January 2021

Ships Monthly

The world's number one shipping magazine

Ships Monthly1 min read
Ships Monthly
www.shipsmonthly.com Editor • Nicholas Leach sm.ed@kelsey.co.uk Art Editor • Mark Hyde Hill View Media Ltd • 01366 728488 Ben Foster • ben@hillviewmedia.com 07976 256 205 shipsmonthly.ads@kelsey.co.uk Production • 01733 363485 Kelseyspecialist@atgrap
Ships Monthly1 min readPolitics
Moment Of Truth For Traders
The decision of the UK to leave the European Union taken at the referendum in 2016 has, so far, had little impact on the daily life of UK citizens. However, from 1 January 2021 the reality of Brexit will hit, and we will find out what it really means
Ships Monthly1 min readSecurity
Contributors This Month
Malcolm Cranfield is a maritime historian and shipping photographer. His interest in ships started in 1960, when he was living at Portishead near Bristol. Iain McGeachy was brought up by the Clyde and has had a long interest in shipping. He took his
Ships Monthly1 min read
Ferry Crew In Quarantine
After seven crew members tested positive for Covid-19 in November 2020, the entire crew of Stena Horizon was put into quarantine. After cleaning and sanitising, the 2006-built ro-pax vessel was anchored off Anglesey with a minimum relief crew on boar
Ships Monthly1 min read
Evergreen Diverts From Felixstowe
Retailers, shipping and haulage companies complained of ‘chaos’ at Felixstowe affecting goods in the run-up to Christmas. In early November 2020 Taiwanese shipping firm Evergreen directed one of its ships to bypass Felixstowe because of ‘serious port
Ships Monthly1 min readTechnology & Engineering
Hybrid Vessel Upgrade
The technology group Wärtsilä and CBO, a Brazilian operator of offshore support vessels, signed an agreement in October 2020 to convert a vessel from CBO’s fleet to operate with hybrid propulsion. CBO Flamengo will be the first vessel in Latin Americ
Ships Monthly1 min read
Wind Farm Worker Launched
Norwegian shipbuilder Ulstein expects to deliver the new cablelaying vessel Nexans Aurora to Paris-based Nexans within the second quarter of this year following float-out in November. The basic hull of the 149.9m by 31m ship was completed by the CRIS
Ships Monthly1 min read
Towage On The Tees
SMS Towage are expanding their operations to cover the River Tees and the port of Hartlepool. The towage firm’s Sanmar-built Nobleman (2012, ex-Ulupinar XV), and the Italian-built Roman (1999, ex-Momentum G), were berthed in Middlesbrough in November
Ships Monthly1 min read
Oocl Orders New Mega-ships
Hong Kong-based Orient Overseas Container Line (OOCL) has ordered seven 23,000 TEU container ships from COSCO shipyards in China for delivery between the third quarter of 2023 and the third quarter of 2024. The vessels, expected to cost over $1 billi
Ships Monthly1 min read
Island Ferry Launched
On 28 October 2020 Damen Shipyards Galati successfully launched the third Island class vessel for BC Ferries. The vessel is part of an order of six such vessels for the ferry operator and will perform an environmentally efficient inter-island ferry s
Ships Monthly1 min read
Wreck Removal Specialist
The heavy lifting vessel VB10000, owned by American engineering firm Versabar and built in 2010, has been brought in to assist in the dismantling of the auto carrier Golden Ray, which lost stability and capsized off the Port of Brunswick, Georgia mor
Ships Monthly2 min read
Brief News
CRUISE RESTARTS • Aida is one of the cruise companies hoping to restart cruising, with Aidastella sailing from Palma, Aidaperla from Tenerife and Aidamar from Las Palmas during December 2020, while TUI’s Mein Schiff 2 should also be sailing in the Ca
Ships Monthly1 min readAutomotive
Pctc Gains Digital Smart Ship Notation
Japanese classification society ClassNK has granted its Digital Smart Ship notation for the new LNG-fuelled Pure Car Truck Carrier (PCTC) Sakura Leader, which was recently completed by the Shin Kurushima Dockyard Company for compatriot owner NYK Line
Ships Monthly1 min read
New Career For Lofoten
After nearly six decades of service along the Norwegian coast, the historic 1964-built passenger vessel Lofoten is slated to leave the Hurtigruten fleet. From 2021 the Hurtigruten classic will become a training ship, educating the next generation of
Ships Monthly1 min read
Delivered
China’s Jiangsu Zhenjiang Shipyard has completed Bravewind, the second of two 148.5m by 28m heavy transport ships it has been building for German owner United Wind Logistics. Like the earlier Boldwind, the 18,600gt Bravewind makes use of a diesel-ele
Ships Monthly1 min read
First Steel Cut For Double-enders
Steel-cutting for the first of two ground-breaking double-ended vessels, which will enter service for P&O Ferries between Dover and Calais om 2023, has taken place at the Guangzhou Shipyard in China. The pair were ordered in September 2019 and have b
Ships Monthly1 min read
Trip News
POVL ANKER • The 1978-built Bornholm ferry was put through a six-week life-extending refit at the Orskov Yard in Denmark before returning to the Ronne-Sassnitz route late in 2020. The original grey-hulled livery from her early days of operation more
Ships Monthly1 min read
Hydrogen Fuel To Be Tested In Orkney
The 1989-built Shapinsay from the fleet of Orkney Ferries has been selected to carry out tests in Scottish waters and become the world’s first ferry to use hydrogen as a fuel. The 1989-built 219gt vessel has used hydrogen to fuel auxiliary power whil
Ships Monthly1 min read
Ferries In The News
NEW ARRIVAL • Aran Island Ferries’ new 400-passenger vessel, Saoirse na Farraige, being unloaded from heavy lift vessel Svenja on 6 November 2020 at the end of a six-week delivery voyage from Hong Kong. She will start running from Galway to Aran afte
Ships Monthly1 min read
Covid-19 Threat To Operators
Even major operators Viking Line and the Tallink Group are being threatened by the implications of the Covid-19 resurgence, with Viking making 180 of its shorebased staff in Finland, Sweden, Estonia and Åland redundant, and a further 70 personnel are
Ships Monthly1 min read
Color Cruise Ferry Cuts
Capacity on the Oslo-Kiel service has been cut, with cruise ferry Color Fantasy (2004/75,027gt) laid up in Oslofjord, leaving the route in the hands of Color Magic (2007/75,100gt) and the ro-ro freighter Color Carrier (1998/12,433gt). Since August 20
Ships Monthly1 min read
New Ireland-france Link
DFDS Seaways are to launch a new freight service between Ireland’s Rosslare Europort and Dunkirk in France on 2 January, with three vessels offering a total of six sailings each way per week. Although the tonnage to be used for trips taking 24 hours
Ships Monthly1 min read
Honfleur To Norway
The 42,200gt dual-fuel ro-pax vessel ordered for the Caen/Ouistreham-Portsmouth service and originally due for delivery in June 2019, was cancelled by Brittany Ferries due to building days at the FSG Yard in Flensburg, Germany. Now Hull 774, which wa
Ships Monthly1 min read
Another Line In Trouble
Following a dispute over crew wages and as a number of crew had been working unpaid for several months, a Miami federal court judge described Bahama Paradise Cruise Line’s compensation offer amounting to $875,000 and covering around 275 crew members
Ships Monthly2 min read
Brief News
SEAJETS • Pacific Aria (formerly Holland America’s Ryndam), acquired recently from P&O Australia, will be renamed Aegean Goddess. No new names have yet been announced for Columbus and Magellan, acquired from CMV. It is still unclear if Seajets’ newly
Ships Monthly1 min read
Heading For Pastures New
With the disposal by auction of the entire Cruise and Maritime Voyages fleet, it seemed likely that the oldest owned unit, the 1965-built Marco Polo, would be heading to a scrap yard, on the basis that several newer ships had either already been beac
Ships Monthly2 min read
Update Of Covid Impact
At the end of October 2020 the US Center for Disease Control withdrew its blanket ban on cruising for ships with more than 250 people aboard from US ports, subject to a 74-point action plan. Three weeks later, just as the major lines were making a re
Ships Monthly1 min read
All Together Now
For a few days in November 2020 the entire fleet of Disney Cruise Line was in Brest for overhaul and maintenance. Now Disney Magic has returned to Dover, while Disney Fantasy and Disney Wonder are heading back to Florida ready for a resumption of ser
Ships Monthly1 min read
Gone Before Her Time
With the failure of Indian operator Jalesh Cruises, its single ship, Karnika, has been auctioned by the Indian courts and is going for scrap in Alang. The Indian cruise venture failure was caused by the pandemic, and the operation was short-lived, ha
Ships Monthly1 min read
Missiles Megamix For Type 26 Variant
The Royal Canadian Navy has revealed details of the configuration of the Canadian Surface Combatant (CSC), their version of the Type 26 frigate. The most striking disclosure is the extensive mix of offensive and defensive missile systems with which t
Ships Monthly1 min read
Two Before One
The first of a new class of sleek and stealthy frigates for Japan’s Maritime Self Defense Force was launched on 19 November 2020. Curiously, Kumano is the second ship of the 30FFM class under construction. The launch of the as yet unnamed first of cl
Ships Monthly1 min read
A Storm Is Coming
The Israeli Defence Forces have taken delivery of the first of a series of four Sa’ar (Hebrew for Storm) 6 corvettes. The future INS Magen was handed over by Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) in Kiel, albeit without the majority of weapons and comba
Ships Monthly1 min read
Bristol Decommissioned
HMS Bristol, the Royal Navy’s second-oldest serving vessel, has been decommissioned after a total of 47 years service. The harbour training hulk was formally retired at her permanent moorings at Whale Island, in Portsmouth Harbour, after 27 years in
Ships Monthly1 min read
Big Budget
In November 2020 the UK Prime Minister announced the biggest investment in the country’s Armed Forces since the end of the Cold War by pledging to increase the annual defence budget by £4 billion a year over four years. This is in addition to an exis
Ships Monthly1 min read
Bonjour Barracuda
The first of the French Navy’s next generation of Barracuda class nuclear-powered attack submarines has been delivered to DGA, the French Armament Procurement Agency. The handover of the Suffren took place at the naval base in Toulon on 6 November 20
Ships Monthly2 min read
Brief News
HELLENIC NAVY • The captain of a container ship has been charged with causing a shipwreck due to negligence following a collision with a Greek warship. The mine warfare vessel HS Kallisto (ex-HMS Berkeley) was sliced in two after being hit by the 4,5
Ships Monthly1 min read
Scorpio Sell More Bulkers
The Emanuele Lauro-led company Scorpio Bulkers has announced the sale of another five Kamsarmax bulkers, and has now sold 13 bulkers since announcing its move into the offshore wind sector in August 2020. Scorpio has agreed deals with two parties for
Ships Monthly2 min read
Brief News
BOXSHIPS ORDERED • China’s Yangzijiang Shipbuilding has won a contract to build five 3,500TEU container ships for an undisclosed Japanese owner, with another five on option. If the options are exercised, the total value of the contract will be $396 m
Ships Monthly1 min read
Second Easymax Ship
Niestern Sander expects to deliver its second Easymax multipurpose ship to owner/operator Wagenborg this month following the launch of the vessel in the final quarter of 2020. The Easymax class was developed by Wagenborg and Niestern Sander in collab
Ships Monthly1 min read
Maiden Voyage
On 11 November 2020 the port of Blyth and tenant GEOS Group, the UK’s largest independent marine fuel supplier, celebrated the arrival of the firm’s latest vessel, the 5,309dwt Thun Blyth, on her maiden voyage from Eemshaven in the Netherlands. Built
Ships Monthly1 min read
Msc Buys Older Tonnage
Taking advantage of low secondhand prices, the Mediterranean Shipping Co (MSC) has been buying a large number of older medium-sized container ships which it has been operating on charter. These include the 2004-built 7,849TEU twins E.R. Vancouver and
Ships Monthly1 min read
Sold To Russia
In November 2020 Polish-based Kopervik Ship Management disposed of three of their small general cargo vessels, which have been regular visitors to UK ports to Russian based interests. Fri Sun (1983/2,292dwt) and Fri Sky (1982/2,292dwt) have been sold
Ships Monthly1 min read
Torm Buys And Sells
Danish product tanker owner and operator TORM is purchasing two 2010-built medium-range (MR) tankers for a combined cost of $32.6 million and plans to take delivery of both vessels by February. They will replace the 18-year-old twins Torm Gerd and To
Ships Monthly1 min read
Get 3 Issues Free! when You Subscribe Today
Ships Monthly is essential reading for all shipping enthusiasts. We feature ships from around the world, including historic liners, modern container ships, naval vessels old and new, and ferries in the UK and further afield. Subscribe today and recei
Ships Monthly1 min read
Joint Venture Ended
Singapore-based Grindrod Shipping has wound up its joint venture with Japan’s Mitsui following the sale of the 2009-built IVS Triview, a 32,280dwt bulker that had been operating in the Island View Shipping (IVS) pool. The sale, along with the earlier
Ships Monthly1 min read
Ss United States Today
This series of photographs shows United States berthed at Pier 82 on the Delaware River, in Philadelphia, where she has been since 1996. Since 2009 a preservation group called the SS United States Conservancy has been raising funds to save the ship.
Ships Monthly5 min read
Ss United States william Francis Gibbs’ Superliner
In the first half of the 20th century the transatlantic liner market was dominated by ships flagged in Britain, France, Italy and Germany. The coveted Blue Riband speed record changed hands mainly between the ships of those nations, but one man, Will
Ships Monthly7 min read
Grace Line’s Four Sisters
The opening of the Panama Canal helped to spur the development of the American intercoastal route between the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, and this route was the catalyst that led to the design and construction of four of the more notable ships in th
Ships Monthly2 min read
Galicia New E-flexer Debuts
The first of three ferries from the Stena E-Flexer series, built in China at the AVIC Weihai Shipyard for long-term charter by Brittany Ferries, entered service as Galicia, with a maiden commercial sailing departing Santander in Northern Spain on 3 D
Ships Monthly5 min read
PITCAIRN MEMORIES Cameras And Whaleboats
In the middle of the Pacific, on a line roughly between Wellington, New Zealand and Balboa, Panama, is the tiny Pitcairn Island. Volcanic and fertile, it is just two miles long, a mile wide and around 1,000ft at its highest point. In January 1790 Pit
Ships Monthly4 min read
Ships And Shipping On The Firth Of Forth
The Firth of Forth is the estuary of several Scottish rivers, including the River Forth. It meets the North Sea on Scotland’s east coast, with Fife to the north and Lothian to the south. The estuary’s major ports are Leith, Rosyth and Grangemouth whi
Ships Monthly1 min read
Smaller Harbours On The Forth
METHIL is the most easterly harbour on the Fife side; apart from general cargo, it offers repair and maintenance facilities for offshore drilling rigs, which may be seen anchored off. KIRKCALDY harbour reopened 2011 as an environmental initiative by
Ships Monthly1 min read
Royal Yacht Britannia At Leith
The Royal Yacht Britannia, which was commissioned into the Royal Navy on 11 January 1954, served Queen Elizabeth II until 1997 and is now permanently berthed at Ocean Terminal, Leith, where she attracts over 300,000 visitors each year, under normal c
Ships Monthly1 min read
Cruise Callers On The Forth
Cruise ships may be seen at Leith, Rosyth and anchorages off Newhaven and Queensferry. The main itineraries are Round Britain, Baltic or the Norwegian Fjords cruises. August sees ships overnighting to allow visitors to attend the Military Tattoo or o
Ships Monthly1 min read
Tugs And Towage Work On The Forth
Because of the amount of shipping traffic in the Forth, there are three fleets of tugs operating in the estuary. Forth Estuary Towage, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Forth Ports, is based in Leith and operates four tugs serving Leith, Rosyth and the Bu
Ships Monthly7 min read
Broken Up In Aliaga
In the world of shipbreaking, the yards of Aliaga, Turkey have become the final resting place for a great number of ships and continue to employ more than 1,000 workers at 28 plots located 50km north of Izmir. The recycling area was first laid out by
Ships Monthly6 min read
Hms Newfoundland service Under Two Flags
The last days of 1942 saw a bustle of activity at Swan Hunter’s shipyard on the River Tyne as a new cruiser was prepared for sea. Named Newfoundland after the then British-ruled dominion adjacent to Canada, she successfully completed a series of tria
Ships Monthly1 min read
Book Of The Month
Ocean Fleets is the new name for what was originally intended to be the 18th edition of Ocean Ships, a series that has charted the changing European Shipping Scene for over 50 years. The new book is divided into two sections, the first providing deta
Ships Monthly1 min read
Transfer To Peru And Service In South America
ewfoundland left the Far East for the last time early in 1959, arriving in Portsmouth to pay off into reserve in June. However, her sale to Peru meant that the final voyage to the shipbreakers, the lot of many of her contemporaries, was deferred for
Ships Monthly3 min read
Greek Shipowner
The Pontikos family from Oinousses, near Chios in the north Aegean Sea, had a long tradition of shipowning in the age of sailing ships, with Petros Pontikos (1837-1934) being the first Oinoussian to own a steam ship, the 1873 Wallsend-built Petros, b
Ships Monthly5 min read
Chartroom
Travelling to the Continent by Ferry from Britain 1958-2018 This publication will give the reader a nostalgic insight into the ferry operations from Britain to the Continent from the late 1950s to 2018. Each of the principal routes, serving the Nethe
Ships Monthly2 min read
Memories Of Caledonian Princess
The article Dover’s final steamer Caledonian Princess (SM, Nov 2020) was of much interest, but a few points need clarification. A speed of 20 knots is quoted, but the factbox lists it as 19 knots. As one of the ship’s retired engineers, I thought tho
Ships Monthly2 min read
November’s Mystery Ship
The mystery ship shows the steamship Hilda on the rocks near St Malo. Built in 1882 by Adkin & Mansel, Glasgow for the London and South Western Railway, she operated on the Southampton-Jersey-St Malo service until 1890, when she was moved to a direct
Ships Monthly1 min read
Bygone Era Ships
Sorting through some files, I came across the attached photograph of one of my old ships, TSS Clan Chattan. I thought it may be of interest for you archives. The photo was taken in 1960 by John A. Reid, 6th engineer at the time. We were loading jute,
Ships Monthly1 min read
This Month’s Mystery Ship
This month’s mystery photo shows a paddle steamer leaving port, with two other paddlers background left. No name is distinguishable, but the funnel colours are distinctive. So what was the vessel’s name? When was she built? Where was the photograph t
Ships Monthly2 min read
Next Issue
SOUTHAMPTON SHIPSPOTTING ON SALE JAN 22 Ship photographers from the south coast look at the port of Southampton and describe the best places from where to see ships and shipping in the busy Southampton Water and Solent areas. PLUS CANBERRA AND ORIANA

Ships Monthly

More Issues From Ships Monthly