ClydeSights

QUEEN MARY 2

2011-09-16T20:35:00.000+01:00

The largest passenger ship to visit the Clyde during 2011 was Cunard's QUEEN MARY 2, making her second visit to Greenock. Once again, she was on a cruise around the British Isles, and had started at Southampton, visiting Cherbourg, Cobh and Liverpool on the way.

On board QUEEN MARY 2 were some passengers who had sailed south from Greenock a few days earlier aboard QUEEN ELIZABETH, and who had transferred from one ship to the other at Southampton.

From Greenock, QUEEN MARY 2 continued her cruise around the north of Scotland to the Forth, where she anchored off Queensferry before heading back to Southampton.

EMERALD PRINCESS

2011-09-15T22:05:00.000+01:00

Another of the Princess Cruises fleet paid a one-day visit to Greenock during 2011. EMERALD PRINCESS is seen above making her way downriver after visiting the Clyde for the first time on a positiong voyage that was taking her from the Baltic to Fort Lauderdale in Florida. Having started at Copenhagen, she sailed to Oslo and Kristiansand before heading to Greenock. The 113,561 gross ton cruiseship, completed in the spring of 2007, was built by Fincantieri. She measures 290 metres, the maximum that can travel through the Panama Canal, and generally spends the summer months in European waters, and the winters in the warmer Caribbean.

NUUK MAERSK

2011-09-14T21:31:00.000+01:00

Outbound for Belfast, another ship belonging to the combined Maersk/Brostrom fleet was seen leaving Loch Long with a cargo from Finnart. NUUK MAERSK, dating from 2008, is one of their six-strong 'N' class products carriers of 16,550 tonnes. She was carrying a cargo of refined products that had been pumped across Scotland from Grangemouth.

REGGEDIJK

2011-09-10T19:15:00.000+01:00

The brightly coloured Dutch coaster REGGEDIJK was seen heading out to sea, fully laden with a cargo of scrap metal from Renfrew destined for the Spanish port of Seville. REGGEDIJK is the fourteenth, and last, ship of a series of 4,450 tonne deadweight coasters built by the Chowgule shipyard at Goa in India. She was delivered in April 2011, and is owned by Dutch company Navigia, and operated by German firm Apollo Shipping.

BRO ATLAND

2011-09-09T23:00:00.000+01:00

With SOUND OF SCARBA providing a splash of colour on an otherwise drab day, the products tanker BRO ATLAND heads past Hunter's Quay and the Holy Loch on her way to Finnart, where she would be loading a cargo of grades for Belfast, once a regular run for the ships of the Brostrom fleet.

PRINSENDAM outbound

2011-09-07T21:55:00.000+01:00

After calling at Greenock, PRINSENDAM had been due to sail overnight to Oban but, in light of the poor weather forecast, she remained alongside Ocean Terminal until early morning. With QUEEN ELIZABETH due alongside, PRINSENDAM moved clear of the berth and steamed the short distance across to the mouth of the Holy Loch, where she anchored for the day. Her tenders ferried passengers ashore at Sandbank, from where coaches were laid on to take passengers on excursions to parts of Argyll that they might have visited from Oban. PRINSENDAM sailed in the evening for Portree.

SOUND OF SCARBA

2011-09-07T21:42:00.000+01:00

While SOUND OF SCARBA lies at her berth at Hunter's Quay, the cruiseship PRINSENDAM rides at anchor off the mouth of the Holy Loch. Diverted to 'Sandbank' instead of Oban because of a poor weather forecast, her tenders were running passengers ashore at the Holy Loch Marina. A couple of runs were also carried out by CRUISER.

VILAMOURA

2011-09-07T21:23:00.000+01:00

Following QUEEN ELIZABETH up the Firth of Clyde was the Suezmax tanker VILAMOURA, fully laden with a cargo of Nigerian crude oil from Forcados. A modern double-hulled tanker, she was completed in March 2011 by Samsung Heavy Industries in Korea. 264 metres long, she has a deadweight of 158,621 tonnes and is operated by Heidmar.

QUEEN ELIZABETH

2011-09-07T21:16:00.000+01:00

Making her first visit to the Clyde, Cunard's latest cruise ship QUEEN ELIZABETH is seen above making her way upriver past Dunoon to Greenock Ocean Terminal. QUEEN ELIZABETH is slightly larger than her close sister QUEEN VICTORIA, which visited Greenock in July 2010. As she has a slightly different layout her tonnage is 90,901 gross tons.

As QUEEN ELIZABETH made her way upriver, she passed another passenger ship, PRINSENDAM, which had lain overnight at Greenock. The pair exchanged greetings as they passed one another, both being owned by a subsidiary of the Carnival Corporation.

QUEEN ELIZABETH was launched in January 2010 and completed in October at the Fincantieri Molfalcone shipyard in Italy. She was named by Her Majesty the Queen at Southampton, her home port, on 11 October 2010 before setting out on a cruise to the Canary Islands.

Although several cruise ship have left Greenock and taken the Hunterston Channel on their way downriver, the departure of QUEEN ELIZABETH was unusual as it was probably the first time that a Cunard ship has done so. The last view shows her catching the evening sun as she heads towards Largs.

BREMEN TRADER

2011-09-06T20:57:00.000+01:00

Arriving from Skagen, BREMEN TRADER was heading to Finnart to load a cargo of reformate for Buenos Aires. BREMEN TRADER is operated by Lomar Shipping, a London-based company. Built in South Korea by KY Heavy Industries at Mopko, she was named AUSTER initially before becoming HELLESPONT CHIVALRY in 2008, under which name she visited the Clyde in June that year. She became a member of the Lomar fleet in January 2011, along with two sisters, and was renamed. BREMEN TRADER has a deadweight of 13,185 tonnes and is 128.6 metres in length.

NORTHERN OCEAN

2011-09-06T20:50:00.000+01:00

Putting out to sea into a fresh westerly wind, the products tanker NORTHERN OCEAN had been delivering a cargo of fuel to Rothesay Dock that she had loaded at Brofjorden in Norway. NORTHERN OCEAN is registered at Nolsoy in the Faroe Islands but has, in the past, been a regular visitor to the Clyde as STEN ODIN, her original name. She is now owned and operated by the Swedish Furetank Group.

PRINSENDAM

2011-09-06T20:42:00.000+01:00

Holland America Lines' attractive cruiseship PRINSENDAM returned to the Clyde for another visit to Greenock while on a cruise around the British Isles. The 1988-built ship, originally named ROYAL VIKING SUN and later SEABOURN SUN, was seen arriving from Belfast.

SEAWAY ENDEAVOUR

2011-09-04T19:32:00.000+01:00

Previously Serco's SD COLONEL TEMPLER, and having been for sale for several months, the former trials ship was drydocked by Garvel and has now been renamed SEAWAY ENDEAVOUR after being sold in July to a Swedish company. Built at Aberdeen in 1966 as the stern trawler CRISCILLA, she is now being prepared for a new role as a survey vessel.

MSC IRIS

2011-09-03T21:02:00.000+01:00

One of the more varied container services running to Greenock is that operated by the Mediterranean Shipping Company from Antwerp. A wide selection of vessels of varying vintage and origin has appeared on the run, including this one, MSC IRIS, seen above on her first visit to the Clyde. MSC IRIS was built in 1982 by VEB Warnowwerft Warnemünde at Rostock, in what was at the time East Germany, for Soviet owners. Originally named KAPITAN GAVRILOV, she was later lengthened and, in 1995, renamed LISBOA. Now 203.1 metres long, and with a deadweight of 21,370 tonnes, she was subsequently renamed several times eventually becoming MSC IRIS in March 2004.

HEBRIDEAN ISLES

2011-09-03T20:48:00.000+01:00

Since the introduction of the new Islay ferry FINLAGGAN, the service has been maintained by both the new ship and one of the existing ferries on the crossing between Kennacraig and Port Askaig. With ISLE OF ARRAN on duty, the chance has been taken to take HEBRIDEAN ISLES off service and to update the control systems for her propulsion machinery. This work has been carried out afloat at Garvel, Greenock, and included the replacement of propeller pitch, steering and bow thruster controls with new electronic systems. In the view above, two of the new wiring looms can be seen dangling over the bridge wings before final installation.

ARKLOW ROCK

2011-08-28T20:30:00.000+01:00

Arklow Shipping's 2004-built 4,485 tonne deadweight coaster ARKLOW ROCK is seen above passing Cloch Light as she arrives on the Clyde from Liverpool, to load a cargo of scrap metal at Shieldhall Riverside berth. ARKLOW ROCK was built, like most of the company's ships, by Barkmeijer Stroobos, and flies the Dutch flag.

OCEAN COUNTESS

2011-08-28T20:17:00.000+01:00

Seen cruising on the Upper Firth at the end of August was OCEAN PRINCESS, diverted from a scheduled call at Rothesay because of bad weather. She had attempted to lie at anchor off the Bute town but it was decided instead to cruise towards Loch Long, and she was caught between showers heading past Cloch Lighthouse. Her cruise had started at Leith and visited Lerwick, Thorshavn and Stornoway, before continuing south. The voyage finished at Liverpool.

BESIKTAS SCOTLAND

2011-08-27T22:17:00.000+01:00

Heading past Kirn, the Maltese-flagged tanker BESIKTAS SCOTLAND was on her way to Finnart to load a cargo of reformate for Amsterdam. Built by the Cicek Shipyard in Turkey, she is one of a number of similar vessels operated by the Besiktas Group, one of which - BESIKTAS GREENLAND - has previously visited the river. BESIKTAS SCOTLAND is 147.5 metres overall, with a deadweight of 17.998 tonnes.

DRAGON - D35

2011-08-27T22:13:00.000+01:00

Leaving the Clyde for the last time under the defaced Blue Ensign, the Type 45 destroyer DRAGON was seen making her way downfirth as she started her voyage to Portsmouth, where she would be handed over officially to the Royal Navy. DRAGON is the fourth ship of the class.

POLE STAR

2011-08-25T23:28:00.000+01:00

The Northern Lighthouse Board's buoy tender POLE STAR was seen making her way downfirth after a brief visit to Greenock. Although plans to lengthen her were drawn up by Macduff Ship Design, so far no firm announcement has been made to say that the work will go ahead.

SATURN

2011-08-25T23:23:00.000+01:00

Seen making her first visit to the new breakwater linkspan berth at Dunoon, CalMac's SATURN was conducting berthing trials between morning and afternoon services between Brodick and Ardrossan. She was carrying out these trials prior to spending Cowal Games Saturday on charter to Argyll Ferries Ltd, supplementing their own service to assist with conveying the anticipated crowds between Gourock and Dunoon for the Games.

SEAPOWET

2011-08-25T23:16:00.000+01:00

After completing the discharge of animal feed at Shieldhall, the large oil/bulk ore carrier SEAPOWET was seen making her way out to sea for her next cargo. SEAPOWET is operated by B+H Equimar of Singapore, and is registered at Nassau in the Bahamas. She was built in 1992 by the Danish shipbuilder Burmeister and Wain, who also supplied her main engine. 228.6 metres long, she has a deadweight of 74,928 tonnes and c an carry both dry bulk and liquid cargoes.

ARCADIA

2011-08-25T23:06:00.000+01:00

Another of the many 'Vista' class ships owned by the various companies belonging to the Carnival Corporation made her first visit to the Clyde when P&O's ARCADIA called at Greenock. The fourth ship of a class that, with derivatives, eventually numbered eleven, ARCADIA was completed by Italian shipyard Fincantieri in 2005.

ARCADIA, which has an overall length of 290 metres, is 86,799 gross tons and can carry a maximum of 2,388 passengers although she normally sails with around 1950. She was on a cruise around the British Isles that had last called at Lerwick, and in the lower picture she was outbound for Liverpool.

VALE

2011-08-22T21:11:00.000+01:00

The products tanker VALE, which has been on the Clyde before, was seen heading upriver to Clydebank with a cargo of fuel from Rotterdam. The 13,006 tonne deadweight ship flies the Singapore flag and dates from 2007.

ROVER

2011-08-22T20:58:00.000+01:00

After having some work carried out at Fairlie, Clyde Marine's ROVER was noted under tow passing upfirth back to Greenock. She was lashed alongside one of her owner's tugs, BEAVER BAY, and the pair are seen above with Argyll Ferries' ALI CAT heading across the Clyde to Dunoon.

Colintraive Ferries

2011-08-21T21:17:00.000+01:00

Although normally employed at Largs during the summer, LOCH RIDDON occasionally is sent to relieve on other nearby routes when one of the other CalMac ferries suffers from technical problems. She is seen here at Colintraive on one such occasion after the regular ferry LOCH DUNVEGAN had a breakdown and was unable to take up service that morning. A little while after this picture was taken, LOCH DUNVEGAN was repaired and managed to resume duty running across the Kyles of Bute to Rhubodach, and so allowing LOCH RIDDON to return to Largs.

Dunoon Pier - 2011 style

2011-08-20T23:07:00.000+01:00

Since the end of June the breakwater at Dunoon has been the main focal point for the ferry service to Gourock, and is used every half hour by Argyll Ferries' vessels. Seen arriving is ARGYLL FLYER, acquired by Argyll Ferries Ltd - a subsidiary of the David MacBrayne Group - from the Aran Islands earlier this year. She partners ALI CAT, a catamaran well known to Dunoon commuters, on a service that runs twice hourly to the railhead at Gourock, carrying passengers only. Argyll Ferries Ltd were the winners of the Scottish Government's tendering exercise to run a service across the Clyde for the next six years, and which saw the demise of the car ferry service run by CalMac. Berthed at the end of the pier is WAVERLEY, the steamer that back in 1954 had handed over to the first car ferry, ARRAN, when she was introduced to the Clyde fleet and hanselled the vehicle carrying service between the two towns.

TORCH

2011-08-18T23:02:00.000+01:00

Clydeport's navigation aids tender TORCH was seen passing the entrance to Millport Bay, as she made her way towards Largs Marina. TORCH had been servicing some of the buoys and lights at the entrance to the main channel between the Cumbraes and Bute. In addition to this type of work, TORCH also undertakes some general workboat tasks both for Clydeport and commercially.

Largs Ferries

2011-08-18T22:58:00.000+01:00

The two CalMac ferries employed during the summer on the ten-minute crossing between Largs and Cumbrae Slip have, for the past few years, been LOCH RIDDON (left) and LOCH SHIRA (right). Although the larger vessel is more than capable of handling most of the traffic on her own, the provision of the second ferry gives a ferry service every fifteen minutes during the summer months.

FLINTERHUNZE

2011-08-18T22:41:00.000+01:00

Well-laden with a cargo of wind turbine components made in Denmark, the Dutch-registered coaster FLINTERHUNZE was seen mid-channel as she made her way upriver to Glasgow. Each voyage from Esbjerg takes around four days for the 3,300 tonne coaster.

HMS GRIMSBY - M108

2011-08-18T22:31:00.000+01:00

Seen between Toward and Bute, the 'Sandown' class minehunter GRIMSBY had just returned from a three-year stint of duty in the Persian Gulf. She left her base at Bahrain at the end of June and embarked on her seven-week, 7000-mile journey home to Faslane. Eight ports were visited during the voyage where GRIMSBY took on fuel and stores, and she passed through the Suez Canal on 28 July 2011, in the company of HMS CHIDDINGFOLD.

BUTE

2011-08-18T22:26:00.000+01:00

CalMac's Rothesay ferry BUTE, the first vessel built specifically for the company outwith the United Kingdom, is seen lying alongside the end-loading ferry berth at Rothesay. Built by Remontowa at Gdansk in Poland, she joined the company in the summer of 2005, and was the first of two sisters designed for the service that links the island of Bute with the railhead at Wemyss Bay.

AMT TRADER

2011-08-16T22:11:00.000+01:00

After reaching the Tail of the Bank, the 120 ton bollard pull tug ERACLEA, built in Italy in 2010 and owned by the Augustea Group, took charge of AMT TRADER and her valuable cargo. ERACLEA had arrived earlier from Rotterdam to tow the barge to Rosyth, accompanied by SVITZER PEMBROKE.

Once under way, ERACLEA set off down the main channel still with AYTON CROSS made fast aft, while SVITZER PEMBROKE and BATTLER followed them.

As the tow approached the Cowal Buoy, it was passed by the Dutch coaster GERARDA. Shortly after this last picture was taken, AYTON CROSS was released and returned to Greenock.

QUEEN ELIZABETH carrier - Lower Block 03

2011-08-16T21:35:00.000+01:00

The first Clydebuilt section of the new aircraft carrier being constructed by the Aircraft Carrier Alliance for the Royal Navy began its slow passage to Rosyth aboard the barge AMT TRADER. The module, known as Lower Block 03, had been loaded onto the barge at Govan at the end of July.

Taking charge of the barge as it made its way downriver were local tugs SVITZER MILFORD and ANGLEGARTH, while Clyde Marine's BATTLER had gone ahead of them clearing any debris from their paths.

Controlling the aft end of the barge was AYTON CROSS. The full scale of the module can be gauged by the personnel standing on the deck of the barge.

A broadside view of the barge and its tugs as it passes Port Glasgow gives further indication of the size of the module. It weighs around 8,000 tonnes and is 63 metres in length.

Once it had reached the Tail of the Bank, another tug was waiting to take over for the 600-mile tow around the north of Scotland to the Forth, where assembly of the module with other parts of the new carrier is taking place at Rosyth. The Italian-flagged tug ERACLEA is seen here making fast to the semi-submersible barge as another Svitzer tug, SVITZER PEMBROKE, stands off. Also visible is BATTLER, waiting to take off personnel.

CHERRY SAND

2011-08-15T23:02:00.000+01:00

Seen previously some two years ago, UK Dredging's grab hopper dredger CHERRY SAND had arrived a few days earlier at Ayr to carry out scheduled dredging work on behalf of Associated British Ports. The work was expected to take around two weeks.

WAVERLEY

2011-08-15T22:39:00.000+01:00

The preserved paddle steamer WAVERLEY is seen here arriving at Ayr, ready to take an afternoon cruise to Girvan and round Ailsa Craig. This summer has been a very difficult one for her owners, especially with the cost of fuel nowadays: it is estimated that her fuel bill is, on average, in the region of £5,000 per day.

AIDAblu

2011-08-14T22:17:00.000+01:00

The German cruise ship AIDAblu was seen as she arrived from Liverpool on her maiden visit to the Clyde. Owned by Aida Cruises, she was on a 14-night Round Britain cruise that had started at Hamburg. Delivered to her owners in February 2010, AIDAblu was built by Meyer Werft in Germany, and she flies the Italian flag.

The 252 metre long ship, which has accommodation for up to 2,050 passengers, measures some 71,300 gross tons, and is one of four similar sister ships known as the 'Sphinx' class. She cost her owners around $420 million.

BALMORAL

2011-08-13T21:41:00.000+01:00

Fred Olsen Cruise Lines' BALMORAL heads down the Clyde following a visit to Greenock during a cruise around the UK and Ireland. Having visited Dublin the previous day, BALMORAL continued on her circumnavigation of Britain by next calling at Tobermory on the island of Mull. One of CalMac's Rothesay ferries is also seen making its way across to Wemyss Bay.

TERNVIK

2011-08-13T21:30:00.000+01:00

After delivering another of the regular cargoes of fuel from Mongstad, the smart looking Danish products tanker TERNVIK was seen making her way downriver past the Ashton Buoy. Once again, she was heading back to Norway for her next cargo.

TORM VALBORG

2011-08-12T21:18:00.000+01:00

The Danish tanker TORM VALBORG is seen here passing Cloch Point with a cargo of North Sea oil which she had loaded at Gothenburg in Sweden, as she heads towards Loch Long and the Ineos terminal at Finnart. TORM VALBORG, which has a deadweight of 99,999 tonnes and an overall length of 244 metres, is a member of her owner's LR2 pool of ships. Dating from 2003, she was built in Korea by Hyundai Samho.

CSL CLYDE

2011-08-11T20:05:00.000+01:00

Having been a regular sight on the Clyde for a few years, the self-discharging bulk carrier CSL CLYDE was seen heading upriver to King George V Dock with a cargo of salt from Kilroot. Now with a new livery, and a new name, this vessel was formerly Jebsen's CLYDENES but her previous owners were acquired in March this year by the Canadian CSL Group and is now operated by their subsidiary CSL Europe.

SONGA SAPPHIRE

2011-08-09T20:47:00.000+01:00

Following CROWN PRINCESS up the Clyde was the Korean-built products tanker SONGA SAPPHIRE, a vessel with local connections as her managers are based in Paisley. She came from the Samho Shipbuilding yard in 2008, being completed in June that year, and is registered in the Marshall Islands. SONGA SAPPHIRE, which has an overall length of 144 metres and a deadweight of 17,596 tonnes, had been anchored at Brodick and was visiting Finnart to load a cargo for Montreal in Canada.

CROWN PRINCESS

2011-08-09T20:30:00.000+01:00

Princess Cruises' CROWN PRINCESS is seen here passing Ashton on her way to Greenock for a visit while on a Round Britain cruise from Southampton. The 113,651 gross ton cruise ship, which like most of her owner's fleet is registered in Hamilton, Bermuda, was inbound from Belfast and sailed late that night for Kirkwall.

Tall Ships - Greenock Visit

2011-07-10T23:39:00.000+01:00

Between Saturday 9th and Tuesday 12th July, participants in the Tall Ships Races 2011 visited Greenock. The various vessels had started out from Waterford in Ireland, and on arrival were berthed either in the James Watt Dock or, in the case of the larger ships, the Great Harbour. The view above shows many of the smaller vessels including the British Sea Cadets ship ROYALIST.

Seen alongside the south wall of the James Watt Dock is the 100-year old EUROPA, a former German lightship fully restored in 1994 as a three-masted barque in the Netherlands. The 56 metre long vessel has a full-time crew of 14 and carries 48 voyage crew. Berthed astern are the Polish barquentine POGORIA (1980), the British barquentine PELICAN OF LONDON (1948) and the Dutch schooner EENDRACHT (1989) with LORD NELSON (1985) at the far end of the dock.

The five largest visitors were berthed in the Great Harbour. At the east end of the dock was the Russian fully-rigged ship MIR, built at Gdansk in 1987 as the third out of five similar vessels. She is 109 metres long and is manned by up to 200 crew.

Immediately astern of MIR was the smaller CHRISTIAN RADICH, a Norwegian veteran dating from 1937, while astern of her was the Polish ship DAR MLODZIEZY, built in 1982 and the first of the five Polish-built sisters. Behind her, flying a massive ensign, was the Colombian barque GLORIA, which dates from 1968.

The fifth ship lying in the Great Harbour was the oldest one too, the Norwegian fully-rigged ship SØRLANDET, ten years older than CHRISTIAN RADICH and dating from 1927. The assembled ships left Greenock on Tuesday 12th July, and cruised in company to Lerwick with nine days being allowed to complete the 484 mile voyage. Stopovers were made en route, which allowed the ships to call at various ports and harbours such as Oban and Stornoway.

JAMES CLARK ROSS

2011-07-04T22:45:00.000+01:00

In July the British Antarctic Survey research ship JAMES CLARK ROSS paid a visit to Glasgow to load stores and equipment. She had just completed a refit at Portsmouth and once ready to leave the Clyde, headed to Spitsbergen, north of Norway, to conduct a seabed survey. The ship was built in 1990 at the Swan Hunter yard on Tyneside and is fitted with diesel electric propulsion, driving a single screw. She is 99m long and carries a crew of 28, plus up to 31 scientists. Following her survey in Arctic waters, JAMES CLARK ROSS will be heading south to the Falkland Islands and her home port of Stanley.

ANTJE K.

2011-06-24T22:12:00.000+01:00

Making her way towards the pilot station at Kempock Point, the Dutch coaster ANTJE K. was arriving from Liverpool to load a cargo of scrap metal at Shieldhall. As the 2002-built coaster, no stranger on the Clyde, continued eastward, she passed the outbound container ship ENCOUNTER, heading for Bilbao on her weekly run for MacAndrews.

INDIA

2011-06-24T22:01:00.000+01:00

Now a frequent caller at Greenock on the weekly SIX service from Southampton, the container ship INDIA recently added Liverpool to the port rotation served by her operators. INDIA herself is no stranger to the Clyde, having visited the river up until October 2009 under her previous name, VELAZQUEZ, when she sailed for MacAndrews. Of the Type 172 design from the Sietas shipyard in Germany, INDIA carries up to 864 TEU containers. She was built in 2003.

SEABUS and CROWN PRINCESS

2011-06-22T20:59:00.000+01:00

Seen departing from Kilcreggan on an evening ferry run back to Gourock, Clyde Marine's small passenger ferry SEABUS heads across the Clyde towards the departing cruiseship CROWN PRINCESS, which had been visiting Greenock and sailed just a few minutes earlier. On another of her regular around the British Isles cruises, CROWN PRINCESS left Southampton on Wednesday 15 June and was circumnavigating the UK in an anti-clockwise direction. She had arrived in the morning from Kirkwall, and was now heading to Belfast.

VISION OF THE SEAS

2011-06-17T21:52:00.000+01:00

On Saturday 11 June, Royal Caribbean Cruises' VISION OF THE SEAS left Oslo on a 9-night cruise from Oslo, taking her across the North Sea and down the English Channel to Le Havre and Cherbourg, before continuing to Dublin. From there she crossed the Irish Sea to Liverpool, before heading for Greenock. This was the first visit to the Clyde for the Liberian-flagged cruiseship. She was built by Chantiers de l'Atlantique at their shipyard at Saint-Nazaire in France, and entered service in May 1998. The 279-metre long vessel, which has a gross tonnage of 78,491 tons, can accommodate 2,435 passengers.

After her visit to Greenock, VISION OF THE SEAS set sail in the evening for Oslo, a passage that would take her around sixty hours. She was the sixth, and last, member of her owner's 'Vision' class, some of which have visited Greenock in the past.

VALIANT

2011-06-15T20:25:00.000+01:00

Faversham Shipping's 1993-built coaster VALIANT was seen heading upriver lightship after she had discharged her last cargo at Ayr. Launched by the Rosslauer shipyard in Germany, she was named NEPTUN but immediately renamed WOLGAST. She became LAAS NEPTUN a year later, and when she joined the Faversham fleet in 2008, was given her present name. She is 2,366 tonnes deadweight, and is 74.9 metres in length. In the distance, the products tanker MARIDA MISTLETOE can be seen as she lay at anchor off Grenock, having discharged at Rothesay Dock and waiting for her next cargo at Finnart.

BOUDICCA

2011-06-15T20:10:00.000+01:00

The day after BLACK WATCH visited the Clyde, her sister BOUDICCA paid her first visit of the year to Greenock. Completed in 1973 as ROYAL VIKING SKY, she joined the Fred Olsen company in 2005, joining her sister BLACK WATCH, and taking over the role previously enjoyed by BLACK PRINCE which includes several cruises from the Clyde each year. Having arrived in the morning from Dublin, BOUDICCA was sailing for the Canary Islands.

BLACK WATCH

2011-06-14T21:55:00.000+01:00

Originally one of three sister ships, each built in Finland in 1972-73 with considerable influence in their design from the Cunard liner QUEEN ELIZABETH 2, BLACK WATCH is one of two that is now a member of the Fred Olsen Cruise Lines fleet. She started her life as ROYAL VIKING STAR, sailing for the now-defunct Royal Viking Line, as was seen sailing past Cloch Light after a visit to Greenock - her first - on a Round Britain cruise from Dover. BLACK WATCH can carry around 800 passengers, and has a gross tonnage of 28,613. She is 205.5 metres in length, having been lengthened fairly early in her career. She joined the Olsen fleet in 1996, having sailed as WESTWARD and STAR ODYSSEY prior to that.

FINLAGGAN

2011-06-09T21:27:00.000+01:00

Although pictured a few days ago arriving at Oban, this view also shows the new CalMac ferry FINLAGGAN, this time alongside at Port Askaig on Islay. After her naming ceremony on Wednesday 25th May, she had been due to enter service the next day but unfortunately FINLAGGAN suffered a breakdown as she headed towards Port Askaig. Consequently, her entry into service was delayed until repairs had been carried out at Oban, and it was Wednesday 1st June before she was able to enter service. The Islay lifeboat, named HELMUT SCHRODER OF DUNLOSSIT II, dates from 1997 and is a member of the 'Severn' class. These 17 metre long all-weather boats have a range of around 250 miles, and a speed of 25 knots.

ATALANTA

2011-06-03T22:09:00.000+01:00

After discharging a cargo of animal feed at Shieldhall, the Greek-flagged bulk carrier ATALANTA is seen heading out to sea on passage to Baltimore. She was built in 2010 by Tsuneishi Group in Japan to their 'Kansarmax' design, and is 229 metres overall with a deadweight of 82,094 tonnes. As is usual with these large ships, before coming to the Clyde she had already discharged part of her cargo, in this case at Immingham and Southampton.

MARIDA MISTLETOE

2011-06-03T21:42:00.000+01:00

Seen heading slowly towards the entrance of Loch Long, the products tanker MARIDA MISTLETOE was heading for Finnart but had to awiat the departure of another vessel before she could berth. About to load a cargo for Belfast, MARIDA MISTLETOE had arrived from Dublin and anchored at Brodick overnight.

PETKUM

2011-05-29T22:17:00.001+01:00

Built in 2008 by the Weihei Shipyard in China, the 16,975 tonne container ship PETKUM is owned by the German company Briese Shipping, and is presently on charter to the Mediterranean Shipping Company. She is employed on their feeder service between Greenock, where she is seen arriving from Dublin with the local Svitzer tug AYTON CROSS made fast aft, and Antwerp. PETKUM can carry around 1,300 TEU containers on this weekly service which has seen a variety of ships recently.

CROWN PRINCESS

2011-05-28T21:51:00.000+01:00

The second member of the Princess Cruises fleet to visit Greenock this year was the 2006-built CROWN PRINCESS on a Round Britain cruise from Southampton. Derived from the original 'Grand Princess' class, CROWN PRINCESS is somewhat larger at 113,561 gross tons and can accommodate just over 3,000 passengers. She had arrived earlier from Belfast and her next port was Invergordon. As in previous years, in 2011 she is due to visit the Clyde on a number of occasions.

LAUREN L

2011-05-23T19:02:00.000+01:00

The luxurious motor yacht LAUREN L arrived on the Clyde from Gibraltar, and had been due to head upriver to Glasgow to embark a party of wealthy people who had taken her on charter for a cruise around the west coast. She had initially attempted to anchor off Gourock but, as can be seen above, weather conditions were atrocious and instead she spent the day riding out the storm off Bute before proceeding upriver next day. At 88.5 metres in length, she is now one of the world's largest superyachts but LAUREN L was built by Cassens at Emden in Germany as a small cruise ship and named SUN BAY II. Completed in 2002, she was soon renamed CORINTHIAN, later becoming CONSTELLATION. In 2008, she was given a major refit and emerged as LAUREN L, and is now on the charter market at a weekly rate of €695,000. 20 double-berth suites mean that she can carry up to 40 'guests'.

FINLAGGAN

2011-05-22T22:48:00.000+01:00

After a delivery voyage lasting around seventy two hours, CalMac's newest ferry is seen above making her entrance past Dunolloie Castle and into Oban Bay. FINLAGGAN, built by the Remontowa Shipyard at Gdansk in Poland, left her builders on Thursday. The new £24.5 million vessel was handed over to Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd on Wednesday 11th May and immediately chartered to CalMac Ferries Ltd for use on their Islay service from Kennacraig. After storing at Oban she was expected to undertake berthing trials and enter service after a naming ceremony on 25th May.

PHILIPP

2011-05-20T18:40:00.000+01:00

One of the container ships employed on the MacAndrews' services to Rotterdam and Lisbon is PHILIPP, a German-owned vessel completed in 2008. Her hull was built in Turkey and then towed to the Netherlands for fitting out, which was done by the Volharding Shipyard at Hoogezand, where she was completed as BELUGA MEDITATION although she had been launched as ESTIME. She took her present name in March, and shortly afterwards had a collision with a small fishing boat off the Isle of Man. An investigation by the Marine Accident Investigation Branch is ongoing. PHILIPP has a deadweight of 10,600 tonnes, a length of 154.9 metres, and can carry 917 TEU boxes.

AASVIK

2011-05-19T18:35:00.001+01:00

Having discharged a cargo of cement, loaded as usual at Port Talbot, the Gibraltar-registered coaster AASVIK was seen heading for Glensanda to load her next cargo, around 4,000 tonnes of aggregates, which she would bring back to the Clyde a few days later.

JUNO

2011-05-18T21:36:00.000+01:00

After more than four years lying idle at Rosneath, the former CalMac car ferry JUNO has been sold for scrap. At high water on Wednesday 18th May, she was moved from the face of the pier to the south side, and berthed at the landward end where dredging had been carried out to allow her to move close inshore. Over the next few weeks, demolition of the ship will be undertaken, and as much material as possible sent for recycling.

GRAND PRINCESS

2011-05-17T18:12:00.001+01:00

First large cruiseship of the year to visit Greenock in 2011 was GRAND PRINCESS, seen here arriving early in the day. As she had done last year, she had had just crossed the Atlantic after spending the winter months cruising in the Caribbean. Prior to leaving that area, she had undergone an extensive drydocking in the Bahamas, during which the Skywalkers nightclub was removed, altering her profile considerably. GRAND PRINCESS left Fort Lauderdale on 6th May and will now spend the summer in Europe. Lying at anchor in the distance is DRAGON, fourth of the Type 45 destroyers built on the Clyde and which was waiting to return upriver to Scotstoun after successfully completing another phase of trials.

JAMES COOK

2011-05-03T18:02:00.000+01:00

The National Environmental Research Council's research ship JAMES COOK was seen making her way upriver to Glasgow, where she would load stores before setting off on a deployment to the Darwin Mounds, a massive field of underwater sand mounds approximately one hundred miles north west of Cape Wrath. JAMES COOK replaced an older ship in the NERC fleet in 2006 and was built in Norway.

ANDROMEDA J

2011-05-03T17:54:00.000+01:00

Also seen arriving the same day was a similar sized ship, ANDROMEDA J, which was running for MacAndrew on their Iberian peninsula service from Dublin, Liverpool and Greenock to Bilbao. Eleven years younger, she was built in 2006 and has retained her original name since she was launched at the Hegemann shipyard near Bremen in Germany. 139.6 metres in length, she has a deadweight of 11,052 tonnes and can carry 850 TEU containers.

ELUSIVE

2011-05-03T17:45:00.000+01:00

The Dutch feeder ship ELUSIVE is seen here heading towards Greenock after sailing overnight from Dublin, while employed on the OOCL SIX service from Southampton. She has been running on this route since October 2010 and was built by the Sietas shipyard at Neuenfelde in 1995. Capable of carrying up to 660 TEU containers, her original name was ARCTIC OCEAN although she was renamed NORASIA ARABIA shortly after completion for a charter, reverting to her original name after about a year. She took her current name when acquired by JR Shipping in June 2007.

RMS LAAR

2011-03-24T21:33:00.000Z

Lying at anchor off Kilcreggan, the German coaster RMS LAAR had arrived from Belfast and was waiting to head upriver to Glasgow to load a cargo of scrap metal at Shieldhall for export to Antwerp. A typical low air draft coaster, RMS LAAR dates from 1985 when she was built as GEORG LÜHRS by the Hugo Peters shipyard at Wewelsfleth in Germany. She is 82 metres long, and has a deadweight of 2,304 tonnes. She is operated by Rhein-, Maas- und See-Schiffahrtskontor GmbH, hence the prefix to her name.

WAVE KNIGHT - A389

2011-03-23T21:27:00.000Z

The Royal Fleet Auxiliary fleet tanker WAVE KNIGHT was seen at Knockdhu jetty in Loch Striven enjoying a break before heading off on her next deployment. She had arrived the previous day from sea, having spent recent weeks exercising in the English Channel.

NANSEN SPIRIT

2011-03-23T21:17:00.000Z

The shuttle tanker NANSEN SPIRIT, belonging to the Teekay Corporation, was seen making her way towards Loch Long with a cargo of North Sea crude oil from the Statfjord field, midway between Shetland and Norway. NANSEN SPIRIT was built by Samsung Heavy Industries in Korea and delivered in October 2010. At 109,289 tonnes deadweight, she is 249 metres long and flies the Bahamas flag.

ICE RUNNER

2011-03-22T23:54:00.000Z

Making what turned out to be a one-off visit to Greenock, the container ship ICE RUNNER was seen passing Cloch Point on her way upriver to the container terminal. ICE RUNNER was operating on the OOCL SIX service from Southampton and Dublin, sailing from Greenock for Southampton later the same day. Chinese-built in 2008, she is owned by the German Bockstiegel company and can carry a total of 698 TEU containers. With a deadweight of 8,137 tonnes, she has an overall length of 129.6 metres.

HMS DARING - D32

2011-03-21T21:52:00.000Z

The first Type 45 destroyer built for the Royal Navy, HMS DARING, passes Cloch Lighthouse on her way to sea after a visit to Faslane. This ship was the only one of the class to have been launched at BAE's Scotstoun shipyard - all of the others entered the Clyde a little further upstream at Govan. DARING was commissioned into the Navy on 23 July 2009 and declared to be 'in service' a year later.

TIOGA B

2011-03-21T21:06:00.000Z

Seen arriving on the river, the small tug TIOGA B was heading up the Clyde to carry out some dredging work around the former Yorkhill Quay and other areas on the river. Working in conjunction with a larger dredger, TIOGA B performs bed-levelling duties by towing a large plough lowered over the A-frame at her stern. She was built in 1980 in Holland and is now owned by Bay Towage, based at Barrow. She was arriving from Heysham.

HEBRIDEAN PRINCESS

2011-03-17T22:59:00.000Z

Riding at anchor in the Holy Loch, the small cruiseship HEBRIDEAN PRINCESS was seen as she paid her first visit of the year to this part of Argyll, while her passengers were given the opportunity to visit Benmore Gardens, a few miles away. One of the ship's own tenders is seen approaching her.

CALYPSO N

2011-03-17T22:47:00.001Z

The self-geared bulk carrier CALYPSO N was seen passing Lunderston Bay as she made her way out to sea after discharging, at Shieldhall, a cargo of salt from Caleta Patache in Chile. The 33,009 tonne deadweight ship, which was built in Japan in 1983 as SEAHOPE, is now owned and operated by Greek interests. In common with most ships of her size, she had called at Belfast to part-discharge before heading to the Clyde.

X-PRESS MATTERHORN

2011-03-15T21:23:00.000Z

Heeling a little to starboard as she rounds the Cowal Buoy, the Dutch container ship X-PRESS MATTERHORN heads purposefully downfirth on passage to Southampton, after her regular weekly visit to Greenock on the OOCL SIX service.

GOLD ROVER - A271

2011-03-15T21:15:00.000Z

The small Royal Fleet Auxiliary tanker GOLD ROVER is seen here alongside Knockdhu POL jetty on the shores of Loch Striven. When last seen here she had her replenishment gear de-rigged prior to visiting Cammell Laird Shiprepairers on the Mersey for a refit. This was completed recently and she is now getting ready to resume naval service.

SD DEXTEROUS

2011-03-14T23:56:00.002Z

SD DEXTEROUS, one of the two tugs that had assisted HMS CAMPBELTOWN is seen leaving Campbeltown Loch on her way back to the Clyde submarine base at Faslane. Recent snowfall can be seen on the Arran hills in the distance.

LOCH BHRUSDA

2011-03-14T23:54:00.000Z

The CalMac ferry LOCH BHRUSDA sailed from Campbeltown shortly after HMS CAMPBELTOWN had departed. She is seen here passing the port and starboard-hand buoys which mark a safe entrance to Campbeltown harbour past Davaar Island and the Dorlinn spit. LOCH BHRUSDA was making her way to Ardmaleish for a quick visit to the boatyard there after spending the winter in the Western Isles.

HMS CAMPBELTOWN - F86

2011-03-14T23:49:00.000Z

Assisted by the Serco tugs SD DEXTEROUS and SD IMPETUS, one of the Type 22 frigates to be decommissioned as part of the October 2010 defence cuts was seen leaving her adopted town of Campbeltown after paying a farewell visit.

After a few days at the Kintyre port, CAMPBELTOWN left the NATO fuel jetty and ran stern-first up Campbeltown Loch to fire an 11-gun salute to the town.

Followed back down the Loch by the two tugs, she was also accompanied by the local lifeboat, a 'Severn' class boat named ERNEST AND MARY SHAW, seen above taking a final salute from the warship's crew.

CAMPBELTOWN, built on the Mersey by Cammell, Laird, and was commissioned into the Royal Navy in 1989, the second of four Batch 3 ships of the class.

After an impressive departure from Campbeltown Loch, the frigate hove to just beyond Davaar island while she recovered one of her sea-boats, which had been used by some of her crew to let go her mooring lines at the fuel jetty. CAMPBELTOWN was due to be retired from active service at Plymouth in a ceremony on 7 April.

HEBRIDEAN PRINCESS

2011-03-14T23:06:00.000Z

Looking immaculate following her winter at Greenock, HEBRIDEAN PRINCESS is seen here at Campbeltown during one of her early season Clyde-based cruises, before she heads to Oban for her main season.The white upperworks of CalMac's LOCH BHRUSDA are visible above her bow.

RED BARONESS

2011-03-14T23:01:00.000Z

Pictured at Ardrishaig having just started to load timber, Coast Lines Shipping's RED BARONESS arrived the previous night from Troon, where she remains registered despite now being under Irish ownership. She is still mainly employed in the coastal timber trade, running similar cargoes around the West Coast and to Ireland.

SICHEM HIROSHIMA

2011-03-10T22:41:00.000Z

A close-up view of the 13,119 tonne deadweight products tanker SICHEM HIROSHIMA, seen as she made her way towards Loch Long and the Ineos oil terminal at Finnart. She was inbound from Stanlow, and would be loading a cargo of petroleum products for Belfast.

ISLE OF ARRAN

2011-03-08T21:32:00.000Z

Spic and span after her visit to the Garvel Drydock, CalMac's ISLE OF ARRAN was seen being put through her paces on the Clyde before returning to Greenock to complete her annual overhaul. A few days later she would return to Islay to resume service, likely to be her last regular spell of employment on the run from Kennacraig before a new ship is introduceed later this year.

HMS QUORN - M41

2011-03-08T21:26:00.001Z

Despite the recent defence cuts announced in October, it is likely that the 'Hunt' class minehunters will remain part of the UK's naval forces for a number of years yet, as the eight ships of the class are upgraded over a six-year period, starting later this year. The ships, including HMS QUORN, seen above, are to be fitted with upgraded propulsion systems at their home port of Portsmouth, in a contract worth £15 million that was won by BAE Systems.

CHALLENGER OF LEITH

2011-03-07T21:46:00.000Z

Owned by local company Coastworks, based at Fairlie, the little multicat CHALLENGER OF LEITH was seen passing McInroy's Point as she made her way downfirth. CHALLENGER was built by Taylor Marine at Inverness, and completed in 2007. She is just 15.1 metres long, but can carry 37 tonnes of cargo on her small deck.

LOCH PORTAIN

2011-03-07T21:39:00.000Z

Overhaul at Garvel now complete, and after running trials in the morning, CalMac's LOCH PORTAIN was seen passing Cloch Point as she made her way to Largs, where she loaded the vehicles belonging to her crew before she set off to Campbeltown for an overnight berth. From there LOCH PORTAIN would continue back to the Outer Isles to resume service later in the week.

Naval Manoeuvres

2011-03-07T21:24:00.000Z

Two of the 'Sandown' class minehunters, based at Faslane, were seen exercising on the Upper Firth. Above is HMS SHOREHAM, the final ship of the class which originally numbered twelve ships. Many have now been sold, and seven remain in active service, all allocated to the First Mine Countermeasures Squadron.

Also seen exercising, this time with a Royal Navy helicopter from HMS GANNET at Prestwick, was HMS RAMSAY. This view emphasises the diminutive stature of these versatile little ships, as the Mk 5 Sea King helicopter was hovering several metres astern of her at the time.

AASVIK

2011-03-07T21:18:00.002Z

Since she last appeared on ClydeSights two days before the New Year, the Norwegian-owned coastal bulker AASVIK has changed flags and is no longer registered at Haugesund. Since 1st January, she has flown the defaced Red Ensign of Gibraltar, the port now appearing clearly on her transom, as this view of her arriving from Port Talbot with a cargo of cement clearly shows.

SOLUNDIR

2011-03-06T20:55:00.001Z

Although doubtless causing a stir amongst the conspiracy theorists speculating about her cargo, the passenger catamaran secured on deck aboard BELUGA FAITH is not destined for the Gourock-Dunoon ferry service! Formerly operating for Norwegian owners in the Bergen area, the fast ferry has been sold to new owners in West Africa, and was being transported as deck cargo to Libreville in Gabon. The 35-knot craft initially operated for Spanish owners on the Mediterranean as LEOPARDO, before she was renamed in 1993 and sold to Norwegian owners, where she had been built in 1989. At 36.5 metres long, she can carry 276 passengers.

BELUGA FAITH

2011-03-06T20:44:00.000Z

An unusual visitor to the Clyde was the heavy lift cargo ship BELUGA FAITH, seen as she passed the lighthouse at Cloch Point on her way upriver to Glasgow, where she would be loading cargo for West Africa. Built in China and delivered to Beluga a little less than a year ago, the 138 metre long ship has a deadweight of 12,744 tonnes. She is fitted with two cranes rated at a maximum of 180 tonnes each. Despite having a large, modern, fleet of similar ships, the Beluga Group is facing an uncertain future.

ARKLOW Visitors

2011-03-02T21:30:00.000Z

Although they are regularly seen on the Clyde, it is somewhat unusual that no less than three members of the Arklow Shipping fleet were on the river at the same time. The upper view shows ARKLOW VENUS, on the left, loading a cargo of scrap metal for export to Seville, berthed ahead of ARKLOW RANGER, discharging a cargo of salt from Kilroot, at Shieldhall riverside berth. She would also load scrap once fully discharged.

A little further downriver, ARKLOW RAVEN was also loading scrap metal, in her case in the former Lobnitz shipyard basin at Renfrew. Her cargo was destined for the Portuguese port of Barreiro, near Lisbon.

DRAGON

2011-03-02T21:25:00.000Z

Fuel is delivered to the Type 45 destroyers at Scotstoun by Serco vessels from the naval fuel facility at Garelochhead. This view shows the barge SD OILMAN, which had been towed upriver by SD IMPULSE, alongside DRAGON, the fourth ship of the class.

TORCH

2011-03-02T21:21:00.000Z

Clydeport Operation's workboat TORCH was seen in the James Watt Dock at Greenock as she made her way back to her owner's base at the west end of the container terminal with two large 'Yokohama' fenders, which had been used by HEBRIDEAN PRINCESS during the winter months while she lay in the dock. LOCH PORTAIN remains alongside at the Garvel berth, completing her annual docking, together with SD MOORHEN.

ANDROMEDA J

2011-03-02T21:07:00.000Z

Towering over HEBRIDEAN PRINCESS berthed astern of her at Ocean Terminal, the German container ship ANDROMEDA J is a new vessel to visit Greenock on the MacAndrew's weekly service to the Iberian peninsula. The 11,052 tonne deadweight ship had arrived earlier from Liverpool and was loading for Bilbao. She was built in 2006 by the Hegemann Rolandwerft at Berne, near Bremen in Germany. Note the German colours painted on the vents on the after side of her funnel, an unusual touch.

Gourock Pier

2011-03-02T21:00:00.000Z

As SATURN makes her sweeping approach to Gourock Pier around Kempock Point, two of CalMac's smaller vessels lie alongside as they await the start of the summer schedule, when both will resume their duties. Closest is LOCH TARBERT, which had recently been overhauled at Ardmaleish and is usually employed, during summer, between Lochranza on Arran, and Claonaig on the Kintyre peninsula. Beyond her is ISLE OF CUMBRAE, which spends her summers running from Tarbert across Loch Fyne to Portavadie. She, too, had recently been to the Ardmaleish Boatyard and had just arrived at Gourock a few minutes earlier.

TRIPLE A

2011-02-26T22:38:00.001Z

The interestingly named products tanker TRIPLE A was seen passing Dunoon as she made her way upfirth from her overnight anchorage at Brodick towards Finnart, where she would backload a cargo of refined grades for Plymouth. TRIPLE A, a vessel of 13,040 tonnes deadweight, is operated by NGM Energy, a Greek company whose ships have been seen on the Clyde in the past - some are named after seasons (SUMMER, AUTUMN) - and which were built recently in Korea. She dates from 2006 and, like her sisters, flies the ensign of the Marshall Islands.

SKS SEGURA

2011-02-25T21:13:00.000Z

Norwegian-flagged and owned by SKS Tankers, the Suezmax tanker SKS SEGURA is pictured heading to Finnart with a cargo of Nigerian crude oil from Erha. She was built in 2007, in Korea, by Hyundai Heavy Industries. With a deadweight of 158,784 tonnes, she is 274 metres long.

HAGEN

2011-02-25T21:01:00.000Z

Lying at anchor waiting to move to Sandbank, the German coaster HAGEN dates from 1998 and was built by Damen in Romania. She is one of a class of five sisters operated by Siegfried Bojen, each ship being of 89.8 metres with a deadweight of 4,200 tonnes.

GANGES STAR

2011-02-24T21:27:00.000Z

Following TILL downriver, the German tanker GANGES STAR had been discharging fuel in Rothesay Dock, and was heading to Amsterdam to load her next cargo. Completed in April 2010 by 21st Century Shipbuilding in South Korea, GANGES STAR is owned by RIGEL Schiffahrts GmbH & Co. KG, and is registered in Malta. She is 120 metres in length, with a deadweight of 13,000 tonnes.

TILL

2011-02-24T21:17:00.001Z

The Dutch coaster TILL was seen passing McInroy's Point as she started her ballast voyage from the Clyde to Rotterdam, after she had discharged a cargo of machinery from Italy at Govan Shipyard. TILL was built in 2008 at Dhaka in Bangladesh by Ananda Shipyards and Slipways, and was named STELLA MARIS until September 2010. She is 81.3 metres long, and has a deadweight of 2,780 tonnes. She is operated by Lubeca Marine.