Comments (Newest First):

 

Post 4068

  Sea News, Dover

Just before midday on Wednesday the tug Inge W came into Port towing the large platform MP40 behind it...quite an operation. This was happening while fishing vessel Cornelis Vrolijk was also circulating the harbour during her crew change visit, more below page on that one. The tug and platform made its way across the harbour and are now in the inner harbour area where a number of working vessels are accumulating..waiting for the big push on DWDR. That's MP40 under tow below...
   

Kreeft spent the night on...on ermm was it thursday, no Wednesday, near yours trulys observation tower, here she is moving off the next day, returning to the inner harbour. Last night she was back in the outer harbour alongside the old Prince of Wales pier. Its all happening...
 

See also the interesting Road Haulage Assoc item below. PB.

Friday, 31 March 2017 - 06:44

 

Post 4067

  Sea News, Dover

While we are on a trucking theme for the moment lets run with this one.....

We need a Brexit that avoids chaos on every approach to every ferry port in Britain says RHA
___________________________________________________________________________

As the Prime Minister announces the triggering of Article 50, Richard Burnett, Chief Executive of the Road Haulage Association, has made an impassioned plea for the needs of the trucking industry to be centre stage in Brexit negotiations.

"The trucking industry is the life blood of the UK economy. We literally deliver our economy, with 85% of everything we eat, drink, wear or build with travelling by truck.

"For the good of the UK economy the government must achieve a Brexit outcome that guarantees frictionless movements through ports and across borders, a level playing field for UK truckers to compete with those based on the continent, and a continuing ability to recruit foreign drivers.

"Our ferry ports, and the border in Ireland, need to have arrangements that allow trucks to move freely away from border areas," continued Richard Burnett. "Simply using current customs practices and applying them to UK/EU traffic risks delays of biblical proportions which would strangle growth and hurt the entire economy. We risk the chaos of Operation Stack becoming the norm and being replicated on the approach to every ferry port in Britain. A bad outcome for the UK road haulage industry will be a bad outcome for UK Plc."

Leaving the EU poses a significant risk to supply chains that deal with exports and imports by road if new customs controls are inappropriately imposed at border points. It is paramount that the Government ensures that international road haulage moves quickly and reliably after the UK exits the EU.

Concluding, Richard Burnett said: "The Government and Customs need to appreciate the scale of the problem at our ferry ports. They need to work on the issue with creativity, with industry partners and with authorities in the EU to ensure we maintain our border effectively while allowing trade to move freely.

The RHA has three priorities that need to become the Governments priorities for reliable haulage during negotiations:

1. Seamless customs through ports and borders (so that supply chains have a high level of reliability).
2. Unimpeded access for international road haulage operators in the UK and the EU (that is full access for UK and EU road operators transporting goods to, from and through the UK and the EU).
3. A system that allows lorry drivers to be recruited from outside the UK (including retaining current drivers from the EU, which we estimate to number 60,000).

Ends


Many thanks to the Road Haulage Association guys for the above. Heaven forbid! We have enough traffic chaos in Dover already..lets not make it worse.

also thanks to Patrick for the latest pictures below. Great stuff!
and to Vic for the comment..yes you must get down the seafront Vic now that you are feeling a bit better. Lovely fresh air down here...
Ah yes Brian...stop me and buy one...
PB

PS: More pix in the morning of the current Port movements re DWDR etc.

Thursday, 30 March 2017 - 17:33

 

Post 4066

  brian, dover

i thought the polish driver stoped him to buy an ice cream......

Thursday, 30 March 2017 - 14:54

 

Post 4064

  Sea News, Dover

Testing 1 2 3 4 ....
The SPAR truck shown here apparently overcooked it coming down Jubilee Way and ended in the sandtrap.

Thursday, 30 March 2017 - 09:43

 

Post 4063

  Patrick, Marine Parade

A couple more photos of the Hull registered fishing trawler 'Cornelis Vrolijk' in Port on 28th for a crew change courtesy of George Hammond.
Reportedly this trawler was responsible for catching 23% of England's fish in 2014. Landed in Holland.
Both shots show the arriving Boskalis backhoe dredger MP40 to berth at Western Docks in preparation for DWDR work due to commence next month.




Thursday, 30 March 2017 - 09:22

 

Post 4062

  vic matcham, Dovor

Maybe we will not see the fishing boat after we come out of the EU.
Thank you again for the great photos of the Port.
Now I am getting out more I will go down there my self it was last year when I was down there last.

Thursday, 30 March 2017 - 08:30

 

Post 4061

  Sea News, Dover

   

A couple of pictures of our ol' fishery friend Cornelis Vrolijk ( that's a mouthful!) arriving into Port yesterday - presumably once again for the customary crew change. The ship has most definitely had a spruce-up since her last visit as you can see. You can always see former pictures quite easily via our Search Engine above. Again the port was very busy yesterday with more new working-vessel arrivals relating to the western dock development. We will have more images in due course...such is the level of activity that its quite difficult keeping up...bear with, bear with.
  
Just adding a couple of early morning shots from..ermm yesterday I think.. of the Border Force in action. You can see Seeker in the dazzling distance above there going out into the fray for another day. A zoomed close up below in near silhouette. PB


Well done Ed below. Good to have you back on the Dover Strait.

Thursday, 30 March 2017 - 06:20

 

Post 4060

  Ed Connell, Dover Strait

Emerald at the DCT yesterday.


Thursday, 30 March 2017 - 03:35

 

Post 4059

  Sea News, Dover

Some dramatic smoke coverage now from yesterday ( Tuesday) afternoon...
  
   
The smoke billowed skywards in huge volume, stretching up the cliff face and across the allotments on western heights...even disturbing the seagulls. Yours truly has been unable to ascertain the source of the fire but hopefully all around it were okay. The smoke rose from the Snargate St A20 area....

See also todays earlier post below.

Wednesday, 29 March 2017 - 14:58

 

Post 4058

  Sea News, Dover

 
Much activity in the Port yesterday when large/workboat/platform Kreeft joined the action in the outer harbour. Alongside her there you can see Morag M ...see also the feature by Mike previously no 3572. Much happening. I have made the pictures as large as I can so that all can see the detail and so on. Morag M appeared to be laying the beginnings of an exclusion zone in the pic below, you can just see the large marker buoys on deck there...so yes its all happening.
 

For those wanting to know more...

Harbour and Leisure Users Meeting - 30th March
_______________________________________

Following our initial stakeholder meeting on the 7th February; we will be holding our second Harbour Leisure User Engagement Meeting at the Royal Cinque Ports Yacht Club (RCPYC) on 30th March at 5pm until 7.30pm where we will discuss the marine exclusion zone, the piling programme, and the impacts of construction noise to swimmers and other users.

During this meeting we will discuss any special requirements and how we will work with you over this 24-month construction period. Also attending the meeting will be representatives from the DWDR, Port Operations and the Principal Contractor.

If you know of anyone who should attend this meeting who may not be aware, please feel free to invite them

Your attendance is important to us, please email DWDR@doverport.co.uk for confirmation.

Ends

PB

Don't miss Colette's update on the Cruise Visits below.

Wednesday, 29 March 2017 - 06:52

 

Post 4057

  Colette B, Dover

CRUISE VISITS
_____________

Quite a few cruise ships coming in April, so here are the first couple due in the first week.

The Braemar will be with us again this coming Saturday April 1st ETA: 05:00 hrs, T/R, ETD: 15.30 - 16.30 hrs. She will begin her 9 nights, French River Sojourn cruise from CT2 cruising the River Seine, at sea and calling at Rouen, La Rochelle, Bordeaux, L'Orient before cruising back to Dover on April 10th. Blissful!

Then on Friday April 7th, AIDAVita is back with us ETA: 09:30 at CT2, POC. She is on her 4 nights round trip from Hamburg, she will depart from there on April 5th, call at Ijmuiden, Dover - ETD:21:30, then back to Hamburg on the 9th. I hope the weather is kinder to her this time round for her port of call here in Dover.

Be back again very soon

Brilliant week yet again from our very talented Sea News Team, I'm loving it all.



Tuesday, 28 March 2017 - 19:09

 

Post 4056

  Sea News, Dover

Top picture there, fairly long range, shows the Border Force in power action on sunday morning. The vessel didn't enter port but went past heading east in the pretty choppy conditions. It was hard to tell which vessel it was...yours truly was assuming it was Seeker having seen her in port in the past few days...but examining the pictures blown up here on the computer...it looks like it may be Valiant. 

Also from sunday morning...a picture below of the Nederland Reefer arriving about 09.30. You can almost feel through this picture how cold it was in the strong biting east wind. She left again in the wee small hours of Sunday night.. 
 

Below we have some pictures of the very busy pilot boat once again...these from yesterday...
the guys on the boat were laying those harbour marker buoys first introduced last year. The idea being it keeps all water users safe. The boats stay one side of the divide and the swimmers etc stay the other side. The swimmers on the inshore side, boats the far side...
   
That second pic above there is a bit soft unfortunately...  but you can see the buoys for laying.

Well done Sarah. Great to see those fascinating pictures below there from Ramsgate from our roving correspondent.



Tuesday, 28 March 2017 - 06:39

 

Post 4055

  Sarah, Ramsgate

I was very surprised to see this in the harbour when I came out of the Lifeboat Shop, thankfully I had a camera with me.

Maximus - ex lifeboat ON1071 which is usually to be seen in Dover.





Just behind is HMS Example - P165








Monday, 27 March 2017 - 19:37

 

Post 4054

  Sea News, Dover

Many thanks to both George and Jeremy for the enjoyable pictures in the posts below.
Here we are with another one of the Pride of Burgundy, this time taken by ANDREW WOOD - many thanks to Andrew for this pic. It shows the ferry arriving back at Port on Saturday afternoon following her refit in Gdansk. Nice camera work, nice angle Andrew.



Don't miss the picture below from Jeremy ( post 3581 ) and the cross-channel spread from George ( post 3582 )
Great work guys!

Monday, 27 March 2017 - 05:53

 

Post 4053

  George, Dover

Here is a selection of shots showing members of our local fleet on both sides of the Channel during a sunny but very blustery Saturday:


DUNKERQUE SEAWAYS heading away from Dover on her 18:00 sailing for Dunkirk. Her stern end is catching the last rays of sunlight.


PRIDE OF BURGUNDY seen resting at Number 7 having arrived back from her major refit at Gdansk, Poland. Travellers should expect to see significant improvements to the standard of her on board facilities. For many years she has been regarded by some as the poor relation of the P&O fleet, although she no doubt had her fans too!


PRIDE OF CANTERBURY is chased towards the Eastern Entrance by the French flagged COTE DES DUNES (formerly the RODIN).


COTE DES FLANDRES (formerly the BERLIOZ) looks great as ever in her DFDS livery as she heads out between the jetties at Calais. Nice to see this excellent ship and her sister happily re-established on the Dover/Calais route after the collapse of MyFerryLink.


SPIRIT OF FRANCE is seen on approach to Calais wearing the updated P&O livery. Sorry to see the demise of the elegant billowing funnel flag emblem and the traditional ship-side lettering. The new simplified graphics look rather unrefined to me!

Monday, 27 March 2017 - 00:35

 

Post 4052

  Jeremy Ward, Whitfield, Dover

Pride of Burgundy in her refreshed livery this afternoon, nice to see her back after a refit.

Sunday, 26 March 2017 - 22:32

 

Post 4051

  Sea News, Dover

Both local newspapers are reporting that a man was pulled from the sea yesterday on Dover Seafront. At the last time of looking neither had a picture but there we are above. Time of incident 5.30pm. The man was pulled from the sea by police as we understand it and then was attended to by paramedics. An ambulance came then to help him further..you can see him above there, He was able to walk to the ambulance with some assistance. There were more police vehicles just out of shot.


Sunday, 26 March 2017 - 06:17

 

Post 4050

  Sea News, Dover

Yes indeed Brian for a minute or two it was the weirdest thing...as if time stood still, all animation suspended.
Paul.

Saturday, 25 March 2017 - 19:41

 

Post 4049

  brian, dover

a zombie port.

Saturday, 25 March 2017 - 13:35

 

Post 4048

  Sea News, Dover

Just to add this picture as I follow along from the post below. The Port totally 'empty' last sunday. Time 09.54. Not only is the Port devoid of all ships, nor is there any approaching, but the roads are deserted too. A sort of weird sci-fi time-lapse moment for Dover. Hope all can see it okay..


See also this mornings other post below. PB

Saturday, 25 March 2017 - 07:24