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Saturday 25th April 2026 - Solent Cruise (12:00 - 18:00)
Our first Solent Cruise of 2026 was held on board Solent and Wightline Cruises fast catamaran Solent Cat. The weather was perfect with mainly clear skies, sunny and with light winds. We set off a little late due to the correct gangway not being present on the Town Quay berth, sadly missing the departing containership Yantian Express.
We began by exploring the Western Docks. The Spleithoff yacht carrier Saimaagracht was at berth 101, loading yachts before her Sunday departure for Marin. Princess Cruises Sky Princess was at 106 berth, having arrived from Ajaccio. The container terminal hosted two vessels, the GSL Mercer and the larger Cosco Shipping vessel CSCL Star. She is employed on the Europe Pakistan India (EPIC) Service and had arrived on the Friday from India and Pakistan via Tangier Med. Also of interest in the container port was the work being undertaken to dismantle the last two of the old container cranes which have been unused for several years. Four new cranes (the largest in Europe) will be installed at the terminal later in the year.
Retracing our steps out of the Western Docks, we headed up the River Itchen. The BBC Balboa was at berth 31 with a large motor yacht on deck. She later departed for Palma de Mallorca. In Empress Dock the research ship Discovery was at her usual berth alongside the Oceanography Centre, along with the usual selection of bunkering tankers of the Whittaker fleet and the dredger Cemex Go Innovation which was undergoing maintenance. We proceeded up the River Itchen past the dredger City of London which was at Burnley Wharf to pick up the gangway to make disembarkation easier at Town Quay at the end of the cruise.
Down Southampton Water next past the tankers at Fawley, which included the STI Wembley, Golden Calypso and the LNG powered crude oil tanker Eagle Brasilia which had brought in a cargo of crude from Come By Chance, Canada. We entered the Solent, bound for St. Helen's anchorage, via the North Channel, but crossed over to the main channel in order to pass the inbound tanker Primo M which was bound for Fawley from Antwerp. She was followed in by the American vehicle carrier ARC Defender bound for Southampton, which we passed at very close quarters.
The only inhabitant of St. Helen's anchorage was the LPG tanker Eco Universe. She had arrived on 23rd from Tangier Med and was waiting for a berth at Fawley. There was nothing in the Nab Anchorage in range of our vessel, so we started to head back towards Southampton. We passed the outward bound Brittany Ferries ferry Mont St Michel off Portsmouth, on her usual service to Ouistreham. On the return journey in the Solent we passed the outward bound dredger City of London which was off to load another cargo from the dredge area off the Nab.
We got back to Southampton Water in good time to witness the first of the cruise ship departures. The Sky Princess passed outward bound for Skagen. She was followed by the LNG bunkering tanker Coral Methane which had been bunkering P&O's cruise ship Iona in Ocean Dock. One has to question the economics of a bunkering tanker coming all the way from Scheveningen in the Netherlands to bunker two ships (the Iona on Saturday and the Arvia on Sunday).
The final movement of the day was the departure of P&O's Iona which departed for Bilbao in the beautiful late afternoon sunlight. As we had a little time to spare we went into Ocean Dock, where the elderly research ship EGS Ventus was berthed as well as a couple of the local tugs. The final photographs of the day were taken of the brand new NYK Line vehicle carrier Padma leader which was on 40 berth in the Eastern Docks, loading for her next port, Bremerhaven.
All too soon we were back at Town Quay after a very pleasant afternoon on the Solent, which was enjoyed by all on board. Our thanks go to the members of the committee for organising the day, our navigator Neil Richardson for ensuring we were in the right place to intercept all the ship movements and the captain and crew of the Solent Cat for looking after us so well. A shame there were not so many ships to photograph but the sunshine made up for it!
Photos and report by Chris Brooks.
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Yacht carrier SAIMAAGRACHT in the Western Docks.
CSCL STAR in the container terminal.
Empress Dock hosted the research ship DISCOVERY.
PRIMO M in the Solent, bound for Fawley Oil Terminal...
...she was followed by the American vehicle carrier ARC DEFENDER bound for Southampton.
ECO UNIVERSE was the sole inhabitant of St. Helen's Anchorage.
Ferry MONT ST MICHEL departing from Portsmouth.
Veteran dredger CITY OF LONDON outward bound in the North Channel.
SKY PRINCESS in Southampton Water, bound for Skagen.
LNG Bunkering Tanker CORAL METHANE followed the SKY PRINCESS outbound.
P&O's IONA departing for Bilbao.
Research ship EGS VENTUS berthed in Ocean Dock.
New vehicle carrier PADMA LEADER in the Eastern Docks.
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