P&O Fleet Movements

Started by Collision-course, February 10, 2011, 03:19:47 PM

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TC

Great photos. From the pics of her cardeck, the loads don't seem great. Good few cars, not a great deal of freight though. Hope the main deck was fuller. European Seaway seems tidy for a 26 year-old Dover veteran. Lot of P&O Stena Line branding appearing.

PaddyL

Quote from: TC on May 14, 2017, 09:52:31 PM
Great photos. From the pics of her cardeck, the loads don't seem great. Good few cars, not a great deal of freight though. Hope the main deck was fuller. European Seaway seems tidy for a 26 year-old Dover veteran. Lot of P&O Stena Line branding appearing.

Looking at the tags, the photos seem to have been taken Saturday daytime so not surprised there isn't much freight to be seen on the upper deck.

Looks like a nice ship tho.

Matt73

Does anybody know why the Pride of Bruges has been at the Botlek shipyard in Rotterdam since 11th May please?  I thought the big internal refit was to be done in Poland?

Thanks.

Matt

PaddyL

Quote from: Matt73 on May 25, 2017, 11:25:43 PM
Does anybody know why the Pride of Bruges has been at the Botlek shipyard in Rotterdam since 11th May please?  I thought the big internal refit was to be done in Poland?

Thanks.

Matt

Gearbox issue - out until 16 June.

Matt73

Quote from: PaddyL on May 26, 2017, 10:41:07 AM
Quote from: Matt73 on May 25, 2017, 11:25:43 PM
Does anybody know why the Pride of Bruges has been at the Botlek shipyard in Rotterdam since 11th May please?  I thought the big internal refit was to be done in Poland?

Thanks.

Matt

Gearbox issue - out until 16 June.

Thanks Paddy.

Matt

Steven

The latest Shippax traffic statistics for May, which have been seen by NIFS, indicate that EUROPEAN SEAWAY proved a success story as a relief vessel at Larne.

https://wp.me/p8Bfsp-1ew

Stena didn't get the uplift in traffic they would have been hoping for!
Steve in Belfast (suburbia)

Flickr: www.flickr.com/tarbyonline

TC

#366
That's good news! Makes a change, it's usually P&O getting screwed and Stena grabbing the loot ::)

I have to say, I did speculate about Seaway coming to Larne for the best part of two years, with many insisting it was a non-starter. For once my theory proved correct! She did indeed fit and operate without incident. I did note the narrower linkspan, but apart from that, and perhaps a less than ideal passenger experience, she most certainly worked well.

Steven

Quote from: TC on June 29, 2017, 08:04:56 PM
That's good news! Makes a change, it's usually P&O getting screwed and Stena grabbing the loot ::)

I have to say, I did speculate about Seaway coming to Larne for the best part of two years, with many insisting it was a non-starter. For once my theory proved correct! She did indeed fit and operate without incident. I did note the narrower linkspan, but apart from that, and perhaps a less than ideal passenger experience, she most certainly worked well.
Planning and preparation appeared to be the key.  Though I note that she never really had to operate in adverse weather either, which is when she would really have been tested at both ports.  Still, P&O should be applauded for making the move. 

Having travelled on her myself I'd say the passenger experience wasn't all that bad.  The main onboard issue seemed to be with toilets and the use of cabins as the ladies (and baby changing) in particular.  There were also a lot of complaints about the noise she makes in port - I didn't personally think it was that bad, but I don't have to live beside it!  She wasn't a fantastic fit at either port either.  But still, a bit of positive news for P&O!
Steve in Belfast (suburbia)

Flickr: www.flickr.com/tarbyonline

PaddyL

Quote from: TC on June 29, 2017, 08:04:56 PM
That's good news! Makes a change, it's usually P&O getting screwed and Stena grabbing the loot ::)

I have to say, I did speculate about Seaway coming to Larne for the best part of two years, with many insisting it was a non-starter. For once my theory proved correct! She did indeed fit and operate without incident. I did note the narrower linkspan, but apart from that, and perhaps a less than ideal passenger experience, she most certainly worked well.

In theory she wasn't a fit for Larne - P&O just engineered solutions to make it possible so those  of us who said the Seaway wouldn't did so on the basis of the available facts.  She was also a marginal  fit and a long-term  solution would need more changes.

Steven

Quote from: PaddyL on July 05, 2017, 04:11:06 PM
Quote from: TC on June 29, 2017, 08:04:56 PM
That's good news! Makes a change, it's usually P&O getting screwed and Stena grabbing the loot ::)

I have to say, I did speculate about Seaway coming to Larne for the best part of two years, with many insisting it was a non-starter. For once my theory proved correct! She did indeed fit and operate without incident. I did note the narrower linkspan, but apart from that, and perhaps a less than ideal passenger experience, she most certainly worked well.

In theory she wasn't a fit for Larne - P&O just engineered solutions to make it possible so those  of us who said the Seaway wouldn't did so on the basis of the available facts.  She was also a marginal  fit and a long-term  solution would need more changes.
Definitely.

Also TC, she didn't operate entirely without incident, but as Paddy says solutions were engineered to make her work and certainly she lost far fewer sailings than those of us who were more pessimistic than yourself expected.  Had the weather turned nasty I'm led to believe things could have gotten very interesting indeed.  Hopefully she will return in the future, but with changes made taking into account what was learned during her spell on the North Channel.

One thing that was made very apparent by the visit of Seaway (and others) to Larne recently was just how dated the infrastructure at Larne is by modern standards.  That a vessel that is some 16 years old and by no means state-of-the-art couldn't be accommodated properly by the linkspan's was a bit shocking, never mind that Seatruck's P-series appear to be a no-go as well so far as commercial operation is concerned.  As I keep saying, if P&O invested some money at Larne perhaps they could make much more of a success of the place (and maybe, just maybe, attract another freight operator to the port to offer a diagonal link to England (where the growth is in terms of ferry traffic from NI) if they continue not to do so themselves).  For example, the Seatruck P-series and FSG class are well within the stated size limits of the port (unlike Seaway), but thats no use if they can't load and discharge their cargo!  Its not like the P-series are a non-standard fit either, they've managed fine at many ports after all.  Perhaps its a case of not replacing any of the linkspans until they are about ready to fall down, as was the case at Cairnryan?  5 years ago it was almost unthinkable that a 203m long ropax would berth successfully and discharge cargo at Cairnryan Harbour, yet thats exactly what happened recently (albeit on just the lower level).  If anything the successful visit of European Seaway has made those of us who want to see the fortunes of the port of Larne turned around properly even more frustrated.  As traffic continues to grow on the routes to England from the Island, Belfast continues to leave Larne in its wake, yet in contrast to the Port of Belfast the Port of Larne has barely changed in decades.
Steve in Belfast (suburbia)

Flickr: www.flickr.com/tarbyonline

ferryfan

European Endeavour is in Cammel Laird  wet basin and appears to have been there for a few days. Any info on this?

TC

#371
Quote from: ferryfan on August 09, 2017, 10:40:49 PM
European Endeavour is in Cammel Laird  wet basin and appears to have been there for a few days. Any info on this?

European Endeavour never got a dry-docking during the spring, so I'm guessing Cammel Laird's are doing an express refit. I think a similar arrangement occurred during previous years.

Steven

Quote from: TC on August 10, 2017, 10:53:35 PM
Quote from: ferryfan on August 09, 2017, 10:40:49 PM
European Endeavour is in Cammel Laird  wet basin and appears to have been there for a few days. Any info on this?

European Endeavour never got a dry-docking during the spring, so I'm guessing Cammel Laird's are doing an express refit. I think a similar arrangement occurred during previous years.
They never do seem to give her the same love as the Dutch built sisters, do they?
Steve in Belfast (suburbia)

Flickr: www.flickr.com/tarbyonline

NathanBrady

Would endeavour fit at Larne to Cairnryan ok? Dey should have kept Ambassador instead of giving it to stena.

Steven

Quote from: NathanBrady on August 26, 2017, 01:18:57 PM
Would endeavour fit at Larne to Cairnryan ok? Dey should have kept Ambassador instead of giving it to stena.
Theoretically Endeavour might squeeze in to Larne but with less passenger capacity than the existing vessels I'm not really sure why they would want her to? 
Steve in Belfast (suburbia)

Flickr: www.flickr.com/tarbyonline