SeaDog-46

Quantum otS is operating 3/4 day cruise to nowhere from Singapore.

Tickets seem to be open only to Singaporians.

She has just returned from a 4 day cruise up Malacca Strait & back.

Satoshi is waiting for sailing orders at Cristobal anchorage, Panama - her sister ship Karnika ex Pacific Jewel, has been waiting off Alang, India for a month.

After bunkering alongside at Colon - she has returned to the anchorage.

If going to Alang - Satoshi will go across the Atlantic then via Cape of Good Hope to India. 

Crews of Volendam & Zaandam anchored in Torbay UK have received parcels from the people of south Devon via the Brixham pilot boat.

On facebook there is a short video of the masters & some of the crew thanking the local people.

The new owners of Satoshi [ex Pacific Dawn] have been thwarted in their attempt to start up a floating hotel business off Panama City.

The ship has been reported as sold for scrap at Alang, India.

P&O Au. Pacific Explorer ex Dawn Princess went into Singapores Sembawang drydock yesterday.

Several other cruise ships are still in the Singapore area including Sapphire Princess.

The vessel is called Spirit of Enderby & is chartered by Heritage Expeditions with a Russian crew.

One of 10 Polar research ships built for Russia in Finland from 1982.  One has been scrapped but the other 9 are in various rolls including one with the Swedish Navy.

They have ice strengthened hulls & a Russian ice certificate but no Polar Code rating.

Yesterday I was listening to the Administrator of Norfolk Island on the radio and he was saying that Queenslanders can land in Norfolk Is.

& are not required to go into Quarantine.

Returning back to Brisbane there is also no Quarantine period as there has been no virus on N.I.

Air NZ are still operating Norfolk Island flights for the Australian Government. 

There is only 1 flight per week to & from Brisbane.  Out on a Saturday & back on a Friday.

If you have not been to Norfolk Is. there is a great amount of history there, virtually no crime - houses are left open & keys left in cars.

Speed limit on road is 40 kph & animals have right of way.

Nearly half the Islanders have ancestry back to the mutineers on the Bounty & the natives taken from Tahiti.

With the weather forcasting available these days there is no reason a ship should find itself near to a Tropical Revolving Storm [TRS].  Only bad seamanship,  poorly trained officers & in this case most lickely pushing the ship to maintain ETA.

Fake certification is alsp a growing problem.

Slowing down early & letting the storm pass ahead or turning around & putting the seas on the stern will keep the ship safer.

Losing the main engine could result in a capsize it the ship's stability is not good, but being further away from the bad weather near the storm's centre would help. 

Every year several ships continue to be lost. Nearly always boils down to the companies Bean counters.

HAL's Rotterdam departing from Rotterdam port 31/8 to Schevningen anchorage for the last time, before departing ror Rosyth, Scotland to join the othe Fred. Olsen ships. 

Sale cannot have taken place as ship is still registered in Rotterdam.

Much sounding of fof horn.

All CMV vessels - even the 2 from P&O Australia are listed for sale in Europe.

From - Malcolm Oliver's WaterWorld blog.

Bob - I would think the hand over to Fred Olsen will be in the drydocking period when name & port of registration will also be done.  Fred Olsens other vessels are laid up in Firth of Forth near Edinburgh. 

Bob - I think you are right with such a tight berthing the Master would do it. 

Rotterdan is currently off Portugal with ETA Rotterdam pilot 03:30 August 10th.

Gibraltar for bunkers.

Info comes from the web & has been out there for months.  Silverses site has the info concerning Silver Wind indicating the docking for upgrading to Ice Class will happen in the northern summer 2020. 

Crew Centre list Silver Wind for docking at Valletta from  21st August to 21st October 2020.

Hurtigrutens site will have info on their ships operating the coastal service & when the distant water cruises will restart. 

Two other new Polar Code vessels are Hurtigruten's Roald Amundsen & sister ship Fridtjof Nansen. A third is building.

These ships are bigger than the new expedition ships & not as expensive.

There is no list of ships that meet the new Polar Code that comes into full force on Jan. 1st 2022.

Apart from the 2 Silversea vessels that were converted all Polar Code ships are new builds.

Silver Cloud has been converted to Polar Code & her sister Silver Wind is suposed to convert this northern summer.

Australia does have the Navigation Act of 1912 that the Government sees fit to ignore.  It is nearly the same as the USA Jones Act.  This is why we have virtually no Merchant fleet & only have 30 days of fuel should anything happen in SE Asia to disrupt the overseas operated ships bringing in fuel.

Unless the ship is in COLD Layup the Bridge & Engine Room watches will still be done.  Crew will also be required on watch.

When you are in Sydney you may be able to get a trip on the restored Barque James Craig or at least visit her alongside at or near the Maritime Museum.  Built in 1874 at Sunderland UK as Clan Macleod.  She is/was an iron barque & did 23 voyages "around the Horn" before being sold to James J. Craig of Auckland.  Full story on Wikipedia.

Hi Bob - Brunei Bay is a very large bay partly in East Malaysia & partly Brunei.

We were not far from there at Kota Kinabalu on Statendams last voyage.

Part of chart of Brunei Bay & ships at layup at Labuan [NOT current].

Bob - Labuan in Brunei Bay is a dedicated official layup area in Malaysia.

There are layup companies there that act as agents & suppliers.

Crew changes through the local airport.

Onboard generators to run dehumidifiers for internal spaces if required.

Latitude is 5N & therefore outside the typhoon area.

Virtually all ports will charge for anchoring near to the port - ie inside port limits.

The ships at Manila Bay are doing the 14 day quarantine & then local crew can go ashore - hopefully.

Radiance otS is anchored off south east Malaysia along with over 100 other vessels in international waters.

QM2 & 2 P&O UK are anchored in Weymouth Bay just east of Portland UK.  Most likely free.

On 8th April an 83 year male from Queensland died in Sydney after quarantining.

He was returning from Celebrity Eclipse.

With the arrival of Ruby Princess off Manila & Celebrity Solstice heading towards the bay - I count 19 cruise ships there now including the 2 or 3 out for exercise.