Comments (Newest First):

 

Post 3718

  Sea News, Dover

CHRISTMAS SPECIAL
And now as promised some pictures of the hugely exciting ice-skating Christmas Fayre at the Port..
a jolly good time was had by all the great crowd in attendance on Saturday when Santa came...
you can see him giving Sea News readers the thumbsup below...
the kids love the ice, kids of all ages that is...
   
   
  
 
   
   
 

Plenty of time still to enjoy it....
The Port of Dover, are thrilled to announce that for the first time ever, we will be hosting a wonderful Christmas event in our spectacular Cruise Terminal 1 building, formally the Dover Marine Station, Western Docks.
The event will be centred on a wonderful 'real ice' Ice Rink open to the Public from Monday 7th November 2016 through to Monday 2nd January 2017.

Also an English themed Christmas Market open on Friday evenings, Saturdays and Sundays and throughout the week just before Christmas. With festive music and decorations, a Christmas Market with unique gifts, Christmas themed family activities and workshops and best of all you can skate on a real ice rink.

Why not join us for some good old fashioned festive fun? Drive down or take the bus to and from the Market Square in the Town Centre and Dover Priory station at £ 3.00 per person for a return journey. ENDS.

* *

Huge thanks to Mike and Ed for the excellent spread of pictures of stricken ship Saga Sky below.
Thanks too to Patrick for the update info below there.





Monday, 21 November 2016 - 14:16

 

Post 3717

  PatrickS, Marine Parade

Saga Sky left this morning just before 08:00, under her own power, shadowed by the French tug, heading for Dunkirk.

Monday, 21 November 2016 - 12:13

 

Post 3716

  Sea News, Dover

 
 
A couple of dynamic extra pictures above there by Mike Jackson (Mike J to us ) taken yesterday just as the Port re-opened. That's the Cote des Flandres working its way through massive seas to get into the safe and welcome relief of the harbour and all the while Admiralty Pier takes a fierce pounding.

Monday, 21 November 2016 - 07:51

 

Post 3714

  vic matcham , Dover

Again very good photos so glad to hear all crew are well and the ship was safe.Thank you.Why was the Dover Tugs not used,?

Monday, 21 November 2016 - 00:04

 

Post 3713

  Mike J., Dover

Some of my pix went missing from my previous post, nothing significant really, but here’s three of them, including the SAGA SKY heading away from the barge, with the Dover lifeboat keeping a beady eye on proceedings.

While I was panting up the cliff path a DFDS was stooging up & down off the port waiting for it to re-open,
She made a turn in a lucky patch of sunlight.



Sunday, 20 November 2016 - 22:26

 

Post 3712

  Mike J., Dover

Some pix of the SAGA SKY incident & apologies for the ‘soft’ pix - hard to keep steady in the howling wind halfway up Shakespeare Cliff where I arrived in time to see some of the crew being lifted off by the two Coastguard helicopters & taken to the Coastguard Station.
Dover & Dungeness lifeboats were on scene.


SAGA SKY has restored power & started her engine & moves away from the barge, before recovering her anchors & getting clear of the area.



By 1330 the SAGA SKY with a skeleton crew aboard was heading towards Dungeness under her own power, escorted by the tug & the Dungeness lifeboat & at 1630 she looks to be at anchor off New Romney with the tug nearby.

After the collision the SAGA SKY had been reported as taking on water & there is considerable hull damage along the starboard side.

Amazing luck that she dragged her anchors onto the poor old rock barge, who seemed quite unmoved by the experience - had she not done so the SAGA SKY would probably have finished up on the beach before tugs could have got to her.

Readers with AIS will find it interesting to see the track of the SAGA SKY before & after the ‘incident’

There will probably be ‘close-up’ pix of the incident from Dover RNLI on their website in due course.


Sunday, 20 November 2016 - 17:04

 

Post 3711

  Ed Connell, Dover

Some views of the Saga Sky incident taken from my flat in Victoria Park. The French emergency towing vessel (ETV) Abeille Languedoc had been summoned from Boulogne and is seen liaising with one of the RNLI lifeboats. The UK no longer has an ETV stationed in the Dover Strait.






Sunday, 20 November 2016 - 13:12

 

Post 3710

  Sea News, Dover

This ship Saga Sky is in trouble off Dover this morning. We understand the engines have failed and that the crew have been evacuated as the ship is taking in water. She has drifted towards Samphire Hoe. You can see the RNLI guys close by in the pic above. The sea is obviously very rough as you can see. Hopefully all got off safely.

Sunday, 20 November 2016 - 12:14

 

Post 3709

  Sea News, Dover

Above: Sunday morning @ 7.30am approx.
UPDATE @ 11am - Port of Dover : Ferry movements resume at the Port of Dover.
We are pleased to confirm that the ferry movements at the Port of Dover have now resumed. The Port continues to be open with plenty of space available for any arriving customers. Ends.


Sunday, 20 November 2016 - 11:26

 

Post 3707

  vic matcham, Dovor

Yes it is not looking good for crews etc on the high sea so we will be staying indoors, glad to hear a lot of the public turned out for the event in the port, as they did for the football 3000 there and the weather did turn and it rained very hard but a good win for Dover. Again good photos showing how bad the weather is at sea.

Sunday, 20 November 2016 - 08:00

 

Post 3706

  Sea News, Dover

We are having a rough ol time of it this morning here at the Port of Dover...as many are along the south coast. Some fierce gusts are bashing the Observation Tower, headquarters of Sea News, at the time of writing. Hopefully it will all subside soon and we will stay in one piece.
A thought for the guys working out there. Ferry movements have been temporarily suspended.
  
  
A great crowd went to see Santa Claus at the Christmas Village at the Port yesterday. There was great excitement, what with the ice skating and other frivolities too numerous to mention. Will aim to have some pictures to follow soon.... highly recommended event. Great Christmas spirit...
( more detailed info in post 3234 ) PB

Sunday, 20 November 2016 - 07:35

 

Post 3705

  Sea News, Dover

DFDS unveils World’s Largest Lego Ship
_______________________________

Ferry operator DFDS on thursday unveiled the world’s largest Lego ship at London’s iconic Trafalgar Square.

The ship’s visit to London coincides with Guinness World Record Day. Built from 1,015,000 Lego bricks and measuring 12 metres in length, ‘Jubilee Seaways’ was built to mark the company’s 150th anniversary and has been touring the UK and Europe. It took 900 hours to construct and has officially been awarded the Guinness World Record as the largest ever Lego ship.

The ship’s full vital statistics are:
• Length: 12.035m
• Width: 1.67m
• Height: 2.72m
• Weight: 2,860kg
• Number of Lego bricks used: 1,015,000
• Time to build: 900 hours

‘Jubilee Seaways’ was designed by Jesper Aagesen, head of new building at DFDS, and is based on a futuristic concept. Every DFDS staff member was given 20 Lego pieces to build a ‘brick’ which Lego artist Warren Elsmore and his team then used to construct the design. The ship made its first appearance in the UK at the Blyth Tall Ships event, and will also appear in Dover on 18 and 19 November. The final leg of its journey will see it return to Denmark to be part of an exhibition at Lego World in Copenhagen.

Gemma Griffin, Vice President of HR & Crewing for DFDS, said: "We wanted to celebrate our 150th anniversary by bringing all of our teams together to create something special and unique. Our staff across the UK and Europe can all take pride in being a part of this project, while also breaking a new world record.

"We are delighted to unveil Jubilee Seaways against the backdrop of London’s iconic Trafalgar Square and hope the public enjoy the chance to see the ship up close as much as we enjoyed making it!"

The construction of the Lego ship was supported by Lauritzen Fonden, a commercial foundation that supports projects with a social, cultural, educational and maritime focus in Denmark.

______________________________________________________________________________________________

The official 150th anniversary of DFDS was 11 December 2016 and the company is offering the following discounts on fares to celebrate:
Dover to Dunkirk and Dover to Calais.

Get 15% off standard fares for passengers travelling by car. Travel until 28 December 2017*:
www.dfds.co.uk/lego *exclusions apply - book by 10 December 2016.
______________________________________________________________________________________________

Ends

Many thanks to DFDS for the above. I saw that fab ship along the seafront yesterday. It then went to Pencester and today its at the Christmas Festivities with Santa at the Port event.. see post 3234.

* *

Thanks for that info Mike.
Yes Howard the foxes here are looking good...coats are good so they are obviously eating well around here, and yes the Choir still doing great.
PB.



Saturday, 19 November 2016 - 07:43

 

Post 3704

  Mike J., Dover

AIS shows MTS VECTOR & TOPJACK bound for Shoreham.

Saturday, 19 November 2016 - 06:48

 

Post 3703

  Howard McSweeney, Dover

The fox pics are beyond compare and great to see the P & O choir getting centre billing.

Friday, 18 November 2016 - 23:07

 

Post 3702

  Sea News, Dover

Our much featured Topjack barge/platform being towed away today by MTS Vector..
time of pictures was about 3.30pm in failing light. Unfortunately yours truly didn't get a useable picture of the tug..
   
  

Friday, 18 November 2016 - 18:30

 

Post 3701

  Sea News, Dover

P&O FERRIES' CHOIR PERFORMS IN FRONT OF 700 PEOPLE AT CONCERT IN CALAIS
____________________________________________________________________


THE P&O Ferries choir was on international duty last week (Friday 11th November) as it crossed the English Channel for a major performance in front of 700 concert-goers in the most historic church in Calais.

The 12th century church of Notre Dame de Calais - where Charles de Gaulle was married 95 years ago - hosted the P&O Ferries choristers as part of a series of celebratory concerts which attracted many tourists from across the Channel.

The choir - which consists of 16 P&O Ferries' employees from the ships and ports in Dover and Calais - crossed to France on one of the company's ships before returning later the same evening.

Stacey Young, who works in Marketing and eCommerce at P&O Ferries, said: "We have some French members of the choir but the majority of us are based in Kent. It is the second time we have sung at this beautiful and historic French church and we were thrilled by the enthusiastic way that the audience of 700 responded to our songs, giving us a standing ovation and cheering for an encore."

These songs included Bridge over Troubled Water, The Storm is Passing Over and Mozart's Ave Verum Corpus.

Pascal Devaux, P&O Ferries' Head of Port in Calais, added: "Calais has always been a popular town for tourists with first class concerts in historic churches being a feature of life here. My P&O Ferries colleagues in the choir gave a wonderful performance while reminding everyone just how close the Calais region is to Kent and England."

In September, the P&O Ferries choir gave two concerts in New York, including a performance at the Cathedral of St John the Divine in Manhattan. The choir was formed as part of the BBC programme 'The Choir: Sing While You Work' in 2013. They sang their way to the final where they were crowned the winners and took home the title 'Best Workplace Choir'.

The choir recorded their first album earlier this year including classical pieces by Mozart and Bruckner as well as gospel, pop and Irish folk music.

ENDS

Great to see the P&O Choir still doing so well.
Picture of Notre Dame Church in Calais below is by former Mayor of Dover Jan Tranter ( Jan T ) Many thanks Jan.
   

* *

Just adding this one of the departing Southern Bay from a couple of nights ago. Obviously it was pretty dark so pic not ideal....but probably just about worth including...and here we are ..


Thanks Del. Yes the foxes seem to emerge from the undergrowth this time of year...chasing the last bit of heat before the onset ( or should that be onslaught ) of winter.
PB.



Friday, 18 November 2016 - 06:44

 

Post 3700

  del styan, Norwich

Lovely pics of the fox. It's good to think of all the wild life around such a busy port. I guess the Western Heights would turn up even more.

Thursday, 17 November 2016 - 23:15

 

Post 3699

  Sea News, Dover

Some pix from the seafront of the Oil Spill Exercises going on at the moment...
see post below for more detail
  
  

Thursday, 17 November 2016 - 16:24

 

Post 3698

  Sea News, Dover

  
Border Force vessel Searcher setting out on one of her patrols in the English Channel early yesterday. Busy times.

Busy times at the cargo terminal too...you will have seen the picture of the departing Atlantic Reefer shown yesterday. Since then as we mentioned earlier Southern Bay was in...she left last night at 5.30PM and one hour later Magellan Strait came in. Couldn't get pictures of either as it was just too dark.... particularly frustrating as Magellan sat outside the observation tower window for half and hour.

* *

Major National Oil Spill Exercise Hosted by Port of Dover
Antipollution and emergency procedures to be tested
____________________________________________

Oil spill specialists will be heading for the Dover seafront this month to test their antipollution kit and trial their latest emergency procedures as part of a national contingency exercise. 

The experts - from Oil Spill Response Ltd, Adler and Alan, Kent Resilience and the Port - will set up mobile incident facilities on the beach and deploy booms offshore to contain the imaginary slick. They will also have vessels and equipment simulating oil skimming from the surface of the water while shore teams perfect their beach decontamination skills. 

In addition, the team plans to carry out SCAT (Shoreline Clean-up and Assessment Technique) surveys between Folkestone and St Margaret’s, charting the extent of possible contamination from the fictional spill. 

Gabriel Gyamfi, from Oil Spill Response, said: "The exercise location will provide different challenges and tasks on unfamiliar turf for many of the parties involved. It will give us an opportunity to practise with the very latest equipment and will include elements of planning, shoreline and dockside operations. 
"It will test the ability of various organisations to collaborate effectively to a potential major incident." 

The exercise, dubbed ‘White Cliff’, will run from November 16 to 18, with part of the scenario played out close to the Port’s Tug Haven, and part in the vicinity of the slipway on Dover seafront. 

Large inflatable Incident Command tents will be mounted, and teams of specialists in full protective clothing will set up decontamination zones as well as temporary storage areas where water will be pumped from the skimming process. 

Emma Ward, Port of Dover’s General Manager responsible for safety and environment, said: "This is a rare opportunity for the various organisations to train together while putting their latest kit to the test. The lessons learned in the harbour will not only be crucial to protecting the environment of the Port of Dover but also to protecting beaches across the UK. 

"We’re proud to host Exercise White Cliff and to take a central role in ensuring that Britain’s crucial maritime industry – responsible for 95 per cent of the nation’s trade in goods – continues to operate efficiently with minimal impact on the environment."


Ends


This chap below was 50 metres from yours trulys window yesterday. He was enjoying the warmth from the high bright sun, stretching, yawning, scratching... and clearly watching the ships coming too and fro, and who can blame him.

  


Thanks to Vic, Alan, and Jan T for the comments and the info below. Always welcome. PaulB



Thursday, 17 November 2016 - 06:45

 

Post 3697

  vic matcham , Dovor

Most of their warships look very old and nothing like the small fleet we have which are the best in the world and most up to date.Even better then what the U.S.A. have.

Wednesday, 16 November 2016 - 20:29