Comments (Newest First):

 

Post 4544

  Sea News, Dover

CARGO COMINGS AND GOINGS YESTERDAY.
Lombok Strait and Emerald...


We featured the Lombok Strait earlier this week during her arrival and stay here at the Port of Dover...now there we are above with some shots of her departure for Hamburg at 07.30 yesterday morning. Twas all a wee bit slate grey for the departure as you can see.

A few hours later below and all had warmed up as Emerald arrived to take up the vacant slot at the Dover Cargo Terminal.


Well done with that cruise listing below Colette. Will watch out for all the arrivals.
Nice shot below there Mike from Ramsgate harbour. Looking good.


Wednesday, 2 August 2017 - 06:33

 

Post 4543

  Colette B, Dover

CRUISE VISITS
____________

I cannot believe that August is already upon us

Some very interesting photos from the Sea News team, the US Navy moored in Sandwich, within walking distance of a pub no less Wonderful photo by Ed Connell of the Dutch sailing vessel ‘Aphrodite’ off the French Coast and something I have never seen before, a four masted barque (the Peking) being transported by Combi Dock! Wowser!!!!

Now for the first of our cruise visits, on Thursday August 3rd Seabourn Quest starts her 16 night ‘Jewels of the National Trust’ cruise. Calling at Edinburgh, Invergordon, Orkney Islands, Ullapool and Oban in Scotland then across the Irish Sea to Londonderry then back to Holy Loch in Scotland. From there she sets course for Douglas in the Isle of Man, Dublin, Holyhead, Cork and the Scilly Isles. Arriving here at CT1, 07.00, leaving 20.00 hours, T/R.

The following day Friday August 4th Saga Pearl ll also starts her 16 night ‘White Nights of the Baltic’ cruise through the Kiel Canal visiting the ‘Little Mermaid’ in Denmark’s Copenhagen harbour, Stockholm (Sweden), Helinski (Finland), St Petersburg (Russia), Tallin (Estonia), Ronne and Wismar (Germany) and Ijmuiden (Holland). She arrives here at CT1, 08.00, departing 16.00 hours, T/R.

There will be a short break now until Thursday August 10th when our good friend the Black Watch sails in to take a mini cruise to Amsterdam.

I’ll be back again with more cruise calls real soon


Tuesday, 1 August 2017 - 10:37

 

Post 4542

  Mike J., Dover

Paul isn't the only person to forget to post pix -
Almost a full set of pilot boats at Ramsgate yesterday, only one tucked away in the Inner Harbour.


Tuesday, 1 August 2017 - 09:41

 

Post 4541

  Sea News, Dover

I omitted this one of the Saga Sapphire arrival yesterday from the earlier post...it was supposed to be picture 4 below but here we are now.... you know what they say "better late than never!"
PB.

Tuesday, 1 August 2017 - 07:44

 

Post 4540

  Sea News, Dover

Catching up on Yesterdays Arrivals...
Following on from Ed's pic of the Lombok Strait at the Dover Cargo Terminal, here we are with a couple of shots of her earlier arrival in the watery sunshine at 06.30....




One hour later and we see Saga Sapphire approaching ...
for another visit to the Port of Dover


Fascinating post below there Mike - well done with that one.
Nice pictures Patrick...particularly like that one of the departing Saga Sapphire.
Ace work Ed again....saw the Whitstar and tried to get a decent picture without much luck, those are great.

Well done lads

Tuesday, 1 August 2017 - 06:33

 

Post 4539

  Mike J., Dover

Following on from Paul’s photo of the U.S patrol vessel P22 at Sandwich in post 4046 her berth in Ramsgate has been taken over by a most disreputable & apparently decaying motor yacht called the FRAN.
Her nameboard on the stern claims that she is registered in Daytona Beach, Florida in the U.S of A.
I have my doubts.

Monday morning there was filming going on nearby with the harbour carpark taken over by film crews & equipment & the Marine Parade traffic totally disorganised with STOP/GO signs & much milling about.
Security everywhere with most of them seeming to speak something Eastern Europeanish.

It seems that that a film called ‘Juliet Naked’ is being shot which has an American connection & I’m wondering whether the FRAN is to be part of the film.

The story line, according to Google -

. . . . . Juliet Naked tells the story of Annie (played by Rose Byrne), the long-suffering girlfriend of Duncan (Chris O’Dowd), and her unlikely transatlantic romance with once revered, now faded, singer-songwriter, Tucker Crowe (Ethan Hawke), who also happens to be the subject of Duncan’s musical obsession . . . . .

I don’t think that I’ll be in the queue on the opening night

If the FRAN has been ‘made up’ to look worse than it actually is the ‘set dressers’ have done a darn good job.




Back in the real world the tug GPS ARCADIA was on the Ramsgate slipway & looking very smart in her new paint job.
Built in 2009 she formerly operated in Australia as the PB ALLIGATOR & was acquired by GPS MARINE last year.




Monday, 31 July 2017 - 23:13

 

Post 4538

  Patrick, Marine Parade

A slightly unusual view of the departing 'Saga Sapphire' Cruise Termnial 1 this afternoon. This photograph was taken from low down on Dover beach looking through the DWDR piling currently underway for the new cargo terminal and marina.



Meanwhile dredging work continues alongside the Prince of Wales pier. Here dredger 'Kreeft' is working with hopper barge 'Wadden 1'. 'Kreeft' I beleive means crayfish or lobster. Quite appropriate with the claw grab hard at work.



On the other side, in the Wellington Dock, work continues to build the Navigation Channel that will eventually provide lock access into the Dock.




Monday, 31 July 2017 - 18:46

 

Post 4537

  Ed Connell, Dover Strait

Lombok Strait at the DCT today.


Bunker barge Whitstar yesterday.




Monday, 31 July 2017 - 13:37

 

Post 4536

  Sea News, Dover

P&O FERRIES TAKES ON 140 NEW STAFF IN KENT
TO HELP SERVE MILLIONS OF SUMMER TOURISTS TRAVELLING BETWEEN BRITAIN AND FRANCE


MORE than 140 seasonal jobs have been created in Kent this August as P&O Ferries ramps up its operations on the English Channel for the peak summer season.

The ferry and logistics company - which runs six ships on the Dover-Calais route including the 47,000-ton flagships Spirit of Britain and Spirit of France - expects to carry almost one million passengers between Britain and the Continent in the month of August alone.

It has significantly expanded its workforce to cope with the additional number of tourists expected to travel during peak season this year, with the majority of jobs going to local people from Kent.

More than 100 people have been recruited to work on board the ships themselves in positions such as chefs and assistant stewards. Another 20 new recruits will help with the company's operations at the Port of Dover, with roles including port drivers and mooring operatives.

P&O Ferries' warehouse at Whitfield, which supplies its fleet of more than 20 ships sailing around the British Isles, has taken on six new people to cope with the summer rush. And the company's call centre at Channel House in Dover has recruited 15 new faces for the duration of peak season.

Janette Bell, Managing Director of P&O Ferries, said: "In addition to being one of the major employers in Kent, it is not always realised that we also employ well over 100 temporary workers during the height of summer. Many of these roles will be filled by students who have just graduated, young people entering the workforce for the first time, or people from households who simply want a second income for part of the year."

"I can assure our customers that every one of the people we employ will be dedicated to maintaining the highest standards of service at P&O Ferries. And anyone interested in working for us next summer can log on to www.poferries.com/en/jobs to register for job alerts."

P&O Ferries' announced last month that it had carried more freight across the English Channel in the first six months of 2017 than in any first half of the year in its modern history.

P&O Ferries is a leading pan-European ferry and logistics company, sailing on eight major routes between Britain, France, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, Holland and Belgium. It operates more than 20 vessels which carry 10 million passengers, 1.6 million cars and 2.2 million freight units every year.

ENDS

Many thanks once again to P&O Ferries for the information above.
Picture shows recruits Munashe Navarro age 21 form Dover and Ellie Cox age 20 from Nonington.

To accompany the press release above we have added some pictures below sent in by reader
SIMON BRISS of some of the busy P&O Ferries in recent action.






Many thanks to Simon for the pictures above. Great stuff Simon.
and of course to Ed below for the ace views of Aphrodite off the French coast.






Monday, 31 July 2017 - 06:04

 

Post 4535

  Ed Connell, Dover Strait

Dutch sailing vessel Aphrodite off the French coast today.



Sunday, 30 July 2017 - 12:30

 

Post 4534

  Sea News, Dover

Sandwich duck challenges the might of the US Navy! The little duck above there was getting up close and personal with P22 which is currently moored in Sandwich, very close to the pub for yours trulys convenience. More detail below. The picture was taken this time last week.(sunday)...was quite a surprise to see it over there in Sandwich. Further detail below as you can see...



Pictures below of the very gloomy early arrival yesterday of the Pacific Princess, She is en route to Iceland and Norway as per Colette's earlier post. Time of pictures 05.40. Gosh it was gloomy and bleak yesterday.
Wots 'appened to our scorching summer??




Fascinating post below from Ed. Don't miss that one! PaulB.

Sunday, 30 July 2017 - 07:17

 

Post 4533

  Ed Connell, Dover Strait

The four masted barque "Peking" passed up the Dover Strait today being transported on the heavy lift ship "Combi Dock III". She was originally built for the German shipping company F.Laeisz as one of the famous Flying P's, involved in the nitrate and wheat trade back around Cape Horn to Europe. Then many decades as the training ship "Arethusa" moored in the Thames. Since then she has been several decades at the South Street Seaport Museum in New York and is now one her way to be a museum ship in Hamburg. The wreck of the "Preussen" which lies at the foot of the South Foreland was another vessel of the same company.








Saturday, 29 July 2017 - 22:21

 

Post 4532

  Sea News, Dover

These are the same guys you saw in Ed's post 4022 when they were tackling an anchor situation on the Southern Bay. This time an altogether lighter problem retrieving the lifebelt from the water. Said lifebelt regularly makes its way into the sea....high jinks from the school-less kids no doubt. Don't do it kids. I have a feeling the woman in the pictures actually called the Patrol Boat guys on her mobile...they seemed to respond to her anyway.
The cautious approach...
Moving in for the kill...
Gotcha...
All done...

Ah .. excellent pictures below once again Sarah. You are in great form with the camera these times for sure.

Give it a go with the camera Vic...you might surprise yourself. It sometimes takes a bit of time.

PaulB.


Saturday, 29 July 2017 - 07:24

 

Post 4531

  vic matcham , Dovor

I have a CANON SX170 with 16x15 zoom lens but I am us at using it I look at your great action photos thinking why I do not get them like that.thank you.?

Friday, 28 July 2017 - 12:06

 

Post 4530

  Sarah, Ramsgate

Further photos taken yesterday.

Estuary Escort





MTS Valour



Typhoon Tow



MTS Valonia



Friday, 28 July 2017 - 10:24

 

Post 4529

  Sea News, Dover

Following on from ColetteB's listing see below 4038...that's the Saga Pearl II arriving with us a short time ago this morning. The picture has gone a bit purple though...very annoying Grrrr

Wowser! Absolute blinders below from Sarah capturing the Lifeboat callouts yesterday.Fab.Sharp.

And cracking stuff from George. You were right in close to the rough action there George.

I dunno...blinders and crackers...great stuff! PB.

Friday, 28 July 2017 - 08:42

 

Post 4528

  George, Dover

Some more shots of recent shipping activity associated with the ongoing Dover Western Docks Redevelopment project:


The dredger SOSPAN-DAU. Apparently the name SOSPAN-DAU is the Welsh translation of 'SAUCEPAN-TWO'!


The hopper barge WADDEN 4, with a DFDS 'D-Class' ferry fast approaching from behind.


The catamaran ISLAND PHOENIX out at sea.


Here she is again, taking the waves in her stride!


Some background information: The ISLAND PHOENIX is available for charter on a short or long term basis throughout Europe and is ready to be mobilised for crew transfer, survey,dive support and general work boat duties.

Friday, 28 July 2017 - 00:10

 

Post 4527

  Sarah, Ramsgate

A busy day in Ramsgate harbour today, THREE call out for the lifeboats in the afternoon plus the arrival of a relief lifeboat soon to be on duty here whilst our lifeboat is away for a refit.

Relief Lifeboat 14-12 Forward Birmingham



Service Call 37 - Inshore Lifeboat



Service Call 38 - All weather Lifeboat



Service Call 39 - All weather Lifeboat





Thursday, 27 July 2017 - 23:30

 

Post 4526

  Colette B, Dover

CRUISE VISITS

Wow! The photos that constantly appear on Sea News are truly awesome, with tremendous shots of the comings and goings in and around Dover just eye boggling, keep up the great work Guys!!

As promised here are the final cruise calls for the month of July.
Tomorrow Friday July 28th Saga Pearl ll starts her 7 night ‘Summertime in the Fjords’ cruise. She visits the beautiful Norwegian waterside cities of Stavanger and Bergen as well as visiting Sognefjord and Geiranger which are both recognised by UNESCO as two of the world’s best fjords She arrives here tomorrow morning at CT1, 08.00, departing at 16.00 hours, T/R.

The following day Saturday July 29th the wonderful Princess Cruises ‘Pacific Princess’ visits us once again. She starts her 14 night ‘Iceland and Norway’ cruise calling at Lerwick in the Shetlands and Scrabster Harbour, off the North Coast of Scotland. She then sails to Iceland taking in Seydisfjordur, Akureyri, Grundarfjordur and Reykjavik before visiting Ulvik and Bergen in Norway. Arriving here at CT1, 06.00, leaving 17.00 hours, T/R.

The last call for the month of July is on Monday July 31st when Saga Sapphire commences her 12 night ‘Highland Fling’ cruise. This Summertime cruise to the beautiful Scottish Highlands includes Edinburgh, for the Spectacular Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, Peterhead, the Orkney Islands and Douglas in the Isle of Man. She arrives here at CT1, 08.00, departing 16.00 hours, T/R.

The next cruise ship to visit our shores will be the Seabourn Quest on Thursday August 3rd, further information about August cruises to follow soon


Thursday, 27 July 2017 - 22:37

 

Post 4525

  Sea News, Dover

Following on from both Mike and Jeremy with their ace pictures of the Noordstroom....I will just add those two above to the mix. Yours truly just spotted the departing Noordstroom as she left us for Rotterdam on a miserable gloomy oul day. Time of shots 16.30 (or 4.30pm).

Mike was down the admiralty pier to capture those arrival shots further below and excellent they are too...very atmospheric. Bet it was chilly down there yesterday for our 'inshore correspondent'. A chap would need his string vest on so he would !

Well done too to Jeremy. Always good to see your pictures Jeremy.


Great post too from Ed re the vehicle carriers. Was fascinating stuff. Really enjoyed that one. .


Our roving reporter was out roving once more to get those cracking Lifeboat shots at Margate. Well done Sarah! Excellent and looking good! The Lifeboat guys all giving us a wave too.


Thanks Vic once more...lots more to come.


Good to hear from you Adam. Will aim to get more of the big ships in the Channel...glad you like those ...it all depends of course on visibility and so on, will keep an eye out for the one you mention.


PaulB



Thursday, 27 July 2017 - 15:29