TRANSPINE

Arriving at Greenock from Zeebrugge, the ro-ro freighter TRANSPINE was calling to load a cargo of paper normally handled by the Spliethoff ships, suggesting that she is on charter. A Swedish ship of some 18,855 tonnes deadweight, she was built in Poland by Stocznia Gdynia, and completed in 2002. Originally named FINNPINE, her overall length when new was 158.60 metres, but in 2006 she was lengthened by 20 metres at the Blohm & Voss shipyard at Hamburg. When new, she was placed on a service between Finland and the USA, and was owned by B&N. TRANSPINE is managed by a Swedish company, Rederi AB Transatlantic, although she is now owned by a British company, Longitude Shipping, the transfer having only taken place very recently.

ALKMAN

Another ore/bulk/oil carrier arrived at Hunterston this afternoon, after spending several days lying at anchor off Irvine. ALKMAN, built in 1985 as JAGUAR by the Namura Shipbuilding Co of Imari, Japan, is a 225.76 metre long ship of 66,221 tonnes deadweight. Now owned by a Panamanian company, she is managed by Orpheus Maritime Transport of Piraeus, and flies the flag of the Bahamas. In 1988, she was renamed SIKSITA, becoming NOR-OBO in 1989, OBO HAWK later the same year, and FRONT HAWK in 1990. She was given her present name in 1996.

SOSPAN-DAU at work

The dredger SOSPAN-DAU has commenced filling in the Kingston Basin at Port Glasgow, bringing spoil which has been dredged up at the mouth of the River Leven. As work progresses, it is highly likely that she will the last vessel of any size to enter the basin.

It is expected that SOSPAN-DAU will be on the Clyde dredging at the mouth of the Leven, the main channel at Greenock and around Ocean Terminal, and at Bowling Bend, for around eight weeks.

WAVERLEY leaving drydock

Having been in the hands of the Garvel repair yard since her return from Oban, WAVERLEY, billed as the 'last sea-going paddle steamer in the world', was today towed out of the drydock by two of Clyde Marine Service's tugs, BOOJUM BAY and BITER.

During her spell in the drydock, a problem was discovered with WAVERLEY's port paddle shaft, and both the paddle wheel and the shaft itself have been removed while remedial work is undertaken. As a result, WAVERLEY's port sponson presents a somewhat unusual appearance.

WAVERLEY was towed into the James Watt Dock and berthed bow-to-bow with JUPITER, due to enter the drydock shortly for her own survey. When the paddle shaft is ready to be refitted, WAVERLEY will return to the drydock. In the meantime, her scheduled late spring visit to the Bristol Channel has been cancelled, and her consort BALMORAL will be undertaking some of her sailings. It is hoped that WAVERLEY will be able to take up service in time for the star of her Clyde season in mid-June.

SD EMILY

The first of the new vessels ordered by Serco Denhom, and allocated to the Clyde, following the award of the fifteen-year contract to provide marine services to the MoD, has arrived on the river. SD EMILY, a 12 metre Damen Pushy Cat 1204, was handed over to Serco by her builders, Damen Shipyards, at the end of March, and was delivered to Greenock by road. She is undergoing some finishing touches at the Garvel yard before she enters service. SD EMILY is part of a 29 vessel order, awarded to Damen Shipyards and worth an estimated €146 million, which will include tugs, pilot boats, barges, multipurpose work vessels, a fast crew boat and a worldwide support ship.

CANOPUS J

A new ship for the Clyde which has been operating on MacAndrews' services for some time (although not on the UK/Iberian routes), arrived this afternoon. CANOPUS J, built in 2004 by Detlef Hegemann Rolandwerft at their Berne shipyard, spent some time under the name LYS BOX while on a two year charter to Lys-Line, before reverting to her original name in mid-January 2007. Operated by Jüngerhans Maritime Services, CANOPUS J is 9,193 tonnes deadweight and this 139.88 metre long ship can carry up to 750 TEU containers. Her previous employment for CMA CGM has been on the MacAndrews service between Felixstowe, Hull and Gdynia, which she commenced in December last year.

SOSPAN-DAU

Following on from yesterday's post showing preparatory work underway at the Kingston Basin at Port Glasgow, this view taken in the Victoria Harbour, Greenock, shows the suction dredger SOSPAN-DAU, which will be undertaking the next stage of the work, and filling in the basin itself. SOSPAN-DAU dates from 1978, when she was built as the hopper ADLERGRUND at Dieppe. In 1992, she was renamed BADEBEC. She was converted into a suction dredger in 2001, and renamed SOSPAN-DAU, which when translated from Welsh means 'Saucepan Two'. Operated by a subsidiary of Westminster Dredging, her name alludes to her owners - Llanelli Sand Dredging - as the town of Llanelli had a tin-plating industry, saucepans being one of the main products. This dredger is unusual in that the spoil she lifts is often pumped ashore for land reclamation, sometimes being discharged via the spray cannon mounted in her bows. SOSPAN-DAU is 71.06 metres long, and can carry up to 1,800 tonnes of spoil in her hopper.

SKANTIC outbound

Also noted outbound this evening, another ship which had arrived yesterday. SKANTIC was seen as she passed Port Glasgow, her destination unknown as she was proceeding 'for orders' following a brief visit to Shieldhall. In the foreground is the extremity of the track where a 'Goliath' crane once operated, straddling the building ways of the Glen Shipyard, Port Glasgow.

CORAL SEA outbound

After a quick turn round at Glasgow where she discharged her cargo of wind turbine components at King George V Dock, CORAL SEA was seen dropping the Pilot at Kempock Point this evening, as she sailed for Gdynia in Poland, and her next cargo.

JOHN MITCHELL

The 1997-built container ship JOHN MITCHELL was seen passing McInroy's Point this afternoon as she headed to Greenock from Belfast on the regular BG Freight Line UK West Coast service.

Kingston Basin, Port Glasgow

As part of the redevelopment of the Port Glasgow waterfront, the fitting out basin of the former Lithgow's Kingston shipyard is to be filled in. Preparatory work for this project is being undertaken using the long-reach excavator mounted on a barge, with Offshore Workboats' TRIO - previously seen on the River Cart - acting as the safety and standby boat. This part of the work commenced at the beginning of May, and is nearly complete.

Preserved tug HOLLAND

This beautifully restored old tug was berthed at Troon over the weekend, and was due to leave again this morning for Oban. Currently on a tour round Scottish waters, HOLLAND dates from 1951, when she was built by Ferus Smit at Foxhol for Rederij Doeksen as a deep sea salvage tug, and passenger ship capable of accommodating 700 passengers (yes, 700!) while serving the islands of Terschelling and Vlieland from the mainland.

After a career spanning 25 years, she was chartered to the Rijkswaterstaat (Dutch Water Department) and served with them until 1998. By that time, the 57.35 metre long vessel was surplus to requirement, and advertised for sale. A trust was set up, and she was taken into preservation with considerable assistance from the Dutch Government, and several companies and other institutions. Now operating as a working museum, she has been largely restored to original condition, still retaining her 10-cylinder Werkspoor main engine.

WILSON BLYTH

Outbound from Glasgow for Limerick this evening, WILSON BLYTH is one of Wilson ASA's ships which flies the Maltese flag. From 1995, when she was completed at the Slovenske Lodenice shipyard on the Danube as KAPITAN DROBININ, until 2004, when she given her 'Wilson' name, she was managed by Wilson although owned by Gee Em Shipping. In 2004 she was taken into the Wilson fleet itself. With an overall length of 88.00 metres, she has a summer deadweight of 3,713 tonnes. Like most of these box hold coasters, she can also carry up to 176 TEU containers.

SKANTIC

An attractive little ship arrived this evening, the St Vincent & The Grenadines-flagged SKANTIC, which is owned by a Danish company and was inbound from Peterhead. She was built in 1974 at Frederikshavn as SKANLITH, becoming SKANLILL in 1983 and SKANTIC in 1999. With an overall length of 64.62 metres, she has a deadweight of 1,094 tonnes.

AASLI

Another Aasen Transport ship joined AASFJORD at Glasgow today, and was seen as she passed McInroy's Point this morning. AASLI, also seen on a previous visit here, arrived on the Clyde today from Glensanda with a cargo of aggregates, another typical cargo for these hard-working little ships.

CORAL SEA

Bringing a cargo of components for wind turbines, including a number of the massive blades on her hatch tops, CORAL SEA was seen passing Cloch Point this morning as she headed up the Clyde to Glasgow. CORAL SEA was built in Holland in 2000, and when launched bore the name DEO VOLENTE, which she carried until the newer ship now carrying the same name was built. This ship, built by Tille Shipyards, has a deadweight of 2,850 tonnes and an overall length of 90.78 metres. She is now owned by Coral Shipping, a Dutch company.

AASFJORD

Seen on passage upriver this afternoon from the Erskine Bridge, the wash off the coaster AASFJORD is breaking on the shore almost before she passes, so low was the tide today. AASFJORD was returning to King George V Dock with a cargo of cement from Port Talbot, in South Wales, to which she was heading last Thursday when she was seen outbound.

HMCC SENTINEL

Another Customs Cutter belonging to HM Customs and Revenue arrived at Greenock this afternoon. Built to a modified Vosper Thorneycroft design for the United States Coast guard, SENTINEL is the only vessel of her type in the UK. Built by Vosper Thorneycroft at their Portchester yard in 1993, SENTINEL is 34 metres long, and has a steel hull and aluminium superstructure. Originally she was fitted with Paxman Valenta V12 diesel engines, but these were later replaced with two Caterpillar engines. These drive twin screws, giving her a speed of up to 26 knots, with an additional waterjet drive for low speed 'loitering'. She is crewed by 12 Customs personnel, who make use of the 6-metre RIB for boarding and interception duties.

JUPITER

Having been relieved this afternoon by SATURN on CalMac's Gourock-Dunoon service, the 1974-built ferry JUPITER headed immediately upriver to the Garvel yard to commence her annual Passenger Certificate survey. She is seen here passing Greenock as the tug KINDEACE heads from the James Watt Dock to sail STAR OPTIMANA from Ocean Terminal.

SUPERIORITY

Of the four ships in the 'Speciality' class belonging to James Fisher Everard, SUPERIORITY is the last to visit the Clyde. Previously SPECIALITY called in December 2007, SUPREMITY in February, and although not recorded here at the time, SENIORITY called in January. This ship was the third to be delivered by her Chinese builders, joining the Everard fleet in February 2007. Like her sisters, SUPERIORITY is 95.15 metres in length and has a deadweight of 4,426 tonnes.

PRINCESS NADIA

The oil/bulk ore carrier PRINCESS NADIA was still discharging her cargo of coal at Hunterston late this afternoon. Built in Korea in 1987 by Hyundai Heavy Industries, she was originally named CHICKASAW, and operated for Hong Kong owners. Of 152,238 tonnes deadweight, she is 280.14 metres overall, and is operated by Ultrapetrol (Bahamas) Ltd. Her managers are Ravenscroft Ship Management, an American company.

STAR OPTIMANA

The latest member of the Star Shipping fleet to call at Greenock arrived this afternoon. STAR OPTIMANA, built by Oshima Shipbuilding in Japan, and completed in October 2003, sailed from Vancouver on 12th April, and passed through the Panama Canal on the 24th. She and her sisterships are amongst the largest cargo ships able to use the Canal. 199 metres in length, STAR OPTIMANA has a deadweight of 50,470 tonnes, and as well as palletised cargoes of wood products including woodpulp, she can carry up to 2,286 TEU containers. Like her sister STAR OSAKANA, this ship is registered in Singapore and is owned by Masterbulk Pte, a subsidiary of the Norwegian Westfal-Larsen company. Svitzer's WARRIOR III was made fast alongside to assist turning STAR OPTIMANA before she berthed, while Sir Arnold Clark's yacht DRUM can be seen in the distance off Helensburgh.

PHAROS

Fresh from the Garvel repair yard at Greenock where she received her guarantee drydocking, PHAROS set sail this afternoon to resume duty for the Northern Lighthouse Board. Seen passing Cloch Lighthouse, she was heading for Lamlash Bay. The little tug TIOGA B is heading upriver in the background.