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Norwegian award winner
The relentless search for oil has driven construction of a large number of newbuildings for the offshore sector over the past decade, and one of the latest, Solstad's offshore construction vessel Normand Seven, has been named Norway's Ship of the Year.
New life for landing craft
An unusual vessel, the former landing craft Drambuie, recently arrived in the canal basin at Goole. She can be seen tucked in between laid-up barges. She was built as Royal Navy Landing Craft LCM (9) 7O8, one of a class built around 1967 by Richard Dunston Ltd at its now defunct Thorne Shipbuilding Yard. This yard was responsible for many small naval craft.
All Aboard in Liverpool
To celebrate her maritime heritage, Liverpool played host to a group of eight tall ships over the weekend of 16-17 of June. This was a taster event prior to Liverpool hosting the start of the Tall Ships Race in 2008. Due to construction work taking place at the Albert Dock complex, the ships were berthed in the slightly run-down Wellington and Sandon Docks.
Ferryways in liquidation
Just a month after being taken over by rival Belgian freight ferry operator Cobelfret, Ferryways BV went into liquidation at the end of June. Cobelfret had already transferred ownership of four Ferryways vessels to its Lineco subsidiary, a move which brought accusations of asset-stripping from seafarers' unions and creditors.
Clyde river festival crowds defy blustery weather
Glasgow celebrated its maritime heritage with the third Glasgow River Festival, which took place on the Clyde around the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre, the Tall Ship at Glasgow Harbour and the Glasgow Science Centre in the heart of the city on the weekend of 14 and 15 July. It is estimated that approximately 75,000 visitors were welcomed over the two days.
Farewell tour for Logos II
In June and July, the 39-year-old missionary and educational book ship Logos II made her final calls in the UK before being taken out of service in September. Completed in 1968 as Antonio Lárazo, she was the first of two 4,700grt, 250-capacity passenger ferries built at Valencia for Spanish ferry company Cia Transmediterránea. She and her sister Vicente Puchol operated between mainland Spain, North Africa and the Balearic Islands.
Busy summer for Northlink
Despite increasing overnight accommodation by 76 additional cabin berths on sister ships Hjaltland and Hrossey (both 2002/11,486gt), NorthLink Ferries were still advising early booking for peak summer period services from Aberdeen to the Northern Isles as significant growth recorded in 2006 continued.
P&O spend to meet freight demand
Little more than a year after heading for the Western Mediterranean, one of the former Cenargo 'Racehorse' series of 22,152gt ro-pax vessels is returning to the English Channel following purchase by P&O Ferries. The move, aimed at boosting the company's peak season and refit period freight capacity, centres on El Greco, delivered new on charter to Norfolkline as Northern Merchant in March 2000 and due to appear at Dover in P&O colours as European Endeavour in September.
QE2 farewell tour
As reported in last month's Ships Monthly, Queen Elizabeth 2's future has been determined with the sale of the 40-year-old ship for £50 million to Istithmar, a division of Dubai World, a company owned by the Dubai Government. QE2 will be handed over in November 2008, and following a refit to prepare her for a new static role, will be berthed at a specially-constructed pier at The Palm Jumeirah, the world's largest man-made island, to become a luxury floating hotel, retail and entertainment centre.
Braemar to be lengthened
Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines are to lengthen Braemar in a two-month €60 million operation starting in May 2008, which will increase passenger capacity from 727 to 977. As with the company's new ship, Balmoral, currently sailing as Norwegian Crown, which is also being stretched this November, the work will be carried out by Blohm & Voss in Hamburg.
Shipyard deadlock ends
A long-running dispute over a £600 million order for new patrol vessels intended for the Royal Brunei Navy has finally been resolved after a three-year stand-off. The warships in question, KDB Nakhoda Ragam, KDB Bendhara Sakam and KDB Jerambak, were ordered by the Sultan of Brunei back in 1998. Despite the orders being completed in 2004, the ships remained at BAE Systems' Scotstoun shipyard whilst a battle over payments ensued. Equipped with Exocet and Sea Wolf missiles, the ships were seen by many on Clydeside as too sophisticated for the small navy to operate. With the dispute eventually resolved by arbitration, the ships were handed over to the Royal Brunei Technical Services in June.
First class submarine
The first submarine to be built in the cavernous Devonshire Dock Hall for nearly a decade emerged for the first time on 8 June, with the belated appearance of the future HMS Astute, almost four years later than planned. The 97m tour de force was gently rolled out, at the pedestrian rate of one metre per minute, onto the shiplift that placed her in the water a week later on 15 June. The £1.2 billion vessel was officially 'launched' with a bottle of beer brewed by the crew, rather than the traditional champagne, in front of a gathering of 10,000 guests and well wishers.
D-Day veteran to be sold
LBK6, the last surviving vessel in British naval service to have taken part in the D-Day landings, is to be sold. Hopes of saving her for preservation appear slim, however, because the Ministry of Defence has set an asking price of £90,000.
Rejuvenated paddler
13 September 1907 was an important day for the paddle steamer Westerschelde, for on that day she was used as a royal yacht by the Dutch monarch, Queen Wilhelmina. It was a proud occasion, but few could have suspected that the ship would still be around to celebrate 100 years later.
End of the road
Carrick, built in 1864 as City of Adelaide, is to be broken up. North Ayrshire Council has approved Scottish Maritime Museum's application to dismantle the historic clipper ship.She was built by William Pile, Hay & Co in Sunderland in 1864 for Captain David Bruce in association with Adelaide merchants Henry Martin and Joseph Harrold, and was designed for the passenger and wool trade to South Australia.
All this and more in the September 2007 issue of Ships Monthly now on sale.
Ships Monthly, 10 August 2007
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