Innholdsfortegnelse for February 2025 i Ships Monthly

RO-RO CARGO The DFDS ro-ro cargo ship Finlandia Seaways grounded on 5 December 2024 after departing Norway. The incident was noteworthy as the Norwegian military established a security zone and confirmed the ship was loaded with military equipment bound for Poland to protect NATO allies. The Norwegian Defense Force had chartered the Danish-registered ship from DFDS, loading military supplies near Kristiansund under tight security. The vessel departed on 4 December but grounded later on the following day in the narrow Karmsundet Strait near Haugesund. Tug were required to hold the vessel in place due to high winds, with reports of a small intake of water. The ship’s rudder and propeller were damaged, but there were no injuries among the 23 crew, and no evacuation was needed. A security zone was…

BALTIC INCIDENT After an electric power submarine cable was cut on Christmas Day, four other communications links on the Baltic sea floor were damaged too. Finnish authorities moved swiftly to identify the suspected culprit and then boarded the oil tanker Eagle S (74,034dwt) and took over the bridge on Boxing Day. Eagle S is a Cook lsland-flagged tanker built in China in 2006 for Singapore’s RR8 Holdings. She has been trading under many names: FR8 Pride, LR Mumosa and Norstar lntrepid, and is now under Dubai ownership of Caravella LLCFZ. The ship’s crew, of about 20 in total, is made up of Georgian and lndian nationals, her master is a 39-year-old from Batumi named Davit Vadatchoria. All are being questioned by police with one identified as being a non-seafarer and…

LNG CONVERSION Bergen-based shipping company Utkilen AS has upgraded the fuel system on the 10,540dwt chemical/products tanker Mostraum. Completed in 2019, the vessel has been upgraded to enable it to operate on both LNG and Marine Gas Oil (MGO). The retrofit, completed at the COSCO Zhoushan shipyard in China, involved the installation of advanced LNG-ready engines, an LNG fuel tank and Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) technology to significantly reduce NOx emissions. Additionally, Mostraum was equipped with shore power capabilities and waste heat recovery systems, enhancing its operational efficiency and improving its environmental performance. The benefits of these upgrades are substantial. The use of LNG is expected to lower fuel consumption and cut greenhouse gas emissions, contributing to Utkilen’s efforts to reduce its carbon footprint. The Norwegian owner plans to upgrade…

CHANNEL ISLANDS DFDS is set to take over ferry service connecting Jersey with ports in the UK and France, starting on 28 March. This development follows DFDS’s selection as the preferred operator for Jersey’s lifeline passenger and freight services, marking the beginning of a 15-year contract. DFDS plans to deploy vessels tailored to the specific needs of each route. The conventional ferry Stena Vinga, with a capacity for 400 passengers and 200 cars, is designated for sailings between Jersey and Portsmouth. High-speed ferries Levante Jet (2015) and Tarifa Jet (1997), each capable of carrying approximately 700 passengers and over 150 cars, will operate on routes connecting Jersey with St Malo and Poole. While the exact schedules are still being finalised, DFDS has indicated that the final timetable is expected to…

IRISH SEA During Storm Darragh on the night of Saturday 7 December, part of the mooring infrastructure at the port of Holyhead collapsed, rendering the berths at Terminal 3 and Terminal 5 unsafe to use. Irish Ferries and Stena Line services to Dublin were suspended. Stena Line sent Stena Adventurer to Fishguard on the evening of Wednesday 11 December 2024. This was her first visit to the Pembrokeshire port, and with her docking she broke records for being the longest and largest ship (in terms of gross tonnage) to call. The berthing trials were a success and she loaded overflow traffic and departed for Dublin in the early hours of the following morning. Stena Line began operating a daily rotation between Fishguard and Dublin, scheduled to take from six and…

CARNIVAL In 2027 Carnival Cruise Line will celebrate its 55th anniversary, with a number of at-sea ship meets. On 9 March 2027 Carnival Elation, Freedom, Legend and Spirit will meet off Celebration Key, Carnival’s private port, due to open in 2025 and located on Grand Bahama Island. Four days later the same venue will see five ships together, when Carnival Celebration, Conquest, Glory, Sunrise and Vista meet. The third event will take place off RelaxAway at Half Moon Cay. That island, about 100 miles south east of Nassau, has been a Carnival Corporation-owned destination for many years, but is now undergoing significant redevelopment. On 10 March 2027 Carnival Jubilee, Legend and Pride will be brought together as part of the celebration. Beginning with an inauspicious start and a single ship…

US NAVY EVENT San Francisco Fleet Week (SFFW), an annual event started in 1981 by then-Mayor Dianne Feinstein, is a seven-day celebration of the US military forces, bringing civilians and the forces together for interactive, and reflective events. Taking place every October in San Francisco over Italian Heritage Weekend, SFFW includes concerts, ship tours, ship parades and an air show, making Fleet Week a significant and integral part of the city’s local culture and economy. The 2024 event took place over the week of 7-14 October and culminated in a parade of ships, which was led by the fireboat St Francis, and included vessels from both the US and Canadian Navies, as well as US Coast Guard vessels. Among the ships on parade was OUSV 1 (Overlord Unmanned Surface Vessel)…

ITALIAN NAVY As the UK dispenses with much of its naval amphibious capability, Italy has significantly boosted its own following the introduction of a multi-role amphibious assault ship, with ITS Trieste (L9890) being commissioned on 7 December 2024 at Livorno. The new Landing Helicopter Deck (LHD) has a displacement of 38,000 tonnes and features a 230m-long nine-spot flight deck with twin islands and a ski-jump similar to that on the Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers. Both also use two Rolls-Royce MT30 gas turbines, combined with diesel and electric engines for propulsion. Trieste was designed from the outset to operate F-35B Lightning II jets, along with EH101 and NH90 helicopters. She also features a stern dock that can house up to four LC-23 landing craft or one LCAC hovercraft and a…

QATARI NAVY Fincantieri has concluded a major naval building programme for Qatar with the delivery of the Landing Platform Dock (LPD) Al Fulk (L141), the last of seven newbuild warships. The 143m LPD is equipped with a flight deck for NH90 helicopters, an internal floodable dock capable of accommodating a LCM (Landing Craft Mechanised) and a garage deck with two vehicle ramps. Strangely for an LPD, the ship will have a primary role as an air defence platform. For this it is equipped with a Kronos Active electronically scanned array (AESA), multi-function radar and a Leonardo Kronos Power Shield radar for early warning against ballistic missiles, paired with two eight-cell VLS Sylver A50 launchers for Aster 30 missiles. The Italian shipbuilder has also supplied the Qatar Emiri Naval Forces with…

CONTAINER SHIP In an interesting move, reflective of the current lack of available ships in the mid-size container ship fleet, the US Sealift ship LTC John U.D. Page has been chartered by German operator Hapag-Lloyd. The Hamburg-based operator is reportedly paying $31,000 a day, for a period of 30 months. Operated by US Military Sealift Command, the 40,085gt ship is typically used for transporting a wide range of military supplies to US foreign bases. Built by Samsung Heavy Industries in 2001, LTC John U.D. Page left the traditional container trades in 2015. With a capacity of 3,750TEU and fitted with two 45-tonne cranes, she was the lead ship in a six-vessel series ordered by Hamburg Süd in July 1999 for their South America service, operating initially under the name Cap…

The maritime historian and doyen of Clyde and West Highland steamer enthusiasts, Graham E. Langmuir, was known to say that he did not like participating in events to commemorate the ‘last of anything’ in the Clyde steamer world, but preferred to celebrate ‘firsts’. Understandably so, but the announcement of the withdrawal of the Caledonian MacBrayne vehicle and passenger ferry Hebridean Isles (1986/3,040gt) sent ferry enthusiasts and photographers flocking to the west coast to pay their respects to the ship and experience her final sailings before she was withdrawn in November 2024 and ‘recycled’. With six new ferries entering service on the CalMac network, Hebridean Isles will be replaced on the services from Kennacraig to Islay by the new vessels currently being completed in Turkey, Loch Indaal and Isle of Islay.…

WIELINGENDOK AND PSA RO-RO TERMINALS These docks are situated on the west side as soon as the jetties are passed. Used by Finnlines, DFDS, and SOL, they consist of six berths, 1,000 metres of quayside, and three ro-ro pontoons. ALBERT II DOCK Located adjacent to the Wielingendok on the west side, the northern side of this dock is utilised by CLdN (formerly Cobelfret) with two pontoons. CLdN operates three terminals in Zeebrugge, and offers sailings to Cork, Dublin, Esbjerg, Göteborg, Killingholme, London, Santander and Teesport. CSP TERMINAL On the south side of the Albert II Dock, Cosco Shipping operates the CSP terminal with 1,200 meters of quay and seven super-post-panamax ZPMC container gantries. LNG PORT Operated by Fluxys on the eastern side, this port has two berths capable of handling…

Britannic was the third of the Olympic class liners to be built for White Star Line. Following the loss of Titanic, Britannic’s building was severely delayed while the results of the enquiry into the tragic loss were awaited. Many changes were made to the third of the class, with the intention of making the ship’s design safer. It has been suggested that initially White Star Line planned to call the ship Gigantic but in 1912 it was announced, by them, that she would be called Britannic. Like her sisterships, she was built at the Harland & Wolff shipyard in Belfast, and her keel was laid down on 30 November 1911. Design changes were made to her hull around the engine, which was made double-skinned. The number of watertight compartments was…

DECEMBER’S MYSTERY The mystery ship is the liner RMS Celtic (II) of the White Star Line, aground on the Cow and Calf Rocks, near Roche’s Point, at the entrance to Cork harbour. Launched in 1901 at Harland & Wolff at Belfast, she ran aground on 12 December 1928. There were no casualties, but the 20,904gt vessel was scrapped in situ and had been completely removed by 1933. A twin-screw vessel, she was principally used on the Liverpool-New York run. She was a lucky ship until 1928, as she escaped a mine explosion and a torpedo hit during World War I, when she acted as an armed merchant cruiser. In the background is Actinia or her sister Letitia, both owned by the Anchor-Donaldson line. Actinia was a transatlantic liner running between…

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CONTAINER ROUTE South Korean container ship operator HMM (previously Hyundai Merchant Marine) is re-entering the transatlantic trade route after a six-year hiatus. Their new service, operated in partnership with Premier Alliance partner Ocean Network Express (ONE), will connect Northern Europe with the US West Coast. The weekly service, branded Transatlantic1 (TA1) by HMM and AL5 by ONE, will complete a turnaround in ten weeks. The service calls at Southampton, Le Havre, Rotterdam, and Antwerp, before heading to Miami and Cartagena. After transiting the Panama Canal, the service continues to Rodman, Los Angeles and Oakland, before returning via Rodman and Caucedo. Ten ships, each with a capacity of around 4,600TEU, will be deployed on this service. HMM exited the transatlantic trade in 2018 following a major restructuring of its container services.…

LNG-POWER BOXBOAT Switzerland-based shipping giant MSC took delivery of its newest LNG dual-fuel containership, MSC Verona, from China’s Yangzijiang Shipbuilding in December 2024. The vessel, built by Jiangsu Yangzi Xinfu Shipbuilding, departed the shipyard two days after being handed over. MSC Verona is the second vessel in a new series of LNG-powered containerships with a capacity of 16,000TEU. Construction began in September 2023, and the vessel was launched in March 2024. The new ships are part of MSC’s strategy to build a fleet of LNG dual-fuel containerships. In October 2022 Yangzijiang secured an order to build 12 of these vessels for MSC. In early 2023 MSC received its first LNG-powered containership, MSC Washington. In addition to orders from Yangzijiang, MSC has placed orders for LNG-powered vessels with other shipyards, including…

ISLES OF SCILLY A ceremony at the Piriou Sud yard in South Vietnam on 6 November 2024 marked the start of work on two newbuildings for the Isles of Scilly Steamship Co to run from Penzance to St Mary’s. By tradition coins were laid under the first steelwork for the pair, which are being built side-by-side. Passenger ferry Scillonian IV will carry 600 passengers, 24 per cent more than present route vessel Scillonian III (1,346gt), which has been operating since her completion at Appledore in 1977. The second newbuilding is a freight vessel to be named Menawathan, which will have a lounge for 12 passengers. Guests for the event included Ian Frew, the British Ambassador to Vietnam, and the British consul general Alexandra Smith.…

BALEARIA The long-established Spanish operator Balearia is to introduce two catamarans for service on their Western Mediterranean link from Tarifa in Southern Spain to Tanger Ville, Morocco, placing an order with the Armon Yard, in Gijon, Spain, which will take two and a half years to complete. Each craft will have electric power capacity of 16MW plus 11,500kW of battery space which will allow complete sailings without CO2 emissions. The ships will have a maximum speed will be 26 knots and they will be able to carry up to 2,105 passengers and 228 cars. In the interim, before the new ships have been delivered, Balearia will deploy two of its existing catamarans on the Tarifa-Tanger service: the 1997-built Avemar Dos and the 1994-built Jaume I (ex-Stena Lynx II).…

HURTIGRUTEN Following the separation of the businesses of Hurtigruten (coastal) and HX (formerly Hurtigruten Expeditions), the two companies have been completely separated and each acquired by investor groups, some of which were already existing investors. The expedition business, trading as HX, has five ships. Fram was the first of Hurtigruten’s dedicated expedition ships, and she has Fridtjof Nansen, Roald Amundsen, Spitsbergen and the little Galapagos ship Santa Cruz II (2002) as fleetmates. Hurtigruten retains the coastal express service and some Spitzbergen business, with a fleet of ten ships. The oldest and smallest is the 6,261gt Vesterålen, dating from 1983, and enlarged in 1989. Then there are the six ships from the 1990s: Kong Harald, Nordkapp, Nordlys, Nordnorge, Polarlys and Richard With. Finally there are three ships from the early 2000s:…

SAUDI NAVY The Saudi Arabian Ministry of Defence has contracted Navantia for a second batch of three Avante 2200 corvettes. The new ships will be identical to the five delivered to the Royal Saudi Naval Force (RNSF) between 2022 and 2024. Navantia’s Avante 2200 model is a 2,400-tonne general-purpose vessel designed for Exclusive Economic Zone patrols, maritime traffic surveillance and search and rescue missions. The RNSF versions are armed with eight Harpoon anti-ship missiles, a 16-cell silo for VL Mica surface-to-air missiles, a Leonardo Super Rapid 76mm main gun and a Rheinmetall Air Defence Millennium 35mm close-in weapon system. Similar to the works carried out on the fourth and fifth units of the first contract, the installation, integration and trials of the Hazem Combat System will be carried out by…

ROYAL NAVY Despite a deteriorating security situation, a commitment to increasing the defence budget to 2.5 per cent of GDP, and pending the outcome of the strategic defence review, the UK Defence Secretary has announced defence cuts. By March 2025 the Royal Navy will lose the amphibious assault ships HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark, as well as the Type 23 frigate HMS Northumberland. The Royal Fleet Auxiliary fleet replenishment tankers Wave Knight and Wave Ruler have also been axed. The cuts are intended to save £500 million over the next five years. The premature retirement of the assault ships creates another strategic capability gap, with replacements not scheduled to enter service until well into the next decade. However, some of the budget-saving measures are more pragmatic. The cost of restoring…

TANKER The tanker Cumbrian Fisher, a familiar sight around UK ports since her delivery in 2004, has left the James Fisher fleet. She was sold by First Ship Lease to Turkish interests for $10 million. The Singaporean leasing company has owned the ship since her completion in South Korea and bareboat chartered it to the Barrow-based owner. The charter was initially agreed for a ten-year period, with an option to extend for a further five years. This option was later exercised, with a further extension subsequently added. The vessel is being sold just short of the 20th anniversary of its completion. In recent years, Cumbrian Fisher, along with sistership Clyde Fisher, has been regularly engaged on periodic charters to the Ministry of Defence (MOD), either undertaking the freighting of marine…

ENVIRONMENTAL One of the largest dry bulk vessels afloat, Sohar Max, a Valemax 400,000dwt ore carrier, has re-entered service following the installation of five rotor sails. Anemoi Marine Technologies completed the installation in October 2024 at the COSCO Zhoushan shipyard in China. This project marks the largest wind-propulsion initiative to date. Operated by Brazilian mining giant Vale, the 2012-built vessel is owned by Omani-based Asyad. The decision to retrofit the Sohar Max with rotor sails was driven by the need to reduce fuel consumption and carbon emissions. The five 35m-tall and 5m-diameter rotor sails are expected to cut fuel consumption by up to six per cent and reduce carbon emissions by up to 3,000 tonnes annually. Anemoi’s bespoke folding deployment system allows the sails to be folded from vertical, ensuring…

SHORT SEA SHIPPING JR Shipping has added the 1,025TEU capacity feeder container ship Elbspring to its fleet. Acquired from German owners for €9.25 million, the 2010-built vessel has been a regular feature in European ports, most recently operating on services to the Baltic. The ship, which will be renamed Expert, will join 15 other feeder container ships operated by the Harlingen-headquartered company. The company, based in Harlingen from 1993, is reportedly exploring the possibility of retrofitting a scrubber system to the vessel, potentially upgrading to a CO2 capture system, similar to systems already utilised on other vessels in the fleet. Part of a 13-ship series built by Chinese yard Mawei, she was completed as Delia for Draxl in 2010. Sold to Buss four years later and renamed Perseus, and subsequently…

When the names of the first Type 22 frigates were announced as Broadsword and Battleaxe there were many comparisons made between the new warships and their predecessors, the Weapon class destroyers, designed during World War II, which shared their names. In 1943 the tide of the war started to change in the Allies’ favour and construction of Battle class destroyers continued at larger shipyards. With construction of the smaller S, Z and C classes drawing to a close, there was a requirement to keep these shipyards busy, and accordingly a new design was drawn up in late 1942. The basic design called for ships that were similar in dimensions to the preceding S to C classes, but which also accommodated two significant changes. The first change involved the main armament…

The famous liners Titanic, Olympic and Britannic were part of the trio known as the Olympic class ocean liners, built by Harland and Wolff in Belfast for the White Star Line. These ships were designed to dominate the North Atlantic passenger route and rival competitors like the Cunard Line and its famous Lusitania and Mauretania. WhiteStar Line, prioritising luxury and comfort, aimed to create a series of ships that combined immense size, opulence and the latest safety innovations of the time. The first of the class, RMS Olympic, was launched in 1910. She was the largest ship in the world at her debut and enjoyed a successful career, serving both as a passenger liner and a troopship during World War I. Unlike her sisters, Olympic avoided disaster and was eventually…

Endurance: The Discovery of Shackleton’s Legendary Ship John Shears and Nico Vincent Published by National Geographic, available from Penguin Random House, price £45. Catastrophe struck Sir Earnest Shackleton’s crew in 1915 when the powerful Antarctic ice crushed their ship, Endurance, and left them stranded. Thus began an improbable journey of survival, but only after the men watched their ship sink into the Wedell Sea. More than a century later, another team ventured south, determined to find whatever remained of the world famous shipwreck. The Endurance22 expedition – led by polar explorer and geographer John Shears and subsea engineer Nico Vincent – braved the freezing cold to deploy the most advanced underwater exploration technology in the quest to find Endurance. On 5 March 2022 they accomplished their mission and located the…

SHADOW FLEET The UK Government has imposed sanctions on 20 tankers believed to be part of Russia’s so-called ‘shadow fleet’ transporting crude oil. The sanctions, which were announced in December 2024, aim to disrupt the illicit oil trade supporting Russia’s war efforts in Ukraine. Targeted vessels include Andaman Skies, Mianzimu and Ocean Faye, each of which has transported over four million barrels of Russian oil this year. The sanctions restrict these ships’ movements and access to British ports. This action is part of a coordinated effort by Western countries to crack down on the shadow fleet. In November 2024 the UK sanctioned an additional 30 tankers, bringing the total to 73, the highest by any nation. These measures have left many vessels idle outside ports, impacting Russia’s logistics. Several tankers…

CARGO CASUALTY In early December 2024 the 1,682gt cargo ship Valday found herself adrift in the North Sea after suffering engine failure and losing her anchors during the stormy weather which also hit Britain, causing widespread disrtuption. The ship was not carrying any cargo but had seven crew members on board, and was 22km off the coast of Rotterdam at the time of the incident. Tugboats were despatched to assist and, after several attempts, the emergency tug Multraship Commander (2006/1,767gt) successfully connected a tow line and was able to bring the ship towards Rotterdam. Conditions during the rescue operation were challenging, with three people on board the vessel having been slightly injured as the ship was hit by waves of 4m in height. The Coast Guard Centre in Den Helder…

NEWBUILD TUG Damen Shipyards Group delivered a Shoalbuster (SBu) 3209 to Caspian Offshore Construction during December 2024. The vessel, named Caspian Lotus, joins the company’s fleet of over 50 vessels and barges. Caspian Lotus started her career supporting dredging projects in the Persian Gulf. The 335gt vessel is well suited to its operational scope, with a shallow draught of just 3.3m, as well as offering 80m2 of deck space, ample crane capacity and powerful propulsion. Caspian Offshore Construction is a long-term client of Damen. The company took delivery of its first Damen vessel, a Fast Crew Supplier (FCS) 1605, back in 2006. Since then, Caspian has purchased a number of Damen Multi Cats (MuC) and FCS vessels. In the past five years alone, the company has placed orders for Stan…

CONDOR FERRIES Condor Ferries’ Austal-built HSC Condor Liberation (2010/6,307gt) returned to Poole in early December 2024 following her out-of-water overhaul at the French port of Cherbourg. After restowing of her liferafts, she returned to the Channel Islands service in time for the busy Christmas 2024 period. Condor Ferries will end their Channel Islands operations in March. When Brittany Ferries takes over the Guernsey route, they will use fast craft Condor Liberation and Condor Voyager (ex-Normandie Express), as well as conventional ferry Condor Islander. The operation will be rebranded as Brittany Ferries. WATERFRONT • www.shipsmonthly.com • The Granary, Downs Court, Yalding Hill, Yalding, Kent, ME18 6AL • t > 01959 541444 • e > sm.ed@kelsey.co.uk…

GENTING DREAM With the liquidation of the Genting Hong Kong empire, which included both Star Cruises and Dream Cruises, the former owner managed to retain one ship from the Genting Dream Cruises fleet by selling it and then chartering it back. That vessel was the first ship in that fleet, Genting Dream. The new company, trading as Resorts World Cruises, has gradually found its feet and chartered another former Dream Cruises ship, Explorer Dream, been built for Star Cruises as Superstar Virgo. Now, a third ship will be joining the fleet. With the absorption of the P&O Australia brand into Carnival Cruise Line, the smallest ship in the fleet, Pacific Explorer, has become surplus to requirements. The 1997-built ship has been acquired by Resorts World Cruises and will enter service…

ROYAL NAVY HMS Triumph, the seventh and last of the Royal Navy’s highly regarded Trafalgar class attack submarines, arrived home in Plymouth for the final time on 12 December 2024 to a tug escort and flying a ceremonial paying-off pennant. The SSN is being retired just two years after returning to service after a four-year-long maintenance period, necessitated by the expiration of the life of her nuclear reactor after almost 34 years of service. HMS Triumph deployed to Australia in 1993, travelling 41,000 miles submerged without support, which at the time was the longest solo deployment by a Royal Navy nuclear-powered submarine. She operationally fired Tomahawk missiles against targets in Afghanistan in 2001, and twice again in Libya in 2011 from an underwater position in the Mediterranean. On both occasions,…

NEWBUILD Concordia Damen, in collaboration with Amasus, deugro Danmark, Siemens Gamesa and DEKC Maritime, is to develop and build two new and advanced Offshore Wind RoRo vessels, to be named Rotra Futura and Rotra Horizon. These vessels, of which the first was launched on 24 November 2024 at Jiangsu Zhenjiang Shipyard, are specifically designed for the ever increasing demand to transport large wind turbine components. Rotra Futura is expected to be delivered to Amasus during the coming year. The design of Rotra Futura and Rotra Horizon builds on the previous vessels in the Rotra concept, Rotra Mare and Rotra Vente, which were also developed by Concordia Damen, and have been successfully operating since 2016. The new vessels are equipped for carrying and moving the latest generation of wind turbine components,…

On 8 November 2024 Hapag-Lloyd’s newest flagship containership, Hamburg Express, was officially named by Eva-Maria Tschentscher, Hamburg’s First Lady and wife of Hamburg Mayor Peter Tschentscher, at a prestigious ceremony at the Burchardkai Container Terminal in the port of Hamburg. The fifth ship to bear the name, Hamburg Express is the seventh in a class of 12 new megamax containerships. With a capacity of 23,664TEU (twenty-foot equivalent units), Hamburg Express and her sister vessels are the largest containerships in the company’s fleet and represent a significant leap in efficiency, environmental sustainability and technological advancement for the company. In December 2020 Hapag-Lloyd initially ordered six ships from Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME), now Hanwha Ocean, with a further six ordered in July 2021. All 12 were constructed at Hanwha’s huge…

Zeebrugge is home to the fleet of the Belgian Navy, the ships of which occupy two military docks built at the end of the 1960s. The base consists of a maintenance yard, as well as training and administrative buildings. One of the two docks is capable of receiving NATO-related ro-ro transports and houses a mine countermeasures training centre. The Belgian Navy, with around 1,300 personnel, is relatively small. It is currently undergoing significant upgrades and expansion under the STAR Plan, which includes building new frigates, enhanced mine countermeasures ships and better coastal protection capabilities.…

James Joyce (36,249gt) in Milford Haven waterway at the end of December 2024. She was operating between Rosslare and Pembroke Dock while Holyhead port was closed. From 7 January Irish Ferries added an extra sailing to Pembroke Dock by switchingthe temporary Dublin-Fishguard service operated by Isle of Innisfree to Dublin-Pembroke Dock with a sailing time of seven and a half hours. Renamed Oscar Wilde in summer 2024, she was initially placed on the Rosslare-Pembroke route back in May 2023, replacing the also chartered Greek ferry Blue Star 1 (2000/29,858gt). From February 2024 she was redeployed on the company’s two primary services from Dublin, sailing to Cherbourg, France on one weekend rotation and to Holyhead for the rest of the week. WWW.SHIPSMONTHLY.COM…

Those of us that work with ships, or know them well, recognise that some ships are blessed. They have an indefinable, enigmatic quality which we euphemistically call ‘a soul’. The Cunard liners Mauretania (1907), Queen Mary (1936), Queen Elizabeth 2 (1969) and Holland America’s Rotterdam V (1959) are noteworthy examples of ships that are perceived to have had ‘a soul’. Having recently sailed aboard Fred. Olsen’s Borealis, I can attest that she is also worthy of being regarded with the same accolade. Conceived from the outset as a flagship to replace the much-loved venerable ‘ship of state’ Rotterdam (V), Rotterdam (VI) was imbued with modern facilities, a $2 million art collection with numerous ‘objets d’arts’, and a number of nods to her illustrious predecessor. I had the privilege of being her…

Brightlingsea, a historic maritime town in Essex, has a long tradition of shipping and maritime activity. Positioned on the River Colne, it has served as a small but vital port for centuries, supporting both commercial and fishing industries. During the 19th and early 20th centuries, Brightlingsea was a prominent hub for oyster fishing, with its fleet often sailing as far as Holland and Belgium. The town’s strategic location and access to the North Sea made it an ideal site for both coastal trade and shipbuilding. Many small wooden sailing vessels were constructed here, particularly Thames barges, which were used for transporting goods along the coast and upriver to London. Shipwrights and sailmakers thrived, making Brightlingsea a bustling maritime community. The port was also a base for fishing smacks operating in…

Mick Saunders, of Gillingham, Kent, writes: “Regarding the article on RMS Queen Mary (SM, Oct 2024), I thought I would share a picture of RMS Queen Mary on her departure from UK To California. I was serving on HMS Hermes in 1968 with 849 Sqd B Flight and flying AEW Fairy Gannet Mk.3 aircraft. We accompanied the liner for several hours as she neared the Western Approaches. The picture was taken from HMS Hermes’ SAR Wessex helicopter by one of the ship’s photographers. My abiding memory was of two London RT buses on the afterdeck, one of which can just be seen.”…

MANXMAN THE GAME CHANGER The new IOMSPC ferry Manxman was described as a ‘game changer’ when she took over services to the Isle of Man. This profile of the new ship looks at the impressive passenger facilities and technical advances which have brought a new dimension to Irish Sea travel. PLUS NEW ZEALAND SHIPPING CO • Overview of passenger and cargo services between Britain and New Zealand operated by New Zealand Shipping Co and Federal Steam Navigation Co. ADAMS PICK-UP • The pioneering equipment developed in the 1920s to transfer mail to and from a ship when it was at sea, with experiments conducted on the famous liner Leviathan. RMS ANDES • A look back over the distinguished career of the famous liner RMS Andes, one of the most remarkable…