Merchant Ships: Various
Clyde
2021
*Page under Construction*
Introduction
As of last year any non-military vessels on the Clyde will be included in a single Merchant Shipping page. A combination of less vessels coming upriver to Clydebank or the Glasgow city docks, further reduced as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic, and less opportunity for me to get out and photograph those that do appear, means that it`s no longer worthwhile creating individual pages for bulk carriers, tankers, container ships, general cargo vessels etc. I`ve taken hundreds of nautical shots over the years and many of the ship pages are still incomplete. Due to the volume of entries some of the years gone-by still comprise of individual category pages as the Bulk Carrier links below show. I intend to incorporate these into a single yearly entry as and when time permits.
January
Sebat
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Most of the ships that sailed upriver to Clydebank or Glasgow during January arrived in the early hours of the morning due to high tide times, ruling out photos. The majority were coasters, however, the first bulk carrier to visit the upper Clyde this year was 150 metre-long Panamanian-flagged Sebat (IMO: 9151383) which arrived and departed in the dark at the beginning of the month. Coincidentally, I got some shots of the same vessel departing after she visited last April (right).
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Sten Baltic & Cemisle
It wasn`t until Monday 25 January that I was able to get my first ship shots of 2021. Two vessels, namely cement carrier Cemisle (below) and Oil/Chemical tanker Sten Baltic were due to pass under the Erskine Bridge around sunup but by the time I scraped the ice from the car and got down to the old ferry slipway, Cemisle (IMO: 9213911) was just passing by. She was on the standard cement run from Belfast which she has been operating for many years. Sten Baltic wasn`t far behind and she sailed into view soon after I`d walked under the bridge to greet her. The red-hulled tankers of the Sten fleet are frequent visitors to the Clydebank Oil Terminal. On this occasion Sten Baltic was delivering grades from Mongstad in Norway.
Cemisle (above) dates from 2000 and currently sailing under the flag of Antigua & Barbuda.
Looking east from the beach at the old Erskine Ferry slip.
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February
FPV Jura & Challenger of Leith
The night of Tuesday 2 / Wednesday 3 February was a stormy one which resulted in difficulties for several large vessels in the Firth of Clyde. The containership Elbspirit was unable to tie up at Ocean Terminal due to the choppy seas and remained at anchor off the Tail of the Bank until the 7th. This was a minor inconvenience, however, compared to problems encountered down at Hunterston. (See below).
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Jura left the KGV mid-morning on Sunday 7 February but I didn`t bother photographing her on her way out as the weather was even colder than when she arrived with similar visibility but intermittent light wind blown snow. Back on the afternoon of the 3rd, (?)*** Arklow Cape sailed upriver to berth at Shieldhall, and another coaster, Lumen, left Diesel Wharf shortly afterwards, travelling light for Liverpool. Jura then Challenger of Leith followed etc (to edit)*
Late on Tuesday 2 February, a rescue operation got underway at Hunterston after a drilling ship broke free from its moorings as a result of the gale force winds. The crew of the Valaris DS4 deployed the ship's anchors as it drifted without power in an effort to prevent it being blown against the east coast of the Isle of Great Cumbrae at the far side of the narrow channel. Conditions on scene were easterly 40 - 60 knots with a rough sea and sleet. The 228 metre-long vessel had been tied-up alongside ENSCO DS8 which was also in danger of snapping her mooring lines.
Late on Tuesday 2 February, a rescue operation got underway at Hunterston after a drilling ship broke free from its moorings as a result of the gale force winds. The crew of the Valaris DS4 deployed the ship's anchors as it drifted without power in an effort to prevent it being blown against the east coast of the Isle of Great Cumbrae at the far side of the narrow channel. Conditions on scene were easterly 40 - 60 knots with a rough sea and sleet. The 228 metre-long vessel had been tied-up alongside ENSCO DS8 which was also in danger of snapping her mooring lines.
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The Troon and Largs lifeboats, an HM Coastguard helicopter and various local tug boats responded to the Mayday call and both drilling ships were temporarily secured without reports of any injuries. A number of vessels responding to the incident had to remain on station for several days and only then, after conditions had eased, was the incident stood down. (Incident images © The Scotsman / Daily Record / BBC News / Raibeart MacAoidh / Geograph / Friends of the Firth of Clyde).
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Within a week, the weather took on a distinctly Arctic atmosphere with temperatures at Braemar plummeting to -23, the lowest reading since the 1950s. Although the Paisley / Renfrew area escaped the worst of the snow, the scenery was transformed here for a few days before the thaw set in. This was the south bank of the River Clyde along to where it meets the Cart, just north of Glasgow Airport.
Fugro Frontier
Saturday 6 February 2021: The Research/survey vessel Fugro Frontier (IMO: 9701657) sailed down from Aberdeen and headed for the city. She was built in 2014 by Damen Shipyard, Gorinchem, in The Netherlands and currently flies the flag of Bahamas. Her length overall (LOA) is 53.6 meters and her width is 12.5 meters. She has a carrying capacity is 456 t DWT and her current draught is reported to be 3.3 meters.
A couple of Pied Wagtails were flitting about, seeking out flies and other bugs on the stone embankment but, unlike this Robin, they evaded my camera.
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Fugro Frontier can support a wide range of offshore services including geophysical survey, environmental and shallow geotechnical investigations. Her limited 3m draft, enables the vessel to also operate close inshore. At 53m-long, she can be configured to tow a variety of survey equipment including up to a four source and four streamer 3D seismic spread, and up to eight ROTV controlled magnetometers. Fugro Frontier has a cruising speed of 10 knots, but this will vary depending on survey requirements. Her maximum speed is 11.2 knots.
March
YM Fuji
Monday 8 March 2021: Longer days meant there was still enough light to capture the arrival of YM Fuji (IMO: 9622760) when she sailed past Erskine around 18:00 hrs. She was destined for Glasgow`s Riverside Quay to discharge a hold full of soda ash which she`d brought from Derince, a seaport, city and district of Kocaeli Province of Turkey.
CMS Boxer led the way with Svitzer Anglegarth tied on at the stern.
YM Fuji is classed as a General Cargo vessel and was built in 2015 being a product of Marmara Shipyard, Kocaeli, Turkey, although she sails under a Maltese flag. With a carrying capacity of 10,952 t DWT, her current draught is reported to be 7.8 meters. Her length overall (LOA) is 131 meters and her width is 19 meters. Former names are Oxfuji (2019, Malta) and Yo Co (2018, Malta). She is currently owned / managed by Yilmar Shipping & Trading of Istanbul.
A couplie of Mute Swans and a Seal provided interest until the bulker sailed into camera range.
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MV Coruisk
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On Saturday 13 March 2021, the CalMac ferry MV Coruisk sailed downriver to Gourock after a spell at the City`s KGV Dock. CMS Boxer provided escort.
CalMac`s problems have been well-publicized recently with their ageing fleet badly in need of replacement. Breakdowns are now commonplace.
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Aasnes & Jaguar
Sunday 14 March 2021: Two ships were photographed today, the first being the coaster Aasnes (IMO: 9101546) which I caught passing Yoker. These shots were taken from the Renfrew Ferry slipway on the south side of the river. Aasnes, was built in 1996 and is sailing under the flag of Gibraltar. On this occasion she was transporting road salt on a regular run from Kilroot to the KGV Dock.
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Next was Dutch-flagged Jaguar (IMO: 9613628) with wind turbine components from Cartagena, a port city and naval base in the Murcia region of southeast Spain. Classed as a General Cargo vessel, she was built in 2012 by Shipkits, Groningen, Netherlands, and is sailing under that country`s flag.
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Eken
Sunday 28 March 2021: This was officially first day of summer. Oil products tanker Eken (IMO number 9286827) brought grades from Kalundborg, Denmark, to the Clydebank Oil Terminal. One of the Ektank fleet, a company based in Gothenburg, Sweden, she is currently under the charge of Swedish outfit OSM Shipmanagement of Hisings Baka. This vessel, a product of Qiuxin Shipyard, Shanghai, dates from 2004. This was the first time I`d seen her on the Clyde.
April
Paddle boarders etc*
Bro Alma
The weather was superb on Sunday 11 April 2021 when tanker Bro Alma (IMO Number 9356610) arrived from Rotterdam with Grades for Clydebank. One of the numerous such vessels that make up the sizeable Maersk Tankers fleet, she was built in Istanbul, Turkey, in 2008 by the Celik Tekne Shipyard. Several of her sisters also have the Bro prefix, with Bro Distributer and Bro Nordby in particular having visited the Clyde numerous times over the years.
Skylarks were up singing above Newshot Island as I headed over the fields to catch the tanker maneuvering at the Clyde / Cart confluence.
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A fox was patrolling the edge of the reed bed but remained almost totally hidden.
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Bro Alma is 144 metres long, has a deadweight of 17,000 tonnes (Gross tonnage 12162 tons) and currently flies the Netherlands flag, home ported in Delfzijl, a city in the province of Groningen in the northeast of the country.
This inquisitive Seal was slowly making its way downriver from the Clyde / Cart confluence as the tanker approached.
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Greenock & Gourock
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With the `stay local` travel restrictions lifted just a few days previously, I nipped along to Greenock early on Tuesday 20 April to get a few shots of Faslane-bound Type 23 Duke-class Frigate HMS Kent (F78), but by the time I got there I only succeeded in a long distance view from the Esplanade as she headed into the Gare Loch. Three merchant vessels weren`t far behind, but with high water not due until tea time, the two larger ones, tanker Elisabeth Schulte and cargo ship Peak Bergen, had to kill a bit of time before heading upriver. No problem for coaster Arklow Venture, however, and she headed in shortly after these shots were taken, her previous port of call being Belfast. //
A misty view of |
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Rather than wind turbine components, Peak Bergen was transporting a mast section to BAE Systems` Govan yard where HMS Glasgow was being built.
I stopped off briefly at Greenock`s James Watt Dock on the way back to photograph MV Loch Seaforth. Caledonian MacBrayne's largest ferry had limped into Greenock for what was described by the operator as a 'major repair'. This was carried out by Dales Marine at the adjacent Garvel dry dock. The £42 million ferry, which was only launched in 2014, had to be taken off of the Stornoway-Ullapool route after developing a failure on her port side engine. (Photo below left © Greenock Telegraph).
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MV Isle of Lewis (not photographed) temporarily took over Loch Seaforth's duties. Also berthed at James Watt Dock when I stopped off were Hebridean Princess (below) and local passenger-only ferry Argyll Flyer (above right).
On the afternoon of Wednesday 21 April, the paddle steamer Waverley sailed down to Greenock from Glasgow, where she had spent the winter, for her annual dry-docking. She initial tied-up alongside Greenock’s Custom House Quay but was later moved into the dry dock at Dales Marine’s Garvel yard. Following damage sustained in a well-publicised collision with Arran`s Brodick pier last year, Waverley’s bow will be repaired, several paddles and some steel will be replaced in the port paddle box, and a full survey of the hull will be undertaken followed by a paint job. The combination of routine maintenance, expensive repairs and the impact of COVID on sailings may have sealed the fate of the iconic vessel, but donations continued to pour in from supporters.
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(Above images © Waverley Excursions / inverclydenow.com)
Understandably, there`s no public access to the Garvel Dry Dock facility. Serco Marine`s mooring lighter SD Moorfowl was also being worked on.
Further east, at Port Glasgow`s Inchgreen Dock, was MPI Adventure, a huge wind turbine installation vessel which had been berthed there for some time. Designed to transport, lift and install wind turbines and their foundations, she is the world’s most advanced and most efficient WTIV in terms of jacking speed, deck space, lifting capacity and positioning capabilities. MPI Adventure`s main crane has the capacity to lift 1,000-tonnes plus there`s a 50-tonne-capacity auxiliary crane enabling her to transport, lift, install and decommission components such as foundations, wind turbines, met masts and transformer stations. After her stay on the Clyde MPI Adventure set off for Belfast.
Peak Bergen passing Erskine.
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These photos show the warship before the new mast was transferred onto the yard.
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Einstein
I took this head-on shot of Einstein (IMO: 9483346) on Thursday 22 April, as she unloaded at Clydeport, Greenock. The 151 metre-long Cypriot-flagged container ship, a regular here, was built in 2012 and after her visit to the Clyde she sailed to Liverpool via Dublin.
Elisabeth Schulte
The next tanker to call at the Clydebank Oil Terminal was Elisabeth Schulte (IMO 9439840) which appeared on Friday 23 April. It was a still morning but a hint of a breeze began as she sailed into view, spoiling an otherwise perfect reflection. Built in China in 2010, she is managed and owned by Greek outfit BSM HELLAS of Athens but sails under UK colours, being homeported in the Isle of Man.
The Titan Crane on the site of the world famous John Brown`s Shipyard makes a fine backdrop.
Anglegarth escorted the vessel on first part of her journey when she set off on the return voyage to Rotterdam the following morning. Elisabeth Schulte passed inbound Danish-flagged tanker Bro Nordby at Dumbarton Rock which took her slot.
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Pipe Layers at Hunterston
I took my first photos of the two huge pipe-laying vessels, Valaris DS4 and Ensco DS 8 (See February above) at Hunterston on 24 April. I drove down early, primarily to catch the US Navy etc a likely Joint Warrior (LINK)* participant which was berthed alongside etc // USNS Supply (T-AOE-6), ex-USS Supply (AOE-6), is the lead ship of the Supply-class fast combat support ships. She was commissioned in 1994 and decommissioned in 2001, after which she was transferred for service with the U.S. Military Sealift Command. // The pilot cutter Skua etc
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The cairn, in a small seafront garden on Bay Street, commemorates three generations of William Fifes who built world renowned racing yachts at this place from the early 19th Century until 1939. Several Americas Cup contenders were built here. The plaque (one of four) reads as follows... // `William Fife II (Sr) 1821-1902. `He consolidated the reputation of the yard. His first success was the cutter 'Stella'. 'Fiona' known as 'The Fawn O' Fairlie' was the top scoring boat in her class for eight seasons. Among his other designs were the successful race winners 'Cymba' 'Bloodhound, 'Cythera' and 'Neva'. This was the golden of yacht building for the yard and Fife II received worldwide recognition for his designs and craftsmanship`. (to edit)*
Australis
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VLCC Australis has been permanently berthed at the Finnart Oil terminal on Loch Long as storage tanker since the spring of this year, for what will be a two-year stint. Shipbrokers said refiner Petroineos Trading has chartered the 299,000-dwt vessel (built 2003) at $20,000 per day. Australis is owned and managed by Athens-based Chandris Hellas and sails under a Greek flag. Chandris currently has nine tankers in its fleet, four of which are Very Large Crude Carriers. Australis was originally christened the Front Saga, a name she kept until October 2003 when she became Saga for a short time, receiving her current identity in the February of the following year. Ashana was the last tanker to be used in a storage capacity at Finnart. She left in June 2016 and ended up as DS Velvet but was reduced to scrap on the beaches of Gadani, Southern Pakistan, at the end of 2018 following a career lasting just 19 years. Tug Svitzer Anglegarth (right) was on shift as safety / fire boat.
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Seaplane flight Oct 2019. Use aerial shot*
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Acoustic research vessel, Seaway Endeavour was tied up alongside the Rosneath Boatyard. She was built in 1966 by Hall, Russell & Company for J. Marr and Sons of Hull. At the time she served as a stern trawler named MV Criscilla. In 1980, she was sold to the Royal Aircraft Establishment, (RAE) Farnborough and renamed Colonel Templer after Colonel James Templer, an early British military pioneer of balloons and superintendent of the Aldershot balloon factory. By the late 80s she was converted into an acoustic research vessel, mainly for sonar work by the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency.
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After a serious fire in 1990, the ship underwent a major rebuild and in November 2000, Colonel Templer was handed over to the Royal Maritime Auxiliary Service (RMAS) and operated under contract by Serco Denholm, based at HMNB Clyde. In 2001, she was converted to support diving training with the Royal Navy. Following the disbandment of the RMAS in March 2008, she was transferred to Serco Marine Services and received the ship prefix 'SD'. In July 2011, she was sold to a Swedish firm, renamed Seaway Endeavour and painted in her current blue and white livery.
BBC Lima
BBC Lima (IMO: 9513622) is pictured here outbound on Wednesday 28 April 2021 after discharging her cargo of soda ash at Riverside Quay. A general cargo vessel, she was built in 2010 by Dongfang Shipbuilding, Yueqing, China, and currently sails under the flag of Germany. Her former names are Bremen (2015 Antigua & Barbuda) and MCL Bremen (2012, Antigua & Barbuda). With a length overall of 130 metres, and a Gross tonnage of 7138 tons /Deadweight 7819 tons, she is a good deal larger than the coasters which make up most of the traffic on this section of the river.
May
Shaman Wisdom
Saturday 8 May 2021: Marshall Islands-flagged Bulk Carrier Shaman Wisdom (IMO: 9563407) was the first vessel snapped during the month.
She was built in 2010 and her length overall (LOA) is 179.9 meters.
White Bay
Pacific Basin`s White Bay (IMO: 9274460) seen here outbound on Friday 14 May 2021 was the next bulker to appear. She was bound for Sillamäe, Estonia, with an empty hold after discharging her cargo of agriprods from San Nicolás de los Arroyos, Argentina, at Riverside Quay. She had called in at the Port of Bristol; en route to the Clyde.
June
The Coronavirus nightmare continues to catastrophically impact the travel and leisure sectors. On Wed 9 June 2021 passengers on a cruise ship touring the UK were told they would not be allowed to disembark in Scotland. The MSC Virtuosa's operator said that the Scottish government`s latest COVID rules prevented the vessel from entering the port of Greenock. Virtuosa had left Liverpool earlier in the week for a seven-night cruise, with planned stops in Greenock, as well as Belfast, Southampton and the Isle of Portland. She was then due to stop in Greenock again on the return journey. Although more than 6,000 passengers can be accommodated, just under 900 were on board to allow for social-distancing measures.
The government has said domestic cruises can only restart when restrictions in all of Scotland reach level one. It insisted the decision was based on the risks "between both cruises and the wider travel context".
The Scottish Passenger Agents Association (SPAA) confirmed that Wednesday's scheduled stop in Greenock had been cancelled. The ship was due to dock in Greenock at about 09:30, departing at 20:00 the same day. The industry body said the situation meant Scots on board the vessel were effectively "barred from setting foot in their own country". Passengers will not be able to get on the ship at Greenock either. The SPAA said it understood 75% of passengers on board were fully vaccinated, and had recently tested negative. The organisation's president, Joanne Dooey, told the BBC's Good Morning Scotland programme she believed the decision was "ludicrous" when people can travel into Scotland by train or car unhindered. She said: "We had the Northern Belle in last week to Edinburgh from Manchester which had lots of tourists on it with no testing at all. "What's the difference between a cruise ship coming in and football taking place in Glasgow with no testing being put in place? "And when are we ever going to have confidence in the vaccination progress? We are going to have to live with new variants coming in and we have to get on with our lives." The SPAA anticipated that a third of those currently on board were expected to go ashore for excursions on Wednesday.
In a statement, the Scottish government said it fully understood "the impact of the current restrictions on domestic cruises". It added: "We explained our concerns about the transmission risks posed by cruise vessels in an update to industry on the 24 May and confirmed that we would clarify the position in June.
"Following extensive engagement with stakeholders, we have now confirmed that domestic cruises can restart when all of Scotland reaches level one and we have made industry, including the operator, aware of this." An MSC spokeswoman said: "In light of recent information received, we are now awaiting further clarification from the relevant authorities in Scotland about the situation for cruising which regrettably means that we have had to cancel our proposed visit to Greenock tomorrow. "We hope that our calls to Scotland with our special cruises can commence soon considering how much we were looking forward to welcoming our Scottish guests onboard MSC Virtuosa and how we are aware of the important and widespread contribution that the cruise industry makes to Scotland." Affected passengers have been advised to contact the operator for further information. (BBC News to edit)*
The government has said domestic cruises can only restart when restrictions in all of Scotland reach level one. It insisted the decision was based on the risks "between both cruises and the wider travel context".
The Scottish Passenger Agents Association (SPAA) confirmed that Wednesday's scheduled stop in Greenock had been cancelled. The ship was due to dock in Greenock at about 09:30, departing at 20:00 the same day. The industry body said the situation meant Scots on board the vessel were effectively "barred from setting foot in their own country". Passengers will not be able to get on the ship at Greenock either. The SPAA said it understood 75% of passengers on board were fully vaccinated, and had recently tested negative. The organisation's president, Joanne Dooey, told the BBC's Good Morning Scotland programme she believed the decision was "ludicrous" when people can travel into Scotland by train or car unhindered. She said: "We had the Northern Belle in last week to Edinburgh from Manchester which had lots of tourists on it with no testing at all. "What's the difference between a cruise ship coming in and football taking place in Glasgow with no testing being put in place? "And when are we ever going to have confidence in the vaccination progress? We are going to have to live with new variants coming in and we have to get on with our lives." The SPAA anticipated that a third of those currently on board were expected to go ashore for excursions on Wednesday.
In a statement, the Scottish government said it fully understood "the impact of the current restrictions on domestic cruises". It added: "We explained our concerns about the transmission risks posed by cruise vessels in an update to industry on the 24 May and confirmed that we would clarify the position in June.
"Following extensive engagement with stakeholders, we have now confirmed that domestic cruises can restart when all of Scotland reaches level one and we have made industry, including the operator, aware of this." An MSC spokeswoman said: "In light of recent information received, we are now awaiting further clarification from the relevant authorities in Scotland about the situation for cruising which regrettably means that we have had to cancel our proposed visit to Greenock tomorrow. "We hope that our calls to Scotland with our special cruises can commence soon considering how much we were looking forward to welcoming our Scottish guests onboard MSC Virtuosa and how we are aware of the important and widespread contribution that the cruise industry makes to Scotland." Affected passengers have been advised to contact the operator for further information. (BBC News to edit)*
Bro Nyborg & Deo Gloria
Thursday 10 June: Danish-flagged Bro Nyborg is pictured above passing Erskine`s Newshot Island on the way to Clydebank`s Rothesay Dock then, a couple of hours later, dredger Deo Gloria (below) did likewise, positioning for the annual riverbed clean-up I caught the latter vessel outbound a couple of days later (below).
July
Saturday 3 July: After the Waverley`s latest trials and tribulations, it was good to see her back in action.
I snapped her as she passed under the Erskine Bridge on what turned out to be a fine day weather-wise.
August
It was the Waverley again on Friday 13 August 2021, this time from the Braehead Walkway.
September
Arklow
October
Symphony Space
Wednesday 6 October 2021, Symphony Space from Izmir, Turkey
MS Romantika
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Tuesday 12 October
MS Silja Europa info |
With the recruitment of MS Silja Europa as a floating hotel well-publicised it was a bit of surprise to see MS Romantika sailing up the Firth of Clyde on October 12 bound for Glasgow to fulfil a similar role. While I was waiting for the ship to appear, there was a surprise low-level fly past by a pair of Kingfishers. They were just inches above the water and darted out of the lagoon, one bird reappearing a few minutes later. I had my camera switched off when they initially flashed into view and had to settle for this rather grainy, blurred shot of the returning bird. Although I`ve seen several individual Kingfishers along the Erskine shore over the years, this is the first time I`ve spotted two together. I also saw a Jay in Erskine a few days previously, which for me is another relatively rare sight.
HMC Vigilant
One relatively unusual visitor to the Upper Clyde on 20 October was Border Agency (UK Customs & Excise) Cutter HMC Vigilant, although I`m not sure whether her presence was connected with the conference in any way. She was launched by Damen Shipyards in the Netherlands in 2003 and is one of four 42-metre-long (138 ft) such vessels operated by the UK Border Force. I caught her passing Park Quay at Erskine en route to the KGV Dock, just before the rain came on.
MS Silja Europa
Contrary to expectations, MS Silja Europa didn`t join her sister ship at the KGV when she appeared on the Clyde on 21 October, but tied up at Greenock`s Inchgreen Dock. Like many other would-be photographers, I`d monitored her progress on marinetraffic.com, ready to get a few snaps as she passed my local patch on her way upriver later in the day which was bright and sunny. As a result, I missed her arrival and had to settle for a tail-end view from the housing estate immediately east of the dock. Due to recent construction work, it`s now impossible to get decent shots of ships here, unless they`re on the move etc*
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November
December