Innehållsförteckning för August 2024 från Ships Monthly

NEWBUILD Jan De Nul Group has signed a contract with Goa Shipyard Ltd, in India, for the construction of a next-generation trailing suction hopper dredger. As a plug-in hybrid, the vessel will have a very small ecological footprint. Additionally, it is equipped with ULEv-technology (Ultra Low Emission vessel) and a EURO 6 engine that can run on biofuel. The new vessel has been specifically designed to operate in small harbours near densely populated areas. Tristão de Cunha, one of Jan De Nul’s recently-built trailing hopper suction dredgers with a capacity of 3.500m², is also equipped with ULEv-technology (Ultra Low Emission vessel). The new vessel will measure 79m in length, making it the smallest of Jan De Nul Group’s hopper fleet. It will have a hopper capacity of 2,000m3. The present…

ROYAL CARIBBEAN The latest ship to join the fleet, Utopia of the Seas, was handed over by her builder, Chantiers de l’Atlantique, on 15 June. With a gross tonnage of 236,473, she is the largest member of the Oasis class, and is the sixth Oasis ship to be built. She is the first in the class to be powered by liquefied natural gas. Following her transatlantic voyage, she will enter service from Port Canaveral on 24 July. Utopia of the Seas will operate three-night weekend and four-night weekday getaways, all featuring a visit to Perfect Day at CocoCay, Royal Caribbean’s private island. The ship was ordered in February 2019, the steel-cutting ceremony took place on 5 April 2022, and the keel was laid on 1 July 2022. The LNG tanks…

NEW ICEBREAKER The Canadian shipyard Seaspan has begun work on Canada’s first heavy polar icebreaker in more than six decades. More than 70 per cent of the vessel’s functional design is complete, while the vessel’s 3D modelling is ‘well advanced’, and Seaspan expect to cut steel for the ship before the end of the year. The new polar icebreaker will serve in a multi-role capacity with the Canadian Coast Guard’s other multi-role vessels and is designed with a high degree of operational flexibility to support many different demanding missions necessary for Canada, including a wide array of Arctic science missions, search and rescue operations, security, navigation and transportation, and emergency response. The 158m IACS Polar Class 2 (PC2) icebreaker is being designed as a multipurpose three-season vessel, capable of accommodating…

NEW BOXBOAT Regional Container Lines (RCL) recently launched its latest vessel, Guru Bhum, at a naming ceremony in Shanghai. The vessel, built by Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding Company Ltd, a major shipbuilding company in China, has a nominal capacity of 7,080TEU, including provisions for 800 reefer TEUs. The vessel, which measures 272m by 42m, complies with top-tier standards for nitrogen oxide (NOx) Tier III emissions in Emission Control Areas (ECAs) and is sulphur oxide (SOx) compliant. The design incorporates S-BOW technology and it is equipped to safely handle dangerous goods. Eco-friendly features include the ability to supply electrical power for reefers. With a maximum speed of 21 knots and adherence to the latest Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) standards, the vessel offers the best in energy efficiency. The new ship has…

LINDBLAD EXPEDITIONS With two of its ten owned ships operating in the Galapagos Islands, Lindblad Expeditions will be expanding its presence there in early 2025, with the acquisition of two of Celebrity Cruises’ Galapagos expedition ships. The larger of the two is Celebrity Xpedition (2001/2,842gt), built as Sun Bay by Cassens at Emden. She has been operating for Celebrity, initially under charter, since 2004, and carries 98 passengers. The other ship, Celebrity Xploration, is much smaller. With a gross tonnage of 319 and a passenger capacity of just 16, this luxury catamaran dates from 2007 and has been with Celebrity since 2017, having previously sailed for Ocean Adventures in the Galapagos Islands. The ships will be named National Geographic Gemini and National Geographic Delfina respectively. Lindblad also operates the 2022-built…

RUSSIAN NAVY The Russian Navy made a high-profile return to Cuba for a five-day visit between 12 and 17 June. With Russia having long-standing allies in Cuba and Venezuela, the presence of Russian ships in the Caribbean is not unusual. More significant is the timing, which is probably intended to show that Russia remains a global power despite significant losses sustained during the war with Ukraine. The four-vessel force comprised the frigate Admiral Gorshkov and Kazan, a nuclear-powered Yasen-Mclass guided missile submarine, in company with the ocean-going tug Nikolai Chiker and the Project 23130 replenishment oiler Academic Pashin. The platforms are two of the Northern Fleet’s most powerful vessels, equipped with Kalibr land attack cruise missiles and Zircon hypersonic missiles, some of which were test-fired in the Atlantic en route…

NORWEGIAN NAVY The last of three Jan Mayen class coastguard vessels was formally named KV Hopen (W312) at the Vard shipyard in Langsten on 12 June. The NOK 8 billion (approx. £600 million) procurement of the new ice-reinforced (Polar Class 6) ships to replace the Nordkapp class is one of Norway’s largest ever maritime acquisitions. The hulls were built by Vard Shipyards Romania in Tulcea and delivered to Langsten for final fitting-out in Norway. The first two Kystvakt vessels, KV Jan Mayen (W310) and KV Bjørnøya (W311), were handed over from the Norwegian Defence Materiel Agency to the Navy in 2023. Intended to protect the Norwegian economic zone (NØS) and the protection zone around Svalbard, they are significantly more capable and technologically advanced than their 1980s-built predecessors. Each is equipped…

CONTAINER PORT Work on adding a fourth berth to DP World’s London Gateway container terminal is progressing well. During June the berth received its second set of two ship-to-shore gantry cranes, as well as other container yard equipment. The cranes, manufactured by Chinese state-owned Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries (better known as ZPMC), were delivered on the crane manufacturers’ own vessels. Each crane has a lifting height of 78m, an outreach of 73m, combined with a back reach of 30m, and are rated to lift 80t with two spreaders, as well as having the ability to be operated remotely. The project, which is costing over £350 million, is designed to bolster supply chain resilience in the south east, while providing an additional berth able to handle the largest container ships, handled…

NEWBUILDS Nine 9,000TEU methanol dual-fuel container ships ordered by South Korea’s HMM for delivery in 2025 and 2026 will be the first in the world to be powered by the new MAN B&W G80ME-LGIM duel-fuel engines developed by Germany’s MAN Energy Solutions. The G80 bore (31.49in) size engines will also feature MAN’s proprietary EGR (Exhaust Gas Recirculation) system and will be capable of operating on both green methanol and conventional fuel oil. The HMM vessels are to be constructed by compatriot builders Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries (seven ships) and HJ Shipbuilding and Construction (two ships).…

Following the end of World War II, cruising slowly resumed in four areas of the world that had gained popularity prior to the war. These were Norway and Alaska, both because of their scenic beauty, and the Mediterranean and Caribbean, the former for its history, and both for their mild winter climates. The Mediterranean had been chosen by both British and German lines as the destination for their first winter cruises in the mid- to late-1800s, while summer cruises among the Norwegian fjords were inaugurated shortly thereafter, with Britain’s Thomas Cook & Sons chartering berths on local Norwegian steamers as early as 1875. In the western hemisphere the Klondike Gold Rush of 1896 opened up Alaska to both regularly scheduled steamship services and tourism, while the islands of the Caribbean…

The modern cruise industry has grown very quickly. In the 1960s it went from a niche business focussed on long luxury voyages to short holidays for an ever-growing number of travellers entering different markets around the world. In less than a decade, Miami grew into a major cruise port handling more than a million passengers a year through the port. But with increased demand, the cruise lines had a new challenge: a lack of space. The entrepreneurs looked to build more ships, but found the cost of new construction considerable. Royal Caribbean moved to expand its capacity using a rarely used technique to lengthen a ship by cutting it in two and inserting what the industry called a ‘mid-body’. They undertook the reconstruction of Song of Norway in 1977 and…

The new Baltic ferry MyStar, operated by Tallink Silja Line, is a cutting-edge vessel which entered service in December 2022, and which takes ferry travel to the next level. According to Tallink, ‘Whether you’re crossing the Baltic Sea for business or leisure, this vessel combines modern amenities, environmental consciousness, and efficiency’. Although Megastar is not really a sister vessel to MyStar, as with Viking Grace and Viking Glory, where the former was a blueprint for the latter, the two ‘Star’ ships share many similarities. They have identical capacities of 2,800 passengers and 3,190 lane metres, ice classification 1A Super, and cover the 80km route between the two capitals in two hours at a service speed of up to 27 knots. In total, six crossings are made each day year-round, with…

HMS Prince of Wales Regarding the article HMS Prince of Wales (SM, Jan), the photo caption should state that moored alongside HMS Prince of Wales is the US Navy destroyer USS Porter (DD350), which has two forward Mk.22 twin mounts each containing two Mk.12 5-inch SP guns. These single-purpose anti-surface-ship guns only had a maximum elevation of 35 degrees. USS Porter shuttled President Roosevelt and Prime Minister Churchill between USS Augusta and HMS Prince of Wales while the ships were at anchor in Placentia Bay, Newfoundland during their Atlantic charter conference in August 1941. Note the brow which Churchill just crossed on his return to Prince of Wales, and he is bending down to pet the ship’s mascot, Blackie the cat. Stan Melman, Honolulu USA Ferguson and Cal Mac Sadly,…

STYLISH SPIRIT SISTERS Spotlight on P&O Ferries’ Dover-based pair Spirit of Britain and Spirit of France, with the former now running for route rivals Irish Ferries as Oscar Wilde. PLUS LEANDER CLASS • A photographic review of the Royal Navy’s Leander class frigates, which totalled 26 and were among the most numerous and long-lived classes of frigate in the Royal Navy’s modern history. CALSHOT SPIT LIGHTVESSELS • The history of the lightships which have served at Calshot Spit, helping to safely guided ships for centuries. QUEEN ANNE • When Cunard’s Queen Anne welcomed her first guests in May, they were met with a distinctly different Cunard Queen. Chris Frame provides a detailed overview of the new Cunarder. KILLARNEY CRUISES • Remembering Coast Lines’ steamship Killarney, which offered summer cruises before…

MAID OF THE LOCH Well-known ship preservation enthusiast John Beveridge has been awarded an MBE for services to paddle steamer preservation and to charity. John has spent over 30 years saving and restoring the paddle steamer Maid of the Loch on Loch Lomond. He helped establish the Loch Lomond Steamship Company charity in 1996, being a director and then chair, until stepping down in 2021. John said: ‘We did save the Maid from sinking at the pier and have turned her from a vandalised wreck into a visitor attraction with her engines in steam and paddles turning, but is only part of the story. We had to rebuild Balloch Pier, rebuild the Grade A listed 1902 winchhouse, rebuild the slipway, and also build a car park.’ During his time, over…

TECHNOLOGY Union Maritime is deploying wind technology across its fleet, working with BAR Technologies, the supplier of WindWings rigid sail technology, to deliver average daily savings of 1.5 tonnes of fuel per wing and six tonnes of CO2 per wing on typical global routes. Union Maritime are also working with Norsepower for rotor sails on smaller vessels. Wind propulsion will be deployed on 34 Union Maritime newbuild vessels, including 14 LR2 tankers, 12 chemical tankers, and eight MRs. The Union Maritime fleet comprises over 100 vessels, including more than 50 tankers, and the company has 35 newbuilds on order. The propulsion technology has significant environmental and economic advantages for shipowners and charterers alike in the form of reduced fuel costs. Wind propulsion is the central feature of Union Maritime’s wider…

DFDS SEAWAYS The Denmark-Norway ferry link between Copenhagen and Oslo, calling at Frederikshavn in each direction, plus the two current vessels, have been sold by DFDS to Gotlandsbolaget in a deal worth DKK 400 million. In addition to ferries Crown Seaways (1994/35,438gt) and Pearl Seaways (1989/40,231gt), around 800 route employees and support features are also involved. Pearl Seaways, powered by four Sulzer diesel engines for a speed of 21.3 knots, carries 1,989 passengers and 350 cars and was originally delivered from Finland by Wärtsilä Marine as Star Aquarius before joining DFDS to sail as Pearl of Scandinavia. Crown Seaways, taking 1,790 passengers and 450 cars, came to DFDS from the Brodosplit Yard in Croatia and, originally Pearl of Scandinavia, has a speed of 21 knots from four Pielstick diesels. Gotlandsbolaget…

IRISH FERRIES The P&O-owned Norbay (1993/17,646gt) made a final crossing between Pembroke Dock and Rosslare at the end of her charter to Irish Ferries on 2 June. She was replaced from 28 June by the company’s own vessel, Isle of Innisfree (1992/12,833gt), which has been brought in from service between Dover and Calais. Norbay was not popular on the Irish Sea, however, due to her relatively limited onboard passenger facilities, the lack of lifts and no room for foot passengers or cyclists. Andrew Sheen, Irish Ferries director, said: ‘The addition of Isle of Innisfree to the Irish Sea route is a sign of our ongoing commitment to the service, ensuring we offer our freight and passenger customers quality service between Britain and Ireland.’…

CHANNEL ISLANDS The State of Guernsey and Government of Jersey’s joint procurement programme for future passenger and freight ferry services to the islands has moved into its next phase after the deadline for submissions by potential operators passed in July. Among interested parties are Brittany Ferries and DFDS Seaways, who have already sent vessels to carry out berthing trials. A statement from the island authorities said: ‘We are going through this process to secure the best possible freight and passenger services to and from the Channel Islands, with the objective of finding the operator which can deliver the best in terms of resilience and sustainability.’ Services from South Coast ports to Guernsey and Jersey were developed by UK railway companies, who brought in drive-on/off ferries capable of taking vehicles. Channel…

NEONYX CRUISES Neonyx Cruises, part of the Greek Seajets group, ran into trouble when it chartered its sole operational cruise ship, Goddess of the Night, to the Italian security services to serve as an accommodation ship for the police at the G7 summit in June. When the former Costa Magica was docked in Brindisi, with a charter fee reported to be €6.5 million, she was arrested, on the grounds that the ship was not in a suitable condition to be used for the intended purpose. Many cabins were said to be unusable, with water leaks, air-conditioning not working and toilets overflowing. Quite how this leaves the company is unclear at present. Goddess of the Night was due to commence cruise service from Piraeus on 15 July. Seajets still has another…

P&O AUSTRALIA In June Carnival Corp announced a ‘strategic shift to further leverage its scale and strengthen its performance in Australia and the South Pacific’, with the result that the Australian brand P&O Australia is to disappear. The presence of a P&O cruise ship in Australia goes back a long way, and indeed ships of the Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation Co and the Orient Steam Navigation Company Ltd have been a familiar sight in Australia since 1852, when the former company’s Chusan arrived for the first time. For 80 years the ships were seen as purely a means of transportation, until December 1932, when P&O’s Strathaird and Orient’s Oronsay both offered a Christmas cruise. With subsequent cruises offered between line voyages, there was a gradual growth in the market,…

GERMAN NAVY Construction of the German Navy’s first new F126 frigate is under way following a ceremonial keel-laying ceremony at the Peene shipyard in Wolgast, on 3 June. The future FGS Niedersachsen is scheduled for delivery in 2028. The Dutch shipbuilder Damen Naval initially won the contract to build four ships in June 2020, but this has since been increased to six, with conditional approval for two options being announced on 12 June, subject to an agreement on costs between the Defence Ministry and the shipbuilder. Around €3.1 billion has been budgeted for the construction and equipment fit of the additional pair, while an extra €320 million has also been allocated to cover ‘inflation’ costs of the first four. The ships are being wholly built in Germany at NVL Group…

COMPANY NEWS Hanson Aggregates’ fleet of dredgers, which can regularly be seen operating from the UK’s South Coast and North Sea ports, have been given a new, green livery. The change came about late last year, when Hanson Aggregates’ parent Heidelberg announced it was dropping the Hanson brand. During the early months of 2024 the company has gone about rebranding its assets, including its dredger fleet. The company, now branded Heidelberg Materials Marine, operates four dredgers, including three which were inherited following the acquisition of ARC Marine in 1999, and still carry the company’s name, Arco Avon, Arco Dart and Arco Dijk, as well as the purpose-built Hanson Thames, delivered in 2021.…

INCIDENT Singaporean authorities deployed significant resources to combat a serious oil spill following an allision between Van Oord’s 2009-built trailer suction dredger Vox Maxima and the local bunker tanker Marine Honour on 15 June. Around 400 tonnes of low sulphur fuel oil was estimated to have leaked from the tanker after her starboard side was badly ruptured while she was refuelling an Evergreen ship at Pasir Panjang container terminal. It is reported that the Dutch dredger had a sudden loss of power and steering, which caused the incident. Booms and other oil spill equipment was deployed. However, oil came ashore on several beaches around Labrador Park, Sentosa and the Southern Islands. Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), who oversee the island state’s maritime affairs, has stated it will seek…

During the mid-1970s, cargo liner shipping was adapting to the rapid development of containerisation. Fully cellular container ships had already been built for some trades, notably those from Europe to the Far East and Australian ports in which Ocean Transport & Trading plc (Ocean) participated through Overseas Containers Limited. As an interim measure, so-called ‘combo’ semi-container ships were introduced into less well-developed trades, such as those from Europe to West Africa and from the United States to South East Asia. Ocean participated in these trades, through Elder Dempster Lines (EDL) in the former, and Barber Blue Sea Line in the latter. Firstly, for operation on EDL services, Ocean purchased a series of five Schuldt (B430)-type ships constructed in Poland, starting with Shonga in 1973 and concluding with Sapele in 1980.…

As the cruise industry has grown, it has also driven innovation in ship design. The ocean liner peaked at approximately 1,000ft (300m) in length and measured around 80,000gt. Today, that is considered to be mid-sized for a cruise ship, with the latest generation of ships exceeding the 200,000gt mark and carrying well over 6,000 passengers, plus crew. Long-term CEO of Royal Caribbean, Richard Fain, who guided the growth from the 70,000gt Sovereign of the Seas introduced in 1988 through the 137,000gt and 157,000gt ships to Oasis of the Seas, at 226,838gt, and now Icon of the Seas at 248,663gt, was fond of telling people the ships were getting larger to incorporate all the innovations. While the first cruise passengers were content with shuffleboard, quoits and a swimming pool, the latest ships…

letter of the month Referring to Maid of Orleans and the Denny-Brown ship stabilisers (SM, Feb and Jun), there is some uncertainty as to which ship was the first to be fitted with these stabilisers. Preventing boats and ships from rolling has been of concern to ship designers throughout history, until William Wallace, an engineer at Brown Brothers of Edinburgh, designed a hydraulic system using vanes. He travelled around shipyards to try to gain support for it, but was rejected everywhere, including Wm Denny at Dumbarton, even though my Great Uncle, Sir Maurice Denny, was a perpetual innovator. Later, on his return journey to Denny’s, he spoke to Edward Denny, in charge of the yard’s engine works, who recognised the possibilities and agreed to try the system. Hence the Denny-built…

JUNE’S MYSTERY The mystery coaster is the 991gt Milo, which was launched by Charles Hill on 15 December 1953 for the Bristol Steam Navigation Company, and was later acquired by J. & A. Gardner in 1969 and renamed Saint Angus. She traded mainly from the various Bristol Channel ports to the continent She had a fire in her accommodation on 21 July 1975 during a voyage from Leith to Amsterdam in ballast, when she was off Coquet Island. Her crew were rescued by Cedric Ferry and a helicopter, but one member died on board. After being repaired, she was sold to Express Lines Shipping Co Ltd, Male, Maldive Islands in 1975, and was renamed Lady Maria and sailed under the Maldive flag. She was wrecked off Dante on the Somalia…

CELEBRITY/TUI The keel for the fifth and final ship in Edge class, Celebrity Xcel, was laid on 13 June at the Chantiers de l’Atlantique yard at St Nazaire. At the ceremony, Jason Liberty, president and CEO of Royal Caribbean Group, the parent company of Celebrity Cruises, Laura Hodges Bethge, President of Celebrity Cruises, and Laurent Castaing, General Manager of Chantiers de l’Atlantique, lowered the first 739-ton steel block for the new ship in the dry dock. Celebrity Cruises revealed the name of the ship last November, when the line took delivery of Celebrity Ascent. The 140,600gt Celebrity Xcel (pictured above) will be formally launched in November 2025 in Fort Lauderdale. She will also be the first ship to be powered by ‘tri fuel’, allowing her to process multiple kinds of…

CONTAINER SHIP The CMA CGM Group has taken delivery of a new container vessel built by HD Hyundai Mipo Dockyard in South Korea. The Malta-registered CMA CGM Mermaid is the first in a series of ten new containerships powered by LNG and featuring a new hull design developed to improve energy efficiency and reduce the environmental impact of the ships. The newbuild is also one of the first ships in the CMA CGM fleet with the superstructure, bridge and accommodation spaces at the front. Thisarrangementensures better aerodynamic performance and offers higher loading capacity compared to a vessel of conventional architecture. The vessel measures 204.29m by 29.6m, and has a capacity of 2,000TEU. The ship can also carry 45-foot containers which can be loaded on trailers, thus offering a more energy-efficient…

INDUSTRY NEWS The global liner vessel fleet has reached 30 million TEU for the first time ever, with a large number of new boxboats coming out of shipyards in Asia, which are delivering a record volume of newbuildings. The pace of growth of the global fleet is remarkable. It took the industry around 50 years to reach the five million TEU mark in 2001, but the leap from 20 million TEU to 30 million TEU has been achieved in just seven years. In total 478 containerships with a capacity of 3.1 million TEU are scheduled for delivery this year, exceeding the 2023 total by 41 per cent. The container fleet capacity is expected to grow by about ten per cent over the course of this year. The climb from 30…

WORLD WAR II Veterans headed for Normandy in early June for three days of D-Day 80th anniversary events. Vintage and serving Royal Navy warships escorted the ferries transporting around 40 men and women connected with the Normandy landings as they headed to France for possibly the final salute. The 80th anniversary of D-Day is likely to be the last milestone marked on a grand scale on both sides of the Channel in the presence of those who were actually there in 1944. With the youngest survivor of the operation aged 98, many veterans chose not to make the pilgrimage to France in favour of attending commemorations here in the UK. But around 40 were able to return to the beaches in conjunction with the Royal British Legion and Brittany Ferries.…

SCYLLA CRUISES When Hapag-Lloyd sold the 1990-built Bremen in 2019, she was acquired by Scylla Cruises as a first venture away from its traditional business of river cruising and, when handed over in late 2020, she was renamed Seaventure. The ship has had some use in Scylla’s own business under the Scylla Cruises Viva brand, and she has had several charters to other expedition cruise lines. Now, Scylla has taken the decision to refocus on its core activities and sell its sole ocean cruise vessel. The ship has been reported as sold to an unnamed buyer, with delivery scheduled for later this year. The 6,752gt Seaventure carries 164 passengers and was built for Frontier Cruises as Frontier Spirit by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. She is considered to be one of the…

REGENT SEVEN SEAS The first in the next series of ships being built for Regent Seven Seas Cruises by Fincantieri at Ancona in Italy will be named Seven Seas Prestige, and is due in service in 2026. She will be larger than the recently delivered trio, carrying 850 passengers, with a gross tonnage of 77,000. A sistership is due for delivery in 2029. Both ships are part of the recently announced orders for eight ships placed by Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, across three brands, placed with Fincantieri. With the recent increase in ship size for Regent Seven Seas (the previous trio, Seven Seas Explorer, Grandeur and Splendor, have a capacity of 750 passengers and are of around 56,000gt), it is not clear how much longer Seven Sea Navigator (1999/28,803gt, 296…

MALAYSIAN NAVY The Royal Malaysian Navy’s troubled Littoral Mission Ship programme is getting back on track. The future KD Maharaja Lela (2501), the first of five Batch 1 LMS, entered the water for the first time at the Boustead Naval Shipyard in Lumut, on 23 May. Delivery is now due in August 2026, seven years later than originally scheduled. On 10 June the procurement of Batch 2 ships was signed with the Turkish Defense Industry Agency. The Turkish shipbuilder STM will build three vessels, based on the Ada class corvette, which are to be delivered by the end of 2027. Of similar size and displacement, the two batches will have very different weapons systems. The Batch 1 ships are to be equipped with European Naval Strike Missiles, VL Mica surface-to-air…

US NAVY Fincantieri Marinette Marine has been awarded a US$1 billion contract for the construction of the fifth and sixth Constellation class frigates, to be named USS Hamilton (FFG 66) and USS Galvez (FFG 67). The order is part of an initial commitment for the first-of-class and nine options, worth up to US$5.5 billion. The announcement comes at the same time as a Government Accountability Office report to the Committee on Armed Services, House of Representatives titled ‘Unstable Design Has Stalled Construction and Compromised Delivery Schedules.’ The report criticises the Navy’s decision to begin construction before the overall design was complete, which has created mounting construction delays. The planned April 2026 delivery date of the lead ship is now forecast to be missed by at least three years. Despite the…

RUSSIAN SANCTIONS The EU has approved more sanctions against Russia, the 14th set since the war with Ukraine started in 2022. The latest restrictions focus on the shadow fleet carrying Russian crude oil and oil products, as well as LNG carriers. Currently ports in Belgium, France, Netherlands and Spain host imports of LNG, shipped from Sabetta, on the Yamal Peninsula, in the Far North of Russia, which are then re-exported to ports in Turkey and South-east Asia. The Russia-Europe LNG trade is primarily serviced by purpose built Arc7-type LNG shuttle tankers, which are capable of navigation in icy waters on the Northern Sea Route. These 15 169,000m3 capacity tankers will likely be redeployed to carry cargoes direct to Far Eastern markets, taking the route across Northern Russia. KA • Meanwhile,…

The modern cruise industry began to emerge in the 1960s, driven by several entrepreneurs who had visions of the future. Cruising previously had been mostly a seasonal business for liners during the winter months, when demand on the Atlantic routes was low, or as an escape for wealthy travellers who took long luxury cruises to exotic destinations such as the North Cape, South Pacific and Africa or circling the globe. The new vision was of a more egalitarian offering which brought cruise ships into the mainstream of the growing leisure business. Unlike the liner trade that saw the aeroplane as a threat to its existence, these entrepreneurs saw planes as part of their business. A few companies dating back to the late 1950s, such as American Export Lines with its…

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With much interest I read Trevor Coppock ‘s most sad report (SM, May) detailing the fate of the famous Bounty, the replica ship built for the 1982 movie ‘The Bounty’, starring Mel Gibson as Fletcher Christian. As an AB and photographer, I crewed in the ship during her trials. The second mate was Jack Churchouse, a former Port Line man and founder of the Wellington Maritime Museum. The friendship we shared went back many years and it was Jack who made me aware of the chance of signing on. The Master, Paul Leppington, was a fine seaman in every way. Like Paul, many of the crew had served in square rig, but I certainly had not. On my father’s side I have a direct line of descent from Midshipman Edward…

This month’s colour mystery was supplied by Thomas Rinaldi, who found an old black and white negative at a flea market in New York. Hesays: ‘Myguessisthat this is somewhere in Germany, circa 1930, as other photographs in the set showed a crossing on the steamship Bremen while she was still carrying her mail plane catapult’. So can any reader help Tom and supply the correct identification of this single-funnelled passenger ship? Did she enjoy a long career and who were her owners? What was her fate? And where might the photo have been taken? Send your answers with details of the ship, including a postal address, by email to: sm.ed@kelsey.co.uk; or by post to Mystery Ship, Ships Monthly, Kelsey Media, The Granary, Downs Court, Yalding Hill, Kent ME18 6AL. Emails…