Comments (Newest First):

 

Post 4524

  Adam Roylance, Warrington, North West

Hi guys

amazing pics as always. have you managed to capture the Madrid Maersk on its first voyage? the Channel pics of the big container ships are my favourites

thanks
Adam

Thursday, 27 July 2017 - 11:41

 

Post 4523

  vic matcham , dovor

Still great photos of the work being done in the port.

Thursday, 27 July 2017 - 07:17

 

Post 4522

  Sarah, Ramsgate

Margate Relief Lifeboat launching on an exercise last night.











Thursday, 27 July 2017 - 07:15

 

Post 4521

  Mike J., Dover

Trouble uploading tonight !

Here's the last two of the NOORDSTROOM sequence -






Wednesday, 26 July 2017 - 23:01

 

Post 4519

  Mike J., Dover

Shortly after Jeremy’s photos the NOORDSTROOM was joined by the MORAG M who helped with securing the two barges alongside each other, not easy in the deteriorating weather, before the convoy entered Western Entrance during a rain shower with the MORAG M secured astern.




[IMAGE-11]
[IMAGE-12]
After ridding herself of the barges the NOORDSTROOM didn’t stay long & by 2000 was well on her way back to Rotterdam.


Wednesday, 26 July 2017 - 22:40

 

Post 4518

  Jeremy Ward, Whitfield, Dover

Another slightly closer view, weather wasn't very good this afternoon.

Wednesday, 26 July 2017 - 15:52

 

Post 4517

  Jeremy Ward, Whitfield, Dover

Heading into Dover Port , the TUG Noordstroom, towing two barges earlier this afternoon.

Wednesday, 26 July 2017 - 15:49

 

Post 4516

  Ed Connell, Dover Strait

Car carriers, as in Paul's photo, are hideous blots on the seascape. Years ago there were three elegant Royal Mail liners running to South America - the Amazon, Aragon and Arlanza. They were known as the three Graces. They were purchased by Hoegh-Ugland Auto Liners and converted into car carriers. See below for what the Aragon looked like when she became the Hoegh Traveller.



Wednesday, 26 July 2017 - 12:57

 

Post 4515

  Sea News, Dover

Here we are with the Orion Highway. Yours truly spotted this bullet-nosed beast of a highly coloured layer cake in the way distance as it came down the channel a couple of evenings back and wondered what it was. When she got closer ...well we just had to have a stab at a few pictures and here we are.....



"Move out of the way, we're coming through...."

The Orion Highway is obviously a vehicle carrier and she was on her way to the sunshine in Barcelona...probably to pick up lots of Seats ....a very space-age look there. That's one of the P&O Spirits in the foreground.


Great pix from all the guys below there. George, Mike and a very interesting collection from Ed re anchor. Great stuff!. Yes spotted the Bastille Day flags. Hope you enjoyed your kippers this morning Del...lol!



PaulB

Wednesday, 26 July 2017 - 06:12

 

Post 4514

  George, Dover

Did anybody notice the French-registered DFDS ships had the flags out to celebrate Bastille Day earlier this month?


Calais Seaways approaches Dover 'dressed overall'. She was previously LD Lines' Norman Spirit and kept her French crew when she was absorbed into the DFDS fleet.


Here the Le Havre-registered Calais Seaways is leaving for Calais again, whilst a Dover-registered DFDS ship heads for Dunkirk in the background. You'd think they would show some team spirit and get the flags out too!


Cote des Dunes arrives off Dover next, also 'dressed overall'. Always a French ship, she was built as SeaFrance Rodin in 2001 and latterly was operated as just the Rodin by the now defunct MyFerryLink. DFDS completed their hire-purchase of the Cote des Dunes and her sister, Cote des Flandres, earlier this month, ending Eurotunnel's involvement in shipping once and for all.


Not Bastille Day, but maybe of interest nevertheless. The DFDS 'D Class' don't usually pass this close in mid-Channel between Dover and Dunkirk, but on this occasion they did!


And here's a view of the Cote des Dunes passing the Calais Seaways in the Channel on a lovely summer's evening.

Wednesday, 26 July 2017 - 00:31

 

Post 4513

  George, Dover

I promised some close-up shots of the Disney Magic last Friday. Sorry for the delay. Here goes:


The forward funnel appears to be in fact a 'dummy funnel', complete with fake exhaust uptakes. It certainly provides a useful structure to attach the giant video screen and water slide.


Don't you just love that giant 'Goofy' character dangling from the stern end, pretending to paint the ship's name? Sheer kitsch, but great fun nevertheless.


Here she appears to lurch to port as she heads out of the harbour into the Channel.


Unusual for a modern passenger ship to have bridge wings exposed to the elements, as in the case of the Disney Magic here.


One last view of her, this time out to sea. You might be able to just make out the dome of Boulogne Cathedral above the horizon. Thanks for letting me indulge in a little more Disney Magic worship!


Wednesday, 26 July 2017 - 00:01

 

Post 4512

  Del Styan, Norwich

Wow - those mackerel were lucky he didn't turn round to see what all that splashing was about! Makes me fancy kippers for breakfast tomorrow morning.

Tuesday, 25 July 2017 - 23:11

 

Post 4511

  Mike J., Dover

Comment:

Damn - put the coaster & dredger pix in the wrong places.
How did I miss that ?

Sorry !

Tuesday, 25 July 2017 - 21:20

 

Post 4510

  Mike J., Dover

Tuesday found the windcat EMS VIKING & the crewboat CRC GALAXY on the 'waiting pontoon' in the Tidal Basin.

The CRC GALAXY, very similar to the GRUMPY altho’ with a more substantial bow, has been working on the Ramsgate cablelaying job & didn’t escape Sarah’s camera in post 3891.

The Ramsgate-registered EMS VIKING has often been laid up in Wellington Dock but came in during the morning, from I know not where as she isn’t transmitting any AIS signal at the moment.


Another visitor, currently on Cruise-2 showing Portsmouth as her destination on her AIS, was the dredging barge MANU POKKA, which was towed in about midday by the workboat BKM 103 [similar design to AFON GOCH etc].
The tow seems to have come from somewhere up the East Coast.
The BKM 103 didn’t stay long & within an hour or so was heading off for Holland, leaving the MORAG M standing by the barge.

Yesterday the Liberian-flagged coaster DOUWENT came in to load grain.
She’d come down from Boston, Lincs.


Looking at the ‘Dover ETAs’ section of Marine Traffic AIS & amongst the familiar reefer names the Dutch tug NOORDSTROOM is heading our way from Holland, with an ETA for 1400 on Wednesday.
Her AIS signal is showing ‘Restricted Manoueverability’ & she’s only doing about 8 kts so presumably she’s towing something.


Tuesday, 25 July 2017 - 21:07

 

Post 4509

  Ed Connell, Dover Strait

Southern Bay at the DCT today. Had some problem with the starboard anchor so the DHB harbour launch attended to take photos whilst they lowered it and raised it again, presumably in case it damaged the quay wall or ladder.





Dunkerque Seaways entering Dunkerque West.


Tuesday, 25 July 2017 - 15:42

 

Post 4508

  Sea News, Dover

Holy Mackerel ! as we used to say...
This young lad was fishing for the frenzied mackerel the other evening as were several others...yours truly was trying to photograph the spectacle from the observation tower and in true pantomime fashion I found myself almost shouting to the young chap..."They're behind you!!" "They're behind you!!"
"They're still behind you !!"
There they go....

I dunno...if you stood at the waters edge with your Tesco bucket I'm sure several of them would have jumped in it...
its almost too easy.. Ive pushed the pix as big as I can so hopefully all can see the fish ok.


Wowser! Ed, a great collection below there of the Atlantic Reefer. Right up close...brilliant!

PaulB

Tuesday, 25 July 2017 - 06:55

 

Post 4507

  Ed Connell, Dover Strait

Atlantic Reefer berthing today.






Monday, 24 July 2017 - 22:11

 

Post 4506

  Sea News, Dover

P&O FERRIES GIVES FOUR LOCAL YOUNGSTERS A CHANCE TO EXPERIENCE THE WORLD OF WORK


P&O FERRIES welcomed four students from Kent onto one of its ships on the English Channel last week as part of a work experience course designed to give them an insight into how a shipping company is run.

Thomas Blomfield and Jonathan Last, both aged 15, and 14-year-old Owen Johns took time off from studying for their GCSE's at Harvey Grammar School in Folkestone to attend the week long course. They were joined by 15-year-old Louis Taylor-Brice from Sandwich Technology School.

P&O Ferries' work experience programme is run by Rachael Crepin, who works in the fleet procurement department. She said: "Local students are our employees of the future so we are keen to show them what working at one of Britain's leading ferry and logistics companies is like."

"Their itinerary included a briefing on the importance of safety, a trip to our warehouse in Whitfield, an introduction to our on-board services department which includes restaurants and shops on the ships, and a visit to the Spirit of France, a 47,000 ton ferry which sails ten times a day between Dover and Calais."

The four work experience students are pictured along with Rachael Crepin (far left), the captain of the Spirit of France Steve Johnson (centre) and on-board services manager Paul Staveney (far right).

Louis Taylor-Brice said: "I was interested in a career at sea before doing this work experience week and am now more interested than ever. I really enjoyed the visit to the Spirit of France, especially the engineering department, and the captain has very kindly invited me back to spend another day on board later this month."

Owen Johns added: "I really enjoyed touring the warehouse at Whitfield and seeing how products are received and prepared for distribution to the ships."

P&O Ferries has been running its work experience programme for more than six years and welcomes applications from young people who are interested in preparing for their careers. The Dover-based employer's wider stakeholder programme offers visits to schools and colleges within the local community, a free initiative with the visit often tailored to school requirements and their current projects.

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

Great work from P&O above there with the youngsters. Excellent.
...the Spirit of France below at Calais.



* *

Mike got a picture of the EGS Pioneer in post 4006, here are a couple of extra ones which show her arriving. The vessel was on a brief stopover here at the Port of Dover. An interesting one for sure ..




Ah many thanks for that Sarah. Glad you enjoyed all those lifeboat pix. I enjoyed those ones from Rye too. Right in the action. I've had a few nice trips to Rye myself in recent times. Very nice down there.
Well done our roving reporter who just did a great bit of recent roving to Rye.


Thanks Del...its good to show pictures that in a way we take for granted.. to show to those further afield. Glad you're enjoying it all.

Well done once again Mike with all the inshore coverage. Always good to see all the goings-on.

PaulB.




Monday, 24 July 2017 - 06:07

 

Post 4505

  Mike J., Dover

Interesting variety lately.

A quiet early Sunday morning.

Tidal Basin

Granville Dock, with f/v VIKING PRINCESS

Wellington Dock

The piling for the 'cut' from Wellington Dock thru the beach is starting to look like a piece of 'Modern Art'


Monday, 24 July 2017 - 00:48

 

Post 4504

  Del Styan, Norwich

Loved your pic of the camper vans along the prom, and great to see the Disney folk using the local hotels. Next stop Le Havre!

Sunday, 23 July 2017 - 23:27