Comments (Newest First):

 

Post 4463

  Patrick, Marine Parade

'Sea Princess' departure yesterday


Last Friday saw the departure of the big grab crane used to lift the concrete blocks cut away from the Dunkirk Jetty. The 'grab' shown here left first loaded onto its own 'Bugsier' barge under tow by tug 'Arion'



Meanwhile a little time out was taken by one of the workers during the transportation of yet more piles today around the 'Prince of Wales' into the Exclusion Zone.



Tuesday, 11 July 2017 - 21:49

 

Post 4462

  Sea News, Dover

Now we have a wee bit of a Wadden Special. Yes its Team Wadden in action this week...



Wadden 1 and Wadden 4 have been working hard alongside our ol friend Sospan Dau ( Sospan not in shots this time). Pictures taken during the past couple of days.

Also in port was Luzon Strait but almost overlooked in the high levels of activity. I see this morning she has already left us, as I didn't get a pic this time around here is an unused one from a previous time. The Luzon Strait.


Yours truly is working through a backlog of images here...cruise liners departing etc etc. Bear with....will catch up. But of course don't want to flood us out either, everyone and everything gets their moment of fair coverage hopefully...
that's the plan stan!

Thanks Del - glad you liked that one

Well done Mike - nice coverage there in those shots below. Creative angles very enjoyable.

Just want to say once again - Sarah's coverage of the Lifeboats excellent there from further afield.
Must try and find that oldish shot of Calais Lifeboat myself too.

Well done guys PB.

Tuesday, 11 July 2017 - 05:18

 

Post 4461

  Del Styan, Norwich

brilliant moon shot - well done!

Monday, 10 July 2017 - 22:56

 

Post 4460

  Mike J., Dover

Another angle of the later-than-advertised departure of DISNEY MAGIC on Sunday evening & the arrival from Le Havre of the SEA PRINCESS early this morning.






Monday, 10 July 2017 - 15:46

 

Post 4459

  Sea News, Dover

The departing Disney Magic. She left us at the Port of Dover in grand style last evening around 6pm
...first stop Le Havre. What a beauty! There is another beauty in with us today too...the Sea Princess.
But...Enjoy the dazzlingly delightful departing Disney Magic.... and here we are...



...with the ever beavering Sospan Dau there.

And speaking of all things Disney and Magical, here we are with the magical majestic full moon from Saturday night....yes its from Saturday night but we have added some magic of our own. Yes it was really that size... !!


Great work Sarah below there with those pictures. You captured the launch moments brilliantly in Margate.
Yes indeed our roving correspondent was out there ... ermmm roving...as you can see.
PaulB.

Monday, 10 July 2017 - 06:41

 

Post 4458

  Sarah, Ramsgate

Relief Lifeboat being launched for an exercise at Margate.











Sunday, 9 July 2017 - 22:33

 

Post 4457

  Sea News, Dover

The magnificent Disney Magic amongst the DWDR working vessels earlier today.
Great pictures below Sarah. Great work..

Sunday, 9 July 2017 - 15:53

 

Post 4456

  Sarah, Ramsgate

A few photos from Ramsgate taken recently.

Border Force Eagle



SC Amethyst



Abeko Server 3



Estuary Elan



CWind Phantom



Sunday, 9 July 2017 - 07:48

 

Post 4455

  Sea News, Dover

General Sunday Morning Round-up ...
We have had busloads of schoolkids here in Dover all week, staying at the Premier Inn I believe and all studiously studying along the seafront and beyond. Normally in Dover we have umbrellas to keep off the driving rain but not this year. Nosireee bob...these girls are using them to keep the burning sun off those delicate complexions..


Well done those kidz... and teachers.

The piling goes on, a separate line of piling work here now as you can see...yes its the three wise men with Saga Sapphire as backdrop. Obviously we will have more piling coverage in due course .. the line increases all the time.


A final round-up of the wild seafront flowers, they are fading now fast. But this tangled web of glorious colour still fascinates.



The magnificent Disney Magic is back in with us today. Wowser!

Well done Mike below. Interesting and wide collection there.

Cracking shots of the Calais Lifeboat Sarah. I think I have some of that very same lifeboat in the archives, must see if I can find them.

PaulB


Sunday, 9 July 2017 - 06:22

 

Post 4454

  Mike J., Dover

On Saturday afternoon the Dutch coaster DERK came in from Cardiff with more DWDR piles & docked on the Prince of Wales.


An earlier arrival was the attractive Dutch old-timer ZEELAND, I’ve not found out much about her yet.

Soon after the arrival of the DERK the smart-looking crew boat ISLAND PHOENIX came in from the Folkestone area & is overnighting in the Tidal Basin.

The odd-looking workboat TOPLOADER has been on the pontoon in the Tidal Basin for a few days.

She is fresh out of the box & is on her delivery voyage from Meercat Workboats of Hythe [the Solent Hythe] to the Thames for her first job.


Saturday, 8 July 2017 - 23:52

 

Post 4453

  Sarah, Ramsgate

Ramsgate & Dover had a visit from Calais Lifeboat on Thursday, below are some photos from the visit to Ramsgate.











Loving the Dover Lifeboat photos guys

Saturday, 8 July 2017 - 09:14

 

Post 4452

  Sea News, Dover

A couple of extra images from the DWDR now...taken on different days this week when the weather was so different. First we have dredger Sospan Dau, a vessel that keeps going night and day. In the background you can see the two ever industrious tugs from Holyhead Towing...LLanddwyn Island and Afon Goch.


We have had Wadden 4 previously...well here we go...that's Wadden 1 in the foreground this time with a returning Sospan Dau again in the background. Working long into the evening light...


Saturday, 8 July 2017 - 06:39

 

Post 4451

  Sea News, Dover

'ENGLISH CHANNEL FREIGHT VOLUMES IN FIRST HALF OF YEAR WERE HIGHEST EVER', SAYS P&O FERRIES


Release time: immediate


P&O FERRIES 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.

The ferry and logistics company's six ships on the Dover-Calais route transported 710,813 lorries between January and June. This figure represents a 10.4 per cent increase on 2016, which was the previous best ever year.

Janette Bell, Managing Director of P&O Ferries, said: "These record volumes illustrate the continuing resilience of the British economy and the vital importance of reliable and punctual cross-Channel transport to thousands of business in Britain and Europe."

"Our rapidly growing freight business is increasingly integrated across road and rail as well as sea. Many of the loads which cross the English Channel on our ships come via lorries from Central and Eastern Europe and we are also seeing more shipments via trains from Spain and the South of France."

"We expect growing populations on both sides of the English Channel to continue to drive higher freight volumes in the years ahead and our door-to-door service is ideally suited to the requirements of exporters across the continent of Europe."

P&O Ferries' six ships on the English Channel include the 47,000 ton sister vessels Spirit of Britain and Spirit of France, which have twice the capacity of an ordinary ferry with room for 160 HGV's and 180 vans. Items transported in large quantities on P&O Ferries' English Channel fleet include fresh fruit and vegetables, wine and beer, white goods, building materials and components for production lines.

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.

Together with its logistics division, P&O Ferrymasters, the company also operates integrated road and rail links to countries across the continent including Italy, Poland and Romania. A P&O Ferrymasters-owned rail terminal in the northern Romanian city of Oradea, which will facilitate the onward movement of goods to Britain from the Silk Road, became operational last year.

ENDS



Brilliant work above there from P&O Ferries. Lets keep this freight rolling...


Many thanks to the guys at P & O for the info.
The pictures show the Pride of Kent. Top shot shows the ship recently approaching the Port of Calais, the second one as she approaches the Port of Dover.







Friday, 7 July 2017 - 06:49

 

Post 4450

  Sea News, Dover

As promised here we are with a pic of the departing Saga Sapphire on a gorgeous Monday evening when the colours were just right. She was off on a four day/night cruise to see and enjoy the cafes and canals of Amsterdam .. so that was an easy trip, not too strenuous. That's the hard working barge Wadden 4 again in the foreground.

The following morning saw some swirling fog as Esmeralda (The Bells! The Bells! ...I said I wouldn't do that any more ...) arrived with us here at the Port. That would be tuesday. Ed had a better pic of Esmeralda further down page see 3959.
PaulB.



Our frontline has a bigger role than ever ...says Charlie Elphicke MP.
_____________________________________________________________




Leaving the EU is a monumental change as well as an incredible opportunity for our nation. In order to achieve the best possible Brexit it is essential we are ready on day one.

Nowhere will our preparations be more vital than here at the Dover & Deal frontline. We face two great challenges. First making sure our customs checks are ready so tourists and trade continue to flow freely. That's why working with industry groups I have put together a detailed report for Government on how Britain can be prepared for every eventuality of leaving the EU. It is likely we will be leaving the single market and the custom union. If so we must make sure we are fully prepared so we can prove predictions of queues to the Channel Ports totally wrong.

Second we must ensure security at the border is stronger than ever. We must counter people trafficking, illegal immigration and terror threats. Last Summer we achieved so much when the Jungle was dismantled. It was a great success. It reduced pressure on the Dover border. Yet even so 50,000 illegal migrants tried to break into Britain last year. That's some 150 a day stopped by frontline border officers. 10 lorries were fined every day for having illegal migrants on board. Yet we also know from the stories of migrants landing on our shores in small craft that many more may be arriving undetected.

So we cannot afford to be complacent. With signs of attacks on tourists and truckers at Calais we must act now to ensure the problems of ast Summer are not repeated.

This underlines once again why we need more investment at our border. With so many migrants trying to break into Britain, our officers on the frontline are being put under intense pressure.

At Dover, they see thousands of trucks and cars pass every day. They use their experience to pick out suspect vehicles. They do an amazing job. Yet the smugglers and terrorists are getting ever more sophisticated.

So we need to boost our border force with the technology, data and people they need to protect our country and our trade.

I have set out the many ways of funding this investment. We can clamp down on tax dodging at the border. We can introduce a £10 visa waiver scheme like they do in the US. We can seize the traffickers' ill-gotten assets.

However we do it, it's clear we have no choice but to boost the borders budget. With Brexit fewer than two years away, we need to show we are serious about being fully prepared at our border. That's why I have been working with industry groups to plan ahead so we are ready on day one. We can make Brexit a massive success - but only if we're fully ready for it.


Ends


Thanks to local MP Charlie Elphicke for the above.



Thursday, 6 July 2017 - 06:31

 

Post 4449

  Sea News, Dover

Some pictures now from the past few days...the Wadden barges are back with us and working hard, as is the our ol friend the dredger Sospan Dau, all working very hard taking spoil out of Port. That's Wadden 4 above...and below we have Sospan Dau manoevering around the harbour with Saga Sapphire in the background. Will have a pic or two in due course of Saga Sapphire leaving us...




Nice pictures below there Patrick. Great stuff!

Wednesday, 5 July 2017 - 10:56

 

Post 4448

  Patrick, Marine Parade

Another shot of the Dover Lifeboat on exercise tonight, with RNLI rib alongside having completed their 'shore rescue'


Tuesday, 4 July 2017 - 20:43

 

Post 4447

  Patrick, Marine Parade, Dover

Dover Lifeboat on shore rescue exercise tonight



Followed by those wonderful 'Newfoundlands' (bit of a long shot view but worth it)





Tuesday, 4 July 2017 - 20:30

 

Post 4446

  Ed Connell, Dover Strait

Esmeralda berthing at the DCT today.


Tuesday, 4 July 2017 - 10:01

 

Post 4445

  Sea News, Dover

Some unfortunate images above there of the horrible crash on Jubilee Way....


POLICE ITEM : Kent Police is appealing for witnesses to a serious collision in Dover.

At 11.54pm Sunday, 2 July 2017 Police were called to a report of a collision on the A2 Jubilee Way, in Dover involving a yellow lorry and a black Nissan QashQai.

The lorry was travelling down Jubilee Way towards the docks and was in a head-on collision with the car which was travelling in the opposite direction.

The road was closed for a number of hours and the collision is being investigated by the Serious Collision Investigation Unit.

A 36-year-old man and a 51-year-old man were arrested in connection with the incident.

Anyone with information about the collision is asked to contact SCIU on 01622 798538 quoting DM/147/17.

Ends


UPDATE Today at 11:45

Kent Police is continuing to appeal for witnesses to a fatal collision in Dover.

At 11.54pm on Sunday (2 July 2017), police were called to a report of a collision on the A2 Jubilee Way in Dover, involving a yellow lorry and a black Nissan Qashqai.

The lorry was travelling down Jubilee Way towards the docks when it was in a collision with the car which was travelling in the opposite direction.

The driver of the car, a man in his 20s from Canterbury died at the scene. His next of kin have been made aware. A second man, who was a passenger, also died at the scene. Enquiries are ongoing to locate his next of kin. Formal identification for both men has yet to take place.

A 51-year-old man from Romania arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving currently remains in police custody. A 36-year-old man who was also arrested at the scene, has since been released without charge.

Anyone with information about the collision is asked to contact SCIU on 01622 798538 quoting DM/147/17.


Pictures: doverforum.com/sea-news


* *


Many thanks Ed. Great pictures below there.



Tuesday, 4 July 2017 - 04:50

 

Post 4444

  Ed Connell, Dover Strait

Atlantic Klipper at the DCT today.


Bunkering tanker Duzgit Venture departing after delivering weekly bunkers to the three DFDS D class vessels in Dunkerque West at the weekend.


Bulkcarrier Polymnia entering Dunkerque West with usual gaggle of tugs.


Queen Elizabeth proceeding up the Northeast lane yesterday.


Monday, 3 July 2017 - 12:50