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Messages - giftgrub

#2176
The Merrion Lounge / Best Ferry Picture Ever ?
October 21, 2013, 10:45:43 PM
Is this the best picture taken of a car ferry you have seen ?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/picturegalleries/uknews/10392025/Take-a-View-Landscape-Photographer-of-the-Year-Awards-2013.html?frame=2707679

http://www.take-a-view.co.uk/2013_winners.htm

A brilliant picture,  I think it might have been a somewhat choppy crossing !

It is either the Seven Sister or Côte D'Albatre of Transmanche/ LD Lines.
#2177
Somehow missed the start of this series following the construction on the enormous new Maersk container ships. Well worth watching.

http://www.questtv.co.uk/shows/worlds-largest-ship/

The World's Biggest Ship is being built in a shipyard in South Korea by Maersk Line - the first 400-metre long Triple-E container vessel - and we've filmed every stage of construction from design to maiden voyage.

With exclusive shots documenting each landmark of this record-breaking build - from the design of the vessel's unique hull to the construction of the Triple-E's enormous engines and propellers - viewers will have unprecedented step-by-step access to this historical mammoth construction.

As well as the build, you'll see behind-the-scenes coverage of the ship's naming ceremony and maiden voyage on the Asia-Europe route. But alongside the engineering feats, we will also focuses on the human side of the Triple-E's development, zooming in on the lives of the people involved with the ship including the naval architect, members of the site team supervising the build and the Captain as he trains for his new role and eventually sails the first Triple-E on its maiden voyage.

To watch a time-lapse video of the first Triple-E being built, visit the website www.worldslargestship.com.

[media width=600]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxeREd3s_UE&feature=player_detailpage[/media]

timings of the show for the next few weeks on Quest and remember one hour later on +1 (Sky 167 and 195)
15 Oct
22.00
WORLD'S BIGGEST SHIP
Command & Control
60 mins - Building the control tower is an unusually complex challenge. Can engineers 'split' the tower in half, wrapping it around the engines to solve this issue?
16 Oct
20.00
WORLD'S BIGGEST SHIP
Command & Control
60 mins - Building the control tower is an unusually complex challenge. Can engineers 'split' the tower in half, wrapping it around the engines to solve this issue?
18 Oct
19.00
WORLD'S BIGGEST SHIP
Command & Control
60 mins - Building the control tower is an unusually complex challenge. Can engineers 'split' the tower in half, wrapping it around the engines to solve this issue?
22 Oct
22.00
WORLD'S BIGGEST SHIP
Colossal Cargo
60 mins - Follow the team, whose job it is, to make sure that every one of the Triple E's 18,000 containers is up to the job in a hugely time consuming safety test.
23 Oct
20.00
WORLD'S BIGGEST SHIP
Colossal Cargo
60 mins - Follow the team, whose job it is, to make sure that every one of the Triple E's 18,000 containers is up to the job in a hugely time consuming safety test.
25 Oct
19.00
WORLD'S BIGGEST SHIP
Colossal Cargo
60 mins - Follow the team, whose job it is, to make sure that every one of the Triple E's 18,000 containers is up to the job in a hugely time consuming safety test.
29 Oct
22.00
WORLD'S BIGGEST SHIP
Launch
60 mins - With time counting down till the launch of the world's biggest ship, the team have their hands full with spraying its vast hull with paint. But will they finish in time?
#2178
The Merrion Lounge / Re: Costa Concordia
October 14, 2013, 07:51:29 PM
The Costa Concordia is going to be moved by the Dockwise Vanguard when the refloating is complete, it will be a very impressive technical operation when it happens.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-24483469
#2179
The Merrion Lounge / Re: Costa Concordia
September 16, 2013, 11:52:20 PM
More info on this massive operation here:

http://www.theparbucklingproject.com/
#2180
The Merrion Lounge / Re: Costa Concordia
January 20, 2012, 06:02:07 PM
Not forgetting that people have died in this event and it is serious stuff, but this skit is quite similar to what the captain might have said, judging by his transcript.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-QNAwUdHUQ
#2181
The Merrion Lounge / Re: Costa Concordia
January 18, 2012, 05:50:22 PM
A totally bizarre series of events led to this disaster and we can only be thankful it happened near the coast. If something like that happened in one of the Arctic or Antarctic cruises there would have been a very different outcome.

I have to say that reading the transcripts, it sounded like a monty python style sketch.

This has been a big warning to the cruise and ferry industry which hopefully they will all learn something from.

#2182
The Norman Leader is going to actually enter service: (always thought it was way too small for the Portsmouth route it was designed for 338 cars and 38 trucks !!!)

http://www.pressherald.com/news/New_Portland-Yarmouth_ferry_ship_had_past_safety_issue_.html

The new ferry that's expected to operate next summer between Portland and Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, was rejected two years ago by a French shipping company over safety concerns.

The ferry Norman Leader, renamed the Nova Star, is expected to start passenger and cargo service between Portland and Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, on May 1.

But those concerns aren't an issue here because the Nova Scotia service won't involve as much heavy cargo, officials said.

The ferry will be called the Nova Star. But its original name was the Norman Leader.

In 2007, the French company LD Lines contracted with Singapore Technologies Marine to build a ferry for its passenger and cargo service between Portsmouth, England, and Le Havre, France.

The ship underwent sea trials in 2010 and was scheduled to go into service that year. But in March 2011, the ship builder stated in a news release that it had received notice from the French company that it was terminating its $179 million contract for the ship. LD Lines cited a delay in construction and the vessel's "deficiency in deadweight capacity."

Deadweight is the load – including cargo, fuel, stores, crew and passengers – that a ship can carry without riding dangerously low in the water.

Officials in Nova Scotia, which is subsidizing the Portland-Yarmouth service, and the vessel's operator say those concerns won't apply here because the vessel won't be carrying much cargo.

Officials in the Nova Scotia government were well aware of the safety issues before it began negotiations with Quest Navigation, Inc., the Maine company that will operate the service, and those issues were addressed, said Gary Andrea, a spokesman for the Nova Scotia Department of Economic and Rural Development.

Mark Amundsen, president and chief operating officer of Quest Navigation, also said the vessel can safely meet the company's specific operating needs. The company has reviewed all aspects of the vessel and "concluded that, technically and commercially, the vessel meets all of our requirements for operating the Nova Star Cruises ferry service," he said in written statement.

The service across the Gulf of Maine will be much different than the one planned for the English Channel, said Keith Condon, a Yarmouth businessman who was part of the process of selecting a ferry operator.

About 85 percent of the vehicles crossing the English Channel would have been trucks, he said. The service in the Gulf of Maine, tentatively scheduled to begin May 1, will cater to tourists. Condon said he expects that only 10 percent of the vehicles on the ferry will be trucks.

"Those (deadweight) issues don't affect us," he said.

At 528 feet, the Nova Star is 43 feet longer than the Scotia Prince, the once-familiar ferry that operated between Portland and Yarmouth from 1982 to 2004.

The Nova Star has 163 cabins and capacity for 1,215 passengers. It can carry 336 cars and 38 commercial vehicles.

The Nova Scotia government has awarded Quest Navigation a contract that will give it $21 million to subsidize ferry service.

Quest Navigation is currently working on the final details of the contract with the provincial government and with Singapore Technologies Marine, which owns the vessel.

No ferry has operated between Portland and Yarmouth since 2009, when The Cat's high-speed service ended after Nova Scotia stopped subsidizing it.

The sailing schedule is expected to mirror the schedule of the Scotia Prince, running from May 1 to Oct. 31, leaving Yarmouth daily at 9 a.m. and arriving in Portland at 5 p.m. The return trip would leave Portland at 8 p.m. and arrive in Yarmouth at 7 a.m.

No information about fares has been released.
#2184
The cancelled LD Lines vessel Norman Leader is to enter service at long last on the revived Nova Scotia - Maine route previously operated by Bay Ferries with The Cat.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/story/2013/08/12/ns-yarmouth-ferry-service.html

Reported on FONE:

This is the ferry that will transport passengers between Yarmouth and Maine beginning in 2014. The ship is currently in Singapore.(CBC)
Economic Development Minister Graham Steele and Keith Condon, chairman of the Nova Scotia International Ferry Partnership, announced on Tuesday that they had selected STM Quest Inc. as the successful company.

"I have personally read the entire STM Quest business plan and I can tell you that these are people with deep roots in both Maine and Nova Scotia. For me, what really made their plan stand out was their passion for this particular route. Their passion is infectious, especially when combined with their deep research and careful planning,” said Steele.

They will now enter negotiations with the company, a joint venture between ST Marine Ltd. and Quest Navigation.

“We look forward to launching the cruise-ferry service beginning in 2014 and we are committed to providing a world-class cruise-ferry service for generations to come,” said Steve Durrell, chief operating officer for Quest Navigation.

The government and the partnership evaluated business proposals from three companies interested in running the ferry service next year.

The bids were judged on financial stability, management structure, tourism and marketing experience, as well as management history.

Yarmouth businessman Gary Dixon said he is thrilled with the news.

“Well, hopefully this means that the town of Yarmouth and all the surrounding areas in southwest Nova Scotia [and] including all of Nova Scotia can get back on track, get some tourism and get some customers back in here,” he said.

The government rejected two bids earlier this year, saying neither met the criteria for a sustainable operation.

Bay Ferries Ltd. used to operate the CAT service between Yarmouth and Bar Harbour and still runs the crossings between Digby and Saint John and the ferries between Nova Scotia and P.E.I.

It announced in December 2009 that it would cancel the money-losing CAT service after the Nova Scotia government said it could no longer provide an annual $6-million subsidy.

The provincial government faced sharp criticism for killing the ferry subsidies and is now offering $21 million over seven years to restart the service, hopefully next year.


Source: CBC

Forgotten what the Norman Leader looked like:

http://www.meretmarine.com/fr/content/lex-norman-leader-de-ld-lines-pourrait-naviguer-en-amerique-du-nord
#2185
The Merrion Lounge / Re: Sealink St. Brendan Model
April 02, 2013, 10:25:02 PM
Great model, lots of images of the exterior here:

http://www.faktaomfartyg.se/stena_normandica_1974.htm

Can't wait to see the finished version.
#2186
The Merrion Lounge / Ships Monthly November Issue
September 26, 2013, 10:41:26 PM
The new issue of Ships Monthly is out tomorrow and this months "Ship of the Month" is the LNG powered Viking Grace. Should be an interesting read.

The new Mearsk Mc-Kinney Moller is on the cover.

http://www.shipsmonthly.com/magazine/latest-issue

#2187
The latest edition of the Robindesbois.org ship breaking report has been published. Interesting story on the European Gateway at the end. Always plenty of info.

http://www.robindesbois.org/english/shipbreaking/shipbreaking32.pdf

Also small report on the "Love Boats" tragic end

http://www.robindesbois.org/communiques/demolition/2013/Pacific_Princess_chantiers_turcs_tuent.html
#2188
Brittany Ferries are too lay up the Cotentin again this winter, one assumes it will again be sale listed as BF don't seem to have a full use for this very modern vessel.

http://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/10617655.Brittany_Ferries_pulls_freight_ship_from_Poole/

Previous sale listing
http://www.mondialbroker.com/boat.taf?B=346630&K=SRC
#2190
Some images of the Logos Hope in Sweden earlier this year.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/skepparn83/sets/72157634013594542/