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Sea Pictures from Dover.

Sailing Ships just off Dover: Europa above and De Gallant below...


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Post 2166
  Mike J., Dover
& a little further across the bay as she left via Eastern.




Thursday, 9 July 2015 - 08:23
 
Post 2165
  Sea News, Dover
Operation Stack remains in place. More in 1713.
Below we have regular visitor the Saga Pearl II moving off yesterday about 4.20pm. Quite an early departure which of course always helps from our point of view with the pictures. As you can see the ship is well populated as she heads off for Stavanger in Norway, lots of tourists on deck waiting no doubt for the arrival of the masterful spitfires...worth the price of admission alone. These usually put on a fantastic display although often just outside the range of our cameras, as they were this time too.




Below we have a couple of shots from Tuesday evening. This is the evening the Lifeboat uses for training etc etc. Conditions out there were a wee bit rough on Tuesday to put it mildly so they were powering through the surf in spectacular but meaningful style. These pictures were taken late in the day so it's just that bit more difficult with the fading light...so we just got the Lifeboat returning and beginning to power down.



Thanks again Vic - lots more to come.
Just to remind everyone that the all spectacular Disney Magic is scheduled to be with us here tomorrow friday. Get those cameras charged Smiley

Thursday, 9 July 2015 - 06:30
 
Post 2164
  Vicmatcham, River
SmileyThanks again good news reports and photos.

Wednesday, 8 July 2015 - 17:17
 
Post 2163
  Sea News, Dover
Nice collection in the post below from Mike. Other visitor of note yesterday was the old familiar workhorse the Eastern Bay...She came with a full load around 10am and left about 9.20pm last night with all containers delivered. Another busy day at the cargo terminal ...fast work, in and out on the same day.





UPDATE : Operation Stack remains in place @23.00hrs on 08.07.15
_______________________________________________________

The Port of Dover remains open for business with a full service operating to the Port of Calais with P&O Ferries and a full service operating to Dunkerque with DFDS Seaways.

Due to the disruption yesterday at the Channel Tunnel, the on-going situation at the Port of Calais and high volumes of freight traffic seeking to use all the Channel Ports, the Port of Dover would like to advise its passengers about potential traffic congestion on the M20. Operation Stack remains in place on the M20 and is closed coast-bound between junctions 8 to 11 (holding freight traffic on the coast-bound carriageway of the M20). Freight Traffic heading for the Port of Dover is advised to use the M20/A20 route and join Stack.

All non-Freight traffic currently leaves the M20 at Jct 8 to join the A20 and should follow the yellow circle diversion route. Tourist traffic heading for the Port of Dover is advised to use the A2/M2 route, but please allow plenty of time for your journey.

Traffic is currently flowing and the Port and the ferry operators are working hard to serve all customers travelling to and from the continent. We apologise for any delays or inconvenience as a result of the traffic congestion and we would like to reassure our local community we are playing our part to keep traffic, Dover and the UK economy moving.

Customers are advised to contact their chosen ferry operator before travelling and consult the Port of Dover website (www.doverport.co.uk) or Twitter account (@PoD_travelnews) for the latest travel information.

We will continue to monitor the situation closely, but this issue affects us all and together with all partners are working hard in order to resume normal operations as soon as possible.


To contact your operator see further down page ( post 1711) .

___________________


Below...another one of the sheltering Clupea...in the background you can notice the sea whipped up by a Force 8.....



Also, the Saga Pearl II back in with us today.

Wednesday, 8 July 2015 - 11:12
 
Post 2162
  Mike J., Dover
Around 0800 Tuesday morning our old friend the elderly British tug KINGSTON [post 72] came in via the Eastern Entrance towing the 39-year old Polish tug AMON & with the aid of the DAUNTLESS both tugs were moored on Cruise-2.












Tug & tow had left Falmouth on Sunday & AMON’s AIS shows her bound for Cuxhaven, the entrance to the Kiel Canal.
Perhaps their eventual destination is Poland & they may have come into Dover for shelter, with force 8 in the forecast.

Down in the Tidal Basin was the smart but curiously-named Dutch motor yacht MR.BEAN 2






During the afternoon the survey vessel CLUPEA came in for shelter from working in the Dungeness area & anchored in the bay - she was somewhat dwarfed when the SPIRIT OF BRITAIN left via the Western Entrance.









Tuesday, 7 July 2015 - 21:57
 
Post 2161
  Sea News, Dover

Operation Stack in place – 07.07.15 @1830hrs


Operation Stack (M20 closed coast-bound junctions 8 to 9) remains in place due to earlier disruption at the Channel Tunnel, the on-going situation at the Port of Calais and high volumes of freight traffic seeking to use all the Channel Ports.

The Port of Dover remains open for business with a full service operating to the Port of Calais with P&O Ferries and a full service operating to Dunkerque with DFDS Seaways.

Customers are still advised to contact their chosen ferry operator before travelling and consult the Port of Dover website (www.doverport.co.uk) or Twitter account (@PoD_travelnews) for the latest travel information.

Ferry Operator Contacts


DFDS Seaways
Freight: +44 (0) 1304 874 001
Tourist: +44 (0) 871 230 0440
Twitter: @dfdsseaways

P&O Ferries
Freight: +44 (0) 1304 863 340
Tourist: +44 (0) 8716 64 64 64
Twitter: @POferriesupdate

MyFerryLink
Freight: +44 (0) 1304 828 423
Tourist: +44 (0) 844 248 2100
Twitter: @MyFerryLink



Tuesday, 7 July 2015 - 18:44
 
Post 2160
  Sea News, Dover

AN OPEN LETTER FROM TIM WAGGOTT, CHIEF EXECUTIVE PORT OF DOVER.



Why the Port of Dover must keep the nation moving
__________________________________________

If anyone was still under the impression that the Port of Dover was a quaint little port on the south east corner of the UK doing ferry trips for holidaymakers or booze cruisers to France, then the past two weeks of disruption have surely shattered that illusion.

Clearly we were not planning such an extreme strategy about how we can change perceptions and get across the importance of the Port to UK plc, but nothing could have ever made the point better than turning off the tap that helps the UK’s trade to flow.

Whilst still just trickling, the UK trade tap was turned off enough in Calais to show just how vital Dover is to our national prosperity.

The Port of Dover handles £100 billion of trade. That is just less than the combined online retail sales of the UK, Germany, France, Sweden, The Netherlands, Italy, Poland and Spain (see Centre for Retail Research - www.retailresearch.org/onlineretailing.php). In just four days of concerted disruption in Calais, such action has already cost the UK economy an estimated one billion pounds.

How could you equate the importance of keeping such valuable trade moving with the incredible disruption caused at a major international gateway – Calais – by the mob rule of a small number of aggrieved militant Frenchmen? We certainly cannot. Unless supermarkets with empty shelves and assembly lines with vital parts missing are to become acceptable, then clearly under no circumstance should the recent situation be allowed to happen again.

Whilst the Port of Dover has remained open and operational throughout, we and our ferry business partners cannot provide the essential service and operations for the UK and for Europe, for which we are world renowned, if Calais is shut or its operations are limited.

And provide an essential service we must, for there is no substitutable capacity anywhere else that can take the type (high value, just-in-time goods) and volume (2.5 million freight vehicles) of traffic that we handle at Dover. Dover’s current yearly growth alone is the same as the annual throughput of other ‘major’ UK roll-on roll-off ports (excluding Eurotunnel).

Resilience is key. Our staff have worked tirelessly, and we have had fantastic multi-agency, ferry operator and trade support in dealing with the industrial action at Calais, but it has taken huge resource. The Government must now look at turning its focus away from the immediate implications of a £1 billion strike to ensuring a £100 billion trade route can do its job 24/7; unimpeded by others for the long term.

We are rapidly approaching the very busy summer holiday period and so we are going to have the additional and very welcome challenge of helping many of the UK’s families on their way to enjoying their well deserved break.

The Port of Dover handles 13 million passengers each year. That is the equivalent of more than the UK’s fifth busiest airport - Luton. Would we allow the majority of services from one of our major airports to be curtailed for several days during the summer because of a few militant French workers? Of course not. So why do we allow it to happen to an equivalent passenger hub at Dover that also handles £100 billion of the nation’s trade at the same time on a core EU transport corridor?

And why do 13 million passengers come here? Because when we are allowed to, we deliver the biggest, best and most efficient service on the shortest sea crossing between the UK and mainland Europe. The UK and French governments need to make sure we can continue to do that as it is in all of our interests.

This is not an immigration issue; neither should it result in navel gazing and meaningless statements on the need for mega lorry parks. This is a debate about our trading island nation maintaining the economic recovery. That is the challenge and what we have seen recently is the stark reality of what happens when Dover is prevented from doing its job by the lawless actions of others.



Tim Waggott
Chief Executive
#operationimPORTant


* *


The Port at 5.30am this morning. We never sleep.


Smiley


Tuesday, 7 July 2015 - 06:19
 
Post 2159
  Sea News, Dover

One of the many harbour Cormorants enjoying the early morning sunshine earlier today.

Don't miss the news about the REGATTA below. New date! Plus ..getting the thumbsup from the British Ports Association, all in the post below.




Monday, 6 July 2015 - 16:03
 
Post 2158
  Sea News, Dover

Port of Dover Community Regatta
CHANGE OF DATE
____________________________

The Port of Dover’s commitment to delivering a bigger, better and successful event for Dover has led it, in consultation with its partners, to take the positive decision to change the date of the Port of Dover Community Regatta, moving it to the August Bank Holiday weekend.

Taking place along Dover’s award-winning esplanade, this year’s event will now take place on Sunday, 30th August.

Due to the addition of the significant current and ongoing challenges in Calais and their effect on Dover, mixed with the already anticipated impact of government-imposed exit checks and the busy start of the summer get-away, the Port does not want the thousands of people who will be coming to enjoy the Regatta to be caught up in, or adding to, a challenging transport situation for Dover.

Tim Waggott, Chief Executive, Port of Dover, said:
"Our main and genuine concern is the safety and welfare of our community and visitors wanting to enjoy a great day out in Dover. We have therefore looked at a later date when we know historically freight traffic is lighter as well as giving more time for the current situation to settle down."

Cllr Paul Watkins, Leader, Dover District Council said:
"Given the fluid situation in Calais and the potential for more disruption, it makes sense to err on the side of caution. We’re pleased that the Port is considering the impact on the local community. We look forward to hearing more about the Port’s plans to expand the Regatta on 30 August."

The Mayor of Dover, Councillor Christopher J Precious, said:
"It was obviously regrettable that the date for Dover’s biggest summer event has had to be changed but we all understand the reasons why and hope that everyone will come and show their support on the 30th August 2015, which promises to be a very spectacular day and evening."

The Port is currently exploring options for enhancing the August event in order to ensure that it provides an even better spectacle for the people of Dover.

For all enquiries related to the Port of Dover Community Regatta, pleas email Alyson.hudson@doverport.co.uk

ENDS

* *



Also..

Latest from the.....

BRITISH PORTS ASSOCIATION
_________________________

‘Disruption at the Port of Calais’

The British Ports Association very much welcomes the remarkable job carried out by the Port of Dover, the ferry companies and everyone involved both locally and nationally in responding to the disruption caused by the dispute in Calais.

In a difficult week this has been yet another reminder of the fundamental importance of Dover as a major gateway into the UK for both freight and passengers, supporting the UK economy. The port is a vital part of an industry that handles 95% of the country’s import and export trade.

We join with all those working for a permanent resolution of this dispute and a swift return to normal flows of passengers and freight.’


* *

Smiley

Thanks for that information below Mike on the Clupea. Nice picture below there too. Smiley
Hope you haven't done too much damage there Vic. Never a good idea hitting your leg with a hammer! Smiley


Monday, 6 July 2015 - 06:24
 
Post 2157
  Vicmatcham, Scotland
Still in Scotland waiting for my leg to get better after hitting it with hammer but thanks for all the news

Sunday, 5 July 2015 - 08:43
 
Post 2156
  Mike J., Dover

The OCEAN PRINCESS sailing via Eastern late afternoon on Saturday, bound for Bonnie Scautland & Lerwick.




The CLUPEA started life as a fishery research vessel, built in Aberdeen for the Government in 1968.

She is now in private hands & works as a survey vessel & has recently been involved in windfarm work.
She still uses her original name - that of the herring ‘family’

By 0800 Sunday morning she was working off Dungeness.


Sunday, 5 July 2015 - 08:22
 
Post 2155
  Sea News, Dover


This interesting vessel..called the Clupea, turned up late yesterday afternoon saturday. You can see the vessel here in the shadow of the cruise ship Ocean Princess. I understand her to be a fishery support vessel or a fishery research vessel, not entirely sure ..but she has 'rescue zone' painted on her side which is not showing in the pix. Could she be another support vessel from the offshore wind farm operations? Its possible.

Below from earlier in the day when sunshine was scarce...the Ocean Princess with a nicely decorious yacht strategically placed in front. Honestly ..the expense we go to!
Smiley

A Clupea it seems is an Atlantic herring...so there you are, not a lot of people know that ! Smiley

Sunday, 5 July 2015 - 06:44
 
Post 2154
  Sea News, Dover
The Operation Stack in place because of the difficulty at EUROTUNNEL is now lifted.

Saturday, 4 July 2015 - 15:58
 
Post 2153
  Sea News, Dover

Tried to get this picture into the post below but yours truly made slight cock-up in the gubbins department. So here it is above , it shows the two current ferry companies now ...both in action last evening. Nice to see something of a return to normality but we are not quite there yet.
See also the post below re Channel Tunnel. It's an invasion of Migrants we believe.

Saturday, 4 July 2015 - 07:27
 
Post 2152
  Sea News, Dover
Just when we thought....Smiley But no...


Disruption at Channel Tunnel – Operation Stack in place for EUROTUNNEL ONLY; – 04.07.15 @0515hrs
____________________________________________________________________________________


Operation Stack phase 2 (M20 closed coast-bound junctions 8 to 9) has been implemented due to disruption at the Channel Tunnel. Eurotunnel services are therefore affected.

NO ferry traffic is being held in Operation Stack and the Port of Dover remains open for business with a full service operating to the Port of Calais with P&O Ferries and a full service operating to Dunkerque with DFDS Seaways.

Customers are still advised to contact their chosen ferry operator before travelling and consult the Port of Dover website (www.doverport.co.uk) or Twitter account (@PoD_travelnews) for the latest travel information.

Details of ferry operators further down page.
Many thanks once again to the guys down at the Port as ever.


It is almost good to see movement almost back to normal...but of course it isn't quite. There is also the threat of further action in the wings. We will have more general news on Monday. Still have a backlog of info to get through. Couple of pictures of the TV Newsrooms in action down here. First one is Rebecca Williams of BBC Newsroom SouthEast. Saw her roaming about but we didnt get the 'all-crucial' shot ourselves. The second reporter is...well I don't know. if anyone knows let us know. Would always welcome the information.



Below we have a Monster Mover from Thursday evening. Nothing showed on AIS but it was one heckuva fracking device..probably heading for East Sussex as we don't do that sort of thing down here in Kent !!
Smiley Smiley

The Ocean Princess cruise ship back with us today.

Saturday, 4 July 2015 - 07:06
 
Post 2151
  Sea News, Dover


Friday, 3 July 2015 - 12:07
 
Post 2150
  Sea News, Dover

Minister sees scale of impact of industrial action on key transport corridor: Strike costing UK £250 Million a day..says Tim Waggott.



THURSDAY:The Ports and Shipping Minister, Robert Goodwill MP, has today travelled through Kent to the Port of Dover in order to see first hand the scale of disruption caused by ongoing industrial action in France.

Tim Waggott, Chief Executive, Port of Dover, said:

"Our Chairman George Jenkins and I, together with our major ferry partners, Port staff, representatives of the freight industry and of course the Dover and wider Kent community are pleased to welcome the Minister to Dover. The scale and prolonged period of disruption is bad for us all and it is bad for the UK too. The Port handles trade to the value of £100 billion every year and every day that this situation in France continues costs the UK at least £250 million. That is simply unacceptable and incredibly damaging."

The Minister witnessed the round-the-clock work being undertaken by the whole Port community to mitigate the impact on customers and the local community together with Kent Police, Highways England and all of the partner agencies within the Kent Resilience Forum dealing with the wider transport and welfare implications of Operation Stack.

Whilst at the Port, the Minister visited the Port’s dedicated Emergency Co-ordination Centre and Terminal Control from where the Port is spearheading its response in close cooperation with all of the key responders.

The Minister also took time to meet with some of the Port’s stakeholders, including the ferry operators P&O Ferries and DFDS Seaways.

Transport Minister, Robert Goodwill MP, said:

"The disruption this industrial action is causing to cross-Channel travel is completely unacceptable. Today I have seen the huge effort that is going into dealing with the knock on impact it is having on Dover and across Kent. The Prime Minister has discussed the situation at Calais with the President Hollande and the need to stop the blockade and maintain port security, and the Home Secretary today met her French counterpart Bernard Cazeneuve. We need to see services return to normal as soon as possible."

Mr Waggott added:

"The Port is acutely aware and highly sympathetic to the impact that this is having on our customers. I cannot praise our staff enough for the incredible dedication and professionalism being shown in challenging conditions. Together with our ferry partners who have been equally resilient and proactive in finding ways of keeping some traffic moving to other ports, we are and will continue to do all that we can to minimise the impact of a situation completely out of our control. I can assure everyone that we will do everything possible to allow Europe’s busiest ferry port to do its job for the nation; unimpeded by others."

ENDS


With P&O now able to access Calais on two berths ( see 1698) following a brief interlude in Boulogne...this Spirit was possibly the first ship out to Calais in the gloom of very early yesterday morn.



Smiley
STRIKE TRAFFIC UPDATE TWO POSTS BELOW

Friday, 3 July 2015 - 05:46
 
Post 2149
  Sea News, Dover
UPDATED STRIKE INFO IN THE POST BELOW THIS ONE.


DFDS Seaways: The Senior Vice President's reaction to the ongoing Calais port closure
____________________________________________________________________

Carsten Jensen, senior vice president and head of DFDS Seaways in the UK said: "We are deeply concerned that our customers are continuing to face long delays on their cross Channel journeys due to ongoing industrial action in Calais, which has closed that port. We’d like to apologise to all our passengers and freight customers caught up in this gruelling situation and appeal to the authorities in France to reopen the port of Calais as soon as possible to allow people to travel through it quickly and safely.

"Whilst we appreciate the hard work from the police and port authorities in Dover and France, and we are working closely with them to transport as many passengers as possible through the alternative port of Dunkirk, some 20 miles east of Calais, the reality is that this situation is simply not acceptable and must not be allowed to continue."

Ends



Pictures: Gloomy times at the Port of Calais ... on many fronts.

Below we have two pictures of the Saga Sapphire yesterday. First shot from early morning and in the distance you can see one of the P&O Spirits anchored off Shakespeare Cliff. Yesterday turned out to be the hottest day in July since records began...and boy was it hot! Always good to get as close as possible to the sea at times like these. The second pic below shows the ultra calm reversing departure late last evening...all was amazingly calm...and amazingly warm.




UPDATED STRIKE INFO BELOW. A LIMITED SERVICE TO CALAIS. MORE BELOW.



Thursday, 2 July 2015 - 05:25
 
Post 2148
  Sea News, Dover

UPDATE : Industrial Action at Port of Calais – UPDATE 03.07.15 @1030hrs
____________________________________________________________


Following a sustained period of industrial action in France commencing at 1420 BST on 29th June, the Port of Calais is now operating two berths which is allowing P&O Ferries to run a full service to Calais whilst DFDS Seaways continues to run a full service to Dunkerque, with an additional ship diverted to the route to help accommodate heavy traffic.

The Port of Dover continues to liaise closely with Kent Police and Highways England as Operation Stack remains in place and is likely to do so until Monday. All freight traffic heading towards Dover must join the Operation Stack queue. When drivers reach the front of the queue they will be given a ticket to allow them to travel to the continent.

Non-freight traffic is advised to avoid the M20 and find alternative routes.

Customers are advised to contact their chosen ferry operator before travelling and consult the Port of Dover website (www.doverport.co.uk) or Twitter account (@PoD_travelnews) for the latest travel information.

We sincerely regret the impact to the travelling public, freight operators and the Dover community of a situation that has been beyond our control. We will continue to monitor the situation closely in liaison with all our partners in order to resume normal operations as soon as possible.


Ferry Operator Contacts

DFDS Seaways
Freight: +44 (0) 1304 874 001
Tourist: +44 (0) 871 230 0440
Twitter: @dfdsseaways

P&O Ferries
Freight: +44 (0) 1304 863 340
Tourist: +44 (0) 8716 64 64 64
Twitter: @POferriesupdate

MyFerryLink
Freight: +44 (0) 1304 828 423
Tourist: +44 (0) 844 248 2100
Twitter: @MyFerryLink



ENDS




Some of the 5,000 trucks in the current backlog.



Wednesday, 1 July 2015 - 19:02
 
Post 2147
  Sea News, Dover


Latest Press Release from DFDS SEAWAYS.....: 1 July 2015
_______________________________________________


DFDS’ OFFER FOR PART OF SCOP SEAFRANCE REJECTED WITHOUT ANY PRIOR CONTACT
_______________________________________________________________________


Following discussions with all stakeholders including the French Minister of Transport, on June 25 2015 DFDS submitted an offer to the administrators of SCOP Seafrance for the acquisition of a part of SCOP Seafrance including 202 staff. This would have allowed DFDS to operate a 3rd vessel between Dover and Calais.


DFDS has had no response to this offer and is surprised by the apparent unwillingness of the SCOP Seafrance administrators to engage in a dialogue with DFDS.
Yesterday night, DFDS was informed by the administrators that this offer was rejected.


DFDS regrets the position taken by the administrators, but remains at the disposal of the Commercial Court of Boulogne to discuss a transfer of parts of the SCOP Seafrance business in order to minimize the social impact of the potential liquidation of SCOP Seafrance.


The rejection of the offer does not affect the agreed bareboat charters between DFDS and the Eurotunnel Group, which will commence on 2 July 2015.


- ENDS –








Wednesday, 1 July 2015 - 16:33
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