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December 31, 2024 NOTES & NEWS Apologies for the later than planned update. It would have been better if I had stuck to the original intention of posting at 21:00 today. Anyway I have finally completed the update and would just like to take this opportunity to whish a HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE! The next update will be on Wednesday January 3, 2001. Acknowledgements; Gary Andrews, David Fairclough, Justin Merrigan, John Williamson and "others" SEA CONTAINERS/Isle of Man Steam Packet Company SEACAT SCOTLAND is back at Douglas completing her refit. BEN-MY-CHREE - 14:15 departure from Heysham was reported to be delayed until 16:00 due to adverse weather conditions on Sunday December 31. PENINSULAR & ORIENTAL STEAM NAVIGATION COMPANY EUROPEAN ENVOY joined EUROPEAN HIGHLANDER for the seasonal holiday lay-up at West Alexandra, Liverpool. It is understood that one possible long term plan for the Liverpool to Dublin route will see deployment of EUROPEAN AMBASSADOR and second European Ambassador class vessel along with PRIDE OF FLANDERS and PRIDE OF SUFFOLK. Though there is some suggestion Felixstowe - Zeebrugge may get these latter two vessels to replace the RODONA and SAPPHIRE - the subsequent shuffle would also allow the EUROPEAN PATHFINDER to go). MERSEY RIVER BERTHS UPDATE by John Shepherd It is now eight years since the plans for a river terminal on the Twelve Quays site at Birkenhead were first published. Two years later, in 1995, plans were announced for a similar terminal on the Liverpool side of the Mersey. In January 2001 the schemes have got absolutely nowhere. The Mersey Docks and Harbour Company is still bogged down in its 'raging apathy and lethargy'; whilst the ferry operators P&O, Merchant Ferries and Norse Irish are now threatening to abandon Liverpool altogether or to take legal action against the MD&HC. IRISH FERRIES Dublin - Holyhead Due to severe weather conditions on Sunday December 31 the 09:45 ISLE OF INISHMORE departure from Dublin and the 15:45 return sailing from Holyhead have been cancelled as were all JONATHAN SWIFT sailings Rosslare - Pembroke The ISLE OF INNISFREE 09:15 departure from Rosslare and the 15:00 return sailing on Sunday December 31 have been cancelled due to adverse weather conditions. French Service The service has ended for the NORMANDY's refit. The service resumes on March 2. STENA LINE The Rosslare - Fishguard service is suspended between January 7 and 11. RNLI COURTMACSHARRY On December 26 the Courtmacsharry Lifeboat was sent at 06:30 to the aid of a French yacht being sailed single handedly from Brest to Kinsale. The yacht had been in collision with a Norwegian tanker, five miles off Old Head of Kinsale. The yacht which as overturned in the collision was towed into Kinsale by the lifeboat. The single crewman was unhurt in the incident. MARITIME & COASTGUARD AGENCY CLYDE COASTGUARD CO-ORDINATE RESCUE AT GREENOCK Both vessels were brought into Greenock. Ambulances took 19 passengers off the POOLE SCENE to hospital with minor injuries. The collision between the vessels occurred during poor visibility. STENA LINE Mustoe Merriman Herring Levy has been appointed to handle Stena Line's creative account, which is worth up to £4m. REFLECTIONS - HISTORICAL PHOTOGRAPHS A web site has been brought to my attention which should be of interest for anyone interested in Merseyside and its Maritime Heritage. "Reflections" is a black & white photo archive which mainly comprises images dating from 1945 to 1963, though many earlier images are also included. Many of the pictures can be viewed on-line by clicking on thumbnails. Printed 10x8 enlargements can be ordered on-line for a modest charge: www.20thcenturyimages.co.uk/ . RMS TITANIC SHIPPING HOLDINGS LTDA report in the Observer on Sunday December 31 states that TITANIC survivors have reacted angrily to plans to build a replica of the liner in Belfast. Almost 89 years after it went down with the loss of 1,503 lives, two entrepreneurs - one Irish, the other South African - hope to recreate the splendour of the doomed luxury liner, including artefacts from the sunken ship. But the vessel that symbolised British power, and whose sinking in 1912 epitomised its hubris, is still provoking controversy almost a century later. One of the remaining five Titanic survivors still alive, 88-year-old Millvina Dean, who was only nine weeks old when the ship struck an iceberg and sank, said she disagreed with plans to recreate the liner. Speaking from her home in Southampton, she said: 'I really don't think it's a good idea, especially to make money from this tragedy. I would never set foot on this new ship. It would be too painful. 'I don't mind if these people want to build a new luxury cruise liner but they should not use the Titanic name. Nor should any artefacts be taken from the original ship itself. They should be left where they are." Her family boarded the Titanic in Southampton on their way to America to set up a new life in Wichita, Kansas. Her father Bertram was drowned, but she, her mother Eva and her brother Bertram Jnr survived after being put into lifeboat Number 12. They were later rescued and returned to England on board the Adriatic. The entrepreneurs behind Titanic II reject claims that they are cashing in on the tragedy. 'Of course, it was terrible what happened,' said Belfast-based Mark Blackburne. 'But it's worth remembering that Titanic was a triumph of engineering and architecture, which means an awful lot to people around the world, especially in Belfast where it was built. Titanic II will be a fitting memorial to those that designed, constructed, worked and sailed on the Titanic.' Blackburne and his South African partner, Sarel Gous, aim to reproduce the splendour of the luxury liner. Going one step beyond James Cameron's recreation for his blockbuster movie, Titanic, RMS Titanic Shipping Holdings Ltd plans to build Titanic II in Belfast, where the first ship was constructed. Titanic II's interior has been designed to match the opulence of its celebrated predecessor. The ship will feature a permanent museum displaying original artefacts from the vessel and the grand staircase will be modelled exactly on Titanic's. The entrepreneurs' plan hinges on a flotation on the Stock Exchange in March, when investors will be asked to buy shares in the name of the ship that sank in 1912. If Blackburne, the chairman of the Ulster Titanic Society, and Gous raise £10 million from the share option, then several corporate banks will lend the company up to half of the estimated £360m needed to recreate Titanic. Titanic II will be larger and heavier than its predecessor. According to Blackburne, Titanic II will be 1,200ft long and weigh 96,000 tonnes. The first Titanic was 882ft and weighed 46,000 tonnes. Unlike the original vessel, the poor and huddled masses - typified by Leonardo DiCaprio in the film - would be unable to afford to travel on Titanic II. Prices for a week on board will range from $15,000 for the most luxurious cabins to the cheapest, a mere snip at $1,500. Blackburne denies that the project is pie-in-the-sky, insisting that it makes sound business sense. 'We're getting around 80 calls per week, mainly from rich Americans who want to book tickets on Titanic II even though it isn't even built yet. Thousands have called us via the Titanic societies on the internet, inquiring about when they will be able to sail on it. 'The company has spent more than £10,000 on marketing and research and we think this is a very viable business proposition. Titanic's name alone is worth its weight in gold. 'Titanic II will hold 1,500 passengers, and judging by the number of inquiries we've got since we started this project three years ago we could fill the ship several times over.' Blackburne's alliance with Gous began after he presented an earlier proposal to Titanic's builders, Harland and Wolff, for a yacht with a Titanic theme inside. 'When I went to Harland and Wolff with my idea for a theme yacht in homage to Titanic, a kind of floating museum if you like, the company told me Sarel had been speaking to them about a more challenging project, to replicate the original Titanic. Harland and Wolff were consultants for my project and Sarel's, so it was natural we came together,' he said. Speaking from his home in Pretoria, Gous said that, while his fascination for all things Titanic was a romantic one, he also believed Titanic II would generate profits. 'If we raise the first £10m, then I am absolutely confident the corporate banks will come on board and we will start work in the autumn of 2001,' he said. 'March to April will be a critical period for Titanic II. Once we get the initial capital we aim to offer the project to Harland and Wolff in Belfast - that's the first option given the historical connection to the first Titanic.' Gous added that he hoped the British Government would also provide backing, particularly as Titanic II could save thousands of jobs under threat at the ailing shipyard in east Belfast. The two men said investors would be able to make money even before a single bolt was riveted into Titanic II's hull. The company has already produced Titanic memorabilia for sale, ranging from crystal models of the ship to baseball caps and key rings. JHL's COMMENT: M&ISS has recorded several proposals to build TITANIC replica's in the wake of the James Cameron movie, a nunber of reports being consigned to the Lamb Banana section. RMS Titanic Shipping Holdings's plans have appeared before on the site however the company really need to take a look at the present cruise ship market. In recent months there have been several cruise companies failing and other established operators holding back on ordering new tonnage. There is also some strange logic behind this particular project. One could understand a plan to build a replica of TITANIC, but surely a new larger version of the ship isn't a replica just another large passenger ship which may possess a passing resemblence to the original TITANIC. Have these and other entrepreneurs who have considered building Titanic replicas not considered that if there was any gain to be made by constructing a replica one of the existing shipping companies would already have done so? I doubt that few backers for the project will be found and that investors' cash will probably sink faster than the original ship. One awaits further developments with interest, but I doubt TITANIC II will see the light of day.
December 24, 2024 NOTES & NEWS MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE! First of all I would like to wish all visitors to the M&ISS site a very Merry Christmas and trust that you have an enjoyable holiday. Apologies for failing to meet the mid-day posting schedule, however, things just took much longer to put together than anticipated! On the subject of schedules the January update schedule is now on-line as well as details of LADY OF MANN scheduled sailings for 2001. The Lady's schedule for Christmas 2001 looks particularly interesting! In addition to the usual gallery updates I there is a P&O San Francisco to Alaska Cruise feature from Frank Gradwell which should be of interest at a time of year when people's thoughts are turning to the planning of next summer's holidays. The New Year's Eve update will feature a Review of the Year and a BEN-MY-CHREE voyage report as I will be doing the Heysham - Douglas - Dublin - Douglas - voyage over December 28 and Douglas to Heysham on December 29. Finally I would like to thank the numerous correspondents who have sent material and exchanged news and views during the past year. It is your contributions which have helped make Mersey & Irish Sea Shipping so successful. - Many Thanks. Have a good holiday! Best Wishes John H. Luxton Acknowledgements: Gary Andrews, Patrick C. Taylor, Justin Merrigan, Frank Gradwell, John Williamson and "others". SEA CONTAINERS/Isle of Man Steam Packet Company SEACAT SCOTLAND - had been berthed at West Langton, Liverpool since leaving Canada Dry Dock earlier in the week. She departed from the Mersey early on the afternoon of December 22 and returned to Douglas. SUPERSEACAT TWO - is reported to have returned to the Belfast terminal following refit on the Clyde. The ship arriving back some time between the mornings of December 20 / 21. The 2001 schedules are now on line and the timetable booklets are available from company offices and travel agents. A summary of advertised sailings for the LADY OF MANN until January 7, 2025 has been posted to the LADY OF MANN sailings information page on M&ISS. SOME ATTRACTIVE FARE DEALS ON THE ISLE OF MAN ROUTES In 2001 a new day return ticket will be available for visitors to the Isle of Man during the spring, summer and early autumn. The "Island Explorer" ticket is priced at just £2 more than the summer day return [£25]. However, the ticket INCLUDES unlimited travel on buses, railways and horse tramway including the Snaefell Mountain Railway. This offers a genuine saving over having to buy tickets for any of these on arrival. It is to be hoped that Sea Containers promote this in the railway and bus enthusiast press in the coming year as well as in the north west of England regional press. WINTER SPECIALS ON BELFAST - TROON ROUTE Travelbreak (who appear to operate package deals for SeaCo via the Belfast - Troon and Belfast - Heysham routes) are offering daytrips to the McArthur Glen Designer Outlets in Livingston. CAPTAIN FULVIO DESANCTIS I have been informed that Captain Fulvio de Sanctis, one of the original masters employed on the newly introduced SuperSeaCat service between Liverpool and Dublin passed away this week. In 1999 Captain deSanctis transferred from Liverpool to Dublin to the Newhaven-Dieppe service. Justin Merrigan writes: "Those of you who sailed on SuperSeaCat Two between Liverpool and Dublin during 1998 would probably have known Capt. Fulvio deSanctis. PENINSULAR & ORIENTAL STEAM NAVIGATION COMPANY DUBLIN - LIVERPOOL CHRISTMAS SCHEDULE Dublin Liverpool Christmas Schedule EUROPEAN SEAFARER - arrived at Cammell Laird on the evening of December 23. Comms traffic revealed that there was some delay in the vessel entering the yard which resulted in the vessel cruising the river. EUROPEAN PATHFINDER arrived at Cammell Laird [Wright & Beyer's] Bidston Dry Dock on December 22 for work over the holiday period. EUROPEAN HIGHLANDER has laid up for the Christmas holiday period at West Alexandra Dock, Liverpool. NORSE MERCHANT FERRIES The signs at the entrances to Canada #3 Branch Dock and Brocklebank Dock have been replaced with new ones bearing the name Norse Merchant Ferries. STENA LINE HSS STENA DISCOVERY - An OPEN verdict has been recorded at the inquest on John Sibley, who was swept to his death from a fishing boat by a wave from HSS STENA DISCOVERY in 1999 A coroner's jury at Ipswich Crown Court found that Mr. Sibley died by drowning after being immersed in water on July 17, 1999, at the Shipwash Bank off Harwich. There were three verdicts which could have been recorded by the jury, accidental death, unlawful killing or an open verdict. The coroner, Dr. Peter Dean, did not put the case for unlawful killing to the jury after hearing submissions from legal representatives for the parties, including the Sibley family. Maria Pittordis, of Hill Taylor Dickinson, said the jury returned an open verdict as there was not enough information to "establish all the facts". Andrew Higgs, of Davies Arnold Cooper, who is acting for Mr. Sibley's widow, Marilyn, said that his client had decided not to submit a request to the coroner for the case for unlawful killing to be put to the jury because Postponement would have meant a delay in issuing Mr. Sibley's death certificate. Mr. Higgs said that Stena's Dutch managing director, Pim de Lange, had "finally" apologized to Mrs. Sibley in his presence and had assured her According to evidence given by the skipper of the fishing boat PURDY, Denis Hayman, she was in about 2 metres of water at the time she was hit be the wave. The MAIB maintained that Mr. Hayman had "placed PURDY in a dangerous position with regard to the wash waves that the STENA DISCOVERY was known to produce". The report also claimed that Stena Line had a "shortfall in safety management... despite prior knowledge of the problems experienced on the Irish Sea routes." Stena denies the allegation. Mr. Higgs said that if Stena had had a risk assessment passage plan for the voyage in question the tragedy "would not have occurred". It is now a requirement for all fast ferries to file a specific risk assessment passage plan and operating licences will now be renewed if they do not. KONINGIN BEATRIX - There is a rumour circulating that the KB has been sold to Canada. STENA CHALLENGER was sold to Marine Atlantic during 2000 and will enter service with that operator in April 2001. How accurate the KB rumour is, is not known. CAMMELL LAIRD The Liverpool Echo reported that the Department of Trade and Industry has agreed to provide the financial backing needed to allow US cruise-line Luxus Holdings to confirm a £320m contract to build two 28,500-tonne cruise ships. In a statement, the DTI said it was prepared to guarantee bank loans taken out by Luxus to cover the cost of the contract. However, doubts remained last night about whether the loan guarantees thought to be worth £200m were being provided on terms that would persuade Luxus' bankers to forward the cash needed to pay for the ships. Nevertheless, the news will raise hopes of a return of shipbuilding to the River Mersey for the first time in seven years. It could mean work for 1,000 staff at the company's Merseyside and North East shipyards. One Whitehall source close to the negotiations indicated the loan guarantee, provided under the terms of the Home Shipbuilding Credit Guarantee Scheme, covered about £200m of Luxus' debt. Another Government source said: "We have worked very hard doing all we can to provide the finance while at the same time balancing the interests of the tax payer. "Is this enough to attract the project? We hope so." The DTI said earlier this week it would make The Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessel RFA ARGUS which had due to be received for extensive work at the Tyneside yard which will see the replacement of the vessel's present hospital facility will now arrive at Birkenhead on January 6 for the work to be undertaken. Over the holiday period EUROPEAN PATHFINDER is undergoing maintenance at the Bidston Dry Dock whilst EUROPEAN SEAFARER arrived at the Birkenhead on December 23 for an extensive refit, due to last until February. SeaTruck's RIVERDANCE was dry docked on December 24. SEATRUCK FERRIES RIVERDANCE arrived at Cammell Laird on the morning of December 24 for dry docking. MARITIME & COASTGUARD AGENCY VESSEL ADVISED TO TAKE A TOW BY FALMOUTH COASTGUARD On December 21 Falmouth Coastguard strongly recommended that the Master of the Antiguan and Barbudan registered general cargo vessel JENS R [1960 grt] owned by the German company Bockst Legel should accept a tow from the Coastguard Emergency Towing Vessel (ETV) FAR SKY when the Master issued a general communications warning that the vessel had lost all engine power off Land's End. Falmouth Coastguard pick up the communication at 07:42 and immediately made contact with the vessel, the Master was preparing to anchor until such time as repairs could be made. However, Falmouth Coastguard considered the vessel, now within 3 miles of cliffs at Land's End, would be unable to safely anchor whilst sitting in a 60 metre depth of water and above major telephone cabling. FAR SKY arrived on scene and JENS R accepted a tow to Falmouth. CORNISH FISHING VESSEL IN MAYDAY ALERT At 08:12 on December 20 the 10.4 metre Looe based fishing vessel VALERIE MAY issued a Mayday when her engine room began to take in water at a rate of knots leaving the two crew on board fearing for their safety. Brixham Coastguard scrambled a rescue helicopter from the Royal Naval base at Culdrose and requested the launch of the Fowey RNLI all weather lifeboat. Both rescue units arrived on scene by 08:40 at which point the crew on VALERIE MAY had managed to stem the flow of water into the engine room. A crew member from the lifeboat boarded the fishing vessel with pumping equipment, the all weather lifeboat attached a tow and both vessels made their way to Fowey Harbour. Coastguard Watch Manger, Kevin Hird commented: "The crew of the stricken vessel did the right thing in calling mayday, even though they were later able to stem the flow, the situation could have deteriorated before the rescue units arrived." The weather on the scene was south-easterly force 4 with visibility at 4 miles. THE MCA WISH SEAFARERS AND COASTAL VISITORS A HAPPY AND SAFE CHRISTMAS TWO CORNISH FISHING VESSELS ON ROCKS On December 18 at 18:07 Brixham Coastguard received a mayday alert from the 28ft fishing vessel ARRANT stranded on rocks on the west side of Looe Island, Cornwall along with the 31ft fishing vessel MARIGOLD, which had gone to the assistance of the ARRANT and ended up washed over rocks sitting in water but likewise stranded. Brixham Coastguard scrambled the rescue helicopter from the Royal Naval base at Culdrose, tasked the Looe Coastguard Rescue Team and requested the launch of the Looe inshore lifeboat along with the Fowey lifeboat. The Looe lifeboat arrived on scene at 18:21 and was able to get ARRANT clear of the rocks, the vessel had retained steering and power and appeared to be sound. Fowey then assisted the MARIGOLD. Brixham Coastguard Watch Manager Alf Tupper commented: "Luckily for both these vessels the RNLI lifeboats were able to get to the scene within minutes of the mayday and so averted any injury or further damage to the vessels." ARRANT, with two crew onboard, is registered in Fowey, MARIGOLD, also with two crew onboard, is registered in Looe. Weather on scene was force 3 south-easterly winds with good visibility. 21 FOREIGN SHIPS UNDER DETENTION IN UK DURING NOVEMBER On December 18 the Maritime & Coastguard Agency announced that twenty one foreign ships were under detention in UK ports during November 2000 after failing port state control safety inspections. The list consists of 12 ships detained in November, along with 9 ships still under detention from previous months. The rate of detentions compared with inspections carried out over the last 12 months is 6%. This is a decrease of 0.1% from the 12 month rate to October. The ships detained included:-
Eight out of the twelve ships detained this month were registered under Paris MoU blacklisted flags. The new detentions at ports in the Irish Sea and adjacent sea areas were:
WATERFORD PORT DEVELOPMENTS RTÉ reports that the Waterford Port Company has submitted a development plan for the Belview Terminal to Kilkenny County Council. It would extend the jetties to 3 kilometres and provide new storage buildings and other facilities. In addition, it is intended to move the headquarters of the company from Waterford city centre to Belview. At Waterford there are proposals for additional cruise liner terminal facilities, more provision for leisure marine activities and major waterfront, shoreside developments. The Chief Executive of Waterford Port, John Clancy, has also suggested that there should be an amalgamation of the port companies at New Ross and Rosslare with Waterford, to form a south/east regional ports authority. TEAM PHILIPS This week it has become apparent that twin hulled high speed yachts, rather like their twin hulled fast speed ferry counterparts do not take kindly to severe sea conditions as British yachtsman Pete Goss finally realised that the TEAM PHILIPS yacht, abandoned nearly two weeks ago was probably lost. Over recent years the capabilities of high-speed ferries have improved steadily with some of the latest designs being able to operate satisfactorily in seas of 5 metres or more. However it looks as though much more work will be required before a high-speed sailing vessel will be able to withstand the rigours of a north Atlantic winter. TEAM PHILIPS was abandoned during a gale in mid-Atlantic on December 10, the £4m craft was tracked until contact was lost on Tuesday. On Friday December 22 Pete Goss announced that the project had drawn to a close after an aerial search had failed to locate the yacht. Goss said: "This is a very sad day for all of us and I would like to thank all of our sponsors for their unfailing commitment over the last three years. "For me, it has been a privilege to have been custodian of such a special dream which has touched so many. "Accepting the risks, we chose to drive in the fast lane. Defeat, however, sometimes has to be accepted. As a team we can look it in the eye knowing that we gave it our all. He added in a statement: "We dared to dream and we are proud of what we achieved." His sponsors said Team Philips was a unique project and at the cutting edge of technology. "In such a pioneering yacht there is always an element of risk, which we acknowledged from the outset."The giant catamaran, said the sponsors led by Dutch electronics giant Philips, was innovative and beautiful. "She captivated all who saw her and evoked emotions that we are all proud to have been associated with." Should Team Philips ever be found, the sponsors had agreed to work with Goss again.Team Philips was abandoned by the seven-man crew on Sunday about 750 miles (1,200 km) off the coast of Ireland, after being hit by a series of heavy waves. The crew, including Goss, were rescued by a German cargo ship, which battled through gales to reach the catamaran.The abandonment of TEAM PHILIPS was the latest in a series of mishaps which have plagued the vessel since its launch earlier this year: In October, the catamaran turned back 18 hours into a trial voyage to New York after one of its masts began to sway. In March, it suffered near disaster off the Isles of Scilly when part of its starboard bow snapped off.The team was conducting sea trials in preparation for The Race, a non-stop round-the-world race which starts in Barcelona on December 31, when they were forced to abandon ship. NEW IRISH MARINE RESEARCH VESSEL CELTIC EXPLORER - Damen Shipyards of the Netherlands have been awarded an IR£23m contract for the construction of a second marine research ship for Ireland. The new vessel will be 65.5m long and based at Galway Port. Delivery will be in September 2002. She will join the present research vessel CELTIC VOYAGER. Minister for the Marine Frank Fahey said:" The new vessel will enable us for the first time to explore all of our national maritime territory and do research work in waters beyond our limits." Mr. Fahey also announced that the new vessel would be fitted out to a standard that would make it one of only three vessels in Europe that is compliant with the ICES'209' report for fish survey purposes. The CELTIC EXPLORER will also used for oceanographic work, environmental monitoring, acoustic research, oil recovery support and instrumentation deployment, the Minister said. COSTA RIVIERA TALE And now a seasonal Costa Crociere passenger's tale regarding COSTA RIVIERA. Whilst one must feel sorry for Mr. Amin and his fellow passengers it is pleasing to see Costa getting a lot of bad press in public. A newsagent and his family told today how their dream Mediterranean Christmas cruise turned into a nightmare.
December 20, 2024 NOTES & NEWS Welcome to this mid-week update. First a reminder that the December 24 and also the December 31 updates will be posted around mid-day. It is often difficult to predict the amount of work the news bulletin requires, however, I would anticipate that the December 24 news bulletin will be fairly light - famous last words?! Hopefully that being the case, the December 24 update will contain I a number of new galleries which will include interesting material forwarded by Frank Gradwell and more of Neil Ralph's classic archive photos. There has been a lack of voyage reports emanating from my keyboard in recent months. However, I should rectify this in the December 31 update when there should be a Heysham - Douglas - Dublin - Douglas report for the BEN-MY-CHREE's post Christmas visit to Dublin on December 28. Acknowledgements: Gary Andrews, David Fairclough, Charlie Tennant, Justin Merrigan, Dave Crolley, John Shepherd, Patrick C. Taylor, John Williamson and "others". SEA CONTAINERS/Isle of Man Steam Packet Company IRISH SEA 2001 DEPLOYMENTS The confusion over the deployment of Irish Sea vessels continues! Latest information received suggests that RAPIDE will operate on the Belfast - Heysham route with SEACAT DANMARK operating Helsinki - FLEET NEWS BEN-MY-CHREE - is currently using the Victoria Pier, Douglas due to technical problems with the hydraulic rams on the Department of Transport owned Edward Pier linkspan. The photograph by Stan Basnett shows the BEN departing for Heysham on the 09:00 sailing on December 20 SUPERSEACAT TWO was noted by a correspondent on Tuesday December 19th at midday berthed on the Clyde adjacent to the dry dock and about 200 metres down river from HMS ST. ALBANS (F83). The Duke Class (Type 23) Frigate launched earlier this year is currently fitting out at BAe Systems (Yarrows), Scotstoun, Glasgow .It would appear departure of SUPERSEACAT TWO from the Clyde after refit is imminent but will obviously be dependent on the Irish Sea conditions. SEACAT SCOTLAND - has left Canada Graving Dock, Liverpool. ISLE OF MAN TIMETABLE STEAM PACKET TIMETABLE 2001 Though I have yet to pick up a copy I understand that the 2001 timetable is now available. It runs from January 1 2001 to January 7 2002. John Williamson has sent some interesting highlights: The Lady's TT schedule runs from Friday 25 May 13.45 Heysham - Douglas to Monday 11 June 19.15 Douglas to Heysham. She takes the day sailing to give BEN-MY-CHREE an engineering break on Tuesday 5 June. This leaves Mon 21 to Thu 24 May available for day excursion sailings. The LADY OF MANN returns for winter service with the Irish October weekend, advertised 08.00 Douglas - Dublin Friday 26 October and 18.30 Dublin - Douglas Mon 29 October. She then takes over the Liverpool - Douglas service at weekends from 9 November and takes the first of the two Christmas Dublin sailings Friday 21 December, when her Friday 08.30 Liverpool - Douglas sailing is delayed to 10.30. She departs Douglas at 16.00 for Dublin. She departs Dublin on at 21.30 for the return sailing to Douglas. The post Christmas trip to Dublin is taken by the. BEN-MY-CHREE on Saturday 29 Dec 08.00 Douglas - Dub and 13.30 Dublin - Douglas. HOVERSPEED 2001 Hoverspeed recently issued the following press release to promote the Channel services in 2001: HOVERSPEED TO REVOLUTIONISE SHORT SEA FLEET SEA CONTAINERS PORTS - NEWHAVEN The news that a French county council has agreed to buy the Sussex port of Newhaven from Sea Containers appears to have whipped up some jingoistic sprit in some newspapers. The plans have been reported to have been welcomed by the socialist led French government, though the purchase has been criticised by left wing members of Seine-Maritime's council. The Independent reporting that a Communist council member, Pierre Trehet, said he was 'astonished' that the right-wing majority on the Council should use French public money to rescue a privately owned British company. DÚN LAOGHAIRE LIFEBOAT The Dún Laoghaire Lifeboat web site has been update with details of the Station's service call-outs for the Trent Class all weather boat - ANNA LIVIA and the Inshore Lifeboat, IRISH DIVER for the period January 1 to December 3, 2000. http://welcome.to/rnli.dunlaoghaire PENINSULAR & ORIENTAL STEAM NAVIGATION COMPANY EUROPEAN AMBASSADOR the latest vessel to be built for P&O Irish Sea has commenced he 10,800 mile delivery voyage from Japan to Liverpool under the command of P&O Irish Sea master Captain Neil Spencer. The vessel was constructed by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries shipyard at Shimonoseki, Japan, to operate on the Liverpool to Dublin service. The delivery voyage is expected to take 23 days. The vessel's progress can be followed on a daily basis on the P&O Irish Sea web site: http://www.poisfreight.com. Her arrival at Liverpool should be on Thursday , January 4. BRIAR STAR LTD - SWANSEA CORK FERRIES There are unconfirmed reports that the replacement for the Swansea - Cork from March 12 will be the VILLE DE SETE ex - SAINT PATRICK II which may be renamed CITY OF CORK. Silja Lines WASA QUEEN had originally been tipped as being a likely contender to take over the route. CAMMELL LAIRD Tanker LOUGH FISHER was towed 'Dead Ship' into Cammell Lairds On Sunday afternoon by Howard Smith Tugs TRAFALGAR on the Bow & WATERLOO on the stern. On December 19, there was better news for Cammell Laird with the announcement that the government was offering a £25m grant from the Ship Building Intervention Fund which will go towards the contract to build to luxury cruise ships for the Luxus consortium of America Cammell Laird is also seeking government guarantees to underwrite up to 80% of construction work on the two vessels, through its loan guarantee scheme. On Wednesday, the local press were stating that union leaders were claiming that the DTI guarantees for the Luxus contract would only amount to 50% rather than 80% of the cost. This would of course lead to a significant shortfall and may well put the whole deal in doubt. An announcement is expected on Thursday. BIG RED BOAT II - EDINBURGH CASTLE By Monday the ITF had yet to serve arrest papers on the troubled passenger ship which operated out of Liverpool in 1998 as the EDINBURGH CASTLE. The ship had avoided arrest at Port Canaveral on Wednesday when it sailed just hours before the ITF successfully applied in court for the vessel’s seizure and a maritime lien for wages, benefits and repatriation costs. Fairplay reported that that owners International Shipping Partners claimed that the crew would be paid on arrival at Freeport, Bahamas. However, the ship dropped anchor off Freetown and the ITF were said to be considering the send out of a launch to serve the arrest papers. On Wednesday the BIG RED BOAT II was still reported to be at anchor off Freetown. COSTA IN TROUBLE The many people on Merseyside who were angered and dismayed by Costa Crociere's decision to not to deliver the COSTA CLASSICA to Cammell Laird last month will get some satisfaction from news that a member of the Costa fleet has earned the company much bad press early in the week even though the vessel had only just left an Italian ship yard after refit ..... Costa Crociere were forced to abandon a 10 day Mediterranean cruise by the COSTA RIVIERA due to sanitation and ballasting problems. The ship had recently re-entered service following a month long dry docking at Genoa and was two days into her first cruise following refit when the decision to abandon the cruise was taken. Of the 840 passengers on board, 187 decided to fly home from Naples at the company's expense. One hundred and fifty five of these passengers being British. Costa have offered passengers a full refund and a 50% credit against another cruise. COSTA RIVIERA's passengers had complained that the ship had a noticeable list and toilets would not flush. There was also reported to be a smell of sewage throughout the ship Costa Crociere admitted that the ship had a 4° list and the vessels pipework had developed leaks following the refit at the San Giorgio Del Porto shipyard in Genoa. Costa stated that about 70 of the cabins were affected by sewage problems, but that passengers had been relocated in 40 spare cabins. Italian health and safety authorities had cleared the ship for sailing before the cruise was abandoned. Costa said that if the cruise had continued it could not guarantee its normal standards. It is hoped to have the vessel repaired either in Savona or Genoa in time for a New Year cruise which departs on December 27.
December 17, 2024 NOTES & NEWS This is the update that nearly didn't happen!. On Saturday evening the telephone line died. BT were contacted immediately, however, by Sunday afternoon there was no sign of the fault being repaired. An advertisement in a Sunday newspaper indicated that they were prioritising repairs in flooded areas! Fortunately I do have a second phone line but this is nowhere near the computer, therefore it was off to B&Q to get a very long extension. Fortunately I am now back on line! UPDATES The next site update will be on Wednesday evening December 20. There will be an update next Sunday, Christmas Eve at around mid-day. I have retimed the posting to enable visitors to the site to catch up with the latest news before getting immersed in Christmas celebrations! NEW TRANSPORT WEBSITE Mike MacDonald has set up a new transport web site featuring ships and railways - Know as "Cathkin Barrow" the site can be found at http://home.planetinternet.be/~pin31209/ Acknowledgements: Gary Andrews, Justin Merrigan, Stuart Cameron, Simon Dey, Jenny Williamson and "others". SEA CONTAINERS/Isle of Man Steam Packet Company BEN-MY-CHREE - It appears that the Saturday morning Douglas to Heysham sailing on December 9 was rather lively. The BEN left Douglas into a force 9 with heavy swell. She fell off a 5 metre wave and took a 30 degree roll. There was a lot of damage on board, fortunately not to vehicles as far as the correspondent is aware. Many people were reported to be very ill, including some of the crew. To ease the discomfort to passengers the ship, headed into the wind, which involved sailing towards North Wales, with much pitching, until she reached a point where it was possible to turn her stern to the weather and head back North to Heysham. SEACAT SCOTLAND - remains in Canada Dry Dock. SUPERSEACAT THREE - remains at West Langton VESSEL DEPLOYMENT 2001 Speculation continues as to what the deployment plans for the Sea Containers fleet will be in 2001. Early in the week the plans looked like being:
However as the week went by information appeared to change with DIAMANT being deployed on Heysham - Belfast and instead of RAPIDE. By Friday information received from the Sea Co communications manager in Liverpool indicated that it would be SEACAT DANMARK would reappear on the Heysham - Belfast route. SUPERSEACAT TWO PASSENGER IN COURT This week a Detective Constable employed by Sussex police was acquitted at Lewes Crown Court of indecently assaulting a woman passenger during the inaugural voyage of SUPERSEACAT TWO on the Newhaven to Dieppe route on April 22, 1999. Brent Beckett, 40, a detective constable with Sussex Police, denied indecently assaulting the 33-year-old woman. Guests were offered a champagne breakfast and drinks from a free bar throughout the voyage, Lewes Crown Court heard. The disposal of the ports business appears to be well underway. This week it was reported that Sea Containers has signed a memorandum of understanding regarding the sale of the UK port of Newhaven to the Conseil General de Seine Maritime, which governs the Upper Normandie region of France and the city of Dieppe. The asking price is rumoured to be around $14.5m which reflects the current poor state of the port and the need for substantial investment in upgrading and refurbishing facilities. A new operating company comprising both UK and French interests will be created but Conseil General de Seine Maritime will hold the majority stake. ISLE OF MAN DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORT Passenger figures for the Harbours Division for November 2000 show a 3.3% decrease on the same period last year. November 2000 recording a total of 18,135 compared to 18,752 in November 1999. The year to date figure of 588,893 passengers shows a 7% increase over the 550,191 recorded in 1999. Car and motorcycle traffic through Douglas Harbour in November 2000 showed a decrease of 1.6% from 5,534 in 1999 to 5,440 vehicles in November 2000. The year to date figure of 152,602 vehicles shows a 6.8% increase over the 142,951 recorded in 1999. Passenger figure breakdown by route is as follows:
Freight traffic metreage increased by 9.5% from 32,148m to 35,190 when compared to November 1999. Director of Harbours, Captain Michael Brew commented: "Whilst November 2000 passenger figures show a slight fall they are still the second best November figures after last year's record figure. The main reason for the small decrease in numbers is the impact of half term traffic. The November 1999 figure included a significant amount of returning traffic to the island on 1st and 2nd of the month. This year this traffic was accounted for in the October passenger figures which were a record for any October. Excluding the impact of half term traffic, the underlying trend still shows ongoing growth, despite the recent adverse weather. Freight traffic continues to show significant growth with the total metreage for the first eleven months of 2000 of 360,786 exceeding total metreage for 1999 which was 355,514." BALLYCASTLE - CAMPBELTOWN During the Autumn the politicians and others have been trying to resolve the problem of subsidising the ferry service formerly operated by Sea Containers using the former Caledonian MacBrayne vessel CLAYMORE. It is understood that an application is being sent to Brussels for agreement from the European Union to public money being spent on helping to run the service next year. We are waiting for the reply to that application and then will be proceeding at full speed towards the 2001 season. CENARGO - NORSE MERCHANT FERRIES MERCHANT VENTURE has left the berth at Alexandra Dock [West] which she has occupied for some months and crossed the river to join the Sea Containers collection of redundant assets in Vittoria Dock, being berthed east of the CLAYMORE. SPHEROID remains by the Duke Street Bridge in Birkenhead and is presumably the last vessel to carry the original Merchant Ferries livery with MF funnel markings. PENINSULAR & ORIENTAL STEAM NAVIGATION COMPANY EUROPEAN AMBASSADOR was expected to sail from Japan on Wednesday December 13 at 13.00 under the command of Captain Nicholas C E Spenser. Her first call will be Singapore and she is expected to be in the Red Sea on Christmas Day. Her final call is in Gibraltar on January 1. Here arrival in Liverpool is expected to be on Jan 4. Three P&O ships are due to be refitted at Cammell Laird over the next couple of months. Details below. RMS SAINT HELENA the management contract for the vessel which provides the sole link to the remote island of St.Helena in the South Atlantic will be due for renewal in August 2001. The service is supported by the British Government and has been operated by Curnow shipping of Cornwall for almost 25 years. A report in Lloyd's List on December 16 suggests the Curnow may expect a good deal of competition this time around. MERSEY BUILT FERRY IN TROUBLE The EILEAN DHIURA, constructed for Argyll County Council by McTay Marine of Bromborough in 1998 was damaged on Thursday December 14 whilst operating on the Islay to Jura route. The vessel's front vehicle ramp was ripped off by a freak wave. The loss of the ramp resulted in around 6 inches of water washing onto the vehicle deck. CAMMELL LAIRD A report in the Liverpool Daily Post this week indicated that Luxus who recently signed a deal worth up to £300m to build two new cruise ships has revealed that it has only been able to secure £70m of financial backing. COSTA CLASSICA a spokesman for Carnival Corporation, [the Costa Crociere parent company] Tim Gallagher told Lloyd's List the reason Costa Classica turned round and went back to Genoa was that Cammell Laird would not renegotiate the contract at a stage when, according to Costa, it was 11 weeks late with the work. "We have built 22 ships in six countries and there have always been problems," said Mr. Gallagher. "But we have always been able to renegotiate the contract." This week the Cammell Laird made 250 employees redundant following the stalling of the COSTA CLASSICA work. Brett Martin, deputy chief executive blamed “the continuing uncertainty surrounding this contract” as the reason for “a level of over-manning that cannot be sustained.” The yard has retained 680 staff and 263 apprentices. This week the yard has secured a number of new contracts including work on three ships for P&O. EUROPEAN SEAFARER is due to arrive at the yard in December for refit and survey work which will last until early February. She will be followed by EUROPEAN NAVIGATOR which will arrive for a five week refit in February. Over the Christmas and New Year period EUROPEAN PATHFINDER will undergo maintenance from December 22 through January 8. The P&O refit programme will largely be enabled by the arrival of the EUROPEAN AMBASSADOR at Liverpool allowing the EUROPEAN LEADER to transfer to Larne - Fleetwood in January. CAMMELL LAIRD - TYNESIDE On Saturday December 16 Lloyd's List indicated that Cammell Laird's Tyneside operation should be able to announce a number of new orders in 2001. Presently the yard is engaged in the construction of two small ro/ro ferries for Norwegian operator Torghatten Trafikkselskap. The first ship is due for delivery in February and the second will have its keel laid in February with delivery in August. Tyneside manager David Dobson revealed news of another key order the company hopes to secure in the New Year. He said: "I firmly expect that within six weeks we will be able to announce another newbuild order for a European company, which will secure 200 jobs." Mr. Dobson declined to give details but said the order had been lined up as a result of the Norwegian ferry contract and would be slightly bigger. In January helicopter support ship RFA ARGUS - will arrive on Tyneside for a multimillion pound refit which will see the replacement of the present hospital facility BIG RED BOAT II - EDINBURGH CASTLE It appears that the troubled former EDINBURGH CASTLE which operated a programme of cruises out of Liverpool in 1998 has sailed into further controversy. On December 14 Fairplay reported that the ship was facing arrest on its arrival in Freeport, Bahamas on a voyage from Port Canaveral. The vessel arrived at the latter port on completion of a five week long US Government charter. Court papers were served as the ITF claim that the BIG RED BOAT II’s manager, International Shipping Partners, owes the ships crew 45 days wages. ISP is part of the Progress Group which is 49% owned by Cammell Laird. Earlier this year the EDINBURGH CASTLE was chartered to Premier Cruises which went into receivership in the autumn. STRANDED TUG CREWS DEPARTURE DELAYED It was reported by RTÉ that six of the seven south American seamen who were abandoned by the owners of several tugs at Cobh, County Cork for 19 months faced a last minute setback in their plans to return home at the end of the week. US Immigration officials claimed that their visas were not in order and would not allow men to land in the USA to make connection with onward flights to the Dominican Republic and Panama. However, the Seamen's Union was working towards a solution to the problem which would enable the crewmen to be given tourist visas by Delta Airlines. IRISH NAVAL SERVICE LE ROISIN celebrated her first birthday in service at Dublin Port last week. The ship had been adopted by the City of Dublin earlier this year continuing the tradition of a coastal town or city forming a special bond with a Naval Service ship. The Lord Mayor of Dublin visited the ship to mark the occasion. During her first year of operation the vessel has steamed over 15,000 miles carrying out such duties as fishery protection, drug interdiction and search and rescue. Whilst undertaking fishery protection duties, the vessel has sighted over 400 fishing vessels of which about 200 were boarded and inspected. ROYAL NAVY The King Harry ferry, which provides a short cut to the Roseland peninsula, will be out of action until after Christmas following a collision with a tug. MERSEY DOCKS & HARBOUR COMPANY The Mersey Docks and Harbour Company expects to announce the main contractor for the £25 million Twelve Quays River Terminal project at Birkenhead before Christmas. On-site work is due to get under way in January for completion early in 2002, when Cenargo's ferry services to Belfast and Dublin will transfer across the Mersey from in-dock berths at Liverpool to provide an initial six sailings a day. WAVERLEY STEAM NAVIGATION COMPANY Waverley arrived back at Glasgow Anderston Quay at 20:10 on Saturday evening December 16. She had been stormbound earlier in the week at Milford Haven. Now back at Glasgow she will take up her remaining programme of Christmas cruises On Sunday one of the first tasks to be undertaken will be to hoist a large (3m) Christmas tree up to the top of her mast - about a century ago it was traditional for all Clyde steamers sailing at Christmas time to carry a Christmas tree at the mast head. ASSOCIATED BRITISH PORTS HOLDINGS PLC The port operator issued its quarterly trading statement this week: HIGHLIGHTS MARITIME & COASTGUARD AGENCY SWANSEA COASTGUARDS SEARCH FOR DISTRESSED SURFERS At just after 15:30 on December 10, Swansea Coastguard received an urgent 999 call from a member of the public reporting that two surfers were in difficulty on the rocks at Worms Head, Gower. Rhossili Coastguard headed straight to the scene and the RAF Rescue Helicopter based at Chivenor was immediately tasked to assist in the search. Rhossili Coastguard located one casualty clinging to the rocks and reported that the other had been caught in a rip tide and had become separated from his board. The RNLI lifeboat from Mumbles was requested to assist in the search, the RAF Rescue Helicopter arrived on scene and winched the one casualty to safety from the rocks before proceeding to search for the remaining casualty. The RAF helicopter soon located the second casualty and winched him aboard, where it was ascertained that his condition was critical. Both casualties were immediately airlifted to Morriston hospital in Swansea. John Sibley, Watch Manager at Swansea Coastguard said: "The conditions off Worms Head were quite atrocious, with gale force winds and a very heavy swell. The surfers were rescued by the RAF helicopter under extremely difficult conditions. Weather on is westerly gale force 8 with waves rough sea and heavy swell. MILFORD HAVEN COASTGUARD CO-ORDINATE RESCUE OF HELMSMAN THROWN OVERBOARD Just before 12:00 on December 10, Milford Haven Coastguard received word that an incident had occurred as an RNLI Inshore Lifeboat returned towards its boathouse when it became caught between two waves in disturbed water on the Aberdovey Bar in West Wales. The lifeboat, which had been on exercise in the area, came to a standstill in the water and its helmsman was thrown overboard, injuring his back in the process. Although the lifeboat came along side the helmsman in an attempt to recover him from the water, the casualty stated that owing to his back injury it would be in his best interest to await helicopter recovery. Milford Haven Coastguard had immediately requested the assistance of the RAF Rescue Helicopter from Valley, in Anglesey upon hearing of the incident which was on route to the scene, while the RNLI lifeboat maintained visual contact with the casualty, occasionally loosing sight of him in the rough waves. During this time the RNLI Inshore Lifeboat from Borth, which had also been dispatched, arrived on scene and decided to recover the helmsman from the water as the RAF helicopter was still some 20 minutes away and there was growing concern for the man’s safety. After a successful transfer, the helmsman was taken to Aberdovey where he was met by the RAF helicopter and airlifted to Bronglais Hospital, in Aberystwyth. Nigel Porter, Watch Manager at Milford Haven Coastguard said: "The weather on scene was southerly force 7 with waves of up to 3 metres high. This was a successful rescue for all involved." FALMOUTH COASTGUARD PLAN SEARCH FOR MISSING MASTER On December 14 Falmouth Coastguard were involved in co-ordinating the search for the missing Master of the German container vessel STUTTGART EXPRESS. He disappeared earlier this afternoon after checking the refrigerated cargo on board the deck of the vessel when she was 200 miles west of Lands End. The vessel was steaming towards Europe and the crew noticed his disappearance when he failed to check in on the bridge as usual at 16:00. His last known sighting was at 13:00 when he told colleagues he was about to go on deck. By 17:00 this evening the vessel had been thoroughly searched by the crew, and the STUTTGART EXPRESS' was turned back to begin a sweep of the area planned by Falmouth Coastguard after taking into account wind and sea conditions that existed between his last known sighting earlier in the day and 16:00 when he was due on the bridge. Peter Bullard, Watch Manager at Falmouth Coastguard said: " We have been unable to launch any aircraft into the area to assist in the search as the distances involved means the helicopters would be working at the very limits of their capabilities - and in darkness. They could only be used if the man - who is in his 50's - was spotted in the water, kept in sight, and the helicopter was able to go straight to his position. " Equally a Nimrod aircraft would not be able to contribute much by searching for such a small target in the confused and mountainous swells that exist tonight in those open seas. Gales have been sweeping through the area throughout the day with winds being recorded at severe gale 9 to storm force 10, although that has calmed this evening to south westerly force 6. " A few vessels have responded to our call for assistance, but a successful outcome to this search and rescue is likely to be limited given the sea temperature of about 10 degrees at this time of year compounded by the knowledge that the man was not wearing any life saving equipment when he went on deck. The remaining 22 crew on board are using the vessels searchlights either side of the vessel in order to sweep the area and fortunately there is good visibility locally which may assist them." SPANISH GHOST SHIP ARRIVES IN IRELAND This week the Irish Times ran a story which has a certain uncanny feel to it. What are the odds on such an incidence as this happening? Perhaps in years to come this will join the list of salty tales of the mysteries of the oceans "A Spanish fishing vessel believed to have sunk a week ago has floated 140 miles in to the south-west Irish coast and has landed on rocks close to where its sister ship was wrecked more than a decade ago. WORLD SHIPPING NEWS ESTONIA A report in Lloyd's List this week reveals that three independent laboratories have confirmed that fragments recently salvaged from the wreck by Gregg Bernis and Jutta Rabe showed evidence of bomb damage. The questions now are whether there will be a new inquiry and how the official investigation failed to detect bomb damage, or was it that they were - as their detractors claim - covering up a far more sinister underworld crime with Western government pressure to make certain the true facts never came out?
December 10, 2024 NOTES & NEWS IRISH SEA SHIPS - EGROUP The Irish Sea Ships eGroup is proving to be a lively debating forum for Irish Sea shipping matters. If you have not already joined visit www.egroups.com/group/IrishSeaShips. During the past month there have been over 250 postings and there are now 103 members. [As at 15:00 on December 10]. There is currently a poll underway on the group surveying ferry preferences for a Dublin - Liverpool journey for a car and driver. You may vote by clicking: http://www.egroups.com/surveys/IrishSeaShips Yahoo Groups and Egroups will be merging their operations, this should not effect the operation of the groups but should lead to enhanced features being made available. SS UNITED STATES MODEL Recently I was able to obtain two rare 1/1200 models of the former Blue Riband holder SS UNITED STATES produced by Hornby in the Minic Range of model ships last manufactured in 1980. One of these models is up for auction on EBay. The model is in mint & boxed condition and has never been removed from its display box packaging. If you would like to view a photograph and place a bid ARCHIVE SITE UPDATE A number of gallery pages have been withdrawn from the main site and transferred to the Archive Site which has been updated. In particular this concerns Sea Containers material from early in 2000. Acknowledgements: Gary Andrews, Adrian Sweeney, Charlie Tennant, David Sallery, Patrick C. Taylor, Stuart Cameron, Michael Pryce and "others". SEA CONTAINERS/Isle of Man Steam Packet Company SEACAT SCOTLAND - the vessel arrived at Canada Graving Dock, Liverpool at the start of the week to complete its winter refit, much of which has been completed "in house" by Fort Street Services in Douglas. SEACAT ISLE OF MAN - it now appears that SEACAT SCOTLAND will return to service around January 6. Thus allowing SEACAT ISLE OF MAN to return to Douglas for her refit. Originally it had been thought that SUPERSEACAT THREE would have replaced SEACAT ISLE OF MAN on the Belfast - Troon to free up that vessel for the commencement of her refit. SUPERSEACAT TWO a correspondent noted SSC2 occupying the now separated dry dock at BAe Systems (Yarrows) at Scotstoun, Glasgow. It is understood that the arrangements are similar to SEACAT SCOTLAND's 's extended refit there during January and February 2000 with facilities rented and work sub contracted to outside parties including Garvel and Turner Diesel. LADY OF MAN - further news on the LADY OF MANN's winter 2001 timetable in addition to that mentioned last week. The 19:00 service on Thursday does not operate after the first week in January. However, she will depart from Liverpool at 08:30 on Fridays until the end of February returning from Douglas at 13:45 and sailing again from Liverpool at 19:00. Thus day trip sailings will be available from Liverpool on Fridays which should prove popular with enthusiasts! The winter service timetable will be
WASA QUEEN - the Silja Line vessel is noted for sale at $10m - a contributor wonders if this is a suitable replacement for the Swansea - Cork Ferries SUPERFERRY. PENINSULAR & ORIENTAL STEAM NAVIGATION COMPANY SECOND NEW SHIP FOR CAIRNRYAN - LARNE P&O Irish Sea's Larne - Cairnryan route has received another major boost with the announcement that a second new £35 million fast conventional ferry is to join the fleet in 2002. Once again the racing catamaran TEAM PHILIPS is in difficulty. On Sunday morning her crew abandoned ship and were taken aboard by the German cargo ship HOECHST EXPRESS some 800 miles west of Ireland. The deserted Team Philips was being tracked by satellite from the mission control before a decision was made on what to do next a spokesperson revealed. Coastguards had issued a mayday alert early on Sunday asking ships to assist the ocean racer after it was battered by giant waves in storm-force gales as it crossed the Atlantic. Project leader Pete Goss agreed to evacuate the hi-tech craft when it was revealed that another powerful storm was heading towards her and could blow her up to 300 miles further away from help. The crew was not said to be in immediate danger but Mark Orr, managing director of Goss Challenges, told BBC News 24 the mayday was an "act of prudence". Team Philips had sustained damage after sailing in severe conditions on Saturday. JHL'S COMMENT: To some people the similarity between the vessel's twin hull configuration and that employed by some wave piercing high-speed ferries is striking. The latest generations of these high-speed ferries are steadily increasing their operational capabilities in adverse sea conditions, with the latest craft being able to cope with 5 metre seas. However, many of the smaller earlier high speed craft have maximum operating limits of 3 metres which sees many of them in port at the first sign of bad weather. TEAM PHILIPS is a significantly more fragile craft and this appears to have been born out by the latest problems. Thankfully there have been no casualties in this latest incident but one must wonder just how sound the concept is. Perhaps Mr. Goss should have spoken to ferry operators about the suitability of twin hulls before embarking on this project? MARITIME & COASTGUARD AGENCY SHIP DETAINED AT FOWEY A Panamanian flagged general cargo ship CAPTAIN NICHOLAS M has been detained in Fowey, Cornwall after Maritime & Coastguard Agency Surveyors found numerous deficiencies on board the 3,000 gross ton ship. SWANSEA COASTGUARD CO-ORDINATE SEARCH AND RESCUE FOR FALLEN MAN RECOVERY OF TEAK FROM DALE PENINSULA The Receiver of Wreck is responsible for that part of the Merchant Shipping Act 1995, which deals with wreck and salvage. All wreck recovered from the sea must by law, be reported to the Receiver of Wreck. Following the recovery of large quantities of hardwood from the Dale Peninsula from the weekend of the 3rd December 2000, it may be pertinent to clarify the details regarding the reporting of wreck. Anyone who has recovered this wood (or any other items of wreck), no matter how small the quantity, must now report it to the Receiver of Wreck. To do this, you will need a Report of Wreck and Salvage form. This can be obtained from the Receiver of Wreck, or from your local coastguard station (address below). Failure to report is an offence under section 236 of the Merchant Shipping Act 1995. The recovered material is held by the finder on indemnity to the Receiver of Wreck. The finder cannot dispose of this material until the Receiver has given permission to do so. It is the Receiver of Wreck’s responsibility to reunite owners with their property. If the legal owner wishes to have their property returned, then the finder will be entitled to a salvage award. If the owner is not found, or waives their legal right to the material, the finder will normally be allowed to keep the recovered material. For further information or a Report form, please contact: Receiver of Wreck DOLPHIN - A TOTAL LOSS DOLPHIN - The former trawler being used as a Cable Laying guard ship, which grounded off Mousehole, Cornwall whilst enroute to Newlyn just over a week ago is a complete loss. Reports in the local newspaper warn the public to keep away from the vessel which is breaking up. DREDGER OPERATIONS David Sallery notes that there has been a large dredger working off Prestatyn with 3 coasters taking away the dredged sand, it has been off here for 2 weeks and previously was used in Mostyn port. The dredger has 3 retractable legs?DEEPWATER NAVIGATOR Andrew Goldie writes that he has recently been aboard the DEEPWATER NAVIGATOR (formerly PEREGINE VII) which was extensively rebuilt at Cammell Laird between 1997 and 1999. She is currently lying off Macae (100km NW of Rio de Janerio), Brazil having various technical problems sorted out prior to operations. WAVERLEY STEAM NAVIGATION COMPANY The current spell of adverse weather has seen the PS WAVERLEY storm bound at Millford Haven, Sunday December 10. She was on her way back to the Clyde after undertaking maintenance work at Avonmouth in readiness for her programme of Christmas cruises. STENA LINE Recently Stena Line´s Board of Directors have recommend shareholders to accept the offer from Stena AB:
Stena AB extended an offer on October 30 to acquire all Class B shares in Stena Line AB for SEK 8 per share. The Board of Directors of Stena Line AB has conducted evaluations of the offer since it was made public. D.Carnegie AB has been commissioned to provide assistance in the evaluation work. STENA FORWARDER - SISTER SHIPS by Gary Andrews Visentini of Italy are currently offering for sale/charter two ro-pax ferries that appear to be sisterships of the STENA FORWARDER, currently being built for charter to Stena and due to enter service on the Holyhead - Dublin route in the Spring. STENA UGLAND - PROSECUTED STENA ALEXITA - operated by Stena Ugland Shuttle Tankers IDA of Norway was observed at just before 09:00 on June 16 a surveillance aircraft being operated on behalf of the Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency observed the vessel, later determined to be the STENA ALEXITA, trailing an oil slick. This oil slick was 3.5 miles long. The Court heard that the Inspectors from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency boarded the vessel on arrival at its next port of Milford Haven. During later investigations into the incident it became apparent that about 1.5 tonnes of oily water had been pumped overboard during a routine operation when there was a breakdown in the ship's procedures. The Court noted the co-operation of the Managers, who had instigated their own detailed investigation and as a result had put in place procedures to prevent a re-occurrence. The company was fined £7,500 plus costs for a breach of 1996 Prevention of Oil Pollution Regulations. COMMISSIONERS OF IRISH LIGHTS The Irish Lights Calendar for 2001 featuring twelve photos of Irish Lighthouses by John Eagle has been published. It is available for IR£5.00 from: Commissioners of The Irish Lights, 16 Lower Pembroke St Dublin 2 Cheques payable to "Commissioners of Irish Lights" Posting & Packaging extra: Ireland & Gt Britain IR£ 1.00, Rest of Europe IR£ 2.00, Rest of World IR£ 3.00. CAMMELL LAIRD Once that level is reached and certified, Costa Crociere will buy the block for a portion of the total value of the order. Costa Crociere would pay the remainder on completion of the job, likely to be in the winter/spring of 2002. Lloyds List reports that the unspecified amount of cash Costa would pay on completion of the mid-section block - if the agreement is reached - would help Cammell Laird deal with its financial obligations. To finance this contract, Cammell Laird took out a £50m ($79m) revolving credit facility, due to expire in October 2004. According to bond offer documents, if the yard fails to receive payment under the Costa Classica contract by April 30, 2024 a default under the new credit facility will occur.
December 3, 2024 NOTES & NEWS Welcome to this week's update. Once again there are quite a few news and other items for you to peruse. EMAIL PROBLEMS Unfortunately sometime on Sunday afternoon I managed to crash Outlook Express. When it restarted all my general Inbox material except that which is filtered from certain regular correspondents had disappeared as far back as September!. If you have e-mailed me recently please get in touch again. This has never happened before and I am now wondering if my recent installation of CleanSweep might have had something to do with it. Hope not! Once again I would like to thank the various contributors this week. Acknowledgements: Gary Andrews, Brian Chambers, Justin Merrigan - Incat, Michael Pryce, Patrick C. Taylor and "others". NEW WEB SITE M&ISS visitors might like to check out a new web site which covers Fishguard and the surrounding area. The maritime scene features strongly. http://www.abergwaun.com/index04.htm SEA CONTAINERS/Isle of Man Steam Packet Company PORT OF HEYSHAM Sea Containers has confirmed in the Manx Press that the Port of Heysham is for sale, however, Sea Containers’ spokesman Steve Lawrence said the expected the sale "Will have no effect on the Steam Packet. I say that quite unequivocally. There will be no impact at all." On Wednesday November 30 an extremely rare 30 tonne Finwhale was washed (dead) into Heysham Harbour. These are extremely rare in British waters and has attracted much attention from zoologists etc. The dead whale was lifted from the harbour after a suitable large crane had been hired and a suitable lifting net obtained. SEA CONTAINERS FLEET NEWS SEACAT ISLE OF MAN - Belfast - Troon sailings were cancelled due to the 'severe' weather conditions on Wednesday November 29. SUPERSEACAT TWO has been dry docked at Glasgow for her annual refit. The vessel left Belfast around 04:30 on November 27. It is envisaged that the dry dock work will take 2 weeks and the vessel will then return back to Belfast. THE PRINCESS ANNE, THE PRINCESS MARGARET - It appears that the two redundant hovercraft are to be preserved. Despite being offered for sale by Sea Containers the two craft are to be transferred to the Hovercraft Museum at HMS Daedalus on the Solent. The move had been scheduled for this week but appears to have been delayed by the weather. LADY OF MANN was noted running late on Saturday. Her morning Douglas to Liverpool sailing arriving at Liverpool over 1 hour behind schedule. SEACAT SCOTLAND - It is understood the SEACAT SCOTLAND will replace SEACAT ISLE OF MAN on the Belfast - Troon route on 9 January 2001. SEACAT SCOTLAND is currently undergoing refit work in Douglas by Fort Street Services. She is expected to be dry-docked on Merseyside in the near future. SCHEDULES 2001 Whilst the 2001 timetable brochures and on-line timetables are not yet available playing around with the on-line booking service reveals that the Sunday departure of the Lady of Mann after the Christmas holiday period will be retimed to a much more user friendly 13:45 ex Douglas. This makes weekend trips to the Isle of Man with a reasonable return time possible again. Enthusiasts will be pleased! The 07:00 departure was just too early! Further investigation of the on-line booking facility shows SuperSeaCat II identified for Belfast - Heysham, however, Liverpool - Dublin and Liverpool - Douglas just show SuperSeaCat. This could of course be the RAPIDE rebranded as a SuperSeaCat! SuperSeaCat [RAPIDE?!] operations on Liverpool - Dublin appear to commence March 1. SEACAT ISLE OF MAN is shown as operating on the Irish Sea again next year. It will certainly be interesting to see the full timetables. Playing with the booking system is rather time consuming! BELFAST New hours and working conditions have been announced for Belfast based crew, I understand that this has led to low morale and high tensions between staff and management. HAMISH ROSS ON MANX RADIO Some interesting comments made by IoMSPCo Managing Director Hamish Ross on today's Sunday Opinion and Mannin Line programmes on Sunday December 3:
The vessel was not thought to have sustained any damage coming to rest on sand banks as did her fleetmate EUROPEAN LEADER in the Mersey, earlier this autumn. She refloated herself on the next tide. However, she did manage to disrupt the timetable somewhat with EUROPEAN SEAFARER and EUROPEAN NAVIGATOR having to wait in
Morecambe Bay until the PIONEER could move. IRISH FERRIES ISLE OF INNISFREE ran into difficulties on Friday morning. At 07:15 Milford Haven Coastguard received a call from the Master of the vessel which had lost all power 3 miles West of St Anne’s Head. ISLE OF INNISFREE was carrying 130 passengers and 83 crew. The ship put down anchor in this position in an attempt to make repairs, but the strong winds and tide pushed the ferry northwards towards the Isle of Skokholm, just off the west coast of Pembrooke. Milford Haven Coastguard immediately requested the launch of the RNLI lifeboats from St David's and Angle, arranged for the rescue helicopter from RAF Chivenor to standby on ground at Withybush airfield in Haverfordwest and tasked three tugs, DALEGARTH, MILGARTH and ANGLEGARTH from Milford Haven port. Although the tugs eventually managed to attach lines to the ferry, initially there had been difficulties, failing on two occasions before eventually doing so. ISLE OF INNISFREE was then able to carry out the necessary repairs to her engine room. Weather on scene was fairly poor with southerly force 7 winds. When repairs were completed the ship continued her crossing to Rosslare. The problem appears to have been caused by the cooling pumps cutting out and activating the fail-safe's for the engines. ISLE OF INISHMORE - The arrival at Holyhead of the Thursday evening sailing from Dublin was delayed due to adverse conditions. With the winds blowing off the berth the vessel failed on its first attempt to berth at Salt Island and was forced to go out again into Holyhead Bay. The ship finally berthed around 03:20 some two hours behind schedule. JONATHAN SWIFT - Adverse conditions during the past week saw many sailings cancelled. PORT ERIN LIFEBOAT Recent visitors to Port Erin may have been puzzled to see the lifeboat (covered in a blue tarpaulin) and a large RNLI tractor parked on the ramp running down to the beach opposite the Bridge Bookshop. This arises from work being done by divers on the boathouse slipway to extend into deeper water the rail tracks on which the normal launching trolley runs - so that even at low water on spring tides the lifeboat will float (rather than have to be pushed) off the trolley. Whilst this work was being done the slipway has been inoperable - hence the need to make alternative arrangements to launch the lifeboat. The tractor and trolley in temporary use are of a type used to launch Atlantic 21 lifeboats across beaches in many places around the British coast, but - as this is the only lifeboat of this class in the Isle of Man - had to be borrowed from the UK. The tractor is of a type built to be able to operate underwater but is smaller than those used to launch the 'Mersey' class lifeboats at Peel and Ramsey. After launching (whether for training or on a "shout") the lifeboat is recovered over the beach onto the trolley and then towed along the lower promenade round to outside the lifeboat house for cleaning down and re-fuelling - before being returned to its temporary home where there are no facilities for this to be done. The work should be completed by now and the lifeboat returned to normal operation. JEANIE JOHNSON There have been problems and cost overruns with the JEANIE JOHNSTON emigrant ship project. The total cost of the projected reported by RTÉ's Seascapes is now IR£5.5. It is expected that fitting out at Fenit will be completed in February 2001 and she will sail to American and Canada next year. DUNBRODY from Brian Chambers DUNBRODY - In New Ross, Co. Wexford, a very successful auction was held in the Brandon House Hotel to raise money for the "Dunbrody Famine Ship Project", and also for the new Visitor Centre, the auction brought in £6,000 in the Hotel, good bidding started for items of
furniture, which two were produced at the Dunbrody Shipyard, and another was to be able play golf with the Kilkenny hurler legend, D.J. Carey, this was bought by a Wexford hurler. JACK ROBINSON TRAWLERS A report by Annanova this week reveals that the owner of the SOLWAY HARVESTER has rejected recent allegations that he had allowed the sister ship of the SOLWAY HARVESTER, which sank with the loss of all seven crew, to dredge over the sunken vessel while the dead men were still on board. CAMMELL LAIRD COSTA CLASSICA - The mid body module was launched on Monday, November 27 as rescheduled due to adverse conditions on the Sunday. The module was then towed into the wet basin to await the outcome of the arbitration proceedings between Cammell Laird and Costa Crociere, part of the Carnival Corporation. This week Carnival Corporation chairman and chief executive Micky Arison strongly criticised Cammell Lairds in an interview with Lloyds List. Commenting to the newspaper Mr. Arison said: "We gave them [Cammell Laird] a very, very important contract and ability to prove that they can compete in significant cruise ship building and the result so far has been quite disappointing, In the past] we have been heavily criticised for not having considered the UK for the [Cunard's] QUEEN MARY project. The last bid on the QUEEN MARY was that Harland & Wolff was doing the steel work and Cammell Laird was going to do the outfitting. Thank God we didn't proceed on that basis." According to him, until the same Thursday the ship was expected at the shipyard, Costa tried to talk with the shipyard in order to obtain guarantees and negotiate new re-delivery conditions. But, he underlined, the yard failed to supply any answer and the ship was ordered to reverse her route. "We have had issues with yards where they were in delay for various reasons. Always in the past [with other shipyards] we have been able to sit down and work out issues and resolve the problem with some sort of negotiation and amending agreements. But in this case Cammell Laird has taken what I would consider an unusual turn - putting out press releases, inaccurate propaganda. I'm not sure why they did that or what's their interest to do that but obviously we are quite concerned and upset. "They made accusations about Italian subsidies which don't exist and our alleged intention to carry on the job at other yards. Ridiculous, ridiculous statements they have been made and I don't understand it." Cammell Laird's position is that there is a contract in place and that they are fulfilling it. The yard's financial director, Jon Schofield, told Lloyd's List that the mid-section body was ready as agreed under the contract and that Brooks Bell & Co, a third party surveyor, had certified that they are "about on time. "We are just waiting for the COSTA CLASSICA to arrive in order to carry on with the job. We believe that Costa is on breach of the contract," Mr. Schofield said. Mr. Arison's position was different. "This is a shame," he said. "I saw statements in which the shipyard claims the mid- body is finished. "It's unusual and disconcerting that instead of sitting down and finding out a solution they are making unbelievable statements". The on schedule launching of the mid body module did not impress Mr. Arison who commented: "They would have done better to paint it before launching it," he said. "My understanding is that they launched it without painting it. "They just launched it to make a point. You can launch a piece of steel. The issue is what is the condition of the mid-body inside. "I haven't personally seen it but my understanding is that from deck 8 above there is virtually nothing" The real situation remains unclear but Mr. Arison confirmed that the group has not scrapped the project yet. "Indeed we still want to carry on the lengthening of the COSTA CLASSICA," he said despite being unable to project any possible development, such as whether it is it still technically possible to transform the ship and get her back before the summer season. "I don't know. To my knowledge there is no serious negotiation going on despite the fact that for months we requested it. "There have been requests coming from Genoa, from [Costa Crociere chairman and chief executive Pier Luigi] Foschi's office to sit down and work out some sort of understanding based on the work carried out and it hasn't happened. Such behaviour from a shipyard has never happened to us before. I'm disconcerted." "For Cammell Laird to have an interest in going into the cruise business and have us as their first major customer and then to behave in this fashion doesn't promote their abilities to attract cruise customers." Mr. Martin also denied the alleged lack of communication between the two companies stating that Cammell Laird chief executive John Stafford had been in Genoa on the day the COSTA CLASSICA had departed for the UK. Mr. Martin said: "I am surprised by this. We have been in contact with Costa at all levels. In the last two weeks the chief executive must have been in Genoa three or four times," said Mr. Martin. He claimed most of the fitting out of the mid-section had been done as far as was possible before insertion into the ship. The section had also been primer- painted. On a brighter note Lloyds List also reported that Les Royle, chief executive of Luxus Holdings, which has options for the construction of two cruise ships at Birkenhead , said the problems with Costa Crociere made no difference to his order. A 21-year-old fisherman probably drowned after falling overboard or being dragged into the sea by a rope around his foot, an inquest has heard. Daniel Kebble was fishing alone in his boat, the HARBOUR LIGHTS, one mile off the Cornish coast when he disappeared on January 8 this year. Family and friends searching for him recovered wreckage from his 26ft boat in Talland Bay, Polperro, that night, but his body was never found. The jury at the inquest at Bodmin found the cause of death was presumed drowning and returned a verdict of accidental death. Mr. Kebble's father, Terry Kebble, said he had loved the sea from an early age. He said his son left school at 16 to work with Polperro harbourmaster Chris Curtis. Two years later he bought his boat, the HARBOUR LIGHTS. He said his son, who always fished alone, had completed courses in sea safety, firefighting at sea and sea survival. Marine Accident Investigation Branch inspector Richard Barwick said it was likely that Mr. Kebble fell or was dragged overboard by his fishing gear after deploying a net. LARGEST EVER FREIGHT FACILITIES GRANT AWARDED BELFAST PORT The Belfast Telegraph reported this week that BELFAST Harbour Commissioners today welcomed the publication of a new economic appraisal of the options for the Port of Belfast. "Extended powers would open up possibilities such as enabling us to borrow money, develop property and take part in joint ventures. But the Commissioners would be left with a third of its existing land portfolio, retaining ownership of dockland sites, including the land on which various terminals and the Clarendon Dock development are built. Mr. Irwin said: "We would accept the conclusions in the PwC report, and we see our future as being a modern port in terms of facilities and efficient operation, not reliant on European Union grant aid or public funds. BEAM TRAWLER CALLS MILFORD HAVEN COASTGUARD FALMOUTH COASTGUARD AID SINKING ANGLO SPANISH TRAWLER Falmouth Coastguard duty district officer Steve Huxley said: "It was a race against time. The weather conditions worsened through the night and obviously being 200 nautical miles from Lands End presents us with logistical problems as well." At the time of the rescue, there was a force eight to nine gale, with heavy seas and a 9ft swell. The steel vessel with four crew on board was making its way in towards Newlyn to replenish supplies of fresh water when the engine cut out and the vessel was driven on to rocks. The rumour that Barrow-in-Furness based James Fisher & Sons Plc was interested in acquiring the Southampton, Isle of Wight and South of England Royal Mail Steam Packet Public Limited Company other wise known as Red Funnel has finally been laid to rest with the news that the American Investment Bank JP Morgan has made a £70m offer for the company WORLD NEWS FERRY DISASTER - OFFICERS BLAMED The December NUMAST Telegraph has reported that a Norwegian investigation into the causes of the SLEIPNER fast ferry disaster in November 1999 in which 14 people died has criticised the captain and crew for poor navigation. Fourteen people died when the craft ran aground. The investigation commission also found the company's procedures to be inadequate and found faults with certain equipment on board - such as emergency power sources being below the waterline. The commission, set up by the Norwegian Justice Ministry, said the catamaran's equipment should have enabled safe navigation. "The direct cause of the grounding was that the navigators were navigating wrongly and did not Investigators said the vessel seemed to have been off course for some time. Just before the accident both navigators were busy adjusting radar screens and neither was keeping a lookout. The report says the vessel was built to correct seaworthy standards, although the electrical system did not meet requirements. Liferafts lacked approved hydrostatic releases, and there were other 'considerable weaknesses' in the evacuating and lifesaving arrangements - with inadequate lifejackets being blamed for some of the fatalities. The owner of the vessel, HSD, was criticised for not properly ensuring safety, and the Norwegian Maritime Authority was criticised for allowing the SLEIPNER to operate in a significant wave height of one metre. More industry and public resources need to go into training, said the report. Bjorn Haav of the Norwegian Maritime Officers Association told the NUSMAST Telegraph that criticism of the company was 'very weak', but agreed with the criticism of the maritime authority. |
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