2023

~SHIPS~DORSET~ Images of the Month for January 2023 ~ 1of2 ~ ~ Arctic Sunrise ~ departing Poole - September 2022  

Our Images of the Month evoke the season of “GreenPeace & Goodwill” together with winter weather’s "Arctic Sunrise" on a New Year. The images captured by ~Ships~Dorset~ photographer Don Williams in September recall warm sunny days and the visit of Greenpeace’s Arctic Sunrise to Poole. The ship was designed and built in 1975 as a Class 1A1 icebreaker at the Vaagen Verft yard in Kyrksæterøra, Norway and used in seal hunting. After a period being used by the French government, Greenpeace purchased the ship in 1995 when she took her first trip to the North Sea to document oil pollution from offshore installations at the beginning of her worldwide adventures for her current owners.

~SHIPS~DORSET~ Images of the Month for January 2023 ~ 2of2 ~ ~ Arctic Sunrise ~ departing Poole - September 2022  

When Arctic Sunrise called at Poole she had recently returned from a joint operation between Greenpeace UK and Greenpeace Espana in the North Atlantic where the ship and the activists onboard had confiscated over 30 Km of longline from two Spanish longline fishing vessels. The ship is powered by a single MaK marine diesel engine generating 2,150hp via a single shaft and controllable pitch propeller, supported by two 400hp bow thrusters.

Key Dimensions for Artic Sunrise ... Gross Tonnage = 949 ... Length = 50m ... Beam = 12m … Speed = 13 knots … Crew = 16 ... registered in Amsterdam.  

~SHIPS~DORSET~ Images of the Month for February 2023 ~ 1of2 ~ ~ Schillplate ~ arriving Poole - January 2023  

The Briese Shipping B.V. , headquartered in Scheemda, Netherlands was founded in 1996 and currently operate a fleet of 14 vessels. Their selection of ship types allow the company to handle a variety of projects and cargoes including container traffic, bulk cargo and heavy lifts up to 700tons ... although in the case of Schillplate visiting Poole in January, this modest short sea trader only has an onboard gantry crane to lift 11 tons!

Schillplate arrived 28th January with timber for unloading at South Quay. Her arrival was recorded by Ray Sexton and Darryl Morrell photographed the ship berthed.

~SHIPS~DORSET~ Images of the Month for February 2023 ~ 2of2 ~ ~ Schillplate ~ alongside at Poole - January 2023  

Schillplate was built at the Lilama-Lisemco yards in Vietnam and has been in service since 2009. After discharging her cargo at Poole the ship lingered at anchor off Swanage  where she was last spotted on the 2nd February. 

Key Dimensions for Schillplate ... Gross Tonnage = 2,400 ... Length = 86m ... Beam = 12m ... Service Speed = 13 knots ... Hold dimensions = 59m x 10.2m x 8.45m(height) ... Grain capacity c175,500 cu.ft. ... Container capacity 138 TEU (102 in hold + 36 on hatches) ... registered in Poland.

~SHIPS~DORSET~ Images of the Month for March 2023 ~ 1of2 ~ ~ Rebecca ~ at anchor Weymouth Bay - February 2023  

Weymouth Bay anchorage hosted an unusual “environmentally responsible” vessel for eleven days in February when the cable recovery ship Rebecca arrived from the Spanish port of Ceuta on 2nd February 2023. Thankfully, the crew of Coastline Cruises’ Enchantress were able to capture these two images before she departed on February 13th to undertake cable operations in the Channel and ~Ships~Dorset~ contributor Pall Dallaway posted them for us.  

~SHIPS~DORSET~ Images of the Month for March 2023 ~ 2of2 ~ ~ Rebecca ~ at anchor Weymouth Bay - February 2023  

In 2014, the 2008 built Rebecca was converted into a cable recovery ship to recover redundant submarine telecommunications cable by installing a double bow roller, cable winch, tensioner system and 5 cable tanks within her cargo hold to store the recovered cable. Owner operator Subsea Environmental Services (SES), is a privately owned, environmental marine services company based in New York and founded in 2013. As new technology makes older systems redundant “out of service” subsea cables present a significant opportunity for recycling as their constituent materials include ferrous metals, non-ferrous metals and plastics … all of the highest quality … and worth efficiently recycling. The 27,000 km of outdated and retired submarine cable removed from the ocean floor by SES's Rebecca in recent years represents over 45,000 metric tons of man-made material re-introduced into the global supply chain.

Key Dimensions for Rebecca ... Gross Tonnage = 3,442 ... Length = 100m ... Beam = 14m ... Service Speed = 12 knots ... Hold dimensions = 70m x 12m … Cable capacity c4,000 cu.m. ... Registered in Netherlands … Homeport Rotterdam. 

~SHIPS~DORSET~ Images of the Month for April 2023 ~ 1of2 ~ ~ MN Pelican ~ inbound to Poole - January 2023  

We’ve appreciated the constancy of MN Pelican sailing between Poole and Bilbao over the past seven years and recently we’ve been waiting to catch a glimpse of her new wing sail. Thanks to Ray Sexton and his new Instant_Wanderer identity we can enjoy a recent arrival with the sail “stowed away” and in a second image (further below) MN Pelican “sets sail” with her new wing sail (unusually - we presume) deployed as she departs Poole on the 22nd March.

Shipowner Compagnie Maritime Nantaise currently have a seven ship fleet. Brittany Ferries has chartered MN Pelican from them since 2016 and for the majority of that time the ship has undertaken two round trips per week on their Poole/Bilbao/Poole service.

~SHIPS~DORSET~ Images of the Month for April 2023 ~ 2of2 ~ ~ MN Pelican ~ "sets sail" from Poole - March 2023  

In October 2022 the base was installed immediately forward of MN Pelican's funnel to take the Michelin WISAMO inflatable, retractable, automated wing sail. The WISAMO project can be fitted on both merchant ships and pleasure craft. The system is the product of a collaborative venture between Michelin and two Swiss inventors. The inflatable wing sail harnesses the wind as a free, universal and inexhaustible source of propulsion enabling the ship to reduce its fuel consumption.

Key Dimensions for MN Pelican ... Gross Tonnage = 12,076 ... Length = 155m ... Beam = 23m ... Service Speed = 19 knots … Capacity c100 freight units … registered in France … Built 1999 - in service with Brittany Ferries since 2016. 

~SHIPS~DORSET~ Images of the Month for May 2023 ~ 1of2 ~ ~ Rauma ~ at South Quay, Port of Poole - April 2023  

The “double-ender” Rauma spent 9 days in Poole during April … considerably less time than the 6 months she spent in Bergen under detention recently! Rauma arrived in Poole from Eemshaven on 17th April and berthed on South Quay where Joseph Lambert was on hand to take these two images. The first image was taken from what would be the the Starboard bow when Rauma was ocean-going and shows one set of “goalposts” and and a clear view through the superstructure. The second image was taken from what would be the Starboard quarter showing the second set of “goalposts” (see below).  In October 2020 Fjord1 put Rauma up for sale ... and having been laid up in Kristiansund for over a year, she was sold to a Mexican transport company in February 2022. Whilst on a planned delivery voyage in September 2022, Rauma was detained at Bergen by the Norwegian Maritime Directorate due to a number of crewing and seaworthiness issues. When eventually released on 5th April 2023 Rauma left Bergen bound for Mexico. Following a service call at Eemshaven and the further service call at Poole, Rauma departed Poole 26th April bound for Tenerife continuing her delivery voyage. 

~SHIPS~DORSET~ Images of the Month for May 2023 ~ 2of2 ~ ~ Rauma ~ at South Quay, Port of Poole - April 2023  

Rauma was built in 1988 at the Trønderverftet shipyard at Hommelvik in Norway and has been owned & operated by Fjord1 and its predecessors (council-owned ferry operators). From 1988 until 2002 she sailed on the Molde–Vestnes service and from 2007 until 2011 on the Festøya–Solavågen route. From 2002 until 2007 and since 2011 she took up various relief duties and reserve fleet assignments.  During the first thirty years of her career in Norwegian coastal ferry operations the goalpost structures (see above text and images) supported moveable “hanging car decks” allowing double-deck car carrying during peak tourist seasons and full height freight capability at other times.

Key Dimensions for Rauma ... Gross Tonnage = 1.393 ... Length = 82m ... Beam = 14m ... Service Speed = 12 knots ... Capacity = 73 passenger car equivalent & 246 passengers … Built in 1988 … Port of registry 1988-2022 Molde, Norway.

~SHIPS~DORSET~ Images of the Month for June 2023 ~ 1of2 ~ ~ Kalaat Beni Hammed ~ at South Quay, Poole - May 2023  

On 8th May the Tank Landing Ship Kalaat Beni Hammed arrived in Poole to collect a helicopter. Berthed at South Quay, Darryl Morrell’s first image shows the helicopter (packed for shipping) being loaded the following day … plus a great aerial view of the ship! The vessel remained in port for a few days and Darryl's second super image shows the ship departing Poole on the 12th with a dozen of the ship’s company on the foredeck. Kalaat Beni Hammed was built by Brooke Marine at their Lowestoft shipyard and entered service with the Algerian Navy in 1984. After thirty years, the ship underwent a 15 month modernisation and service life extension refit at Navantia’s shipyard in Ferrol, North West Spain, returning to service in September 2015. Coincidentally, her flight deck lighting was installed by Poole-based Aeronautical & General Instruments (now Trident Maritime Systems) during the refit.

~SHIPS~DORSET~ Images of the Month for June 2023 ~ 2of2 ~ ~ Kalaat Beni Hammed ~ departing Poole - May 2023  

Kalaat Beni Hammed is one of two amphibious logistics ships built in the UK for the Algerian Navy in the 1980s. Her sister ship Kalaat Beni Rached was built at Vosper Thorneycroft’s Woolston yard in Southampton. They feature a bow ramp to land vehicles ashore, a large internal vehicle storage area with stern ramp, flight deck for operating heavy helicopters, plus troop and cargo carrying capabilities.

Key Dimensions for Kalaat Beni Hammed (pennant number 472) … Displacement Tonnage = 2,130 ... Length = 93m … Hold dimensions 75m x 7.4m … Ramps = 18m bow & 5m stern … Capacity = 650 tons of cargo; 240 troops; 81 crew … Built in 1984.