Viking Ship Locations

[sugarside]

Just watched a YouTube video filmed a couple of hours ago,Viking Sun,Sea and Sky cruise ships Belfast by Tom McClean Positive.15 minutes long.

Starts from a distance but gets in close later.

[Dukefan]

1 hour ago, sugarside said:

Just watched a YouTube video filmed a couple of hours ago,Viking Sun,Sea and Sky cruise ships Belfast by Tom McClean Positive.15 minutes long.

Starts from a distance but gets in close later.

 

[Dukefan]

The above video in my previous post was made by Tom McClean last night before the Viking Sun moved today from the Belfast Cruise Terminal to its current location in the Dredging Box (also sometimes referred to as the Outfit Quay) just outside the Main Dry Dock at Harland and Wolff.  

Edited June 26, 2020 by Dukefan

[BigAl94]

The move to the recommissioning quay does not necessarily mean any imminent move to dry dock, the cruise terminal quay is needed for other shipping as some ships eg ferries are having down time due to lack of demand. There are conflicting reports locally about what is happening to these ships, some say very little other than general maintenance and others insist it's no more than lay up. Time will tell. Stena Europe is currently due back in service later this week.

[Dukefan]

Viking Orion has spent most of the past week in Manila Harbor as part of a very large "Cruise Ship Party"!

 

[Jim Avery]

Wow!  That screen shot really puts it in perspective.  Thanks for posting.  And imagine there are scenes like that at ports all around the world.  

[Peregrina651]

19 minutes ago, Dukefan said:

Viking Orion has spent most of the past week in Manila Harbor as part of a very large "Cruise Ship Party"!

 

 

Just out of curiosity...

 

the map shows one ship docked and the rest of ships anchored. Has the same ship been docked the whole time or has changed?

[Heidi13]

45 minutes ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

Just out of curiosity...

 

the map shows one ship docked and the rest of ships anchored. Has the same ship been docked the whole time or has changed?

 

Every time I have checked, at least the last week or 2, it has been Norwegian Joy alongside.

[JeriGail]

I just discovered this article this morning:

https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/business/northern-ireland/harland-and-wolff-hard-at-work-as-ferry-and-cruise-firms-use-coronavirus-shutdown-to-dock-in-belfast-for-maintenance-39319655.html

It says, "Instead of sailing around the world, three ships from Viking Cruises - affectionately called the "three sisters" - are being refitted by H&W staff."

[Dukefan]

2 hours ago, JeriGail said:

I just discovered this article this morning:

https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/business/northern-ireland/harland-and-wolff-hard-at-work-as-ferry-and-cruise-firms-use-coronavirus-shutdown-to-dock-in-belfast-for-maintenance-39319655.html

It says, "Instead of sailing around the world, three ships from Viking Cruises - affectionately called the "three sisters" - are being refitted by H&W staff."

Thanks for posting this.

[deec]

I wonder what "re-fitted" means...or is that just the always used word for typical drydock?  Deep cleaning etc no significant changes?

 

[JeriGail]

9 minutes ago, deec said:

I wonder what "re-fitted" means...or is that just the always used word for typical drydock?  Deep cleaning etc no significant changes?

 

I'm guessing if Harland and Wolff are doing the refit, it's more than deep cleaning.  If the Sun goes in to the dry dock area after the Stena ferry departs, that would be another clue

[Dukefan]

3 hours ago, Heidi13 said:

 

Every time I have checked, at least the last week or 2, it has been Norwegian Joy alongside.

Norwegian Joy has now left the Manila Dock and is sailing away from Manila which is strange since its destination is shown as Manila Pier 15 with an ETA of July 1st.

[Peregrina651]

1 hour ago, deec said:

I wonder what "re-fitted" means...or is that just the always used word for typical drydock?  Deep cleaning etc no significant changes?

 

 

Dee, refit could be a simple as re arranging the furniture and installing whatever has been determined necessary to meet the new standards of social distancing to installing additional sanitizing equipment (electrostatic cleaners, sinks, air-filtering systems and other things we have been reading about). 

[Heidi13]

2 hours ago, Dukefan said:

Norwegian Joy has now left the Manila Dock and is sailing away from Manila which is strange since its destination is shown as Manila Pier 15 with an ETA of July 1st.

 

Since she is heading out to sea and returning alongside, most likely heading offshore to pump out tanks and make some fresh water,

[Heidi13]

3 hours ago, deec said:

I wonder what "re-fitted" means...or is that just the always used word for typical drydock?  Deep cleaning etc no significant changes?

 

 

"Refit" generally means any out of service period for some type of maintenance. They can be either drydock or wet dock. Back in the 80's and earlier, cruise ships drydocked every year - Oriana, Canberra and Uganda were about 3 weeks every year, but the smaller and newer Princess ships were 9 days every year, which was then reduced to 6 days every 2nd year. This was driven by the longevity of anti-fouling coatings.

 

With improvements in paint technology, scheduled maintenance plans, under-water surveys, etc cruise ships now only require drydocking every 5-years and normally schedule the major hotel work around the dry-dockings, which can last for 2 to 3 weeks.

 

Although none of the 3 ships are scheduled to come out the water now, it does makes sense, as Viking doesn't have to take them out of service for another 5-years.

[chengkp75]

3 minutes ago, Heidi13 said:

With improvements in paint technology, scheduled maintenance plans, under-water surveys, etc cruise ships now only require drydocking every 5-years and normally schedule the major hotel work around the dry-dockings, which can last for 2 to 3 weeks.

As a caveat to Andy's statement, and knowing he is applying it to Viking ships, which are relatively young, ships over 15 years old require a drydock twice in 5 years, so the underwater inspections end at the end of the 3rd Special Survey (15 years).

 

Just because the ship is in Harland and Wolff, doesn't mean it is going to get a major "refit", since for the most part, the shipyard personnel only deal with the "technical" side of the drydock.  Nearly all hotel refurbishment or renovation is done by outside contractors that the cruise line brings in because of their expertise with the cruise line's standards or with the product they are installing/maintaining.  H&W may just have the best price on a layberth, with crane service,  for any minor repairs/refurbishment.

[Heidi13]

9 minutes ago, chengkp75 said:

As a caveat to Andy's statement, and knowing he is applying it to Viking ships, which are relatively young, ships over 15 years old require a drydock twice in 5 years, so the underwater inspections end at the end of the 3rd Special Survey (15 years).

 

Just because the ship is in Harland and Wolff, doesn't mean it is going to get a major "refit", since for the most part, the shipyard personnel only deal with the "technical" side of the drydock.  Nearly all hotel refurbishment or renovation is done by outside contractors that the cruise line brings in because of their expertise with the cruise line's standards or with the product they are installing/maintaining.  H&W may just have the best price on a layberth, with crane service,  for any minor repairs/refurbishment.

 

Thanks Chief - Affirmative, as my ships were all over 15 yrs, we were 2 in 5, with a 3 year interval followed by 2 yrs, as we always were scheduled in Jan/Feb when traffic was light.

 

Yes, it is all speculation at present as to the scope of work, although I did read an article that Harland & Wolff indicated they had a number of small cruise ship contracts impending.

[stretchcruz]

Wow!! That screen shot is crazy! I've been following Capt Kate Mccue on Instagram (Celebrity captain, an American). They are off the Bahamas and Miami. Her photos and videos are pretty fascinating. They were handing out 100 days at sea certificates the other day.

[Heidi13]

Just noted that Stena Europe, currently in Harland & Wolff graving dock is possibly flashing up her Bridge equipment, so she is probably departing in the next couple of days.

 

Then it will be interesting to see if the Viking ships are docking.

[deec]

Here is my wish list if they are doing interiors....increase the size of the gyms in the oldest ships,  add the closet drawers in v/dv cabins like on the SUN and I am guessing all ships after her, make all bathroom floor heat able to be controlled by the passengers...do NOT put in planetariums ( I haven't been on a ship with one but from what I read i would rather preserve space in upper Explorer Lounge!!!)...and I know this is NOT part of a re-fit but VIKING please include gratuities in our cruise fares!!!  oh and make the virus go away and find a vaccine so I can travel again safely!!!

[CCWineLover]

51 minutes ago, deec said:

Here is my wish list if they are doing interiors....increase the size of the gyms in the oldest ships,  add the closet drawers in v/dv cabins like on the SUN and I am guessing all ships after her, make all bathroom floor heat able to be controlled by the passengers...do NOT put in planetariums ( I haven't been on a ship with one but from what I read i would rather preserve space in upper Explorer Lounge!!!)...and I know this is NOT part of a re-fit but VIKING please include gratuities in our cruise fares!!!  oh and make the virus go away and find a vaccine so I can travel again safely!!!

 

I"d add to that Dee -  if possible, in the older ships, create that noodle/omelette station in the aquavit terrace area that we had on the Jupiter.  Since they serve you your food, this would fit in with the COVID theme of no buffets help yourself.   You might even get fancy and allow mobile ordering for pickup at a certain time.  (like Starbucks or other places now do)

[Dukefan]

4 hours ago, CCWineLover said:

 

I"d add to that Dee -  if possible, in the older ships, create that noodle/omelette station in the aquavit terrace area that we had on the Jupiter.  Since they serve you your food, this would fit in with the COVID theme of no buffets help yourself.   You might even get fancy and allow mobile ordering for pickup at a certain time.  (like Starbucks or other places now do)

If we are developing a wish list for modifications, I'd like to see medical grade H13 HEPA air filtration systems installed.

Edited June 29, 2020 by Dukefan

[chengkp75]

1 hour ago, Dukefan said:

If we are developing a wish list for modifications, I'd like to see medical grade H13 HEPA air filtration systems installed.

As I've noted on many threads regarding covid and HVAC systems, before I would push for expensive HEPA filters, I would like to see one study that shows a significant viable virus load at the filter inlet on the existing system, because experts like the CDC do not require any additional filtration, or even cleaning of the ductwork/registers on ships that have had outbreaks of covid, as a remediation measure.  Until you find actual virus at the existing filter inlet, you have no idea whether or not a HEPA filter is working to reduce the virus load, or whether it is needed at all.  No one is requiring these to be fitted in office buildings or hotels, so why are cruise ships different?

[Dukefan]

24 minutes ago, chengkp75 said:

As I've noted on many threads regarding covid and HVAC systems, before I would push for expensive HEPA filters, I would like to see one study that shows a significant viable virus load at the filter inlet on the existing system, because experts like the CDC do not require any additional filtration, or even cleaning of the ductwork/registers on ships that have had outbreaks of covid, as a remediation measure.  Until you find actual virus at the existing filter inlet, you have no idea whether or not a HEPA filter is working to reduce the virus load, or whether it is needed at all.  No one is requiring these to be fitted in office buildings or hotels, so why are cruise ships different?

You are probably more of an expert on this subject than I am.   My comments are based on what I have read. For example, Norwegian Cruise Lines early this month said it has worked with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to implement fleetwide safety measures, which include installing medical-grade, H13 HEPA air-filters said to remove 99.95 percent of airborne pathogens. 

Cruise ships have long been known for their poor indoor air quality. There is ample evidence of poor air quality in common areas and passenger rooms on cruise ships around the world. Air quality on the decks of cruise ships in a study was comparable to air quality in some of the most polluted cities in the world. Another study found that flu illnesses spread across 83% of passengers within the second week of their cruises. 

More recently, we saw the rapid spread of COVID-19 on a Diamond Princess cruise line. The ship was quarantined when the virus was first detected on board, and even with quarantining measures, 17% of people on board became infected with the coronavirus. Cruise ships continued to be a catalyst for the spread of COVID-19 worldwide, leading to questions about the filtration systems in place.

Most cruise ships are fitted with medium-strength air filters, capable of filtering out particles approximately 1000 nanometres in size. Many viruses are smaller than this and won’t be filtered out by these types of air filters. Even if passengers are isolated in their rooms, the air filtration system and air filters won’t filter out hazardous particles and they can get sick from these being in the air.