2008 Review                    (Updated 16th Oct 2008)     

Saturday 26th January 2008 - Winter Social.

48 members attended the kick-off to this year's events - the Winter Social which took place at the Churchill Hotel, on the seafront at Dover. 

We were lucky to to have dry bright conditions for the weekend and some members took advantage of special rates we had negotiated with the hotel and made a weekend of it.

Fred Olsen's new addition to their fleet, the Balmoral was in port for the weekend before her planned inaugural cruise (which was later cancelled due to technical problems).

The social kicked off with an enjoyable three course meal followed by a slide show given by Mike Jackson, assisted by Andrew Humphreys. The entertaining and informative slide show covered Mike's time sailing on tankers from the 1960's onwards.

On Sunday, for those members who has stayed overnight, a visit to Dover Coastguard Station was organised by Andrew Humphreys.

Fred Olsen's new BALMORAL was berthed at Dover during our Winter Social.

Dover Harbour with the Churchill Hotel on the seafront on a sunny January day.

The brand new vehicle carrier GARNET LEADER taking her pilot in the Elbe on 18th April.

COSCO NAPOLI departing from Hamburg on 18th April, taken from one of the passing ferries.

HARBOUR BRIDGE departs from Hamburg on 18th April.

WAPPEN VON STUTTGART catches some evening sunshine as she arrives on 18th April.

The bulk carrier BLED photographed from my hotel room early on the morning of 19th April.

The classic reefer ELECTRA also passed our hotel early in the morning of 19th April.

Chipolbrok's CARNIVAL catches the last rays of sunshine during the evening of 19th April.

The Hamburg tug ACCURAT photographed during a harbour tour on 20th April.

KIRCHDORF is one of the vessels operating the Harbour Tours at Hamburg.

Feeder ZEALAND departs from Parkhafen, Hamburg during one of our harbour tours on 20th April.

The bulk carrier TARANG passed our hotel outward bound on 20th April.

ALEKO KONSTANTINOV passing our hotel on 21st April.

The NEUENFELDE is one of the ferries calling at the ferry terminal near our hotel.

Thursday 17th April to Monday 21st April 2008 - Relax by the Elbe.

On Thursday 17th April, 30 TSS members assembled at Terminal 5, Heathrow, for the trip to Hamburg. Happily, there were no issues with the operation of Terminal 5 on that day and we were quickly checked in and through security for our mid afternoon British Airways flight to Hamburg. 

After an uneventful, but slightly delayed flight, we soon found ourselves on-board our coach for the short transfer to The Golden Tulip Hamburg Aviation Hotel on the banks of the River Elbe near the Airbus factory at Finkenwerder. The Hotel is perfectly situated for ship photography with a landing stage for the local ferries directly in front of it. The rooms were very comfortable and as our rooms were all river facing, it was possible to photograph passing shipping from our hotel rooms!

Friday morning dawned with partially sunny conditions, so we were all up early planning our day ahead. In order to keep costs down for the basic trip it has been decided not to plan any organised trips during our stay in Hamburg, but, very soon we were exploring the local ferries, buses and rail network. Some of the group stayed at the hotel as the photography of the passing shipping was very good. Others made their way into Hamburg by the cheap and frequent ferries to take a “Grosse Hafenrundfahrt”, in other words one of the frequent one hour harbour trips, which explored the container berths and some of the other dock complexes as well as the river, of course. 

Examples of the shipping seen during the day included large container ships LT Cortesia and APL France; the brand new vehicle carrier Garnet Leader, completed in Gdynia in March 2008; the elderly Russian sea-river ship Tyovo Vyakhya and the huge bulk carrier BW Fjord, which departed in the early evening.

Saturday was mainly cloudy but bright at times with no rain. Again, members of the group did some exploring by public transport with Bremerhaven and Brunsbuttel visited amongst other places. The less intrepid settled for the usual mix of ferry rides, harbour trips or merely relaxing at the hotel watching and photographing the passing shipping.

The highlights of Saturday’s shipping included an early morning arrival of the reefer Electra; the arriving container ship CSCL Zeebrugge and, finally, as the sun was setting, Chipolbrok’s classic cargo ship Carnival passed the hotel inward bound. (Why do the interesting ships always move at dawn or dusk??).

Sunday was spent similarly, the one exception was that the ferries had a “free day” and were consequently quite crowded. Unfortunately some of our group did not realise this until they had purchased tickets from the automatic ticket machines!

Sunday’s highlights included the arrival of the container ships Kota Latif and Skagen Maersk, as well as the departure of the bulk carrier Sigrun Bolten.

Too quickly, Monday dawned – a beautifully sunny day. We were due to leave at 3pm for the airport, so most people stayed in the vicinity of the hotel and photographed the passing shipping in excellent photographic conditions. Unfortunately the river was quite quiet and as usual started to get busy when it was time to depart for the airport, with the arrival of the Hanjin Rio De Janeiro and feeder container Taipan being our last ships photographed during the trip.

Our flight home was again slightly delayed, but at least our bags turned up on time at Terminal 5! Good-byes were said and we were on our way home after a very successful time in Hamburg. I hope that this enjoyable trip can be repeated in future years.

Finally, thanks go to Roger Hammond, Ray Smith and Mark Teadham for organising and leading the trip and to other committee members involved in making this trip the success it was.

Report and photographs by Chris Brooks.

Saturday 26th April 2008 - Annual General Meeting and Southampton Harbour Cruise.

Around 40 TSS members attended the AGM and Southampton Harbour Cruise on a gloriously sunny and warm Saturday on Blue Funnel's vessel the Ocean Scene.

The day started with drinks followed by an excellent three course meal. Once we had finished the meal, coffee was served upstairs and the formalities of the Annual General Meeting were conducted efficiently by the members of the committee.

At about 14:30 we cast off for the cruise of Southampton Harbour. Unfortunately, one of the cruise ships visiting Southampton on that day, the Brilliance of the Seas had already departed by the time our cruise started. However, we were pleased to see that the Sea Princess, Queen Elizabeth 2 and the brand new Independence of the Seas were all in port. Independence of the Seas had arrived on the previous day on her maiden voyage from her builders in Finland. She will be named in Southampton on 30th April and will spend her 2008 season cruising from Southampton.

As well as the cruise ships, the vehicle carrier Grande Spagna and three large container vessels were present in the Western Docks. When we had completed our cruise of the Western Docks, we made our way down Southampton Water to Fawley Oil Terminal, where several tankers were moored as well as the newly delivered tug Apex (which was unfortunately not in a position to get a photograph). The tanker Cape Beira made for a colourful photograph at Hamble Oil Jetty.

We then made our way back to Southampton where we witnessed the departure of the cruise vessel Sea Princess and also the moving of the Queen Elizabeth 2 from 105 berth in the Western Docks to her normal berth 38/39 in the Eastern Docks.

It was interesting to compare the graceful lines of the QE2 with the new Independence of the Seas as she passed the latter vessel at the end of our cruise.

With thanks to Simon Martin and the committee members for organising what was a very enjoyable day and of course the captain and crew of the Ocean Scene for yet another successful day out.

Report and photographs by Chris Brooks

The brand new INDEPENDENCE OF THE SEAS was in Southampton for her naming ceremony.

GRANDE SPAGNA was at 102 berth in the Western Docks.

OOCL EUROPE was one of three large container ships at the container terminal.

CAPE BEIRA provided some colour was we passed Hamble oil jetty.

The SEA PRINCESS passed us at close quarters as she departed for Vigo.

QUEEN ELIZABETH 2 was moved from 105 berth to 38/39 berth at the end of our cruise.

The graceful QE2 against the more modern lines of the INDEPENDENCE OF THE SEAS.

C.COLUMBUS takes her pilot off Gravesend at the beginning of our cruise.

FINNFIGHTER turning in the river in order to enter Tilbury Lock.

OSTEND WAY slowly passing our vessel after departing from her berth.

ALEXANDRA RICKMERS inward bound in the Thames for Northfleet Hope.

MONTE ROSA passes us at speed on our way back to Gravesend.

HILDEGAARD was berthed at Coryton.

CMA CGM HOMERE outward bound in the Thames having departed from Northfleet Hope.

Report and Photographs by Chris Brooks

Saturday 17th May - Thames and Medway Cruise

On a dull and cloudy morning, on Saturday 17th May, almost 60 TSS members congregated at the landing stage at Gravesend for the first Thames and Medway cruise of the year. After a period of warm and sunny weather, unfortunately the weather had taken a turn for the worse, with rain being forecast.

Whilst waiting to board our vessel, the Princess Pocahontas, we were lucky enough to witness the arrival in the Thames of the cruise ship C. Columbus, which was making her way upriver. We boarded our vessel at 10am and shortly after casting off the outward bound tanker Laguna D passed us. We then made our way upriver to photograph the vessels at Northfleet Hope container terminal where Hamburg-Sud’s Monte Rosa was present as well as the CMA CGM Homere. We continued past the grain terminal where there were two small coastal vessels, up to the Vopak and Cobelfret berths at Dartford to photograph the various ro-ros and product tankers there before turning downstream. Two of the Cobelfret ro-ros passed us outward bound as we got to Dartford. By now, the weather had closed in and it was raining quite heavily at times. 

On our way downriver we passed the ro-ro Finnfighter being eased into the locks at Tilbury by the tug Svitzer Laceby. We continued past Gravesend, slowly being overtaken by the outward bound ro-ro Ostend Way to witness the inward bound container vessel Alexandra Rickmers looming out of the misty rain. She was to take the Monte Rosa’s berth at Northfleet Hope as the latter vessel was on the point of departure.

The next point of interest was the tanker berths at Shellhaven and Coryton. The ex Russian Arctic tanker Stavrodromi was at Shellhaven with the large Hildegaard at Coryton, together with the smaller FS Philippine and Sigas Earl. Inward bound to Coryton was the product tanker Aurora which we passed downriver from the tanker berths. 

We pushed on further downriver in deteriorating weather conditions when our ploughman’s lunch was served. It was at this point due to the weather and the fact that there was only one vessel in Sheerness, and with no vessels at Thamesport, that we made the decision to turn back upriver and miss out the Medway part of the cruise.

So, we made our way slowly back up the river past Coryton, where, by now, the Aurora was being berthed by the tugs Stanford and Corringham. We were quite lucky to witness the departure of the container vessels Monte Rosa and CMA CGM Homere, both of which passed us at speed as we headed back for Gravesend.

The cruise finished at Gravesend, slightly earlier than planned, where everyone said their goodbyes in the rain. The cruise did not really proceed as we had planned, nevertheless, it was good to meet up with everyone and we were quite lucky with the container vessel movements.

With thanks to the organisers of the trip and Captain Potter and the crew of the Princess Pocahontas for making us welcome, as always. We look forward to the next trip on the Thames and Medway and hope for some better weather next time!

14th to 21st June - Summer Continental

On a sunny Saturday 14th June sixteen TSS members gathered at Harwich Ferry Terminal for the early morning Stena line sailing to the Hook of Holland at the start of the 2008 TSS Continental Tour.

Celebrity Constellation was the first ship photographed as she was alongside the adjacent cruise terminal at Harwich. We were soon on our way, past the container terminals at Felixstowe out into the channel for our crossing to Holland. After a smooth crossing, we were approaching Rotterdam for our mid-afternoon arrival, photographing the shipping arriving and leaving Europoort and the New Waterway.

For the first two nights we stayed in the Delta Hotel, conveniently located on the banks of the river at Vlaardingen. There we were joined by other members of our group who had travelled independently to Rotterdam. The hotel has a restaurant and bar which has an open balcony overlooking the river. Soon after our arrival we were photographing a whole manner of shipping, particular favourites being the departing bulk carrier Julia and the container carrier Frisia Lissabon. They made excellent photographic subjects in the early evening sunshine.

Sunday 15th dawned bright and sunny and after breakfast we made our way down to the nearby landing stage to our cruise vessel for the day, our old friend, the “Partyschip Diane”. A ten hour cruise had been planned to cover the entire Rotterdam and Europoort docks complex. We were soon on our way down to Europoort via the Caland Canal. By the time we got to Europoort some cloud had built up and we had a few showers of rain. Happily the rain did not last too long and we were soon in sunshine again. Many large tankers, container ships and bulk carrier were in port, examples being the bulk carrier Bao Fu, container ship APL France and tanker Barents Sea.

We then made our way back to Rotterdam where a whole array of shipping was photographed in the old port area, including the Russian general cargo ship Ivan Shadr, large Finnish tug Zeus and newbuild offshore vessels Toisa Pegasus and Toisa Perseus. The cruise finished at 7pm when we adjourned for dinner at the hotel.

On Monday 16th it was time to depart the Delta Hotel for the second part of our tour, our stay in Vlissingen on the River Schelde. We took our leave of Rotterdam mid-morning and made our way by coach to Vlissingen via “The Hill” at the Hook of Holland where we photographed some passing vessels and any new ships berthed in Europoort. The drive down to Vlissingen took a couple of hours so we arrived early afternoon at the Arion Hotel in Vlissingen for our five night stay. The Northern Channel into the River Schelde passes close along the seafront at Vlissingen so it is possible to photograph vessels from your hotel room balcony. The rest of the day was spent at leisure – some members walked a short distance to the pilot station where it is possible to photograph vessels in both channels in the River Schelde on their way to and from Antwerp, Gent, Terneuzen and Flushing.

The next day was spent at Terneuzen after a short coach journey from Vlissingen. Terneuzen is probably the best place on the River Schelde to photograph vessels bound for Antwerp. It is also the location of the locks for the Gent canal. It was a busy day on the river and beautiful, sunny, weather. Many excellent photographs were taken of the passing traffic, which included MSC Sarah, Maersk Vyborg, CMA CGM America, Stina Kosan and Josco Nanjing.

On Wednesday 18th we departed from the hotel for a day trip to Antwerp by coach and our five hour private cruise around Antwerp Docks. After a brief stop at Antwerp Locks to see if any shipping was moving, we boarded our vessel, the “Kempenland”, and we were soon underway photographing the diverse range of shipping at Antwerp. This included the conventional general cargo ships Namibia and Krokus, reefers Caribbean Star, Lady Racisce and Star Prima and many other bulk carriers, container ships and tankers. On completion of our cruise we made our way back to Vlissingen and our hotel.

Thursday saw us visiting Terneuzen again and also taking a coach tour of Gent Docks kindly arranged by our friend from Belgium, Andre. Unfortunately the weather was dull with light rain at times, but we still managed to photograph a number of ships in Gent docks including HMS Fearless being broken up at the scrapyard. We made our way back to Terneuzen for mid afternoon by which time the weather had brightened up. On departure from Terneuzen we returned to our hotel in Vlissingen.

Friday saw us again take the coach to Terneuzen, but there was the option of continuing on the coach to Antwerp for the public harbour cruise of Antwerp, which some members of our group decided to do. Some members stayed at Terneuzen again to photograph the passing shipping.

All too soon, our tour had come to and end. We checked out of the Arion Hotel on Saturday and made our way back to Rotterdam, by coach, again via “The Hill” at the Hook of Holland. Here we spent some time photographing passing shipping including the tanker King Everest and container carrier ANL Esprit. Our 14:30 ferry sailing back to Harwich left on time, and, after an uneventful crossing we arrived back at Harwich at 8pm, where our tour ended.

With thanks to Paul Mason, Roger Hammond and Ray Smith for their hard work in ensuring that the 2008 continental was, as always, a very enjoyable and successful trip. 

Photos and report by Chris Brooks

The evening sunshine illuminates JULIA as she passes the Delta Hotel.

SOCRATES was seen during our Rotterdam cruise.

BAO FU berthed at Europoort during our cruise.

Traditional general cargo ship IVAN SHADR in Rotterdam during our cruise.

TOISA PEGASUS under construction at Rotterdam.

VAAL RIVER passing our hotel at Vlaardingen on 15th June.

PIONER YAKUTII catching the morning sunshine as she passes our hotel at Vlissingen.

MAERSK VYBORG passing Terneuzen on 17th June.

The brand new STINA KOSAN passing Terneuzen on 17th June.

KROKUS at Antwerp during our port cruise.

Bulk Carrier MAKIKI at Antwerp during our cruise.

The large LNG carrier METHANIA dominated the scene at Antwerp during our cruise.

TSURU ARROW passing Vlissingen on 20th June.

MSC BENEDETTA, one of the many container carriers to pass during one of our visits to Terneuzen.

COTE D'IVOIRIAN STAR passing our hotel in Vlissingen.

An unusual visitor for Southampton - bulk wood-chip carrier MIMOSA DREAM 

NEW BREEZE was at 202 berth, Western Docks

BERGE SUMMIT at Fawley Oil Terminal

ECUADOR STAR outward bound in Portsmouth Harbour

ARK ROYAL was at Portsmouth Naval Base

NORMANDIE EXPRESS also departing from Portsmouth

EURODAM rounding Calshot after departing from Southampton...

...followed by OCEANA...

...which was followed by INDEPENDENCE OF THE SEAS....

...and then SEA PRINCESS....

...with APL GERMANY bringing up the rear!

Fifty-six TSS members gathered at Ocean Village at Southampton on a breezy, sunny day on 28th June for the first Solent Cruise of the year. We were soon boarding blue Funnel’s Ocean Scene for our six hour private cruise of Southampton, the Solent and Portsmouth.

We were encouraged to note that Southampton Docks were quite busy with four cruise ships and a number of other vessels present. We departed at midday and started by exploring the Eastern Docks. After photographing the bunkering tankers in Empress Docks we cruised round Dockhead to photograph P&O’s Oceana at berth 38/9, followed by the tugs in Ocean Dock. A new tug for Southampton was present, the Portgarth, normally to be found in the Bristol Channel.

We continued on to Western Docks, where the massive Independence of the Seas was at the City Cruise Terminal at berth 101. She is based in Southampton for the cruising season this year. At 104 berth was Holland America Line’s brand new vessel Eurodam, straight from the builders in Italy on a courtesy visit to the port. 106 berth was taken by the Sea Princess, the fourth cruise ship to be photographed.

At berth 107 was an unusual visitor for Southampton, a large bulk wood-chip carrier – Mimosa Dream, unloading cargo. 201/202 berth was taken by Autotransporter, Atlasgracht loading yachts for Palma and the reefer New Breeze which had been lying at the berth for some time. Just around the corner, the container terminal housed the feeder WMS Harlingen, and the large container ships APL Germany and CMA CGM Nabucco.

We re-traced our steps through the docks and out into Southampton Water where it was time for our lunch. Lunch was interrupted by the arrival of the vehicle carrier Integrity and several tankers at Fawley Oil Terminal, comprising the Berge Summit, Eland and Overseas Reinemar. The new tugs moored at the oil terminal were also of interest to our tug enthusiasts.

Off to Portsmouth now, via the North Channel, passing the incoming dredger Arco Dee on the way. Portsmouth was quite busy with the RFA tanker Bayleaf being berthed by two tugs, as well as the departing reefer Ecuador Star passing very close to us as we went through the entrance to the harbour. 

For the naval enthusiasts the Ark Royal and the Illustrious were in port as well as several destroyers and frigates. We also paid a visit to Fareham Creek to photograph the laid up warships there. On our way out of the harbour we were overtaken by the Brittany Ferries fast ferry - Normandie Express.

We were on our way back to Southampton now to witness the departure of the four cruise ships, the first one, Eurodam, being scheduled to depart at 16:00. Unfortunately the Eurodam made it to Calshot just before we did so we could only take a stern photograph of the vessel as she rounded Calshot, bound for her inaugural visit to her home port of Rotterdam. We crossed the channel after she had passed to get into the optimum position for photographing the Oceana which passed us shortly afterwards, followed by the Independence of the Seas and Sea Princess. Luckily the sun stayed out to photograph the passing cruise ships and some excellent shots were taken. Following the cruise ships was the large container ship APL Germany which also passed us at close quarters. Time was getting on - so we then made our way back to Ocean Village, where our cruise ended.

A thoroughly enjoyable day was had by all, with a varied range of shipping seen in good photographic conditions. Thanks go to our tour leader Simon Martin for arranging the day, and the captain and crew of the Ocean Scene, for their usual excellent hospitality. We look forward to the next Solent Cruise of 2008 in August. 

Report and Photographs by Chris Brooks

Thursday 31st July  - Thames and Medway Cruise

The weather forecast for the second (midweek) cruise on the Princess Pocahontas was reasonably promising, although with the threat of some thundery showers later; certainly better than the conditions I had left behind in the Westcountry the previous day and those experienced on the first Thames and Medway trip back in May. 

We all gathered as usual at the Gravesend Ferry Terminal and, just before boarding, we got our first vessel underway – the ro/ro Norcape 79/14807 heading downriver for Zeebrugge. We then set off upriver as far as the ro/ro and tanker berths in the vicinity of the Dartford road bridge. One of the two vessels at Northfleet Hope Container terminal, the Cypriot flag Ariake 05/28592, caused a certain amount of interest. She was wearing the funnel colours of the old P&O Nedlloyd consortium – dark blue with orange band – and, coincidentally, her name had been carried by one of that group’s ships until a few years ago. She is actually owned within the German Schulte Group and was launched as Sarah Schulte. Her last port was listed as Philadelphia and next port Bremerhaven, and a recent LSI lists ports of call as Melbourne and Dunedin in mid June. Quite a range.

Our captain then deftly took us right into the inside berth on Tilbury Grain terminal to get some close-ups of the Strahlmann low air coaster Rantum 89/1984, before re-emerging to catch the sailing from Tilbury lock of the feeder containership JRS Capella 05/7464 for Rotterdam. 

Up in the vicinity of Dartford we were treated to the usual collection of Cobelfret roros, including the now ageing, but still smart, Anglian Way 77/7628 – a sistership to the ill-fated Riverdance 77/6041, of Blackpool Beach fame. There were several tankers too at the berths on the North side of the river, including the red-hulled Italian Turchese 99/8428, a flag not often seen in British waters, and FS Philippine 05/11118, registered in Marseille (a reminder that a group of members would be heading off to that part of the World the following week). 

Heading back downriver now, we caught the arrival of Arklow Willow 03/8938 just berthing on Tilbury Grain Terminal to load for Carthagena. I was quite pleased with this one as she completed my sightings of all three of the “big” Arklow “W” ships. Next, some interest for the tug enthusiasts at the Gravesend/Denton moorings, and in amongst the more modern Svitzer shiphandling tugs, one of the oldest Thames lighterage tugs still in service, Unico 27/51, and another (although young by comparison) Silver Beam 51/92. Then a lull in proceedings before the tanker berths at Coryton; time to grab some lunch and something to quench the thirst on what was turning out to be quite a warm day.

With lunch barely finished (in my case not quite finished) our captain announced over the tannoy that there were two coasters inbound ahead of us. They turned out to be the feedership Ara Zeebrugge 91/3815 and the general cargo coaster Sea Ruby 92/1382. The latter was originally Hoo Larch. Both made for good shots as they passed by. Then back to the saloon to quickly finish off lunch before we arrived off the tanker berths at Coryton, where there were three tankers in residence. 
We had expected to venture out into the anchorages in the Estuary but the reports were that nothing was at anchor (although there were vessels due), so we headed straightaway into the Medway. Sheerness provided some variety with the bulker Carrara Castle 84/30163 (renamed from Star Evanger earlier this year), reefer Summer Flower 84/12659 and bright red car carrier Seine Highway 07/23498. Thamesport too provided a containership in the shape of the smart-looking MOL Solution 01/66332, and then the eagle-eyed amongst us spotted a vessel over in the River Swale at Grovehurst Jetty. She turned out to be the Dominican flag Fairplay 71/1834; now something of a veteran at 37 years of age. Unfortunately, she was a little out of camera range.

By now the sky was beginning to show signs of the threatened thundery showers and the visibility towards the anchorages had become somewhat hazy. However, as we headed back towards the Thames we could make out a 6-crane bulker now anchored off. She would be Alinda 77/17855, which was due for the Thames Refinery jetty at Silvertown. Unfortunately though, time was now pressing and our return to Gravesend would be against the ebb tide, so we were unable to make the detour to get photographs. We did, however, have enough time to get in nearer to the berths at Coryton on the way back, for close-ups of the three shiphandling tugs and better shots of the three tankers. The return journey also provided some underway shots of the low air coaster Sea Shannon 96/1670 departing, and feedership Georg Mitchell 98/2599 and Cobelfret ro/ro Victorine 00/23987, both arriving on their regular runs to the Thames. 

Once again, another successful outing on the Thames and Medway, with in excess of 30 vessels recorded plus local tugs and dredgers. As always, thanks are due to the TSS organiser, Mick Axford, and to the captain and crew of Princess Pocahontas for looking after us. 

Report and photos by Geoff Hoather

NORCAPE outward bound in the Thames after departing from Tilbury.

Containership ARIAKE at Northfleet Hope container terminal.

Italian tanker TURCHESE berthed in the Thames.

ARA ZEEBRUGGE passes us inward bound in the Thames.

Reefer SUMMER FLOWER berthed at Sheerness.

The well loaded CARRARA CASTLE at Sheerness.

MOL SOLUTION berthed at Thamesport.

Tug CORRINGHAM awaiting her next customer at Coryton.

USMA getting ready to sail from Coryton.

VICTORINE speeds past us inward bound.

Destroyer D641 DUPLEIX was at Toulon during our harbour cruise.

Dock landing ship L9012 SIROCO was also at Toulon during our visit...

... as was the new Dock Landing Ship L9013 MISTRAL. 

Ferry MONTE CINTO at Marseille during our harbour cruise of the port, having arrived from Corsica.

MARFRET MEJEAN was berthed on the outer breakwater in Marseille port.

The cruise ship CORAL at Marseille cruise terminal.

SUPER SERVANT 4 was also in Marseille port during our cruise.

Turkish coaster AYGUN was in Port De Bouc, Fos.

STAR LADY berthed at the Oil Terminal at Port St Louis, Fos, during our port cruise. 

Local tug MISTRAL 10 on her way to assist a departing car carrier at Port St Louis,Fos.

BYZANTION was anchored in the bay of Fos during our cruise...

... as was the bulk carrier ANGELIC POWER.

DANIELLE CASANOVA arriving at Mareille from Bastia, Corsica, on 10th August. Photographed from the Isle d'If tourist boat.

CORSE arriving at Marseille from Ile Rousse, Corsica, early on the morning of 11th August. Photographed from Jardin de Pharo.

A new destination for the TSS for 2008 was Marseille and Toulon, so, on Friday 8th August, TSS members gathered gathered at the Eurostar terminus in St. Pancras Station, London for the trip to Marseille. We boarded the 09:57 Eurostar departure to Brussels calling at Ebbsfleet and Lille and were soon speeding through the Kent countryside to the Channel Tunnel. We had also been joined by the remainder of our party at Ebbsfleet, making a total of 46 members in total on the tour.

Our train arrived in Lille, on time, and we had a short while to wait before the TGV service to Marseille arrived in the station. We were soon departing for Marseille, calling at, amongst others, Paris Charles de Gaulle and Lyon. We arrived in Marseille after a scenic journey through France in the early evening. On arrival we transferred, by coach, to our base for our holiday, the comfortable and modern, four star, New Hotel of Marseille. The hotel is situated by the Vieux Port, the large marina at Marseille and directly opposite the Jardin du Pharo which overlooks the entrance to the busy ferry port.

After checking in to our excellent rooms, it was not long before several members congregated at the vantage point in the Jardin du Pharo in order to find out the best position for photographs and to see what shipping was in port. In the evening, from the Jardin du Pharo, the sun is slightly against you for taking photographs of the arriving and departing ferries, however, in the morning it is a perfect vantage point for photography. There are several ferry services from Marseille, to Corsica, Sardinia, Tunisia and Algeria, served by a large number of vessels. Most ferries arrive early in the morning and depart in the late afternoon and evening. Soon it was dusk and it was time to explore the Vieux Port area which is full of open air restaurants and bars for our evening meal.

Saturday was an early 08:00 start in order to travel by coach to Toulon. It is a very scenic drive through the hills to Toulon. On arrival, we met our local guide and were soon on our private hour long cruise of the harbour, taking in the various French naval vessels berthed at the naval base, including the large dock landing ships L9013 Mistral and L9012 Siroco as well as the destroyer D641 Dupleix. Once our cruise had ended, we had a scenic drive through Toulon to the Tour du Mourillon at the entrance to the harbour. Unfortunately, there were no shipping movements due so we adjourned to the harbourside restaurants for lunch. After lunch we had special permission to have a guided tour of the naval base on a “road train” followed by a visit to the maritime museum. By now it was late afternoon and time to return to our hotel in Marseille.

On Sunday a private six and a half hour boat trip taking in the port of Marseille and the several ports in the bay of Fos had been organised. We met our boat in Vieux Port in beautiful sunny conditions and then made our way through the ferry port and commercial port of Marseille, photographing a wide variety of shipping, including many ferries, the cruise ship Coral, semi-submersible heavy lift Super Servant 4 and general cargo Marfret Mejean. We then made out way around the coast to the Bay of Fos, where we first of all visited the Port de Bouc. This harbour contained several tankers and a couple of general cargo ships. On crossing the bay, we passed close by several anchored vessels including the tankers STX Ace 8 and Dattilo M. We were now nearing Port St Louis which comprises several harbours handling tankers, bulk carriers, containerships and vehicle carriers. Several large vessels were photographed including bulk carriers Cape Veni and Cape Riviera, tankers Star Lady and Baltic Sun II, container vessels Bangkok Express and Ibn Asakir and car carrier St. Barbara which was getting ready for departure with attendant tugs. Once we had visited all the harbours in Port St. Louis, it was time to make our way back to Marseille passing the anchored ships in the Bay of Fos again, this time including the tanker Byzantion and the large bulk carriers Castillo de San Jorge and Angelic Power. We eventually arrived back in Vieux Port at around 16:30 after a thoroughly enjoyable day. 

After the boat trip some members went back to the Jardin du Pharo to photograph the incoming ferries and two of us took a public boat trip to an offshore island, Isle d’If to get better photographs of the incoming ferries, we were rewarded with excellent shots of the large ferry Danielle Casanova entering the port. 

All too soon, Monday morning came and it was time (after some early morning photography of the incoming ferries) to take our leave of the hotel and head for the railway station. Our TGV train arrived on time and we started the journey back to the UK, changing at Lille as we did on our outward journey. We arrived back in St Pancras just after 19:00 where goodbyes were said and the trip ended.

Thanks go to the organiser of the trip Mark Teadham for all his hard work and the other members of the TSS committee who assisted him. I thought it was an excellent trip, with good weather and an interesting range of vessels noted and photographed. I hope that this enjoyable trip will be repeated in future year's programmes. 

Report and photographs by Chris Brooks.

Saturday 23rd August - Solent Cruise (2)

The day had started off beautifully sunny and hot, but, by the time we boarded Blue Funnel's Ocean Scene at midday, clouds were somewhat obscuring the sun. Once our 60 plus members were on-board the Ocean Scene we were soon on our way on the second Solent Cruise of the year.

Our six hour cruise started off with a trip around Eastern and Western docks at Southampton. We had planned the date of the trip carefully as we knew that four cruise ships were in port on this day. At berth 38/9 in the Eastern Docks was the Norwegian Jade, with the remaining three, Independence of the Seas, Black Watch and Oceana berthed in the Western Docks. also in Eastern Docks were the car carriers Don Carlos and Hoegh Oslo, both of which had just arrived in the port. At the grain berth was the coaster Velox. 

We continued past the cruise ships in Western Docks to the container terminal which was busy with the large vessels OOCL Faith, Chicago Express and CMA CGM Don Giovanni present and the feeder WMS Harlingen.

We then made our way out of Southampton and down Southampton Water, bound for Portsmouth. On our way we passed Fawley Oil Terminal, at which was berthed the Maersk Nordenham, Baltic Champion, Clipper Inge and the Greek Agathonissos. We could also see the large tanker Thornbury leaving the BP Jetty at Hamble as we were approaching Fawley and we eventually got close enough for some photographs of her at Calshot as she turned into the main channel. 

At this point we also passed, at close quarters, after our captain had obtained permission from the pilots, the incoming dredger Thames, which had recently been renamed, followed by the Cobelfret ro-ro Undine. We then proceeded on to Portsmouth via the North Channel and, believe it or not, the sun was coming out!

Portsmouth yielded the visiting US warship USS Barry which generated some interest, especially as she was flying her courtesy Union Jack upside down! This was reported to the relevant authorities by our Captain on VHF radio! Portsmouth was quite busy with RN ships too, including HMS Scott, St Albans, Ark Royal, Richmond and Westminster to name but a few. As we departed Portsmouth, Brittany Ferries' Mont St Michel departed ahead of us and we were closely followed out of the harbour by one of the Isle of Wight ferries as well.

Back to Southampton now for the finale of the cruise, the departure of the four cruise ships. On our way back we passed the dredgers Arco Dee and Donald Redford outbound, passing both on the "sunny side" thanks to our skillful Captain. We were followed and eventually overtaken by the local tug Bentley as well, returning to Southampton after escorting the departing tanker Thornbury to the Nab. The Thornbury's place at the BP Jetty, Hamble had been taken by the Indian tanker Jag Pushpa which we photographed on our way back up Southampton Water.

We then learned that the first of the departing cruise ships, the Norwegian Jade had been delayed due to some lost luggage, but shortly afterwards we were informed that it had been found and she was leaving Southampton 30 minutes late. This proved fortuitous for us as it allowed Captain Sid to position the Ocean Scene in a prime position so that we could photograph the four cruise ships "sunny side up" as they passed us in Southampton Water. 

The Norwegian Jade was the first to leave, closely followed by the Oceana and the Independence of the Seas with over 5,000 passengers and crew on board! The Black Watch was the last to leave and our Captain, with the agreement of the relevant authorities took the Ocean Scene in to the harbour to meet the outgoing vessel at close quarters. The graceful Black Watch made a beautiful photograph as she passed us in excellent photographic conditions.

After a quick visit to Empress Dock to photograph the various bunkering tankers based there our very successful cruise ended at 6pm. 

With thanks to Simon Martin and the other committee members  for organising yet another excellent Solent Cruise. Also, our thanks to Captain Sid and the crew of the Ocean Scene for their hospitality and excellent organisation once again. We look forward to being on the Ocean Scene again next year. 

OOCL FAITH was one of the containerships at the container terminal.

Dredger THAMES inward bound for Southampton.

The USS BARRY provided some interest for our naval enthusiasts.

HMS SCOTT was also in Portsmouth during our cruise.

BENTLEY overtaking us on our way back to Southampton.

BALTIC CHAMPION was at Fawley Oil Terminal.

NORWEGIAN JADE was the first cruise ship to leave Southampton.

...closely followed by P&O's OCEANA ...

...then the huge  INDEPENDENCE OF THE SEAS passed us....

... with the graceful BLACK WATCH bringing up the rear.

The not so beautiful HOEGH OSLO catches the evening sunlight at 40 berth, Southampton.

Report and photographs by Chris Brooks.

ID HARMONY and KENT LOCOMOTION passed our hotel on 2nd September....

...as did the TRENDEN and for the tug enthusiasts the Polish tug ZEUS.

The cruise ship DISCOVERY and HAPPY BEE passed early on the morning of the 3rd September. 

The small coasters TINA and HELA also passed on 3rd September.

WILHELM and DANUBE HIGHWAY passed on the sunny morning of 4th September.

The naval oiler TEGERNSEE and ro-ro ELEKTRON also passed on 4th September.

NADVOITSY and LEHMANN LOADER passed on our final morning, 5th September.

1st to 5th September - Relax by the Kiel Canal - Visit to Rendsburg

24 members assembled at Heathrow Terminal 5 for the British Airways flight to Hamburg on 1st September. The flight was slightly late, but we arrived in Hamburg and after smoothly clearing immigration our waiting coach quickly took us from Hamburg to the Conventgarten Hotel on the banks of the Kiel Canal at Rendsburg.

The great advantage of a free form trip like this, is that everyone is free to do his or her own thing. So during the week, various excursions were made to Kiel, Brunsbuttel & Hamburg. However some chose to remain in the vicinity of the hotel, transporter bridge & the local shops.

The weather for the week was nothing to write home about, but the rain did manage to hold off each day until the light was no longer good enough for photography. There was a wide range of traffic on the canal from the smallest tug to tankers, feeder ships, bulk carriers & even a cruise liner. In fact, something to suit all tastes.

However, all too soon it was back to Hamburg airport for our flight back home. A good time having been had by one and all.

With many thanks to Paul Mason & Roger Thayne for leading the trip.

Report and Photographs by Roger Hammond

4th to 11th October  - Turkish Treasures - A seven night tour to Istanbul and the Bosphorus.

On the morning of Saturday, October 4th, 50 TSS members gathered at Terminal 5, Heathrow for the last trip of the year. A week in Istanbul.

After a trouble free flight we arrived in a sunny Istanbul and were soon on our coach to the 4 star Best Western President Hotel which would be our base for the next seven nights. The hotel is situated in the Beyazit area of Istanbul near the Grand Bazaar and a short walk from the tram which runs down to the ferry terminal at Eminonu. The breakfast room and roof terrace on the 6th and 7th floors of the hotel has an excellent view over the busy anchorage at Istanbul.

Shipping transitting the Bosphorus does so on a convoy system with the Northbound convoy entering into the Black Sea between midnight and midday. The Southbound convoy sailing out of the Black Sea does so between midday and midnight. Hence, there is an anchorage at each end of the Bosphorus, for ships waiting to transit the Bosphorus, as well as many vessels taking on bunkers or waiting for orders.

On Sunday 5th, after breakfast a large number of our group made their way down to the ferry terminal at Eminonu for the 10:30 "Tourist Ferry" sailing which makes it's way up the Bosphorus as far as the entrance to the Black Sea. The ferry is a good platform from which to photograph shipping underway in the Bosphorus. The ferry also stops at Rumeli Kavagii at the top of the Bosphorus which affords a good vantage point from which to see the afternoon Southbound convoy of ships making their way out from the Black Sea.

Unfortunately, after arriving at the top of the Bosphorus, the weather took a turn for the worse and we had a couple of hours of rain which put paid to our photography from Rumeli Kavagii. Luckily the rain disappeared for the return ferry journey, so we photographed a few ships during that time. On arrival back at Eminonu, we also took a trip to Kadikoy by ferry, which also passes the container terminal at Haydarpasa.

Luckily Monday 6th dawned bright and sunny, as it was our first private boat trip of the tour. We boarded our boat, the "Kaptian Bego Sevket" at 10am and set off for Istanbul anchorage and Ambarli harbour via the cruise terminal and Haydarpasa container terminal. Unfortunately, despite the best efforts of the tour organisers, our travel agents and the boat company, we were unable to get permission to enter Ambarli Harbour, but, this did not detract from the boat trip in any way as there was a large amount of shipping in the various anchorages off Istanbul which kept us busy for the entire 8 hours of the trip. Many general cargo ships were photographed, of the type no longer seen in Western Europe, as well as bulk carriers and tankers of all types. 

The next two days were free days and members either did some sightseeing in this interesting and vibrant city, found good places on the shores of the Bosphorus to photograph the passing shipping and of course the daily 10:30 "Tourist Ferry" was a popular choice. The weather during these two days was pretty good with sunny conditions mainly prevailing.

Thursday 9th again dawned bright and sunny, which we were very happy about, as it was the second of our 8 hour trips - this time down to coast from Istanbul to the shipyards at Tuzla. As well as an extensive harbour containing many shipyards where vessels are built as well as repaired, Tuzla has a large anchorage offshore as well.

We arrived at Tuzla at about midday and spent over an hour slowly cruising around the semi-circular bay photographing as many of the vessels tightly packed into the shipyards as possible. In fact there were so many ships present that we did a second circuit of the harbour to photograph and log any ships missed during the first sweep! After the harbour, and lunch we made a start on the vessels in the anchorage and this kept us buys for another two hours, with many interesting vessels noted, of varying types. We eventually got back to Istanbul at 6pm where the day's cruise ended.

Friday, our final full day in Istanbul, again dawned bright and sunny with the early birds managing to get a few hours of photography in before some rain showers arrived mid-morning. Luckily the rain cleared up in the afternoon, which was quite busy with a large Southbound convoy starting just after midday.

All too soon Saturday came along and it was time to pack our cases and head for the airport. Our 13:55 British Airways flight was soon departing and we soon found ourselves at Heathrow where our tour ended. Goodbyes were said and we all departed for the far flung corners of the British Isles.  

All that remains is for me to thank Paul Mason and Roger Hammond for leading the tour and for the assistance of the other committee members who contributed to make this a very successful and enjoyable end to the year's tours. I hope that we will visit Istanbul again in the near future as it is without doubt one of the best locations to observe and photograph shipping in Europe (or is it Asia!?).

Report and Photographs by Chris Brooks.

CRISTAL was at the cruise terminal on our first day in Istanbul.

ALTENAVI was in the anchorage at Istanbul during our first private cruise...

...as was the MIKHAIL STENKO.

ELLA J passed our vessel at close quarters at the end of our cruise on 6th October.

The captain and crew of our vessel at the end of our cruise. 

EMIN KUL one of the many Istanbul ferries photographed during the week.

ZIM INDIA passing Rumeli Kavagii at the Black Sea end of the Bosphorus.

RASHA STAR photographed at Rumeli Kavagii on 7th October.

COSTA SERENA was at the Cruise Terminal at Istanbul during our cruise to Tuzla....

.... as was the OCEAN MONARCH.

BIRLIK 1 was berthed at Tuzla during our private cruise. 

ECE NUR K - one of the many newbuildings photographed at Tuzla.

GOZDE D was under repair at one of the many Tuzla shipyards.

GEORGIOS I was photographed in the anchorage off Tuzla...

... as was the OXFORD CASTLE.

25th October  - London International Ship Show

We will, as usual, have a table at this year's London Ship Show on 25th October at the Royal National Hotel, Bloomsbury, where members of the committee will be on hand to welcome both old and new members at table number 23.

For more details about the Ship Show use the following link : Ocean Liner Society