|
NEWS BULLETIN - February
2007
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|
February 24 |
Acknowledgements: Gary Andrews, Jim Edgar, Steven Salter, Ian Collard, Dan
Cross and "others" |
ADSTEAM / SMIT
Smit Internationale NV has agreed to purchase the
Liverpool operation of Adsteam. The agreement to purchase is as a result
of the Competition Commission's requirement that following the
acquisition of Adsteam Marine by SvitzerWijsmuller, the Liverpool
operation is sold on to another operator.
The
agreement between SMIT and Adsteam is subject to approval of the
Competition Commission and to the finalization of the acquisition of
Adsteam by SvitzerWijsmuller. This will be Smit's first involvement in
the UK harbour towage market.
ADG SHIPPING
MERCHANT BRILLIANT - The International
Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) reported that the recent dispute has
been settled and as of 10.30 on Friday February 23, 2007 the ship's crew
were on their way home.
Most were put on a flight to Russia via
Heathrow at 07:00 on Friday with another on a 14:00 flight.
Ken Fleming, one of the two ITF (International
Transport Workers' Federation) inspectors who accompanied the crew
during the arduous four day stand off with the ship owners, explained:
"This case is over, the crew are safe and homeward bound. Now we get
ready for the next one."
The owners of the ship have flown in a new
Russian crew and it remains to be seen what future routes it will be
taking. The charterer, Norfolkline, has disassociated itself from the
owners, who just two months ago were forced by the Irish High Court to
pay the crew of the MERCHANT BRILLIANT's sister MERCHANT BRAVERY,
US$159,862 in owed wages. In that case the ITF also assisted the crew.
The ITF will continue to keep both ships under observation.
HJ LINES
A NEW
ferry service between Cork and Swansea will be dedicated to freight and
will be able to accommodate up to 65 trailers.
The news has been welcomed by the Irish Road Haulage Association, which
said that since the demise of the Swansea-Cork passenger ferry last
month, lorry drivers had been forced to divert to other ports.
HJ Lines, operated by Hugh Johnson, who has 30 years’ experience
managing Air Cargo Wales Ltd, is to start its sailings out of Cork on
March 21.
Mr Johnson
said his company had chartered the 6,000 tonne roll-on/roll-off ferry MV
Victoria and it would depart from Cork on Mondays, Wednesdays and
Saturdays at 8pm. He said that while the ship would initially make three
journeys weekly each way, it had capacity for four.
“The route between Swansea and Cork has been well established,
particularly for passenger traffic. There will be growing demand,
however, for increased freight capacity on this important trading route.
I have received significant interest from a number of suppliers and
haulage associations in both Ireland and the UK,” Mr Johnson said.
Brendan Keating, chief executive of the Port of Cork, welcomed HJ
Lines’s move and added that the announcement that Swansea -Cork Ferries
had not secured a vessel for the 2007 season and had thus axed its
service was a significant blow to the port.
“We still see potential for a passenger service operating between Cork
and Swansea. We have received a number of inquiries, but nothing
concrete yet.
“We are in contact with Swansea-Cork Ferries’ managing director Thomas
Hunter McGowan, who is still looking for a suitable ship,” he said.
Pat O’Donovan, deputy vice president of the Irish Road Haulage
Association, said the freight service would be welcomed by trucking
companies. “Having to go through other ports was very inconvenient, to
say the least,” he said.
[IRISH EXAMINER]
IRISH CONTINENTAL GROUP
Container handling capacity at the Port of Belfast
has been increased by 40% by the opening of a new container terminal
at Herdman Channel earlier this month which will be operated by
Irish Continental Group subsidiary Belfast Container Terminal.
Up to 50,000 containers a year will pass through the
new facility which is located on an 11.5-acre site on the County
Antrim side of the Port
It will be serviced by three direct weekly sailings to
and from Rotterdam and Antwerp.
ISLE OF MAN DEPARTMENT OF
TRANSPORT
DOUGLAS HARBOUR - JANUARY 2007 TRAFFIC FIGURES
Passenger figures compiled
by the Harbours Division for January 2007 at 18,161 show a 2.9% increase
on the figure for the same period in 2006 which was 17,645.
During January car traffic
through Douglas Harbour decreased by 1.3% from 6,080 vehicles to 5,998
vehicles.
Scheduled Routesshow
the following changes in passenger numbers for January:-
|
Route |
Change |
From |
To |
|
Heysham |
Plus 17.1% |
11,857 |
13,887 |
|
Liverpool |
Minus 6.7% |
5,067 |
3,439 |
Director of Harbours,
Captain Michael Brew comments:
“A steady start to 2007
with an increase in passenger numbers.”
ISLE OF MAN STEAM PACKET COMPANY
The company have announced that the
BEN-MY-CHREE will operate sailings from Douglas to Birkenhead on
Saturdays and Sundays commencing Saturday March 03, 2007.
The BEN-MY-CHREE will be berthing at the Twelve Quays terminal in
Birkenhead. The sailings will depart from Douglas at 08:00 arriving at
12:15. The return journey will depart Liverpool at 14:00 Hrs and arrive
back in Douglas at 18:15.
These
services replace the 0845 Hrs and 1415 Hrs departures from Douglas and
Heysham on the corresponding date. The company is contacting all
passengers affected, who will be transferred onto the Liverpool route
sailings or offered an alternative Heysham route sailing within 24 hours
of their booking. Free coach transfers will be offered between Pier Head
and Twelve Quays for foot passengers.
The service will operate until
SUPERSEACAT TWO returns to service, she is currently refitting at the
Cammell Laird yard.
ISS COMMENT: The restoration of the
Liverpool service, following the withdrawal of
SEA EXPRESS I with collision damage, is
to be welcomed. However, a better service could have been provided if
the Saturday evening BEN-MY-CHREE sailing also operated to Twelve Quays
rather than Heysham. Perhaps now that the ice has been broken over at
Birkenhead the next winter season may see the BEN-MY-CHREE a regular
visitor to Twelve Quays and the fast craft tucked away in dock away from
the winter gales! Commonsense suggests a reliable conventional
service is much t be preferred to an unreliable fast craft service.
MARITIME & COASTGUARD
AGENCY
THREE FOREIGN SHIPS
UNDER DETENTION IN THE UK DURING JANUARY 2007
The Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA) announced this
week that three foreign ships were under detention in UK ports during
January 2007 after failing Port State Control (PSC) safety inspection.
Latest monthly figures show that there were three new detentions of
foreign flagged ships in UK ports during January 2007, compared with
seven new detentions during December 2006. No vessels remained in
detention from the previous month. The overall rate of detentions
compared with inspections carried out over the last twelve months is
just over 4.5%, a slight decrease compared with December's twelve month
rate.
During the month of January 172 Port State Control inspections were
carried out in the UK. For those ships inspected during January a total
of 42 vessels had no deficiencies raised against them, 79 had between
one and five deficiencies, 34 had between six and ten deficiencies, 14
had between eleven and twenty deficiencies and 3 vessels had more than
twenty deficiencies.
One general cargo vessel, one ro-ro cargo vessel and one container ship
were detained in January. One vessel was registered with a flag state
listed on the Paris MOU black list, one was registered with a state on
the white list and one was registered with a state on the grey list.
Of the three vessels detained in January, two were detained with
inoperative quick-closing fuel and lubricating oil valves in the engine
room, and all three were detained with at least one ISM major
non-conformity.
Non of
the three ships were detained at Irish or Celtic Seas Ports.
MSC NAPOLI
Items
believed to be from the stricken
MSC
Napoli
have been found washed up on the Isle of Wight.
And at
Bournemouth, Highcliffe and
Christchurch beaches in
Dorset, a selection of cosmetics, shampoo and dried milk were
found.
None of the items reported yesterday is thought to be hazardous and no
containers washed ashore at the locations.
Work removing the containers from the
Napoli
was suspended on Thursday after a spell of bad weather and high seas.
But the massive barge Bigfoot, carrying the two cranes used for lifting
the containers, was back at the site in
Lyme
Bay, moored alongside the vast cargo ship, yesterday afternoon.
Maritime and Coastguards Agency spokesman Fred Caygill said he was
confident the remaining containers on the deck would be removed next
week.
He said: "We have had quite bad weather and were unable to remove any
containers on Thursday. However, the weather has improved and while it
is not great, it is certainly favourable."
At the start of yesterday, there were just 203 containers left on the
top deck.
There are a further 1,600 in the hull of the ship, but Mr Caygill said
it was not yet known whether these would be removed from the ship in
Lyme
Bay before the next stage of the salvage operation began.
He explained: "There are a number of agencies involved in trying to
figure out what we do next. It hasn't yet been decided whether that will
involve taking all the containers off at the site before moving the
ship."
If the containers are removed in the ship's current location, then the
operation is expected to slow down as most are submerged and will have
to be emptied of water before being hoisted on to the barge.
Naval architects (boat experts) have examined the grounded container
ship ahead of a decision on her future.
But whatever is decided, the operation is likely to be problematic as
the 62,000-tonne ship suffered hull damage before she was grounded a
mile off the World Heritage Site.
Among options being considered are towing the vessel away or cutting her
up in situ and removing the pieces by barge.
The
Napoli claimed her first casualty after a Dutch crewman helping to
unload containers was struck by a 50kg crane block, knocking him into
the water.
The man, who was not named, suffered injuries to his head and back in
the incident as he worked to remove the containers at
Portland
Port in
Dorset on Wednesday.
He was taken to hospital, although his injuries were not serious.
Meanwhile, the decision on what action to take over people who failed to
register items taken from Branscombe Beach in East Devon when the ship
lost cargo in January remains undecided.
Bounty hunters had until Tuesday to register their finds with the
Receiver of Wreck.
There are still some items apparently unaccounted for.
[WESTERN MORNING NEWS]
PENINSULAR & ORIENTAL STEAM NAVIGATION
COMPANY
 EXPRESS
which departed from A&P Falmouth following refit earlier this week has
had a slight livery change which incorporates the web address
poirishsea.com.
Photo: EXPRESS at A&P Falmouth, February 20,
2007 - Steven Salter.
ROYAL NATIONAL
LIFEBOAT INSTITUTION
RNLI - IRELAND
Irish lifeboats
rescued nearly 1,000 people in 2006 responding to
over 900 emergencies at sea.
The annual report of the RNLI
says the most common call-out was to power boats.
Senior lifeboat inspector
in Ireland, Colin Williams said the voluntary crews
deserved the greatest praise for saving so many
lives and that new technology developed for
lifeboats enables a faster response to emergencies.
An average of 19 people a
week were rescued by lifeboats last year.
The annual lifeboat
statistics show that Bangor in Co Down and Dún
Laoghaire in Dublin were the busiest coastal
stations.
The two RNLI inland
stations at Lough Derg in Co Tipperary and
Enniskillen in Co Fermanagh were also busy, with a
total of 57 launches between them and 102 people
rescued.
There were 237 emergency
calls from powered pleasure craft, 125 from yachts,
but only 16 from commercial shipping.
Fishing vessels also kept
the lifeboats busy with 173 calls for help.
New boat for Wicklow
station
Wicklow RNLI lifeboat
station has taken delivery of a brand new D-Class
inshore lifeboat.
The SHERINGHAM SHANTYMEN is
named after a group of Norfolk folk musicians who
helped fund the new boat.
[RTÉ]
RNLI - WALES
A boom in sailing and power
crafting has been blamed for a record year of
lifeboat rescues.
The Royal National Lifeboat
Institution is releasing statistics this week
showing its Welsh craft rescued 1,299 people last
year - a 25% increase on 2005 and the highest number
on record.
The charity has blamed an
increase in the number of pleasure craft around
Welsh coasts.
Figures showed Rhyl to be
the most troublesome area followed by Tenby,
although the highest increase in the number of
people saved was from Mumbles, Swansea, where
rescues doubled.
The greatest number of
launches was to help stricken power pleasure craft,
which represented nearly 300 of all the coastal
emergencies.
Mechanical failure was the
biggest reason for people getting into difficulty at
sea, followed by vessels getting into trouble in
adverse weather conditions, the institution said.
The RNLI, which is manned
by volunteers, has now pleaded with amateur mariners
and summer beach goers to give them a break.
It says people's disregard
of basic safety guidelines is putting huge pressure
on its staff.
Andy Clift, the RNLI's
divisional inspector for the West, said, "The latest
statistics once again show that coastal emergencies
are on in the increase, which puts more pressure
than ever on our volunteer crews who are prepared to
drop everything and respond to a variety of
situations at a moment's notice... It is interesting
to note that the greatest cause of call-outs has
been to pleasure craft, which shows more people than
ever are using the sea for leisure purposes." [IC
WALES]
RNLI - ISLE OF MAN
Almost 50 people were
rescued by Royal National Lifeboat Institution
members in the Isle of Man during 2006, it has been
revealed.
The life-saving charity has
released figures for the number of launches and
rescues in 2006, which shows the west division –
which includes the Isle of Man – rescued 1,299, up
25 per cent on the 2005 figures.
Here, RNLI lifeboats at
Port St Mary, Peel, Ramsey, Port Erin and Douglas
launched 46 times, rescuing 49 people over the year.
Port St Mary was the
busiest all-weather lifeboat and Port Erin was the
busiest inshore lifeboat.
RNLI - SOUTH WEST OF ENGLAND
Lifeboat crews in the West
Country rescued more than 1,500 people in 2006
according to figures published this week.
Last year, the RNLI's
south-west fleet of 54 lifeboats launched
1,559 times, rescuing 1,552 people - an average of
30 people every week.
Most RNLI crew members are
volunteers and there are 737 of them working at the
34 RNLI lifeboat stations in the South West.
In total, area volunteers
spent nearly 2,000 hours at sea on emergency calls
during 2006.
Howard Ramm, RNLI
divisional inspector for the South, said it was
important to acknowledge the commitment and
dedication shown by RNLI volunteers around the
Westcountry.
"The recent incident
involving the MSC Napoli highlights the unseen
dedication of our volunteer crews," he said. "The
Lizard and Falmouth lifeboat crews were at sea for
five hours that day, in horrendous conditions with
seas up to 12 metres.
"As well as the crews,
there were also volunteer shore helpers involved in
launching and recovering the lifeboats. "Examples
like this not only highlight the commitment of our
volunteers, but of their families and their
employers who support their RNLI roles.
"I would like to take this
opportunity to thank them all because without this
goodwill, the RNLI would not be the successful life-
saving charity that it is today."
Today's figures published
by the RNLI highlight the continuing commitment of
the charity's volunteer crews in the South West.
The busiest RNLI lifeboat
station in the South was Poole in Dorset, which
launched 138 times and rescued 139 people.
The busiest station in
Cornwall was Falmouth, where the inshore and
all-weather lifeboats launched 81 times to rescue 78
people. Falmouth's coxswain Mark Pollard, who has
been saving lives with the RNLI for 15 years, since
he was 17, said his crew were "second to none".
"They are an extended part of my family," he said.
"We tease each other all the time and we have the
occasional fall-out like any family, but I wouldn't
have it any other way. I'm sure all coxswains say
the same, but I think I have got the best crew in
the country."
Somerset's busiest lifeboat
station in 2006 was Weston-Super-Mare, rescuing 35
people. Some of the quieter stations also spent many
hours at sea on rescues. The inshore and all-weather
volunteer crews in Plymouth were at sea for 124
hours answering emergency calls and Cornwall's
Penlee lifeboats 70 hours. [ WESTERN MORNING NEWS]
STENA LINE
STENA ADVENTURER is out of service with engine
trouble and is not expected to return to service before March 06, 2007
HSS STENA EXPLORER re entered service on with
the 08:55 sailing from Holyhead on Saturday February 24. The sailing was
slightly delayed due to a problem with the linkspan at the Holyhead
berth.
YAHOO GROUPS
IRISH SEA SHIPPING
ASSOCIATED YAHOO GROUPS
Some improvements have been made to the Irish
Sea Shipping associated Yahoo Groups:
The groups now have a corporate appearance
which clearly identifies them as Irish Sea Shipping Groups.
Last weekend the rules files of Irish Sea Ships
and Maritime Questions were updated to bring them up to date. These can
be downloaded from the respective groups.
Finally Yahoo have also been making some
changes both file and photographic storage space has been expanded to
100 megabytes each. This gives much greater opportunity for online
storage.
STEAM PACKET RUMOURS YAHOO GROUP
Les Reynard has started a new Yahoo Group to
discuss happenings at the Steam Packet and elsewhere on the Irish Sea at
http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/steampacketrumours
GARY ANDREW'S FERRIES
GROUPS
Whilst many visitors will be aware,
and also members, of Gary Andrew's excellent Ferry Yahoo Groups
whilst this is a good opportunity to draw attention to them especially
for those who are new to the web.
SCOTSHIPS - THE
SCOTTISH SHIPPING YAHOO GROUP
For those interested
in the Scottish Shipping scene there is the ScotShips Yahoo Group run by
Colin Smith which can be found at:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scotships/ |
|
February 21 |
Acknowledgements: Gary Andrews, Tony Brennan, Ian
Collard and "others" |
|
SHIPPING & INLAND WATERWAY DVDS
ADG
SHIPPING
MERCHANT BRILLIANT - Crew members of a ship
previously detained in Dublin Port for non-payment of wages have
barricaded themselves in the ship and claimed they are owed arrears.
The Russian and Latvian crew of the Latvian-owned,
Jamaican-registered vessel, now outside Heysham, England, have
barricaded themselves into a section of the ship along with two ITF
inspectors, Ken Fleming and Bill Anderson, because, Mr Fleming said,
they "are in fear of our lives".
The International Transport Federation (ITF) is to
make an application to the Admiralty Marshall in England to have the
MERCHANT BRILLIANT arrested.
If that were to happen, the ship would be immobilised
in its current position and a skeleton crew left on board until the
issue of the arrears is resolved.
Last December, the beneficial owner of the company,
ADG Shipping, agreed to pay crew members arrears of €153,000 after the
High Court had arrested the ship when the ITF had discovered the
arrears.
Following the dispute, the MERCHANT BRILLIANT , was
switched from the Dublin-Heysham route to Belfast-Heysham.
New discrepancies were uncovered by Mr Fleming in
Belfast on Sunday. Crew members say they are owed $200,000(€150,000) in
arrears, and they only agreed to sail on condition that Mr Fleming
accompanied them.
The crew agreed to leave Belfast and sail the vessel
to Heysham, under protest, at the request of Norfolk Line, which had
chartered the vessel for its freight service.
However on arrival in Heysham yesterday, Norfolk Line
took the ship off charter, and the harbour master insisted it leave port
to make way for other vessels. It left the port at 20:00 and has been at
anchor in Morecambe Bay since.
Last November, ADG was forced to pay $167,000
(€127,000) in back wages to crew on another vessel, the
MERCHANT BRAVERY
, to settle a claim of underpayment
supported by the ITF. The MERCHANT BRAVERY no longer operates in Irish
waters. [Maritime Clippings]
BRITTANY FERRIES
The farmer who went on to found
Brittany Ferries and act as the company's managing director until forced
to stand down due to ill health last autumn passed away earlier this
week. The Times published the following obituary to the farmer who
became a shipping magnate.
Alexis
Gourvennec
Tough Breton pig-farmer
who set up Brittany Ferries and challenged
the stranglehold of Paris
The
amazing Breton economic leader Alexis
Gourvennec was in his time a small peasant,
a shipping magnate, a pig-breeding tycoon,
a ruthless riot activist and a pan-Celtic
visionary.
He
was also a sharp-minded realist who did more
than anyone to rescue Brittany from its
poverty and its over dependence on Paris,
and to forge new links with the outside
world — notably through Brittany Ferries,
which he founded and led. It was thought to
be an example unique in Europe of farmers
starting their own shipping line and taking
the lead in regional expansion.
Arrogant, eloquent and autocratic,
Gourvennec was a believer in strong-arm
tactics, which led some of his critics to
brand him fascist. His pig farm became the
largest in France, but he began life
modestly, the son of a labourer and
smallholder on the fertile vegetable growing
plain near Roscoff, north Brittany. Leaving
school at 14, he was moulded above all by
the Jeunesse Agricole Chrétienne, the
Church led youth movement that did so much
after the war to shape a new generation of
progress-minded French farmers.
When most ambitious young Bretons were
emigrating to Paris or other cities,
Gourvennec decided to stay, and to fight. He
and his colleagues grew furious at their
exploitation by the middlemen, which led the
vegetable market to collapse in face of
seasonal glut. Their anger reached
flashpoint in 1991, in the famous “artichoke
wars”. At Morlaix, 4,000 young farmers
invaded the streets with tractors and seized
the sub-prefecture. Elsewhere they set fire
to ballot-boxes. When Gourvennec, their
24-year-old ringleader, was arrested,
sympathy riots spread through the west. But
this was not just another routine French
farm protest: it marked a crucial turning
point. For the first time, French farmers
were rioting for progress, not against it. “
L’agriculture de papa est morte”,
read their triumphant banners.
De
Gaulle’s Government quickly responded by
applying a radical reform to help the
farmers against the middlemen. And
Gourvennec and his allies created a
marketing cooperative (SICA) near Roscoff
that was able to control prices and thus
defy the middlemen. In an area that produced
70 per cent of French artichokes and
cauliflowers, this SICA came to be the most
powerful of the hundreds in France. And some
of its 2,500 members grew rich.
Aware that farm progress alone could never
solve Brittany’s problems, Gourvennec set
his sights wider. Though proudly Breton, he
was never a political separatist, and since
his aims were purely economic the Government
found him a useful ally. He set up a
development board for western Brittany,
which lobbied persistently in Paris and in
1968 played a key part in persuading
ministers to allot lavish new funds for
Brittany’s infrastructure, including the
building of a deep-water port at Roscoff.
Gourvennec was gambling on Britain’s entry
into the EEC and the new trade that would
follow. Cross-Channel links in the west
barely existed, and a direct
Roscoff-Plymouth ferry seemed the answer —
but who was to run it? The shipping firms
all declined: so Gourvennec and the SICA
took their courage into their hands and
launched their own company (today called
Brittany Ferries), to the scorn of other
lines which expected it to flop — “Vous êtes
des amateurs, pas des armateurs (shipowners),”
they joked. But by hiring the right know-how
the farmers succeeded, and in 1973 BF
started the daily ferry service to Plymouth
that has since done so much to develop trade
and tourism between la Petite et la Grande
Bretagne. Other routes followed, including
Portsmouth-St Malo, Roscoff-Cork and
Plymouth-Santander.
In
1996-98, facing new, tougher competition, BF
went through a crisis and had to be bailed
out by a state subsidy. But it was soon back
in profit. Gourvennec remained chairman
until his death, and he and other farmers
owned more than 60 per cent of BF’s capital.
Its passengers have always been mainly
British, but the SICA’s farmers have used it
to export to Britain 50,000 tonnes a year of
their potatoes, 20,000 tonnes of
cauliflowers, and so on.
After giving up his chairmanship of SICA in
February 2004, Gourvennec was able to spend
more time at Brittany Ferries. Differences
with Michael Maravel, managing director of
the company, over its response to competition
from low-cost air-lines, led to Maravel’s
departure in August 2005. The company
remained solid, but Gourvennec continued to
lobby for it to be granted the same
exoneration from social charges that similar
companies in other EU countries enjoyed. New
ships, the Mont St Michel and the
Pont-Aven, were brought into service in
2003-04 and a RoPax vessel ordered for
delivery in autumn 2007. In 2005 Brittany
Ferries enjoyed a rise in passenger numbers
and commercial vehicles transported of 9 and
10 per cent, respectively, after the
withdrawal of P&O from a number of its
routes.
Gourvennec always believed that Brittany’s
destiny lay with its maritime links, the
best means of escaping “the bear-hug of
Parisian centralism”, as he put it. “In our
history we have always fared best when we
embrace the sea. Today Europe is lurching
too much to the east, notably since the fall
of communism. To counter this, we and other
Celtic lands must build up le Grand Ouest,
an axis from Scotland to Portugal, and our
ferries will play their part.” Other leaders
along Europe’s western fringe have followed
his call to promote a so-called “Atlantic
arc”.
Gourvennec the inspiring idealist was also a
tough businessman. Near Morlaix he owned
Europe’s biggest pig farm, with a staff of
60, breeding 90,000 animals a year. This
former champion of the small grower steadily
evolved into an outspoken advocate of
large-scale industrial farming, and he
clashed with the local firebrands of the
Marxist farming union, Coopération Paysanne,
who raided and damaged his piggeries. “These
silly Leftists have their heads in the
sand,” he scoffed. “Farming is a business
and must follow economic rules. If the car
industry were made up of thousands of small
producers, how could it survive? Brittany
still has far too many small uneconomic
farms, and they must die.”
Yet
some years earlier, he had his own commando
team of local thugs, some of them paratroop
veterans of the Algerian war, and they did
not “follow economic rules” but would wreck
lorryloads of artichokes about to be sold by
non SICA members.
The
super-dynamic Gourvennec did much to
transform and modernise Brittany, not just
in farming. Though he came to live the
jet-hopping life of a tycoon, he kept his
rough peasant manners and accent, and prided
himself on his earthiness and rejection of
high-life graces. At one banquet in a top
Paris restaurant, he brushed aside the Mumms
and Châteaux-Lafites and said to the waiter:
“ Donne-moi un bon coup de rouge, mon
vieux.”
He
is survived by his wife, Annie, and their
son and daughter.
Alexis Gourvennec, Breton farm leader and
shipping magnate, was born on January 11,
1936. He died of cancer on February 19,
2007, aged 71.
BUGALED
BREIZH
Families of the lost crew members of the
BUGALED BREIZH, the Breton trawler which
sank off The Lizard three years ago, are
launching an appeal for witnesses in
Plymouth who may have seen the British
submarine HMS TURBULENT entering Devonport
in the hours after the tragedy.
Despite denials by the Royal Navy and
Ministry of Defence, the families believe
HMS TURBULENT and a Dutch submarine were
involved in what they claim was a hit and
run snagging of the trawler's fishing gear
which dragged down the BUGALED BREIZH in
less than a minute.
They claim the Navy and the MoD tried to
conceal the submarine's presence in the area
just after the accident by excluding the
name TURBULENT from maps showing the names
of vessels which took part in war games on
the day of the tragedy.
A
spokesman for the families, Nathalie
Goasguen, whose husband Remy lost his
brother Patrick in the sinking, said at the
weekend: "We are launching an appeal for
witnesses. We are convinced that a submarine
or submarines were involved. We suspect the
TURBULENT and the Dutch submarine DOLFIJN.
"The facts show that the navies of France
and England tried to cover up the truth.
"The MP Andrew George has been of great
assistance to us. "We are counting on the
citizens of Plymouth to help us in our
campaign for justice."
IRISH SEA FREIGHT
FERRY CHANGES?
To help fill the void left be
the absence of a Swansea-Cork ferry this year, a number of Welsh freight
forwarders are understood to have clubbed together and arranged a
charter a ro-ro freight vessel. The forwarders involved have not been
named, but vessel is reported to be a small, 5,000-tonner with capacity
of 800 lane metres or about 60 trailers and a service speed of 16kt.
It is suggested that it may
operate three sailings a week, but no date for a start of service is
available. Separately, there is also growing market speculation that
with the decline of passenger traffic and greater emphasis on freight
traffic,
Irish Ferries is considering
introducing a freight-only vessel on its Dublin-Holyhead service. This
would complement the limited freight capacity of the ULYSSES, which, at
50,938gt is the world’s largest car ferry, and able to carry over 1,300
cars. A spokesman for Irish Ferries told Fairplay today: “While we do
not comment on market speculation, the question of capacity is kept
under constant review and the freight situation of the Dublin-Holyhead
route would fall into that category.” If Irish Ferries makes this step
it will follow that of Stena Line, which boosted its freight capacity
last year with the introduction of the 2,100 lane-m Stena Seatrader. [Fairplay]
ISLE
OF MAN DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORT
DOUGLAS HARBOUR
A proposed £5.5m redevelopment of the harbour and
quayside area at Douglas Sea Terminal is planned.
The scheme would accommodate larger vessels, reduce
wave turbulence, increase the quay area and relocate the lifeboat. The
plan would involve creating a 250m diameter turning circle.
Existing moorings in that area would be relocated to
the inner harbour and the lifeboat station would be moved.
Director of harbours Michael Brew said the plans were
hatched in 2003 when the Island's economy was booming and it was thought
a bigger boat than the Ben My Chree would be required.
Though the Island's economy has slowed down since, he
said there was still a strong argument in favour of doing the work.
Should planning permission be granted, the work is
planned to be completed in five stages, starting in 2009 and ending in
2012.
Mr Brew said consultation was ongoing and a planning
application would be submitted in either June or July.
PORT
ST MARY HARBOUR
A
consultation group has been formed to develop a scheme that would
improve harbour facilities at Port St Mary Harbour.
The
inaugural meeting of the group, hosted by the Department of Transport,
took place on Wednesday, 14th February 2007 in Port St Mary
Commissioners’ Office.
The
group involves a wide spectrum of harbour users and community
representatives, and is tasked with acting as a steering group to
determine what opportunities there are for the Harbour and how it might
be developed. The group will also liaise with the soon-to-be-appointed
Project Manager.
Director of Harbours Mike Brew said:
‘We
need to look after our infrastructure and extending the life of the
Alfred Pier for the next 50 to 100 years is foremost in our minds.
However, there is the potential for further development of the harbour
to incorporate a marina, which should be looked at seriously by the
steering group.
‘The
size and shape of the proposed improvement scheme is still very much up
for debate and would be subject to economic and environmental studies
such as wave and coastal processes and flooding impact.’
Minister for Transport, Hon. David Anderson added:
‘I
can assure the residents of Port St Mary that this is a fresh start in
the relationship between the people of Port St Mary and the Department.
We undertake not to pursue any planning application without the
political support from southern MHKs.’
ISLE OF MAN STEAM PACKET
COMPANY
SEA EXPRESS I - the Marine
Accident Investigation Branch, having completed its preliminary
investigation into the collision between ALASKA RAINBOW and SEA EXPRESS
I have announced that the incident will be the subject of a full
investigation. SEA EXPRESS I remains in Cammell Laird wet basin. [PHOTOS]
EXPRESS - the company has
announced that the P&O fast craft will operate a single sailing from
Troon to Douglas to bring TT Fans to the Centenary Races on June 02,
2007. She will depart Troon at 21:00. Crossing time is expected to be
around 4 hours. Troon is one of the ports that P & O use for their own
regular sailings and is only 35 minutes drive from Glasgow.
MSC NAPOLI
Salvage experts in charge of the recovery of the MSC
NAPOLI, grounded off Lyme Bay in Devon, are planning to remove the ship
from the coast. The 62,000-tonne cargo ship was grounded off Branscombe
Beach on January 20 after starting to break up in stormy weather on
January 18, 2007.
Naval architects are now working out the best way to
move the vessel, which was grounded in January. Meanwhile, people who
recovered items washed ashore after it was beached have until 20
February to report the finds.
Thousands of items recovered by members of the public
from washed-up containers from the vessel have been reported to the
Receiver of Wreck.
Failure to do so is a criminal offence under the
Merchant Shipping Act. BBC News correspondent Alex Bushill said the
authorities were pleased with items reported so far.
"The Maritime and Coastguard Agency have been saying
that they are pleasantly surprised with the response, most notably with
the reporting of many of the BMW motorbikes which were taken from the
beach," he said.
However, he added that the authorities were "pretty
realistic about their chances of being able to trace every single item
removed". Mr Middleton, the secretary of state's representative in
maritime salvage and intervention, said that there would be no repeat of
the scenes when thousands of people were scavenging the contents of
washed-up containers.
He said containers were still coming off the ship in
bad weather, but that that they hoped to stop this from happening soon.
Mr Middleton said: "There's a team of naval architects crunching figures
to try and work out what state we have to get it into before we can
refloat it.
"It will be a case of trying to work out the best
methodology, whether we cut her in two or whether we refloat her as she
is. But she will be removed."
The Napoli was grounded after it was feared she would
go down while being towed to Portland, Dorset, having suffered damage in
a storm during which her 26 crew were rescued.
The vessel, which was carrying 2,300 containers, was
then deliberately grounded near Lyme Bay - a World Heritage Site - on 20
January to prevent it from breaking up. [Maritime Clippings].
PENINSULAR & ORIENTAL
STEAM NAVIGATION COMPANY
EXPRESS departed from A&P Falmouth on
March 21, calling at Rosslare for bunkers, departing Rosslare around
17:15. |
|
February 17 |
Acknowledgements: Gary Andrews, John
Williams and "others" |
|
DML APPLEDORE
The jobs of the 200 workers at Appledore Shipyard,
North Devon, have been safeguarded by a new,
multi-million-pound order for a "super-yacht".
Workers at the yard faced
redundancies, but that threat has been lifted as the new order secures
work for two years.
Earlier this week, staff at the 150-year-old yard were delighted their
jobs had been saved. "It's really good news for everyone here," said one
worker as he left the yard.
Torridge and West Devon Conservative MP Geoffrey Cox agreed the
super-yacht order was "fantastic news". "I am absolutely delighted for
the people of Appledore. It shows the high regard the yard is held in
and the quality of the design team. It has been a long time coming,"
said Mr Cox.
"It think this demonstrates that Appledore Shipbuilders is the Rolls
Royce of yards for this kind of work. "It is a very substantial order
indeed and we will know more details in due course.
"I believe with the qualities we have at Appledore and the great design
team we can build on this order. Appledore can compete at the highest
level if people want quality ships."
Last summer, the shipyard was at the centre of a political row as it
emerged it was poised to win a £10 million contract for a Scottish
Fisheries Protection vessel - until the Scottish Executive stepped in
and blocked the contract.
Although the Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency said Appledore had
submitted the most "economically advantageous" bid, the Scottish
Executive said it had to stop the contract being awarded because of an
alleged breach of EU rules.
The shipyard has had a turbulent past. In 2003, the entire workforce of
550 people was made redundant when orders dried up.
Following that, the business was bought by its present owners, Devonport
Management Ltd (DML).
Since then the number of people employed at the yard has never grown to
pre-DML levels, and the yard has focused on building hulls for
super-yachts.
[Western Morning News]
IRISH FERRIES
ISLE OF INISHMORE is due at
Harland and Wolff, Belfast again 25 - 28 February because when she was
in dry-dock they found a potential problem with one of the bow-thrusters,
but the part couldn't be got at the time, so she's getting it fitted
then. The NORMANDY will take her place on the Pembroke run.
To provide cover NORMANDY will
take up the Rosslare - Pembroke route on the 25th February at 20.00h.
Rosslare - Pembroke Sunday
February 25 dep 20:00 arr00:30 [Mon]
Pembroke - Rosslare Monday February 26 dep
02:45 arr 07:15
Rosslare - Pembroke Monday February 26 dep
20:00 arr 00:30 [Tues]
Pembroke - Rosslare Tuesday February 27 dep
02:45 arr 07:15
Rosslare - Pembroke Tuesday February 27 20:00
arr 00:30 [Wed]
Pembroke - Rosslare Wednesday Feburary 28 02:45
arr 07:15
As a consequence the Rosslare - Cherbourg
sailing on Sunday February 25 and the return sailing on Tuesday February
27 have been cancelled.
There is a problem with ULYSSES berth at Holyhead. On Friday
some "fingers" on the linkspan were damaged when a line broke. Whilst
repairs are being carried out ULYSSES is using the STENA ADVENTURER
berth. This has resulted in the following revised schedule being
operated by ULYSSES for February 16 to 18.
Ex Dublin - The scheduled 20.55 hrs sailing
will now depart at 23.15hrs
SATURDAY 17th February
Ex HOLYHEAD - The scheduled 02.40hrs will now
depart at 04.30hrs EX. DUBLIN - The scheduled 08.05hrs will now depart
at 11.15hrs EX. HOLYHEAD - The scheduled 14.10hrs will now depart at
16.45hrs EX. DUBLIN- The scheduled 20.55hrs will now depart at 23.15hrs
SUNDAY 18th February
Ex HOLYHEAD - The scheduled 02.40hrs will now
depart at 04.30hrs EX. DUBLIN - The scheduled 08.05hrs will now depart
at 11.15hrs EX. HOLYHEAD - The scheduled 14.10hrs will now depart at
16.00hrs EX. DUBLIN- The scheduled 20.55hrs to be confirmed.
ISLE OF MAN STEAM
PACKET COMPANY
A direct fastcraft service from Troon to
Douglas is the latest initiative announced by the Steam Packet to bring
fans to enjoy the Centenary TT in June.
A special charter of P & O's EXPRESS, on
Saturday 2 June at 21:00 will bring passengers and vehicles direct
from Troon in Ayrshire to the Isle of Man in approximately 4 hours.
Troon is one of the ports that P & O use for
their own regular sailings and is only 35 minutes drive from Glasgow.
`Rupert Trevelyan – Steam Packet Director of
Marketing said `this is just one of the many extra sailings that we are
operating for the Centenary TT and I expect that it will be very popular
with fans from north of the border'
KNOTT END FERRY
Wyre Council have confirmed that the Fleetwood
to Knott End ferry's re-launch has been scheduled for March 5.
Last week Lancashire County Council told the
Weekly News that they had set this date for the ferry to begin operating
again.
A Weekly News reader contacted the paper to
query the date, believing it to be optimistic.
John Cox, of Kelsons Avenue, Cleveleys, thought
there had been some mistake. But bosses at Wyre Council and Lancashire
County Council both confirm they are trying to fix the March date to
re-establish the troubled service, which has been hit by a string of
breakdowns.
A Wyre spokesman said: "We are working towards
that date. Our legal team are looking at a copy of the maintenance
agreement between Lancashire and ferry operators Wyre Marine and it
seems now that the jigsaw is almost complete. "There will be an internal
meeting at Wyre about the ferry situation on February 21 and another
with Lancashire County Council and Wyre Marine on February 27.
"We hope that this will signal the resumption
of the service in March ahead of the traditional summer start date in
April."
Mr Cox, who has relatives in Knott End, said:
"I am very pleased that it will return next month, but I was surprised
it was so soon." The vessel has needed repairs after debris was sucked
from the muddy river was sucked into the propulsion system.
Consultants have also warned that the boat will
not be able to operate correctly if the water is too shallow so the
council is devising a special timetable to account for low tides on a
couple of occasions each month when the service will have to be
cancelled.
MSC NAPOLI
Bad weather
was on the evening of February 15 reported to be causing fresh problems
for the stricken cargo ship MSC NAPOLI. As high winds from a southerly
direction battered the beached ship off the South Devon coast, more of
its containers fell into the sea and were washed ashore.
A new
oil slick appeared to have developed from the cracked hull of the ship -
although coastguards said pollution was no worse than before.
One witness who took a new picture of the ship from the cliff tops said
a distinct smell of diesel fuel was in the air which had not been
evident in recent days.
It is thought a change in wind direction and wind strength of at least
force 7 mean the sheen of oil is washing towards the shores for the
first time since the MSC NAPOLI was beached.
But the coastguard said there was no evidence of severe pollution, as
the diesel sheen was light and highly-diluted. "There has been a sheen
on the water since the vessel was first beached in January. We are
taking regular tests on a daily basis and they have not indicated any
change in pollution levels."
Last night, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) revealed that seven
more containers had fallen off the ship. An MCA spokesman said: "There
were no dangerous goods among the cargo lost. The containers held a
variety of goods including electrical appliances, King Edward potatoes,
engine parts and used office supplies.
"The seven containers have come ashore in the highly inaccessible and
rocky area between Branscombe and Sidmouth. Coastguard rescue teams and
contractors are on site with security officers and police ensuring that
the area is completely closed off to the public."
A number of workers and officers last night patrolled the cordon on
Branscombe Beach. They have the power to demand salvage is handed in on
the spot. Anyone who does not comply could face arrest. The main road
route to the beach also remained closed.
[Western Morning News]
PENINSULAR & ORIENTAL STEAM
NAVIGATION COMPANY
PRIDE OF CALAIS an unusual visitor
to the Irish Sea arrived at Harland and Wolff on Friday February 16
around 12:00 for dry docking and attention to one of her bow thrusters.
STAGECOACH
This is a name associated with bus and
rail operations, however, it looks as though Stagecoach could be about
to move into passenger shipping. Though the operation falls just outside
the ISS coverage area it is worth reporting the following item which
appeared in the Cornishman this week:
An influential transport
tycoon has visited a West Country resort to discuss plans for a new fast
ferry service.
Brian Souter, the
founder and chief executive of international company Stagecoach, has
visited Torbay to discuss a fast sea route between Brixham and Torquay.
The businessman travelled from his home in Scotland to attend Torquay
Town Hall and lay out his vision.
He presented his plan to the Mayor's Liaison Board, run by Nick Bye, the
directly elected Mayor of Torbay, who holds ultimate decision-making
powers in the resort. He pledged the plans would be subject to public
consultation.
Mr Bye said: "We were delighted to welcome Brian to Torbay.
"He is a very successful businessman with a great work ethic and his
personal presence and willingness to invest in the area demonstrate his
confidence in the Bay's future.
"The geography of Torbay lends itself to an improved ferry service,
particularly in Brixham which accommodates a large volume of traffic in
the summer months.
"Brian put forward some very exciting ideas but it should be stressed
that we are still in the early stages and any progression of the plans
would be subject to extensive consultation."
Brixham councillor Chris Lomas said the proposal had been raised in the
past. "A ferry that would be reliable all year round would be great,
because you could get across the Bay in no time," he said. "But the
problem has always been what to do when there's a north-easterly gale
blowing. If it's big enough and stable enough it would be brilliant, but
I'm not holding my breath.
"I would use it - I might even risk the winds." [THE
CORNISHMAN] |
|
February 14 |
Acknowledgements: Gary Andrews, Ian
Collard, John Williams and "others" |
EPIC SHIPPING (UK) LTD
Epic Shipping (UK) will expand its RoPax fleet
with the purchase of three new build vessels to be delivered mid to end
of 2008 and 2009.
The three vessels are to be constructed by
Cantiere Navale Visentini in Italy, and will be 186.5 min length, with a
25.6 m beam and have a deadweight of 7,000 tons. They will have an
operational speed of up to 24 knots. Each vessel will have a cargo
capacity of 2,300 lane metres for freight plus space for 195 cars. There
will be 107 cabins onboard each vessel and passenger capacity, including
crew for each vessel, will total 880 on short voyages and 400 if
employed on longer international voyages.
One of the vessels will be built to Ice Class
1A standard and the other two will be Ice Class 1C. Derek Sloan, a
consultant for Epic Shipping and former CEO of Norfolk Line says that
Epic intends to time charter the vessels and that the company is in
discussions with several parties to this end.
Meridian Marine Management Limited in
Liverpool, UK (an EPIC joint venture ship management company) has been
contracted to technically manage the vessels. A spokesman for Epic
Shipping said, 'This is an exciting move for us. We believe that there
is a strong market for these vessels with high quality operators. We
have worked in conjunction with the vessel's architects and with
Visentini to ensure that we will take delivery of really first class
tonnage. EPIC is also very confident that with Meridian Marine as
technical managers, the ships will be operated to the very highest
standards, building on Meridian's strong reputation in this sector. '
The addition of these three vessels will bring Epic's ro-pax fleet to a
total of five.
Epic Shipping currently operates two 2000 lane
metre ro-pax ferries, at present on charter to European ro-pax service
operators, trading between Spain and the Balearic Islands. Epic has the
strong support of its financial backer, the Belgian investment bank,
Petercam S.A, and expects to further increase their ownership of ro-pax
vessels as new opportunities arise. This reflects the expectation that
the European ro-pax sector will expand strongly. Epic's focus on safety,
quality of service and environmentally responsible marine operations is
well suited to the development of this trade.
ISLE OF MAN STEAM PACKET
COMPANY
SEA EXPRESS I - the vessel remains in the
Cammell Laird wet basin. With news this week of the sale of sister
vessel EMERAUDE FRANCE (see below) for just $2million one must wonder if
she will be economically viable to repair.
The company have announced that the despatch of
final TT invoices has been delayed whilst route and crossing details are
finalised. It is likely that there will be some changes to the
previously published provisional schedule, however any changes will be
kept to a minimum.
ISLE OF MAN DEPARTMENT
OF TRANSPORT
DOUGLAS HARBOUR - December 2006
Passenger figures compiled by the Harbours
Division for December 2006 at 25,834 show a 3.1% Decrease on the figure
for the same period in 2005 which was 26,659.
The total figure for 2006 at 588,530 passengers
shows a 1.3% decrease over the total for 2005 which was 596,397. During
December car traffic through Douglas Harbour decreased by 2.5% from
8,673 vehicles to 8,456 vehicles.
The total figure for 2006 at 170,016 vehicles
shows a 1.2% decrease over the total for 2005 which was 172,126.
Scheduled Routes show the following changes
in passenger numbers for December
| Route |
Change |
From |
To |
| Dublin |
Minus 10% |
492 |
442 |
| Heysham |
Plus 16% |
17,094 |
19,809 |
| Liverpool |
Minus 41% |
8,288 |
4,873 |
For 2006 scheduled routes show the following
changes in passenger numbers:-
| Route |
Change |
From |
To |
| Belfast |
Plus 9% |
17,642 |
19,171 |
| Dublin |
Minus 22% |
14,888 |
11,640 |
| Fleetwood |
All minus |
3,259 |
Nil |
| Heysham |
Plus 6% |
255,716 |
269,989 |
| Liverpool |
Minus 5% |
279,196 |
264,958 |
| Llandudno |
All minus |
1,523 |
Nil |
| Whitehaven |
All minus |
880 |
Nil |
| Troon |
All minus |
191 |
Nil |
| Barrow |
All minus |
1,260 |
Nil |
| Larne |
Plus 54% |
2,296 |
3,528 |
“Allowing for the day trips that did not
operate during 2006, passenger traffic was overall on a par with 2005.
The outlook for 2007 is very good with two fast craft in service and the
100th Anniversary of the TT is likely to lead to increased traffic.” [Obviously
written before the SEI mishap!]
KING HARRY STEAM FERRY
COMPANY
KING HARRY VI - the former ferry which
has been laid up at Falmouth Dockyard since replacement in 2006 managed
to break free of her moorings last weekend and take a trip across to
St. Mawes!
The incident happened during a period
of severe weather on the morning of Sunday, February 11 when she broke
free.
It is not known exactly what time the ferry
first started drifting, but staff at Pendennis World-class Super yachts,
which is responsible for the ferry, were first alerted to the situation
at around 08:15.
Mike Carr, commercial director at the company,
said: "I think it was just unlucky that the wind swung around and was
blowing in the particular direction that it was. It's just one of those
things unfortunately."
He estimated that the ferry would not have left
the dock much earlier, due to the tidal conditions and how far she had
got. Staff at Pendennis worked closely with A&P, the company that runs
Falmouth Dockyard, to organise a tug to retrieve the ferry, which by
this point had reached the edge of St Mawes.
The rescue began at 10.00 and within a couple
of hours the ferry had been towed back across the Carrick Roads and was
moored back on the wharf.
"The response from everybody involved was
fantastic and couldn't have been better. We successfully recovered the
boat and she was just nudging up on the edge. We're just very pleased to
have recovered her and that there's no damage," said Mr Carr.
He added that her moorings were being checked
but that the weather and tide were being put down as the cause of her
escapism Carr said that his company were currently involved in a
"couple of potential business opportunities" involving the ferry and
confirmed that they were "quite close" to agreeing a deal, but he did
not wish to give any more details at the present time.
LOOE ISLAND FERRY
A new ferry for Looe Island has arrived in the
harbour. It will make it easier for disabled people to access the
landmark and will also deliver goods to the couple who live there. The
ferry, christened Islander, has been purchased by the Cornwall Wildlife
Trust, which was gifted Looe Island by its previous owner, the late Babs
Atkins.
The boat used to ferry passengers between Rock
and Padstow in north Cornwall, and has a low loading facility which will
benefit disabled summer visitors and the island's sole all-year-round
inhabitants, Gus and Sheila Ravene.
The trust's Callum Daveney said the new ferry
was a vast improvement on the old vessel.
"The old one was smaller and was really coming
to the end of its working days. The new ferry is much more versatile and
has a drop drawbridge which will make access to the island easier for
passengers.
"We get a lot of visitors during the summer,
who come to see the wildlife and learn about its history, but of course
the ferry is also used to bring supplies to Gus and Sheila and to take
off their bags of rubbish, for example,'' said the trust's reserve
manager.
Records show that Looe, or St George's, Island
was inhabited as far back as the 12th century. A Benedictine chapel was
built in 1139 on its highest point, and a few stones still remain today.
A small number of people lived there through
the centuries, farming its 22 acres, and at times supplementing their
income with a spot of smuggling. In fact the main house on the island
was built by Customs officers to keep watch on illegal activity.
[CORNISH GUARDIAN]
MARITIME & COASTGUARD
AGENCY
MSC NAPOLI
- Many items of wreck, recovered from the
Napoli incident, have now been reported to the Receiver of Wreck,
including both commercially shipped material and some personal
possessions. The Receiver of Wreck is now making contact with cargo
owners, in order to establish what their wishes are.
Finders of wreck material are given 28 days from recovery in which to
report wreck to the Receiver of Wreck. Anyone who has not yet done so,
should download a report form from
www.mcga.gov.uk now or can request one from the Receiver of Wreck
office by telephoning 02380 329 474.
Anyone who recovered wreck material from containers from the MSC NAPOLI
has 7 days left in which to report such items to the Receiver of Wreck.
Failure to report cargo recovered from the MSC NAPOLI to the Receiver of
Wreck is a criminal offence in accordance with section 236 of the
Merchant Shipping Act 1995.
As a comprehensive set of salvage contracts have been let in relation to
this wreck, members of the public are no longer authorized to undertake
voluntary salvage on any further wreck material which may be lost from
this wreck.
Sophia Exelby, the Receiver of Wreck said:
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency will be working together with the
owners of the lost material, the Police, the DVLA and other enforcement
bodies to ensure that all evidence regarding misappropriation of wreck
is followed up.
NOMADIC PRESERVATION TRUST
A small army of busy volunteers have been
stripping away flaky paint, tearing out old wiring and burrowing through
metres of fibreglass insulation in a bid to have SS Nomadic open to the
public by Easter. And today the chairman of the Nomadic Preservation
Trust flung open the doors of Titanic's little sister to show off the
results of their hard work.
Denis Rooney described how the workers, who
include volunteers from the World Ship Society and teams from the
Probation Service of Northern Ireland, have uncovered the original third
class section, demolishing more recent walls and tearing out metres of
insulating material.
"You can see the original plates and rivets,"
he said. "We've also uncovered some more original panelling, original
window frames and original ceiling roses, which is very exciting, and
we're stripping out the original oak staircase."
The aim is to have the ship - which once
carried millionaires onto Titanic as she set off on her doomed maiden
voyage - ready for an influx of visitors at Easter.
Over the Easter weekend hundreds of inquisitive
visitors are expected to cross the gangway as they come to town for the
first joint Nomadic Titanic Convention.
"Most of the work has been done by volunteers -
it's been hard, hard work and the progress has been terrific," Mr Rooney
said, "We hope to be able to get enough of her open to give a very
stimulating experience for visitors from Easter onwards."
Mr Rooney said the Trust is in talks with
Belfast Harbour Commissioners to establish whether Nomadic can be moved
to a mooring more easily accessed by the public.
"Another exciting thing is that we've purchased
one of the original lifeboats from Chanterayne Museum in Cherbourg and
it will be coming over next week," added Mr Rooney.
"It's great to have that. It's one of the two
original lifeboats from the vessel."
[BELFAST TELEGRAPH]
PEEL PORTS
HEYSHAM
The new #1
link span - the BEN-MY-CHREE performed berthing trials on Sunday
February 11 and the new span was in use by Monday February 12. It is of
a similar floating design to that installed a few years ago at Mostyn.
PENINSULAR & ORIENTAL
STEAM NAVIGATION COMPANY
RR TRIUMPH which was operating under charter to
P&O Irish Sea on the Liverpool - Dublin service departed Liverpool bound
for Barcelona on Sunday February 11. She is replaced by
GLOBAL
FREIGHTER [ex STENA FREIGHTER].
PORT OF LARNE
The Port of Larne has enjoyed another
successful year's business, according to figures released by the port on
its 2006 performance.
Ro-ro freight traffic through Larne has grown
to almost 425,000 units, representing nearly 10,000 more HGV drivers
than 2005.
Welcoming the news, Port of Larne's Managing
Director, Keith Millar, commented, "Once again the haulage industry has
recognised the choice of routes and quality of service available at
Larne. The full range of options are here - conventional ro-ro and
passenger superferry, fast ferry and freight-focused ships. This,
coupled with three possible destination ports and a round-the-clock
operation, allows businesses to tailor their shipping requirements
accordingly."
"It is particularly encouraging that we have
played our part in accommodating a record year for P&O Irish Sea on its
Larne-Cairnryan service. 2006 saw this route carrying over a quarter of
a million freight units for the first time."
Graham McCullough, P&O Irish Sea's General
Manager, Scottish Services, is delighted with the performance of the
Larne-Cairnryan route. "On top of what was a really good year in 2005,
to achieve another record-breaking performance on our Cairnryan service
is particularly pleasing. We have always enjoyed an excellent service
from Port of Larne. The co-operation we get from the port at all levels
makes a valuable contribution to the success of all our services from
Larne."
Stena Line's Larne-Fleetwood service has also
seen significant growth, with freight traffic showing an increase of
3.5% on 2005, contributing to Stena's overall Irish Sea freight growth.
Commenting, Alan Gordon, Route Director, Stena Line, says "We are
delighted with the performance of our Larne-Fleetwood service. This is a
really popular route with drivers, and the good working relationship we
have with the Port of Larne helps make it successful."
Total passenger numbers through the port showed
a slight downturn in 2006, reflecting the overall trend in ferry
passenger journeys. "It would be great to report a further increase in
our passenger numbers," says Mr Millar, "but it is well-documented that
low cost airlines are having an effect on people's travelling habits.
The environmental effect of this is obviously high on government's
agenda, and it will be interesting to see where that goes in the
future."
Several cruise ships visited the port in 2006,
with others already booked for 2007. Mr Millar says "Larne is an ideal
port for cruise ships. We are located in an area of outstanding natural
beauty. The port is fully equipped to meet the requirements of these
ships and is able to provide a full check-in and baggage handling
service. Passengers are transferred to and from the ship in airport
style buses".
2006 also saw continued development at the Port
of Larne Business Park. Construction of a new hotel right beside the
port is due for completion later this year, as is a new 83-bed Nursing
Home. McMurtry's, a new builder's merchants and timber importers unit,
opens later this month and Barline, an existing haulage and logistics
operation, has just moved into new, improved premises. Construction of
AM Transport's new Larne facility is scheduled to start soon.
"The interest in our Business Park has been
phenomenal," says Mr Millar. "Agreements, subject to contract, are in
place for much of the land, with the remaining sites rapidly becoming
very sought after."
Mr Sergio McKenzie, Managing Director of
McKenzies(NI)Ltd, who is developing a large area of the Business Park,
has also been encouraged by the interest. "I have been approached by a
wide range of businesses wanting to have sites developed for them in the
Business Park. Particularly exciting at the moment is a food retail and
leisure project which we hope to take to Planning Service in the very
near future. Early signs are encouraging, with several of the big names
in the food retail business showing real interest in setting up on this
site in Larne."
The continued success of the Port of Larne has
been acknowledged by its Chairman, Helen Deeble, who commented that "Any
successful ferry business depends on a first class service from its
ports. The high calibre of the whole of the Port of Larne's operation,
and its highly committed staff, is acknowledged throughout the
industry".
ROYAL FLEET AUXILIARY
RFA CARDIGAN BAY - the new Bay Class Landing Ship Dock built at BAe
Govan, arrived at the Cammell Laird yard Birkenhead for dry docking at
dawn on February 14. She is due to be commissioned soon.
SEA CONTAINERS
EMERAUDE FRANCE [ex- SEACAT FRANCE / ATLANTIC II] has been sold to
Greek interests for just US$2million. She spent some time laid up on
the Mersey at the then A&P Birkenhead between 2003 and 2004. She was
then towed to Cherbourg passing close to the Isle of Man and her
sister SEACAT ISLE OF MAN [SEA EXPRESS I] on May 03, 2004 which was
on a "Round the Island Cruise" . Given the low sale price, one
wonders if the repair of SEA EXPRESS I - currently laid up with
collision damage at Birkenhead, is viable.
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February 10 |
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CORNWALL FERRIES GROUP
ST MAWES FERRY
A spruced-up QUEEN OF FALMOUTH has taken to the
water after the St Mawes Ferry Company started the year with a new
sponsor and a new look.
A sponsorship deal between the ferry company
and the West Briton newspaper has resulted in a refit of the 57ft ferry,
which runs on a daily basis between Falmouth and St Mawes.
"She not only looks so much better, but will
also seem faster, smoother and not so noisy to our passengers," said
Garrick Royles, the ferry company's operations manager.
The QUEEN OF FALMOUTH, which averages eight
knots on the picturesque crossing, has had a new toilet, new shaft
system and propellers fitted, costing a total of £10,000.
Lisa Nicholls, assistant marketing manager at
the West Briton, said: "We are always trying to raise awareness of the
newspaper to local people and visitors alike and to make sure that we
are always at the heart of all things local.
"To sponsor the QUEEN OF FALMOUTH, which
provides a great commuter service for people living on the Roseland and
working in Falmouth, is maintaining our local connections and spending
money on a worthwhile Cornish service.
"On top of that, we thought to sponsor a ferry
rather than a bus or train was quite unusual."
The QUEEN OF FALMOUTH is a remarkable survivor.
She was built in 1937 to run excursions from Rothesay as the MAID OF
BUTE. She has since run from Fort William, then on the Firth of Forth as
the MAID OF THE FORTH, and then from Southend and Plymouth.
IRISH FERRIES
NORMANDY: A 36-year-old Lithuanian crewmember
of the Normandy ferry was airlifted to hospital on February 08.
The rescue operation took place off St. Anns
Head after the man reported feeling severe abdominal pains while en
route from Rosslare Harbour to Cherbourg.
An RAF rescue helicopter winched him up from
the Irish Ferries vessel at around 05:00, in high seas.
The crewman was reported to be to be in a
stable condition in hospital in Pembrokeshire.
The rescue disrupted the timetable and led to
the vessel arriving in Cherbourg at 03:00 on February 09. Departing
again at 04:00 she was due back in Rosslare at 22:00 on Friday February
09 in time to operate the 23:00 Rosslare to Cherbourg sailing.
However, forecast extreme weather conditions
and a 9m high swell off Land's End led to the cancellation of the 23:00
sailing on February 09 and the return 21:00 sailing to Rosslare on
Saturday February 10.
The next sailing scheduled on the route is the
17.00 hrs departure from Rosslare to Cherbourg on Sunday 11th
February,2007. The next sailing scheduled from Cherbourg to Rosslare is
at 21.00 hrs on Tuesday 13th February.
ISLE OF MAN STEAM
PACKET COMPANY
SEA EXPRESS I - remains in Cammell
Laird wet basin Birkenhead. There are various rumours doing the rounds
which suggest that she may or may not be repaired - depending on which
rumour one believes! Reading through various reports which have appeared
in the press and on line it is clear that despite perhaps one or two
claims to the contrary the crew performed well in a difficult situation.
The fact that everyone disembarked virtually unscathed being a tribute
to their professionalism.
EXPRESS - There are rumours that P&O's
Express may operate some services until SUPERSEACAT TWO is ready for
service. EXPRESS is currently refitting at A&P Falmouth.
KNOTT END FERRY
GOING NOWHERE ... AGAIN: The Fleetwood to Knott
End ferry at its berth. The boat has only seen six weeks' service since
it arrived 17 months ago
The much-troubled Fleetwood to Knott End ferry
has been hit with yet another problem - it does not like shallow water.
This is the latest damning setback for the
ill-starred boat which cost £350,000, but has only seen six weeks
service since it arrived 17 months ago.
Consultants who have done the latest series of
repairs to the boat have said it should operate in at least eight feet
of water to avoid more problems with silt clogging the propulsion system
Now Wyre Council has had to prepare a special
timetable to cope with the restriction. They say due to water levels the
service will be affected on a couple of occasions each month. But Over
Wyre county councillor Bob Mutch fears many more postponements. He said:
"With that stipulation, with that amount of water, it isn't even going
to be a half service.
"I used to travel to work on the old ferry and
it had to be sand almost all the way across before they would stop.
"It will be a non-starter with that engine.
They're only going to have the same problem. I'm disappointed with the
whole thing.
"The county council didn't consult with any
local people and it has fallen back on them and will continue to do so.
"I can't think it will run a reasonable
service."
Coun Keith Tebbs, Wyre Council portfolio holder
for living economy, said he would be investigating what this would mean
for the service. Questions He said: "It will be going in my report to
full council next Thursday. I'm sure I'm going to be asked questions
about it, especially by the Fleetwood members."
A spokesman for Wyre said a report from
consultants Taylor Marine of Liverpool had indicated the boat needed an
absolute minimum of 1.2 metres (3.9ft) of water to float.
He added: "We were aware of that, but they
recommend that for the steering system to work efficiently and ensure
proper boat handling, the ferry should not operate where the water is
less than 2.4 metres (7.8ft) deep. "When the vessel is operated in
future that recommendation will be the bench mark. It means the boat
will not be able to operate when tides are particularly low.
"These times can be predicted and mean that a
couple of times every four weeks the boat will not be able to work
around 8.30 to 9am and 5.30 to 6.30pm.
"This information has been built into a
timetable which has been prepared by Wyre and is set to receive approval
from Lancashire County Council." The ferry has suffered because its
jet-propulsion system has not been able to cope with the muddy
conditions in the River Wyre. Grit has been sucked into the system,
bringing a series of expensive repairs. Including subsidies it has cost
£500,000 to put the boat in service in a deal which sees Lancashire
County Council and Wyre guaranteeing the service for the next 10 years.
[
Evening Gazette February 08, 2007]
MAERSK GROUP
SVITZER
WIJSMULLER A/S
The Competition Commission (CC) will require SvitzerWijsmuller A/S
to sell off one of the harbour towage operations in Liverpool, if it
goes ahead with the anticipated acquisition of Adsteam Marine Ltd.
In its final report published this week at
www.competition-commission.org.uk,
the CC has decided that the acquisition may be expected to result in a
substantial lessening of competition for towage services in Liverpool,
although it has not identified similar problems anywhere else in the UK.
This confirms the provisional findings which were published in
December last year. Svitzer Marine Ltd (Svitzer), the UK subsidiary of
SvitzerWijsmuller A/S, operates 41 tugs and pr | |
