommy Dover,
Chris Jones and "others" |
|
NOTES
& NEWS
WEB
MASTER AWAY
Web Master Away - please note your web
master will be off line between October 23 and 29 inclusive. During this
period there will be no response to emails.
However, following recent upgrades to
the BT mail service, submissions for the site can now be forwarded,
without danger of over loading the mail storage space.
ISSCD
ROMS
Please note that orders for ISS
Photographic CD-ROMS will also not be processed during the above period.
However, I will endeavour to dispatch all orders received by October 20,
before I depart.
UPDATES
The next scheduled
updates will be on Wednesday October 20 and Sunday October 31.
DANIEL
ADAMSON PRESERVATION SOCIETY
There will be an open
meeting at the Lecture Theatre, Merseyside Maritime Museum, Albert Dock,
Liverpool on Saturday October 23, 2004 at 14:00.
This meeting will enable
both members and non members to come and find out how the project to
preserve Britain's last steam tug tender is progressing and meet some of
the active volunteers and committee members.
ISLE OF MAN STEAM PACKET
COMPANY
SEACAT ISLE OF MAN the
vessels final sailing will be the 10:30 sailing Liverpool - Douglas on
Thursday October 21. Despite rumours of a replacement for the 2005
season, there has, as yet, been no confirmation by the company. Whether
the 10:30 sailing from Liverpool is the ship's final voyage for the
company remains to be seen.
LADY OF MANN commenced
her winter season with the 08:30 Douglas to Dublin sailing on Friday
October 22. She will operate on the Liverpool - Douglas route on
Saturday October 23 and Sunday October 24.
ABP
GARSTON
A new packing and distribution
facility will be opened at ABP Garston in the new year. Work is also
reported to be underway on a new aggregates import terminal for
Hanson which will include a concrete batching plant and other
facilities.
MERSEY
FERRIES
Dates and timings for
Manchester Ship Canal Cruises in 2005 have been posted to the Mersey
Ferries web site.
The first Liverpool -
Manchester sailing will depart Liverpool on May 07, 2005 at 11:45 and
return to Liverpool on May 08, at 09:30.
WICKLOW
& EAST COAST NOTES from
Tommy Dover
WICKLOW
PORT
Coaster
caller's this week included SCOT MARINER,
UNION
MARS, FAST CATRIEN, ANDRINA F, MANGEN and SCOT
PIONEER .
Wicklow
Sailing Club yacht's were lifted out of the water for Winter storage on
Saturday morning.
Wicklow RNLI
inshore lifeboat launched on a crew exercise in the bay on Friday
morning, the all weather boat launched on Sunday morning for a exercise
in the bay.
Local
yawl's are presently fishing for 'hern's' ( herring ) in the bay.
Traffic
in the bay included RHEIN CARRIER, LÉ RÓISÍN and tanker inbound for
Dublin
.
GREYSTONES
A
jack up rig is currently test drilling around the harbour.
DROGHEDA
The
coaster TRANSMARE was noted in
the port during the week.
PEEL
HOLDINGS - MANCHESTER SHIP CANAL
Following
the opening of the Irlam container terminal in June 2004, which serves
the Greenock - Southampton feeder service operated by Clydeport Peel
Holdings is looking towards developing a large intermodal terminal at
Barton with a handling capacity of 300,000 containers per year. This
Port of Salford scheme would occupy 250 acres and cost £120m. The
facility would aim to handle up to 250 ships per year and 16 trains per
day.
STENA
LINE
STENA SEAFARER is going
to be the Stena relieving ship, covering for all the ships dry docks
early 2005. The 'Seafarer is due in a dry dock (as yet unnamed) in
February 2005 for 3 weeks (due to the fitting of a sprinkler system and
other work), then go round relieving Dublin - Holyhead, Fishguard -
Rosslare and Belfast - Stranraer.
HSS STENA EXPLORER missed
three round trip sailings on October 17 as the vessel was reported
withdrawn to resolve technical problems.
Stena Line has been named
Best Ferry Company for 2004 at the Midconsort Travel Group Awards which
were held at the Belfrey Country Club in Lichfield.
This is the fifth time
that Stena Line has won the award which is voted for by the Midconsort
Travel Group's 130 independent travel agents which are spread across the
UK and whose headquarters are in Birmingham.
Stena Line Business
Development Manager Maggie Roche was delighted to receive the award from
Midconsort Director Chris Quance.
"On behalf of Stena
Line, I am delighted to accept this very important award and would like
to say a sincere thank you to all Midconsort members who voted Stena
Line their Favourite Ferry Operator," she said.
Stena Line has also just
picked up the Best Ferry Operator Award at the Group Leisure Industry
Awards as well as the Top Ferry Company Award at the Travel Bulletin
Travel Stars Awards.
CORRECTION
- HSS REFITS
There was a slight error in last
week's report concerning HSS refit arrangements this winter. Though
corrected during the week the information should have read:
HSS STENA EXPLORER will
be off the Holyhead to Dún Laoghaire route for around 5 weeks from
early January. This is for her own refit and to provide cover for HSS
STENA VOYAGER.
HSS STENA DISCOVERY will dry dock
at Belfast on Tuesday January 25. She will depart from Belfast bound for
Hook of Holland at on Thursday February 10.
MAC
ANDREWS
The Port of Liverpool's
longest established container line has doubled its weekly sailings to
Spain to offer shippers a seaborne alternative to trucking cargo
overland.
MacAndrews, which
operated conventional services from the Mersey before switching to a
container operation in the late 1960s, has launched a fixed-day Tuesday
sailing to Bilbao to complement its long established Thursday service on
the same route.
The introduction of the
448 teu DOERTE from Tuesday October 12, brings MacAndrews sailings out
of the Seaforth Container Terminal to three a week – two to Spain and
one to Portugal. In addition, the Line's parent company CMA CGM, has a
weekly service from Liverpool to Le Havre.
Said MacAndrews' Managing
Director Geoff Smith: "Upgrading the Spanish service is a direct
response to growing customer demand to transfer cargo from road to sea.
With a Tuesday and Thursday sailing from Liverpool, MacAndrews offers a
level of frequency and reliability which shippers increasingly recognise
as commercially competitive and environmentally preferable to overland
haulage."
The DOERTE maintains a
sailing schedule of Liverpool, Montoir, Bilbao, Dublin, Liverpool.
Mersey Docks' Director of
Marketing Frank Robotham, said: "MacAndrews' decision to now offer
a twice weekly service to Northern Spain is great news. This innovative
approach offers a real alternative to overland routes and reflects the
strength of cargo support from the North West Region."
SEA
CONTAINERS LTD
The
company announced this week that it had divided its passenger transport
division into two separate components Ferry and Rail.
Christopher
Garnett has been appointed senior vice president of rail
operations.
David G. Benson, Senior Vice
President, will be Chief Executive of the Ferries Division while
Christopher Garnett has been promoted to Senior Vice President and Chief
Executive of the Rail Division. Both Benson and Garnett will report to
Group Chief Executive, James B Sherwood, President.
Garnett served as Regional Manager
- Eastern Division of Sealink when it was owned by Sea Containers and
later became Commercial Director of Eurotunnel before rejoining Sea
Containers in 1996. He was largely responsible for obtaining the GNER
franchise and for managing the business during the last 9 years. The
franchise comes up for renewal in 2005 and GNER has also pre-qualified
as a bidder for the new Integrated Kent franchise. It has also announced
its intention to bid for the new Greater Western franchise together with
Laing plc in 2006.
Mr Sherwood said "Christopher
Garnett is one of the most respected and skilled rail executives in the
U.K. and we are enormously pleased he will assume this more senior role
in the company. He will also become Chairman of Great North Eastern
Railway Ltd., the GNER operating company, while I will remain Chairman
of the holding company, GNER Holdings Ltd."
"I look forward to working
closely with Christopher in this important period in the development of
our rail business", he concluded.
MEZERON
LINE
AULDYN
RIVER [ex CLAUDIA W] is reported laid up and for sale by Sotheby's
Brokerage. She is being offered for £85,000 for a quick sale. She is
being offered for immediate commercial use or for conversion to a
"superb Houseboat with room to spare for Disco/Art studio/swimming
pool/Jacuzzi/Sauna/ etc etc". [More
Details]
ROYAL
NAVY
The
following summary was issued by the Royal Navy concerning the rescue
operation for HMCS CHICOUTIMI which was safely returned to Faslane last
Sunday.
On
Tue 05 Oct, two fires occurred onboard the Canadian diesel powered
submarine HMCS Chicoutimi. The fires were in electrical circuits and
caused extensive damage.
Chicoutimi
lost all power and propulsion. The submarine was on the surface at the
time of the fires.
A variety of RN and RAF ships and
aircraft were involved in the rescue.
HMS Montrose arrived at the scene at
1300 on 06 Oct 04, and her CO acted as incident commander. Nimrod
aircraft, HMS Marlborough, RFA Wave Knight, RFA Argus, 2 Sea King and a
Merlin helicopter provided assistance as required.
There were 9 casualties, from smoke
inhalation. Three of these gave cause for concern and were evacuated by
helicopter to
Sligo
Hospital
in the latter part of 06 Oct 04. The condition of one of these
deteriorated to the extent that the helicopter diverted to
Sligo
Hospital
,
but Lt Chris Saunders RCN tragically could not be revived. The other
casualties are now stable with their conditions improving. The remaining
6 smoke casualties were assessed as fit to remain onboard. A number of
the crew from
Chicoutimi
have been transferred in small groups to Montrose for showers and hot
meals, and given the opportunity to send emails to next of kin.
The specialist tug, MV Anglian Prince
led the tow supported by the MV Carolyn Chouest, a
US
submarine support ship. The tow was transferred to the Carolyn Chouest
on Saturday 10 October. The Royal Canadian Navy frigate
St
John
s
made passage to the area, arriving on Saturday 9 October. She remains in
Faslane in support of the
Chicoutimi
.
The key objectives were to ensure the
safety of the crew, prevent the loss of the submarine, provide
logistics, medical, aviation and moral support to the crew aboard.
Worthwhile
progress was made in the restoration of at least partial electrical
supply within the submarine. Temperatures remained tolerable and the
atmosphere acceptable. The rudder function was restored to a limited
extent, and three ballast tanks were blown, the fourth being left
flooded to maintain the boat’s trim for towing.
Specialist technical advice on the
scene was embarked in HMS Montrose. Further technical groups continued
to work ashore to scope options for the recovery. In addition,
discussions were held between
UK
and Canadian staff, on how best to augment the submarine crew with
additional specialists, and to rest everyone as much as possible.
The overall deployment force comprised:
Surface – 9 vessels under command in
theatre (comprising 3 frigates, 1 aviation training ship, 1 AOR, 2
patrol vessels & 2 ocean going tugs), together with support from 2
fishing vessels, 2 MoD tugs and MoD Police boats;
Air – 11 RN & 1 RAF helicopters
and 2 RAF maritime patrol aircraft comprising: 4 Merlin, 5 Lynx & 2
Sea King from 6 Fleet Air Arm Squadrons; 1 Sea King & 2 Nimrod from
2 RAF Squadrons;
Deployed Support – included:
submarine & salvage specialists; RCN & BAeS personnel;
Base
Support – support was provided from 13 locations: NBC Faslane;
Prestwick; RNAS Culdrose; RNAS Yeovilton; RAF Lyneham; RAF Kinloss; RAF
Valley; RAF Aldergrove; MoD Abbey Wood; Ballykelly, Sligo & Donegal
airfields; Sligo Hospital; |
| October
09 |
| Acknowledgements:
Gary Andrews, Ian Collard, Tommy Dover and "others" |
|
NOTES
& NEWS
NEW CD
ROM - IRISH SEA SHIPPING 2003
Irish Sea Shipping - The
Online Shipping Magazine is pleased to announce the release of
"IRISH SEA SHIPPING - 2003". This photographic CD-ROM contains
over 2800 high resolution photographs. Though some were featured on
Irish Sea Shipping last year, others such as the visit to Black Prince
did not feature on the site. All images are in JPG format.
As with previous
photographic disks a detailed catalogue of images in a variety of file
formats is provided on the disk. This catalogue, combined with a
grouping of images on a month by month basis and thumbnail indexes will
make finding photographs in this massive collection quite easy.
The price is just £12.99 inclusive of world wide shipping
if ordered via Pay-Pal.
SPECIAL
OFFERS
Prices on the existing
CD-ROMS have been reduced to £12.99 each. However, for those wishing to
order Irish Sea Shipping 2003 along with the other two disks there is a
special offer price of just £29.99 for all three - inclusive of world
wide shipping if ordered via Pay-Pal.
The sale of ISS CD-ROMS
supports the substantial running costs of the Irish Sea Shipping
website.
UPDATES
Check
"What's New" for details
of mid week updates.
SHIPS OF
MANN
Issue 9 of "Ships of
Mann" magazine is now on sale at both UK and Isle of Man outlets.
Subscribers should have received their copies already. Full
Details of the latest edition on "Ships of Mann"
web site.
A&P
BIRKENHEAD / REDDINGTON FINANCE
Further to the
announcement concerning the sale of the Cammell Laird North Yard to
Reddington Finance, it appears that the dry docks are not part of the
deal and will remain in A&P Ownership. The sale does include the wet
basin and surrounding land which will be leased back by A&P.
NORTH
WESTERN SHIPREPAIRERS
Henty
Oil's barge
STANLEY H will dock at Clarence Drydocks
October 11/12.
IRISH
NAVAL SERVICE
LÉ AOIFE has been
escorting the stricken HMCS CHICOUTIMI
whilst off the Irish Coast. LÉ AOIFE replaced the LÉ RÓISÍN which was
damaged in heavy seas when making its way to the submarine earlier in
the week.
CANADIAN
NAVAL SERVICE
HMCS
CHICOUTIMI is expected to arrive back in Scotland on Sunday October 10
under tow.
In Ireland members of the
Irish Defence Forces took part in a ceremony at Dublin Airport to mark
the departure of the body of submariner Lt. Chris Saunders who
passed away at Sligo General Hospital due to the effects of smoke
inhalation.
ISLE OF
MAN DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORT- HARBOURS DIVISION
Passenger figures
compiled by the Harbours Division for August 2004 at 100,291 show a 9%
decrease on the figure for the same period in 2003 which was 110,244.
The year to date
figure at 487,138 passengers shows a 2.9% decrease over the same period
in 2003 which was 501,544.
During August, car
and motorcycle traffic through Douglas Harbour decreased by 11.9% from
25,913 vehicles to 22,824 vehicles.
The year to date
figure at 128,736 vehicles shows a 3.5% decrease over the same period in
2003 which was 133,421.
Scheduled
Routes show the following changes in passenger numbers for
August:-
|
Belfast
|
Minus 9%
|
From
|
5,756
|
To
|
6,153
|
|
Dublin
|
Plus 11%
|
From
|
4,703
|
To
|
5,237
|
|
Heysham
|
Minus 4%
|
From
|
35,804
|
To
|
34,469
|
|
Liverpool
|
Minus 13%
|
From
|
61,273
|
To
|
53,251
|
Director of
Harbours, Captain Michael Brew comments:
“August 2004 figures
are impacted by the later dates for this year’s Manx Grand Prix and
the disappointing August weather. August 2003 figures were the best
August figures for 15 years and whilst this year’s are slightly
disappointing this is the sixth year that August traffic has been over
100,000.”
STENA
LINE
HSS STENA EXPLORER will
be off the Holyhead to Dún Laoghaire route for around 5 weeks from
early January. This is for her own refit and to provide cover for HSS
STENA VOYAGER.
HSS STENA DISCOVERY will dry dock
at Belfast on Tuesday January 25. She will depart from Belfast bound for
Hook of Holland at on Thursday February 10.
WICKLOW
& EAST COAST NOTES from
Tommy Dover
WICKLOW
PORT
Coaster's
calling at the port this week included AMANDA and PROVIDER.
Traffic in the bay included
SEVERN
FISHER ,
ARKLOW
CASTLE
, BEN
NEVIS
and GUDRUN II .
Wicklow lifeboat RNLB ANNIE BLAKER launched
on a crew exercise in the bay on Friday evening.
TAMAR BRIDGE &
TORPOINT FERRY JOINT COMMITTEE
It is reported that the
operator of the Torpoint Ferry will introduce a new method of toll
collection on the ferry during the coming year which will see fares
collected from booths and a "fast tag" system introduced for
both ferry and bridge. If approval is granted for the scheme it should
be in operation by the end of 2005.
MARITIME
& COASTGUARD AGENCY
15 FOREIGN
SHIPS UNDER DETENTION IN THE UK DURING AUGUST 2004
The Maritime &
Coastguard Agency (MCA) announced on October 04 that 15 foreign ships
were under detention in UK ports during August 2004 after failing Port
State Control safety inspection.
Latest monthly figures show that there were 11 new detentions of foreign
flagged ships in UK ports during August 2004, along with 4 other ships
still under detention from previous months. This represents an increase
of 6 new detentions in comparison to July. The overall rate of
detentions compared with inspections carried out over the last 12 months
is 6.4% which is a increase of 0.3% compared to July’s 12 month rate.
Vessels detained in August include the following:
A Panamanian flagged gas carrier was detained on Teeside on the 9th
August 2004. The vessel had failed to inform MCA that it was due a
Mandatory Expanded Inspection under the EU directive on Port State
Control (details in MSN 1775). There were a total of 17 deficiencies
recorded during the inspection. Notably, these included a lack of crew
training in the launch of the lifeboat. The ship was released from
detention on the 10th August 2004.
A St Vincent & Grenadines flagged, Det Norske Veritas classed,
general cargo vessel was detained in Sunderland on 10th August 2004.
During the inspection, 3 major non-conformities out of 23 deficiencies
were recorded against the vessel. The fire main was holed through
corrosion, liferafts were not safely secured and the gangway was unsafe.
Furthermore the crew were unable to demonstrate familiarisation with the
safety equipment. The deficiencies recorded showed evidence of a
systematic failure of the ISM system.
A Norwegian flagged, general cargo vessel was detained in Hull on the
16th August 2004. Various ship certificates had been removed by the
classification society as the annual surveys had not been carried out by
the due dates. These included the International Load Line Certificate,
Safety Radio Certificate, International Oil Pollution Prevention
Certificate, Safety Equipment Certificate and Safety Construction
Certificate. There were also major structural defects identified in the
double bottom tanks and associated bulkheads. Conditions on board
revealed a lack of ISM implementation on board. Bureau Veritas, the
class responsible for the vessel’s ISM certificates, carried out an
additional ISM/DOC audit on board before the vessel’s release from
detention on the 28th August 2004. An additional ISM/DOC audit be
undertaken by Bureau Veritas within the following weeks.
A Panamanian flagged, general cargo vessel was detained in Hartlepool on
the 18th August 2004. A total of 14 deficiencies were recorded against
this vessel, including corrosion of the aft accommodation bulkhead in
the way of both port and starboard access doors and corrosion of the air
conditioning trunking by the port lifeboat. The water supply on board
was badly discoloured and there was also no hot water in the galley.
There was also a serious defect to the starboard lifeboat. Initially the
lifeboat was seized in the davit. It took the crew 1 hour to get the
boat to move and the release hooks were seized which prevented the
operation of the on-load release gear. The vessel was released on the
19th August 2004. <MCGA
LIST>
|
| October
07 |
| Acknowledgements:
Michael Pryce, Sara Cass and "others" |
|
SEA
CONTAINERS LTD
SUPERSEACAT ONE is likely
to replace RAPIDE on the Belfast - Troon route in 2005. RAPIDE would
return to the Channel.
A&P
BIRKENHEAD
A few days ago it was
mentioned on the "Lamb Banana" page that there was a rumour
circulating that A&P had sold their Birkenhead site to Reddington
Finance.
On October 9, 2004 Lloyds
List revealed further information concerning this deal which has seen
the controversial owners of the Cammell Laird South Yard acquire the
North Yard site.
The article also revealed
that Reddington had acquired the former McTay Marine Shipyard at
Bromborough which closed down following the launch of the "AFON
DYFRDWY" for Holyhead Towing.
"A&P Group has
sold its Birkenhead yard to development company Reddington Finance in a
move which has caused enormous anger in the region's shiprepair and
shipbuilding community. The site, which has three dry docks and a wet
basin, now looks likely - sooner or later - to join the southern half of
the former Cammell Laird yard as part of a 140-acre waterfront
redevelopment scheme.
Neither party has
officially confirmed the Birkenhead deal, but Mike Ryder, site director
for Reddington, said: "An agreement has been reached between
A&P and Reddington on the future of the site and more detailed
information will be available in the near future." A&P's
business development director, Clive Towl, said "an
announcement" was likely within the next week but declined to go
into details. Northwestern Shiprepairers and Shipbuilders (NSL), the
Merseyside company set up three years ago by a group of former Cammell
Laird directors, was outbid last year when it tried to buy the
construction hall, which has two slipways.
NSL managing director
John Syvret is angry that Reddington has claimed there is no future for
the industry on the Mersey. "We are losing assets we would dearly
love to see in operation," he said. Based at Bidston, NSL leases
docks on the Mersey and says it badly needs more facilities to cope with
demand.
Previously, NSL had
leased the 300 metre Inchgreen dry dock on the Clyde in order to
accommodate major contracts on the RFA Fort George and the Brambleleaf.
"We are looking at all opportunities to expand our facilities at
the moment; we want to establish a firm base at larger facilities for
future work," said Mr Syvret."We have confidence in the
future. We see there is going to be a shortage of capacity for the
forthcoming shipbuilding programme, including the aircraft
carriers."
Reddington says huge
investment would be needed in the construction hall site. "When we
purchased the site from BAe, they had, at the time, just won the
contract for the aircraft carriers. They said it would cost £120m to
bring the yard back into the condition to build ships here," said
Mr Ryder. "There is no company to build ships here and no more
important skills and management skills; they don't exist here any more.
The market doesn't exist in Europe. "While we appreciate what
people are saying about shiprepair and shipbuilding, we could sit here
for ever and delay looking at the potential of the site. "We are
looking to the future; we are going to create 4,500 jobs onsite and
5,000 associated jobs."
|
| October
06 |
| Acknowledgements:
Gary Andrews, Michael Bracken, Sara Cass and "others" |
|
CONISTON
LAUNCH COMPANY
The BBC reported that Passenger
ferries on one of Cumbria's most popular lakes will soon be powered by
solar energy.
The innovative plan will see
diesel engines in two 1920s launches replaced with solar powered
engines.
The £100,000 scheme has been
hailed as the first of its kind in the UK and is backed by grants from
the Lake District National Park and the government
The vessels, owned by Coniston
Launch, begin trials in December, with a full service operating by
Easter 2005.
Countryside Minister Alun Michael,
who is supporting the scheme, called it "a very exciting
idea".
"This is seen a step forward
in treating the environment and the economy of the Lake District
seriously," he said.
Gordon Hall, who runs Coniston
launch, said: "This is the first time in the UK that water going
passenger vessels have been fitted with solar powered engines.
"Solar panels are fitted to
the boats and will be able to run for about 90 minutes once they have
been charged.
"It is costing about £50,000
for each boat.
"We begin trials with the new
technology in December and plan to be running a service just after
Christmas."
Part of the grant aid has come
from the government's sustainable development fund, which has so far
paid out more than £3m to projects round the UK.
ROYAL
NAVY / CANADIAN NAVY
HMCS CHICOUTIMI, the
Canadian navy's fourth and final Victoria-class submarine [RN Upholder
Class], was crossing from Scotland to Canada after the official
handing over of the vessel on Saturday when a small electrical fire
forced it to surface Tuesday morning and left it without propulsion.
Nine members of the
57-person crew were treated for minor smoke inhalation, but no one was
seriously injured, the navy said. By Wednesday evening HMS MONTROSE was
reported to have reached the stricken submarine, with HMS MARLBOROUGH
and RFA WAVE KNIGHT were reported to be enroute.
On September 07 HMCS
CHICOUTIMI had been undergoing trials off Skye, when the Merseyside
based tug VANGUARD engaged to escort the vessel was wrecked on the
Island of Rona
IRISH
NAVAL SERVICE
LÉ RÓISIN [P51] was
forced by high seas to abort its mission to give assistance to the
Candadian Submarine HMCS CHICOUTIMI. The Department of Defence reports
that the ship suffered bow damage in heavy seas. The crew
undertook repairs and the vessel was reported making its way back
to base at Haulbowline, Cork.
|
| October
03 |
| Acknowledgements:
Gary Andrews, Ian Collard, Trevor Kidd, Tommy Dover, Stan Basnett, John
Stoke and "others" |
|
ISLE OF
MAN STEAM PACKET COMPANY
LADY OF MANN - returned
to Merseyside after her charter to Açor Line on October 2. She was
secure on Prince's Landing Stage at 10:55. She called there to off load
a UK registered car, before sailing to her lay-up berth. She re-enters
service with the 08:30 Douglas to Dublin sailing on October 22.
NORSE
MERCHANT FERRIES
MERCHANT BRAVERY and
MERCHANT BRILLIANT have now been sold and are flying the Jamaican flag,
chartered back to NorseMerchant.
HARLAND
& WOLFF
It is understood that the
Belfast ship yard will refit three Irish Ferries vessel in January 2005.
The company will also refit two HSS vessels for Stena Line in the new
year. The company is also expected to receive two offshore rigs for work
in November 2004.
PENINSULAR
& ORIENTAL STEAM NAVIGATION COMPANY
The long awaited review
of the company's ferry operations around the British Isles was published
on September 28, 2004.
The effect on the Irish
Sea is minimal compared to the decimation of services on the English
Channel.
Subject to consultation
the following changes will take place:
All P&O routes out of
Portsmouth, with the exception of Portsmouth to Bilbao [ operated by
Irish Continental Group's PRIDE OF BILBAO ] will close.
PRIDE OF CHERBOURG [ICG's
ISLE OF INNISFREE] to be layed up or chartered out until mid 2007 when
her charter ends.
CHERBOURG
EXPRESS - the chartered Incat 047 will transfer to the Irish Sea
replacing SUPERSTAR EXPRESS. The ship arrived at A&P Birkenhead on
October 02, 2004 for winter lay-up.
CAEN EXPRESS to be
returned to her owners Mols Linien when her charter ends in October
2004.
PRIDE OF PORTSMOUTH and
PRIDE OF LE HAVRE to be chartered out to Brittany Ferries with crew and
shore staff subject inter alia to contract and regulatory approval.
PRIDE OF PROVENCE to be
sold. PRIDE OF AQUITAINE to be returned to owners at end of charter in
2005.
EUROPEAN SEAWAY which is
currently laid up at A&P Birkenhead will return to service.
SUPERSTAR EXPRESS at the
end of her charter to return to her owners SuperStar Cruises. Ship is
currently in laid up in A&P Birkenhead.
EUROPEAN DIPLOMAT
will switch to the North Sea to replace BORE MARI. Rosslare to Cherbourg
to close.
The news of the
closure of the Rosslare - Cherbourg service is a blow to Rosslare
Europort. Port operators
Iarnrod Éireann, who have 90 workers in the Rosslare Europort, said
last night that the departure of P&O would have a serious effect on
revenue.
P&O operate three sailings in
and three out of the Irish port every week, servicing both freight and
passengers.
"The closure of this route
will potentially have a disastrous economic impact throughout the
region," Labour TD Brendan Howlin said last night.
A spokesperson for Iarnrod Eireann
said it was not anticipated that there would be job losses with Iarnrod
Éireann and that the company would be talking with other operators with
a view to filling the gap left by P&O.
Last night, managing director of
P&O Irish Ferries Terry Cairns said that the company did not employ
any people in the port but the firm sub-contracted the work to Iarnrod
Eireann.
He said that there would be no
redundancies for people who work on the route as it was being moved to
the North Sea.
WICKLOW
& EAST COAST NOTES from
Tommy Dover
WICKLOW
PORT
Coaster's
calling included FEHN TRADER ex ARKLOW MARSH -2004, MANGEN, ANKE,
MONICA, RIKA and
UNION
PEARL.
Traffic
sighting's included sailing ship's ASGARD II and JEANIE JOHNSTON ,
Mainport tug FASTNET FALCON and landing barge FASTNET
GULL southbound, car carriers AUSTRIALIAN HIGHWAY and AUTOPRESTIGE, the
small coaster's HOO TERN and TORRENT, containership LINDA BUCK, a Naval
vessel and various trawler's .
GREYSTONES
HARBOUR
The
coaster SEA HUMBER was anchored off the small harbour on Friday
afternoon .
WEXFORD
HARBOUR
The
Civil Defence held a inshore lifeboat handling course around the
estuary last weekend , about 40 boats from unit's around Ireland took
part.
STENA
LINE
STENA
LYNX III arrived on the Mersey on September 29 and proceeded to NSL
at Bidston for winter lay-up refit.
STRANGFORD
FERRY
Fares on the Strangford to
Portaferry ferry are to rise after losses of £2.5 million in running
costs. The Northern Ireland Department of Rural Development has
announced that prices will go up to help counter the problem of the
revamped ferry losing up to pounds £850,000 for each of the last three
years.
It also revealed that the ticket
revenue for the last three years was only covering half the annual
running costs, which ranged from £1.3 million to £1.5 million over the
period.
ROYAL
FLEET AUXILIARY
SIR
GALAHAD [L3005] arrived at NSL Bidston for refit on Monday September
27, 2004.
VAN GOGH
At 12:45 local time on
Sunday September 26 the cruise ship VAN GOGH which has been operating
cruises out of Falmouth and which is due to call at Liverpool later this
autumn was reported in collision with a fully laden tanker SPETSES
[80,000 grt] in thick fog 10 minutes after departing Gibraltar for
Tangier.
Fortunately (and
miraculously) there were no casualties, nor any environmental damage.
The VAN GOGH sustained substantial damage to
her bow but was able to
return to dock alongside the Gibraltar Cruise Terminal unaided.
The tanker was towed to
the Algeciras Oil refinery (her original destination). It was estimated
that repairs to the VAN GOGH will take around two weeks. She has
proceeded to Cammell Laird Gibraltar Ltd's dockyard for repairs.
SEA
CONTAINERS LTD
SEACAT SCOTLAND - the
former Irish Sea stalwart is one of three Sea Containers vessels to be
refitted at the Pallion Shipyard on Sunderland. SEACAT SCOTLAND has
already arrived. The yard will also refit SEACAT FRANCE and SUPERSEACAT
ONE.
The Pallion Yard has been
mothballed for some years and is probably best known as being the
current home of the former Isle of Man Steam Packet Company's MANXMAN.
A spokesperson for Sea Containers
said: "The reason why we're going to Pallion, is that the vessels
will be out of the water and they'll lay up over the winter
period."
He added that they will leave the
yard next spring ready to resume service.
The shallow draft of the SeaCat
ferries will allow them to safely navigate the Wear to Pallion as high
tide approaches, in spite of the river's undredged state west of
Corporation Quay.
The Regional Development Agency,
One North East, has confirmed that funding for a dredging scheme on the
River Tyne is being considered.
Sunderland City Council, which
owns the Port of Sunderland, has refused to consider dredging the river
unless firm shipbuilding orders are placed.
JAMES
FISHER & SONS PLC - PNTL
The James Fisher managed
PNTL ships based in Barrow-In-Furness PACIFIC TEAL and PACIFIC
PINTAIL looked set to run the Greenpeace gauntlet again on the evening
of October 02, 2004.
The ships were reported
likely to be intercepted by the Greenpeace Environmental ship MV
ESPERANZA as they pass off the Lizard.
The two armed merchant
ships are bound from the USA to Cherbourg carrying material removed from
nuclear warheads. Once in
France
, the plutonium will be transported to Cadarache in the south of the
country to be processed and converted into mixed oxide nuclear
fuel.
Greenpeace claims that
the weapons grade plutonium is dangerous and could be a terrorist target
HELFORD
FERRY
The Western
Morning News reported this week that the Helford Ferry, operating in
Cornwall since the 11th century and a vital river link between
communities and attractions, is for sale.
A river ferry
with a fascinating history dotted with royalty, drunken operators in the
1800s and horse drawn carts is on the market as a rare business
opportunity. With its earliest mention dating back to the reign of King
Canute in 1023, the Helford River Ferry boasts a colourful past.
It was owned in the Middle Ages by the Bishops of Exeter and in the 19th
Century by two men who became infamous for heavy drinking - so much so
that a poem was written about them by a local farmer:
"Of all the mortals here below
Your drunken are the worst I know
I'm here detained, tho'sore against my will
While these sad fellows sit and drink their fill....."
Their alcohol-dependent timetable apparently became so impenetrable
that, in 1885, a Miss Fox paid for a wooden ferry shelter on Helford
Point where passengers could wait until the boatmen had finished
drinking in the Shipwright's Arms - still a popular stop-off today.
Owners Simon and Tina Walker, of Helford River Boats, launched a new
ferry in July this year, with the support of Cornwall County Council and
the National Trust.
It is now thriving on its original route from Helford Passage to Helford
Point, and water transport plans from Cornwall County Council, with
stops at National Trust riverside attractions including Trebah and
Glendurgan, near Falmouth.
The Walkers are selling the ferry package to concentrate on their other
four businesses. Mr Walker, 55, said: "It has been a lovely job,
there's absolutely no doubt about it and we are sad to be selling it. We
run four other businesses and as age creeps up, we want to take things
down a notch."
Offers in excess of £125,000 for the business covers £18,500 for 46
moorings, pontoon ramps and beach kiosks. An additional £80,000 covers
stock, vessels, motors, marine equipment and trailers and will secure
the buyer "a new way of life," according to agent Alan Chick
of Scott Burridge Chick in Truro. He said: "It would suit somebody
looking for a lifestyle change."
A photograph taken in 1898 of a horse - used until 1910 to haul
carriages of produce heading for Falmouth out of the water - trying to
climb aboard the ferry from its usual position swimming behind, is
evidence of the ferry's place in history. Originally it would have been
the main transport for residents of picturesque Helford and Mawnan
Smith. Mr Walker said it is still a vital link for coastal path walkers.
For more information call Mr Chick on 01872 277397 and visit the website
at www.helford-river-boats.co.uk
BRITTANY
FERRIES
DUC
DE NORMANDIE made her last sailing to Roscoff on September 28. She
will lay up in Caen and be offered for sale.
TORPOINT
FERRY & TAMAR BRIDGE JOINT COMMITTEE
PLYM - the has been out
of service for much of the week after failing around 16:00 on Sunday
September 26.
The vessel was withdrawn
as a 12-tonne weight failed in the tensioning mechanism which holds the
north side chain.
Large queues built up
during the rush hour with delays of up to 45 minutes with all traffic
being carried by TAMAR and LYNHER.
PLYM will be the first of
the three chain ferries to be replaced in December 2004. Her successor
the higher capacity PLYM II was launched at Fergusons of Port Glasgow in
August 2005.
WORLD
NEWS
NEWS FROM
AUSTAL SHIPS
AUSTAL LAUNCHES WORLD'S
LARGEST ALUMINIUM SHIP
Austal, the world's
leading builder of high speed ships has launched the largest aluminium
ship ever built, the 127 metre trimaran ferry "Benchijigua
Express" taking to the water for the first time early on 25
September.
It is the most
significant ship to arrive on the world high speed vessel scene, not
just in terms of size but due to its ability to give a substantially
smoother ride to passengers in rough sea conditions thanks to its
trimaran design.
Construction of the ferry
commenced at the Austal shipyard in Western Australia in September 2003.
At the height of construction approximately 430 of the company's 1200
staff were working on the project.
When Austal signed the
contract to build a second high speed vehicle-passenger ferry for
European ferry operator Fred. Olsen, S.A. in June last year, it
signalled
the start of not just another ferry from the world's leading builder of
high speed ships, but the creation of a new hullform that is set to
revolutionise fast sea transportation.
Setting new industry
standards for vessel performance "Benchijigua Express" is the
outcome of collaboration between Fred. Olsen, S.A. and Austal involving
more than three years of research and development to produce a new
design which will not only enable operators to offer better service on
existing routes but also begin operations on new routes where sea
conditions are too challenging for existing fast ferries.
With power provided by
four 8,200 kW diesel engines driving three water jets the Auto Express
127 trimaran will be able to maintain Fred. Olsen, S.A.'s projected
service speed in excess of 40 knots and carry 1,350 passengers, over 340
cars and a substantial number of trucks.
Seeing the vessel afloat
for the first time Austal's Chairman Mr. John Rothwell spoke of his deep
sense of pride.
"The sight of this
gigantic ship, the largest aluminium vessel to ever be built in the
world, illustrates just how far Austal has come since it delivered its
first vessel back in 1988," Mr. Rothwell said.
"At 127 metres this
huge vessel is 4¼ times longer than the first Austal-built live-aboard
dive catamaran of just 30 metres which was built in approximately six
months with just 30 people. Now we employ 1200 people," he said.
"Benchijigua
Express" is now undergoing final onboard fit out prior to undergoing
sea trials during November. The vessel will then depart for the Canary
Islands on a delivery voyage covering approximately 9,500 nautical
miles. |
|
|
|
