ONLINE  EVENTS 2021 ~~ see our EVENTS section

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2.30pm, Saturday,  May 8^th 2021 ~ The Trinity House Story ~ with Capt. Karl Lumbers ~

... one of Britain's best kept secrets ... with a Younger Brother of T.H. ... lighthouses, wrecks & more ...

2021 events online ~ see & hear about TH Patricia, Galatea, Konigsberg, RMS Queen Elizabeth, Southern Cross and more interesting ships - brought to you by our enthusiastic speakers. 

Talks & Meetings on Ocean Liners, Cargo Ships, Ferries, Mariner's Memoirs, Paddle Steamers, Cruise Ships, Naval History, Ship Design, Maritime Memories and much more ~ enjoyed by ships & shipping enthusiasts ~ a community with common interests 

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~SHIPS~DORSET~ Images of the Month for April 2021 ~ 1of2 ~ ~ Vladimir Vize ~ At Anchor Portland - Cara Cara standing off

In March we celebrated the first anniversary of a new (to us) ship on the Poole / Channel Islands service. This month we recognise the day to day servicing of ships calling at Portland for bunkering / stores / spares / etc. Thanks to Steve Belasco’s excellent images from a misty day in early March we can view the Liquified Natural Gas tanker Vladimir Vize.  On completing its service call, she weighed anchor, departed Weymouth Bay and quickly accelerated to over 20 knots which she maintained though the Dover Straits and onward northbound into the North Sea bound for Sabetta. The port of Sabetta in Artic Russia is reached via the Barents & Kara Seas - the region is home to the Yamal LNG Project. The Yamal Peninsular is currently estimated to hold the largest gas reserves in the world. However, the region is also noted to feature some of the toughest working conditions. These harsh conditions apply equally to the LNG Tankers like Vladimir Vize that need to access the marine terminal at Sabetta. The ship is ice strengthened and has an ice-breaking designed bow which can be seen in Steve’s second image. 

~SHIPS~DORSET~ Images of the Month for April 2021 ~ 2of2 ~ ~ Vladimir Vize ~ At Anchor Portland - close-up of bow inset

Yamal LNG commissioned 15 LNG icebreaker/tanker ships to export its gas. They were designed in Finland by Aker Arctic Technology Inc. and built at the Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) shipyard in South Korea.

Vladimir Vize is owned and operated by a 50-50 joint venture with COSCO & MOL. Built to ice-class Arc7 standard, the vessels can operate year-round in the Arctic without the support of icebreakers - capable of breaking ice up to 2.5 meters thick.

Key specifications of the ARC7 tanker series such as Vladimir Vize are … Cargo capacity = 172,600 cubic meters of LNG … Output of propulsion unit = 45 MW … Speed = 20 knots in open waters or 6 knots in 1.5m ice … Primary fuel LNG with a dual fuel diesel-electric propulsion system delivered via three “Azipod” units. The vessels are designed with, what naval architects call the "double–action concept" ... the bow has been adjusted for navigation in open water and thin ice, while the stern has been optimized to enable navigation in severe ice conditions. Dimensions … L 299m … B 50m .. GRT 128,800t … DWT 96,850t … Built 2018

To view previous "Images of the Month" click our image archive link ...