NEWS BULLETIN - SEPTEMBER 2006

Christmas and New Year Cruises to Holland announced from only £139 per person

As the major ferry operator on the western channel sailing between the UK and France and the UK and Spain, Rotterdam may seem a little off the beaten track for Brittany Ferries. The reason for this slight diversion, however, is that its £100 million flagship, PONT-AVEN, has been chartered by specialist tour operator, Cruise World, for two very special 4-day cruises from Portsmouth to Rotterdam, one over Christmas and the other over the New Year period.

Departing on 24th and 29th December, respectively, each allows 2 days ashore in Rotterdam. With prices starting at only £139 per person for either cruise (based on 2 people sharing), these cruises represent outstanding value. To book call Cruise World on 0870 743 1000.

CALEDONIAN MACBRAYNE

Ferry operator Caledonian MacBrayne has confirmed that MV BRUERNISH, built in James Lamont and Co Ltd, Port Glasgow, 1973, has left the CalMac fleet.

The ship was sold on Monday September 25 and left Oban the following day bound for her new home port.

CalMac understands that the ship will be used to operate freight services on the west coast of Ireland.

CalMac Operations Director Phil Preston said: "We wish the ship and her new owners well. MV BRUERNISH has served the company well, particularly on the Gigha station for 13 years, and I am sure that her new owners will find her a useful addition to their own operation."

KNOTT END FERRY

Hopes that the troubled Fleetwood to Knott End ferry could be back in the water this week have been dashed.

And it could still be two months before the service, touted as a year round facility, is back in action.

Earlier this month the man responsible for the service, Lancashire County Councillor Tony Martin, said repairs were underway and he hoped service could resume by this week.

But that has now been scuppered, with repairs still on-going and unlikely to be finished soon. Some equipment has to be sent back to Finland where it was made.

The state-of-the-art new ferry boat was pulled out of service just weeks after it was launched in April following damage to the boat's powerful thrusters.

The county council spent £500,000 on the vessel as well as improvements to the landing stages, with Wyre Council agreeing to operate it for 10 years. This week Coun Martin spoke of his bitter disappointment at the continuing delays.

He said: "I am as sick as a parrot about this. It is desperately disappointing for all concerned.

"We hope things can be sorted out as quickly as possible, and that once things are put right, they will stay right."

Wyre Council said this week that Taylor Marine of Liverpool have been commissioned to organise the repairs to the ferry which are underway.

The council understands it could be seven weeks before the work is completed. The part that needs to go to Finland is part of the impellor system which needs to be repaired after it was damaged by stones drawn into the jet propulsion system which it is hoped to cure by placing guards over the inlets.

 A Wyre Borough spokesman said: " It is important to try and get these repairs right first time to avoid more problems in the future."

TORPOINT FERRY

Technical problems have delayed the introduction of electronic toll collection on the Tamar Bridge and Torpoint ferries by eight weeks, it has emerged.The scheme, which will replace the present paper voucher system for regular users, will now be introduced around the end of November.

General manger David List told the Tamar Bridge and Torpoint Ferries Joint Committee yesterday that while much of the work had gone smoothly and was on time, there had been difficulties with the detailed design and procurement of the lane control signs.

Dean and Dyball have also experienced a delay in the manufacture of the toll-booths, due to the complex geometrical requirements of the roof structure.

Mr List said: "These issues have all now been resolved and a recent inspection of the booths at the factory demonstrated construction to a high standard. It is expected that the first three booths will be brought to site at the end of September."

Toll system contractors Tescidel have continued with their development work on the software application, including integration of the approved hand-held unit for ferry toll collection, lane control and payment signs and 'merchant services' for the debit and credit card application. Complete site trials are expected in mid-October, with full commissioning of the system in late November.

BUGALED BREIZH ENQUIRY

New tests on the wreck of a French trawler have pointed to fresh potential links between the tragedy and two British nuclear submarines.

The Brittany-based BUGALED BREIZH went down about 19 miles off the Cornish coast in January 2004, killing five crewmen.

Christian Bergot, the lawyer representing the victims' families, said the substance was taken from a cable that was between 40 and 50 metres deep - about the same depth at which submarines were operating nearby.

Richard Foltzer, the French investigating judge heading the inquiry, also told families of the victims last month that a submarine may have been responsible for the sinking.

Dominique Perben, the French transport minister, said the theory of a collision with a submarine was still being examined by investigators.

French authorities initially believed the trawler had been rammed by a container ship after prosecutors said photographs of the trawler suggested it went down after "a very violent collision".

An investigation by French TV channel FR3 last year claimed the vessel was sunk by HMS TURBULENT. It claimed the submarine returned to Devonport naval base hours after the disaster in need of repairs to its hull.

But Ministry of Defence officials later insisted the submarine had been in the naval base throughout the day. They claimed the nearest submarine at the time had been HMS TORBAY, about 100 miles away.

Dutch officials have said that the DOLFIJN was also at least six miles away.

[MARITIME CLIPPINGS]

The MAIB report has been published into the grounding of the PS WAVERLEY at Girvan harbour on August 07, 2006. As can be seen from the report the press accounts of the incident were widely exagerated!

WAVERLEY had made her approach to Girvan a little over an hour late before LW, to pick up more passengers for an evening cruiser. The usual practice was for the vessel to contact the harbour master before approach, but this was omitted on this occasion.

The depth below keel was monitored on the way in and the least depth recorded was 0.9m. This was as expected. The ship remained alongside for 10 minutes, and then prepared to sail. The stern lines were let go, and the headlines tightened so that the vessel pivoted around the paddle box, and the stern moved away from the jetty.

The vessel then started to move astern, and having moved no further than 2 metres, contact was felt on the starboard side aft. Two further attempts were made after swinging the stern further from the jetty in each case. They were unsuccessful and the vessel re-berthed to await the tide.

On the day in question, the tidal height was approximately 0.3m below its predicted level. There was no tidal gauge in the harbour, so people had not registered this.

Dredging work was being carried out in the harbour, and a survey carried out that morning by the harbour master showed that there was sufficient depth of water in the entrance, but that the shallower patch at the seaward end of the jetty had yet to be dredged. It is probable that Waverley briefly touched this patch on her way out. A survey of the vessel the following day found no damage.

ACTION

The Chief Inspector of Marine Accidents has written to Waverley Excursions Limited, the operators of WAVERLEY, to note the positive response to previous recommendations, and to encourage a positive reporting procedure with the harbour master when using Girvan. He also wrote to the Chief Executive of South Ayrshire Council, the owners of the port, to encourage the placing of a tide gauge near the entrance to the port, so that an approaching vessel can see the actual height of tide in the port.

The future of Appledore as an attraction for tourists to North Devon has been dealt a massive blow. Appledore businessman Chris Ommanney is to close the Appledore to Instow ferry service, Schooners coffee shop, Quay Cabin gift shop and Tarka Cruises.

This will leave a gaping hole in the Appledore tourism industry. Mr Ommanney said he was saddened by the closures which are for financial reasons.

Speaking from the Sea Chest in Appledore, another shop he owns, Mr Ommanney told the Journal: "I am very worried about Appledore's future, but I can't run a business on one month of trade."

He has run the ferry service on SWIFTSURE for 24 years and Tarka Cruises on NEPTUNE for 10 years.

"The lack of tourists is the reason behind the closures," he said. "Appledore used to be serviced by coaches that parked in Churchfields car park.

"They used to come from Germany, Holland and across Britain and people would take a boat trip and spend money in the local shops.

"Now the coaches can't get through, as people park on the quay, so they have stopped coming here."

Mr Ommanney said subsidies from Devon County Council and the Countryside Agency had also stopped, while insurance costs had soared.

While all the closures will have a huge impact on the village, it is the end of the ferry service which saddened Mr Ommanney the most.

The ferry has been operating for more than a century and used to carry passengers and mail from Instow Railway Station.

It was run by the Johns family of Instow from the 1870s and operated every 15 to 20 minutes, for two to three hours either side of high tide, between Easter and October.

Once the railway closed, the ferry continued to operate as a tourist attraction.

Mr Ommanney added: "Much to my disgust, I have got to let the boats go. "It is very sad because I love my boats."

James Morris of the North Devon Marketing Bureau said: "We are trying to compete more and more with UK and foreign-based holidays and the loss of the Appledore to Instow ferry will have a negative impact on tourism in the area.

"It is a real shame, as both Appledore and Instow attract large numbers of holiday-makers.

"The ferry was an extra attraction that added to the uniqueness of the area and was one of those things that made part of a day out while on holiday.

"North Devon is trying to spend a lot on marketing itself and we need attractions like these up and running, as once lost, they are very hard to replace.

"We would like to encourage both tourists and local people to use the attractions that are here on our doorstep."

South West Tourism chief executive Malcolm Bell echoed Mr Morris's sentiments: "This closure is regrettable.

"One of the challenges we have is getting people out of their cars."Ferries are a very attractive proposition and are good for the environment, tourism and local people.

IRISH FERRIES OPEN DOORS TO 2007 FRANCE BOOKINGS

Irish Ferries have commenced taking bookings for 2007 sailings on their Ireland - France services.

For those keen to secure their preferred travel dates, an attractive early booking offer promises next year sailings at current year rates for all who book before 6th January next.

Other attractive packages on offer include a web fare from EUR99 one way for a car plus driver and discounts of up to 30% on Short Breaks of up to 6 nights in France valid for travel from Ireland up to 19th June.

Also included in the mix is the ever-popular Mini-Cruise to France for just EUR99 per person return, which includes two nights cabin accommodation. A car can be carried for only EUR59 return extra when two travel. This package is valid for travel out of Ireland up to 19th June.

In light of the various difficulties that have affected air travel in recent times, Irish Ferries are forecasting a significant swing back to Continental motoring holidays next year.

To encourage this trend, the bonus of a free cruise ferry trip to Britain for a car plus 2 passengers is offered to all who take a return car trip on their direct service to France between 1st June and 31st August next.

To underline what Irish Ferries regard as another point of comparison in their 'flying is plane crazy' campaign, customers are reminded that fares quoted for 2007 include all taxes and fuel surcharges.

Are you or do you know anyone you know looking for accommodation with a difference for the TT Centenary in 2007?

If the answer is yes, then Steam Packet Holidays is investigating a unique opportunity that you may wish to consider.

We are looking at bringing in a Norwegian cruise ship, which will be berthed alongside the Victoria Pier in Douglas harbour for 10 days.

Before we proceed with this venture, we need to know whether there will be sufficient demand and are offering you the opportunity to reserve a cabin now. Payment in full will be required by October 15th. We will reserve cabins in strict order of receipt of replies should we go ahead with this exciting venture.

Prices for cabins are as follows and for the 10 day period from May 31st - June 9th, 2007:

Standard Inner: £90 per person per day

Standard Outer: £100 per person per day

Suite: £150 per person per day

Large Suite: £200 per person per day

All cabins have external views with the exception of the Standard Inners. Standard cabins have twin beds and the suites all have double beds. All have showers, toilet and wash hand basin en-suite. Three of the Standard Cabins have been adapted for disabled use.

Prices are quoted per person based on two people sharing, with single occupancy prices available on request.

These prices include breakfast, buffet lunch and evening meal served in the Halogaland Restaurant which will have views overlooking Douglas Bay.

Bookings can only be accepted for the full 10 day period.

Other facilities on board include two lounges with bar facilities, a cafe with 24 hour service, gym and sauna, treadmill, exercise bikes and a multigym, outside Jacuzzis, internet cafe, library, self service laundry and a wonderful observation lounge from where you can view the magnificent sweep across Douglas Bay.

Jenny Williamson writes: "It appears that the ship in question could be the NORDNORGE. She will be positioning back from the South Atlantic and possibly dry- docking at  around that time. LYNGEN is set to cover for her until 6 June 2006, but could probably be kept out for another round trip."

GALES DISRUPT SAILINGS

SEA EXPRESS I The first autumn gales disrupted sailings on September 20 with SE1 sailings being cancelled. Liverpool passengers were routed via Heysham whilst those bound for Belfast are being sent via Heysham and P&O from Cairnryan.

The R&H Hall mill and grain store in Cork city has been extensively damaged in a fire.

Seven units of Cork fire service fought the blaze on Kennedy Quay assisted by the Port of Cork tug GERRY O'SULLIVAN which has fire-fighting capability.

Gardaí are treating the fire as suspcious. The silos were almost full with 6,000 tons of Barley.

Four people are employed in the grain stores, which were extensively damaged.

The 17-year-old had become ill with seasickness and hypertension, coastguards in Brixham said. She was taken to Derriford Hospital for treatment.

CHONG MING DAO - it appears that deployment of the second ship has been delayed.

Waterford County manager has strongly refuted accusations that it is to blame for the traffic chaos in Passage East by allegedly not doing enough to push the case at government level for funding for a vital access road for a new ferry terminal upriver from the village. Mr. Ray O’D-wyer rounded on the criticism levelled by the Passage East Car Ferry company by stating that the Co. Council was "absolutely not at fault in any way" for the access road for the proposed new ferry terminal not being in place. He issued the state-ment at this week’s Co. Council meeting and outlined in detail the recent lobbying the Council has engaged in on behalf of the project.

The meeting was told that County Engineer John O’Flynn had written to the Department of Environment during the summer requesting the proposed road be designated a Strategic National Route, like the access road to the South East Regional Airport, and that funding be allocated for the project as soon as possible.

"The Department wrote back to us on August 31 asking for further studies. The request for further information is quite significant. We will be responding straight away, and if we get the funding we will do it straight away but we couldn’t possibly take it on (from our own resources). It’s a significant sum of money. It’s €7m and it would serve the ferry only," said Mr O’Dwyer. The County Manager was responding to Passage East’s public representative Cllr. John Carey, who declared that he didn’t agree with the criticism levelled against the Council.

The Fine Gael councillor led several recent high profile residents protests over the traffic congestion in the village caused by vehicles travelling onto and from the car ferry across the Suir Estuary. The peak commuter time protests are currently suspended pending the out-come of negotiations between the residents, the car ferry company and local garda superintendent. Cllr. Carey told the Council meeting the protests were successful and boasted: "We caused havoc in Wexford". "We made certain demands and we are not walking away from this empty handed. We won’t walk away unless we get something achieved," he told the Council.

Cllr Carey said the residents were waiting for the Garda superintendent to come back to them. He requested a representative of the County Manager to attend the next round of talks as he believed it was important that the local authority sign-off on any decisions reached.

PORT OF LIVERPOOL

WEBSITE

The former Mersey Docks and Harbour Company web site www.merseydocks.co.uk is currently being redeveloped by Peel Ports as new web site covering The Port of Liverpool and Manchester Ship Canal.

LANDING STAGES

The salvage ship JACOMINA (1967) owned by Sea Salvage SL, of Cartagena, Spain was noted at anchor off the sunnken George's Landing Stage on Saturday September 16, 2006. (more photographs).

The buildings on the Prince's Landing Stage which were formerly used by the Isle of Man Steam Packet company as booking offices and waiting facilities up early 1995 have now been almost completely demolished.

Only part of the covered entrance walkway and building frame work remained by Saturday September 16. The landing stage lighting also appeared to have failed on Saturday. Passengers arriving on SEA EXPRESS I were greeted by an almost blacked out stage. None of teh lights on the northern section of the stage or foot bridge were working.

Meanwhile in the floating roadway cut a concrete foundation has been laid.

ROYAL NAVY

The Royal Navy officially welcomed a new Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship into service in Cornwall on September 15. A special ceremony was held at the vessel's affiliated town of Falmouth.

The state-of-the-art RFA, named Mounts Bay, is the first of the new class of landing ship.

There have been four made to replace six Sir Galahad class landing ships which have been gradually decommissioned in recent years.

The main task of an auxiliary ship is to supply warships with food, fuel and ammunition, but these new vessels are so advanced they can even disembark troops.

The ship's commanding officer, Captain Ross Ferris, said: "The few months since Mount's Bay was accepted from the shipbuilder, has been an intense but highly successful period and we are entering fleet service in record time."

One of the she ship's innovative features are electric propulsors - propellers on sticks enabling the vessel to turn 360 degrees very quickly, replacing the traditional rudders.

Weighing more than 16,000 tonnes with a full load, the Bay Class is much larger, with more flexibility and capabilities. They have twice the capacity of the ships they are replacing.

The vessels will support Royal Navy warships on patrol worldwide, enabling them to continue for many months at sea without the need to enter port for maintenance, supplies or other specialist services.

RFA Mounts Bay's first operational task will be to join a deployment to West Africa, with troops and equipment from 40 Commando Royal Marine.

The ship has the ability to carry four self-defence guns. She can transport and operate two medium Merlin-size helicopters or a single Chinook helicopter and can service the aircraft.

The aircraft can be refuelled on deck and in-flight, operating from the ship. [Western Morning News]

The Northern Ireland Office has refused to reveal why it is holding up the tendering of the Campbeltown to Ballycastle ferry.

Two parties successfully filled in pre-qualification questionnaires in April to allow them to be considered as potential operators to reintroduce the Argyll -Ireland ferry link.

One party, headed by Pentland Ferries, was informed by the Scottish Executive at that time that the tender documents would be with them "in six weeks". But more than four months later the tender documents have still not been issued for the route, which people in Kintyre see as a sure way of boosting the local economy.

An agreement was reached between the Scottish Executive and the Northern Ireland office long ago that the ferry project would be a joint partnership.

The executive promised annual funding of £750,000, for a £1million subsidy for the route for the next five years, while the Irish agreed to fund the remaining £250,000 a year.

A spokeswoman for the Scottish Executive confirmed on August 31 that the delay in tendering was being caused by the Northern Ireland Office.

She said: "The transport minister is in dialogue with the Northern Ireland Office and has expressed his disappointment at the time being taken, but we hope to have a resolution as soon as possible."

As yet another week passed with no progress on the route's reintroduction, the Press and Journal contacted the Northern Ireland Office.

But a spokeswoman for the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment would only say: "This is currently with Enterprise Minister Maria Eagle for consideration. "Asked the reason for the delay, the spokeswoman said she could not comment.

Several people closely connected with the ferry plans claim the Northern Ireland Office is playing "political games" to put pressure on the Northern Ireland Assembly - which remains suspended - to meet again. But the department spokeswoman refused to comment on these suggestions.

Highlands and Islands MSP Jamie McGrigor, who has written to the First Minister demanding action, said the executive should get the tenders out, fund the Irish subsidy contribution and then worry about reclaiming the cash.

Mr McGrigor said: "It's absolutely ridiculous. There have been two election promises that there is going to be a Campbeltown ferry and I think it's scandalous if the people of Campbeltown and Kintyre have to wait because of some gerrymandering."

Argyll MSP George Lyon expressed concern that delays could cause potential operators to pull out and said: "I am totally exasperated that it is now more than two months since the Scottish Executive sought agreement from the Northern Ireland Office to move to the next stage of tendering. It appears to be caught up in the internal Northern Ireland politics." [Press and Journal]

BUGALED BREIZH ENQUIRY

The French judge investigating the sinking of a Breton trawler and the deaths of her five crewmembers off the Lizard two years ago has spoken for the first time of the possible involvement of a Dutch submarine. In a letter to the families of the lost crew of the BUGALED BREIZH, judge Richard Foltzer hinted strongly that the prime suspect is the DOLFIJN, despite strong denials of any involvement in the tragedy by the vessel's sub-commander and the Dutch Navy.

The DOLFIJN was taking part in a NATO exercise in the English Channel on the day of the tragedy and was said to be the closest submarine to the BUGALED BREIZH on the day she sank.

Monsieur Foltzer wrote to the families, saying: "After consulting with specialists in the fields of submarines we envisage carrying out further enquiries in Holland concerning the DOLFIJN."

The judge revealed that "in the light of certain conclusions reached by experts it appears more and more crucial to further examine the theory that a submarine became entangled in one or both of the BUGALED BREIZH's trawl cables".

The trawler and her cables were recovered during a salvage operation six months after the sinking and returned to the French port of Brest where they were subjected to detailed examination.

French suspicions about the Dutch submarine DOLFIJN began when it emerged that an inspection a few weeks after the sinking revealed damage to her hull. Details of the damage were given in a naval report handed to French judges after being leaked to a French newspaper. The damage report carried out in April 2004, three months after the tragedy, referred to a series of deep scratch marks and dents consistent with the submarine having collided with trawl gear and the hull of a smaller vessel.

The Dutch Navy put the damage down to the submarine having struck a series of cables linking floats to lobster pots.

A French journalist working for Le Telegramme De Brest, said that "a very reliable person working closely with investigators" had revealed details of the damage to the submarine.

His article also referred to testimony by a British Navy safety officer responsible for security in the sea area where the NATO exercise was taking place. According to the newspaper, the officer confirmed that the DOLFIJN was the only submarine present within a 25-mile radius of the spot where the BUGALED BREIZH sank. At 12.53pm on the day of the tragedy, the January 15 2004, 30 minutes before the French trawler sent out a distress call, the DOLFIJN was 12 miles from the collision point, according to the source.

The French newspaper revealed that shortly after the collision as they were heading towards the trawler's last known position after its distress call, Frederic Stephan, mate of the Bugaled's sister trawler the Eridan, and Ken Thomas, skipper of the British trawler Silver Dawn, both saw a submarine surface "from nowhere".

When the Eridan attempted to approach the submarine in question it "seemed to be intent on leaving the scene", according to Frederic Stephan.

In his testimony, the captain of the DOLFIJN maintained that he remained on the surface during the period when the collision occurred.

When the Dutch submarine was asked to produce its log book and "any other information relative to the day of the tragedy", the captain claimed that no records of its movements had been kept. Lawyers for the families of the lost crew have also claimed that the Dutch submarine commander's statements contained "anomalies inconsistent with the facts of the case" and contradictions.

A French television documentary later revealed that an unidentified red liferaft was found floating near the spot where the BUGALED BREIZH sank a short time after the tragedy and an unidentified helicopter was seen hovering over the area.

It emerged that a British diver who arrived at the scene on board a second helicopter shortly afterwards was ordered to slash the liferaft and sink it.

This summer the British, Dutch and German navies released secret documents containing positions of submarines which took part in a NATO exercise in the Channel on the day of the tragedy.

The three countries agreed to lift the secrecy ban on details of navy manoeuvres after pressure by the French Defence Ministry. The documents have now been given to the judicial authorities. Documents concerning the position of French vessels which took part in the exercise were handed over last year.
 

DART VALLEY RAILWAY PLC

The Dart Valley Railway Company which operates the Paignton to Kingswear Railway as well the Totnes - Dartmouth and Dartmouth - Kingswear passenger ferries along with harbour and coastal cruise services is locked in battle with a major shareholder - Mr David Barry.

Mr. Barry now understandably wants a seat on the company board. What is of interest to those observing the maritime scene is the following comment from his letter to shareholders:

"River operations have shown a higher turnover than rail since their acquisition, higher growth than rail in 5 of the past 6 years, and higher profits than rail in 2005 but, judging by the special resolution at the AGM, the board seems to view them as ancillary. I detect a bias against the river on the part of some of the directors. The railway will always be the core operating division but I see more opportunities to expand river activities than rail. I recently suggested a potential marine opportunity to them which has been very successful in Guernsey"

This is how the local press have reported the matter:

Wealthy businessman David Barry wants to secure a place on the board of the Dart Valley Railway Company, which runs a nostalgic steam train service between Paignton and Dartmouth. He claims the company is in need of "fresh ideas" and is seeking election as a director. He sparked fears of a buyout in the past when he offered £14 for each £1 share in the company which runs the railway, which attracts more than 350,000 visitors a year.

His opponents claim Mr Barry is a maverick who "does not understand railways" and wants to strip the company of its assets and sell its land to developers.

Mr Barry claimed the directors were "behaving like a bunch of boys playing with a train set they don't want to share". "This scaremongering campaign against me is absolute nonsense," he said.

Last month, construction magnate Sir William McAlpine, who is one of the railway's directors, sent a letter to the 2,900 shareholders, warning that if Mr Barry were elected, the railway would become derelict and land would be sold to developers.

Now Mr Barry - who has so far been denied a place on the board by its ten directors even though he holds nearly 27 per cent of the shares in the railway - has called an extraordinary meeting of the railway board later this month, where he will seek election as a director.

Mr Barry, sole director of Guernsey-based Value Investments Limited, denied he wanted to buy the company outright and said he had no interest in destroying the railway in which he has spent 11 years acquiring shares. "Even if I wanted to, I couldn't afford to," he said. "To make a bid I would probably need to offer something like £20 per share, which would value the company at about £5 million. I don't have that type of money."

Railway general manager Barry Cogar said some members feared Mr Barry would use his power as a director to approve his company buying out shareholders. If Mr Barry increased his share in the company by just 3 per cent, he would be forced to make a takeover bid.

The extraordinary meeting will be held in the Singer Room at the Palace Hotel, Paignton, on Saturday, September 16 at noon. [Western Morning News].

More information can be found at www.djbarry.co.uk.

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORT UK PASSENGER STATISTICS 2006 - Q2

Commentary by Gary Andrews

In their new form listing numbers of passengers by UK port and listing the domestic passengers as an aggregate figure they are not as useful as previous but still produce some interesting facts.

With Easter it is always important to consider Q1 and Q2 figures together when comparing one year to another. Also it is notable that for the 4% growth in this quarter there was a 4% decline in the previous quarter.

Masked by an increase at Dover the number of passengers for the year to date are down, if not by much though an Easter in Q2 tends to generate more holiday traffic than Easter in Q1. Q3 will as always be the crunch of how well the routes are doing. We also need to bear in mind that most fares are lower than they have been for some time so at a time of flat or no growth the income is also lower. Some general comments (though before using this information I recommend that you carry out your own checks on these snippets): Gary Andrews

- Passenger figures at Ramsgate have gone up by about 6,000 so far this year.

- Dover has regained approximately 500,000 passengers over Q1 and Q2 2005 when passenger figures were badly hit by the chaos at Calais - at the same time the Channel Tunnel has lost around 300,000 passengers, obviously those that had switched from ferries last year. Given capacity increases at Norfolkline and the very poor year last year, the very low fares and the removal of Hoverspeed figures are still slightly down on Q2 2004.

- Newhaven - Dieppe has improved by 48% Q2 to Q2 and 39,000 passengers - impressive, though given the fares charged it remains to be seen how much of an improvement this will have on profitability.

- Plymouth routes are down 27,000 passengers so far this year. (Though only 1% on the quarter).

- Portsmouth saw a 15% Q2 to Q2 decline and 218,000 passengers lost compared to last year - this can be, at least in part, be attributed to loss of P&O's Le Havre capacity though with Trasmed and LD Lines operating the signs are of a shrinking market. Indeed overall the Western Channel is down 6% so far this year or 191,000 passengers.

- Swansea - Cork was virtually on a par with last year so far, down 2,000 passengers.

- Irish Ferries were flat at Pemboke Q2 to Q2 with 88,000 passengers though are down 4,000 so far this year.

- Stena's Fishguard - Rosslare had a good quarter, up 21,000 compared to Q2 2005 - though they remain down 7,000 passengers so far this year.

- Holyhead - Dublin routes were down 1% (575,000 to 572,000 Q2 2005 to Q2 2006) and down 80,000 passengers so far this year.

- Liverpool - Dublin routes, were down 22% Q2 to Q2 from 54,000 to 42,000 passengers and down 31,000 passengers so far this year. Q3 should show the impact of the loss of the Irish Sea Express service and any gains from Norfolkline's increase in capacity.

- Overall the Irish Sea was up 1% Q2 to Q2 but down 98,000 so far this year.

- Rosyth - Zeebrugge was down 40% from 56,000 to 34,000 and 30,000 for the year. Looking at the figures the reduction of to a one-ship service naturally has a bigger impact when the route is busier and people can't find a viable sailing to suit their travel plans.

- The Hull routes show a 12% Q2 to Q2 increase and 44,000 extra passengers so far this year to 474,000 passengers - P&O's Hull services are some of the most stable passenger routes in recent years.

- The Newcastle routes experienced a 3% decline in passenger numbers (6000 passengers). Year to date figures are down 41,000 passengers. Without a route by route breakdown it is difficult to establish where things are going wrong here.

- The Harwich routes were down 11% Q2 to Q2 or 32,000 passengers and 63,000 passengers year to date - surely down to continually falling numbers on the HSS and the closure of the DFDS Cuxhaven route.

- The overall numbers show a 4% Q2 to Q2 increase in International passengers and 129,000 passengers year to date and 1% Q2 to Q2 incease in Domestic passengers and a drop of 49,000 passengers year to date.

IRISH CONTINENTAL GROUP

Irish Continental Group reported a rise in pre-tax profit for the six months to June of 2.7 mln eur from 1.7 mln but warned that it expects a "challenging revenue environment" in the second half.

The company reported revenue of 141.9 mln eur, up from 139.6 mln a year earlier and earnings per share of 10.6 cents compared with 6.4 cents.

Chairman John McGuckian said: "We have achieved a solid result inchallenging circumstances. Our labour cost savings and capacity management have compensated for a demanding trading environment."

But he said the peak tourist season, the company's most important period, had seen growth in freight but weaker car volumes, which are down 12 pct overall year-on-year.

He warned for the second half that: "New competing freight capacity coming on stream in the second half may affect our ability to grow our freight business, against a backdrop of expected market growth.

"Overall we expect a challenging revenue environment in the second half mitigated by the flow through of our cost savings."

Full details can be found at www.icg.ie/investor/announcements_060906.html

ISLE OF MAN STEAM PACKET COMPANY

BEN-MY-CHREE - the ship had one of her scheduled maintenance breaks over the evening of September 09 /10 and the  20:00 / 02:15 sailings did not operate.

However, a regular correspondent to ISS spotted the following sailing information update early on Sunday morning:

Sunday 10th September 2006

DEPARTURES FROM THE UK AND IRELAND

Heysham to Douglas at 02:15 - Arrived at 05:25

The ship didn't sail - the errant message was later corrected.

SEA EXPRESS I departed from NSL BIRKENHEAD just after mid-day on September 09. After departure of SSC2 she moved to the stage after stemming the tide for a while. She arrived at Douglas just after 18:00. She is expected to re-enter service on September 11.

The company issued the following press release this week confirming the reactivation of SEA EXPRESS I to replace the ailing SUPERSEACAT TWO:

The 74 metre fast craft Sea Express 1 will enter service for The Isle of Man Steam Packet Company in September.

The Company has put her through a full overhaul in Birkenhead, and the craft formerly known as Seacat Isle of Man will assume the schedules operated by fast craft Superseacat Two which is presently operating on three of its four engines after suffering the failure of a gear box which necessitated it being removed from the craft and despatched to its manufacturers in Germany for assessment and repair.

Despite a temporary timetable being introduced to reflect its slower passage time, Superseacat Two has operated throughout August and the busy Manx Grand Prix completing 76 round trips.

The introduction of Sea Express 1 will enable the standard fast craft timetable to be reinstated.

The Company flagship Ben My Chree and Superseacat Two together with the chartered fast craft P&O Express carried around 24,000 passengers, 5,000 vehicles and 2,500 motor cycles from Liverpool, Heysham and Ireland to the Isle of Man for the 2006 Manx Grand Prix event.

Hamish Ross, Steam Packet Managing Director said, `The gear box assessment and repair programme is continuing but we are highly conscious of our commitment to the Island to provide a fast craft sea service. Although Superseacat Two continues to operate at an impressive 27 knots, Sea Express 1 will operate at above 30 knots.

We anticipate her arriving to take up her schedules on 11th September. We have appreciated the co-operation and understanding of our passengers during this period and apologise for any inconvenience incurred'.

A.P. MOLLER - MAERSK

SvitzerWijsmuller, the towage and salvage arm of AP Moller, has taken its spending on Adsteam Marine shares to close to $20m. For the fourth consecutive day this week the company raided the Australian stock market, this time picking up just 84,128 shares at AUD2.54 each.

In a formal announcement Thursday SvitzerWijsmuller confirmed that it now controls 10.1m Adsteam Marine shares, or 3.7% of the company. The Copenhagen-based company has now snapped up over 650,000 shares in Adsteam Marine since Friday.

Last week, SvitzerWijsmuller said it was “considering its options” after its bid for Adsteam was referred to the UK Competition Commission. SvitzerWijsmuller’s offer to acquire Adsteam was conditional on the proposed acquisition not being referred.

The UK Office of Fair Trading referred the bid over potential concerns about a monopoly in towage services within the UK. SvitzerWijsmuller launched its recommended offer for Adsteam in July in a deal that valued the Australian company at about AUD693m ($513m). [MARITIME CLIPPINGS]

NORTH WESTERN SHIP REPAIRERS & SCOTT - LITHGOW LTD

PEEL PORTS

The first images of a stunning Manhattan-style skyline for Birkenhead, with Wirral's own Three Graces to mirror Liverpool's historic waterfront, have been revealed.

Peel Holdings, owners of the Port of Liverpool, this week outlined graphic details of its £4. 5bn plan to transform the Birkenhead docks system with homes, offices, retail and leisure schemes.

It was described by Peel last night as the largest regeneration project in the UK.

Councillors in Wirral have already seen the ambitious plans which Peel has called Wirral Waters, and have given an enthusiastic welcome to the proposals.

Wirral council leader Cllr Steve Foulkes said: "It is a fantastic opportunity and will place the Mersey waterfront on a par with the world's greatest such as New York and Shanghai. Peel have a great track record for delivering and we will work with them over the coming months to move this forward."

Peel's development director Lindsey Ashworth has spent 18 months designing a scheme that over 30 years will see Wirral's waterfront become a cluster of skyscrapers. It includes 18m sq ft of developments and will create 27,000 full-time jobs.

"It will rank as the biggest regeneration scheme in the country," Mr Ashworth said.

He said Peel's track record, including Salford Quays and the Trafford Centre, demonstrated the ability of the family-owned company to carry out its scheme without public funding. Three 50-storey towers, already dubbed Wirral's Three Graces, will dominate the scheme which will also include a major retail shopping centre at Bidston Moss.

Mr Ashworth said the scale of the plan meant it needed a government public inquiry before work can start.

Peel, also owners of Liverpool John Lennon Airport, plan to submit a planning application next year.

The company wants to carry out major schemes across the river along Liverpool's waterfront.

All the land, 500 acres in total, is already owned by Peel, meaning there are no compulsory purchase order issues. The company, owned by the Manchester-based Whittaker family, will also fund the scheme, without the need to seek any public money.

Mr Ashworth said: "We will create the best waterfront regeneration scheme in the UK, and hopefully the world."

The scheme will be divided into four segments. At Bidston Moss an impressive retail and leisure park will be built not far from the existing superstore and B&Q. It will cost around £200m, and will aim to attract shoppers currently heading to Liverpool and Cheshire Oaks.

The West Float and Twelve Quays areas will remain as port-related areas, but both will be greatly enhanced.

The big scheme, around Alfred Dock and Vittoria Wharf, will be an island development costing £4. 3bn creating 15,000 apartments for around 25,000 people, offices and leisure facilities. It will include 17m sq ft of residential space and 5m sq ft of office space.

There will even be a high-rise structure resembling the world-famous Grid Iron building in New York.

Mr Ashworth warned: "If we don't get this scheme through it may be another century before anything like this comes up again. What we have put forward is a very bold vision."

Peel, who bought the Mersey Docks and Harbour Company last year, see high-rise developments on both sides of the river as a stunning Ocean Gateway

The East Float scheme, around Vittoria and Alfred Dock, will be dominated by world-class architecture.

A new pedestrian bridge, similar to the Millennium Eye across the Tyne, will create a new pedestrian link into the heart of the island development.

The water space will be transformed into a marina for tourist boats visiting the area.

Cllr Foulkes admitted last night that he had been impressed by the scale of Peel's proposals for Wirral.

He said: "It is fantastic and exciting and in line with our strategy for the waterfront. It will help both Wirral and Liverpool to firmly win a place on the world map. The scheme is exciting beyond belief and I feel honoured to be working on such a project as leader of the council.

"I accept there are many hurdles to cross in the future, but we as a council will work over the coming months to bring this plan to reality. Peel have a fantastic track record for delivering projects and I am confident they can make it happen."

Peel owns assets worth £4.15bn, with 9m sq ft of investment property and 11,000 hectares of land. Currently it employs more than 4,000 people. When the firm announced its plans for the Trafford Centre the critics said it would never happen. Fifteen years later it attracts 30m shoppers a year. [Liverpool Echo]

[COMMENT: The good news about the plans is the comment that Marine Activity will be concentrated on the West Float, that means that vessels will still pass through the Birkenhead Dock system as they do today to reach the West Float Quays. ]

SQUARE SAIL

Onlookers strolling on a Westcountry beach could have been forgiven for thinking they had been transported 500 years back in time. In front of them were two huge galleons with full rigging resplendent in the September sunshine.

The ships were being used for the filming of Hollywood star Mel Gibson's latest epic "Apocalypto" in Carlyon Bay, near St Austell.

The historic ships were on loan from the Square Sail Fleet Company, which is based just along the coast at Charlestown.

Mr Gibson is keeping the story- line of his latest project under wraps and yesterday the cast and crew were not giving anything away.

Members of the public, however, were free to walk along the beach and get a good look at the ships and some of the actors involved.

One onlooker, who did not want to give his name, said: "The whole thing was incredibly impressive. The ships were totally rigged up with flags on and some of the cast were in mediaeval costume."

Although the star himself was not on set there were some other sights worth watching out for. "At one point a monk sped past me on a quad bike," said the onlooker. "It was quite surreal."

"Apocalypto" - taken from the Greek word for a new beginning or an unveiling, is largely being filmed in Mexico and the dialogue is in an obscure Mayan dialect. Ships from Charlestown have been used in a host of films and television series such as Mansfield Park and the naval drama, Hornblower. [Western Morning News - September 08]
 

DART VALLEY RAILWAY COMPANY

KINGSWEAR BELLE - Sharp-eyed boatmen saved a £600,000 South Devon ferry from sinking to the bottom of the Dart after spotting a midnight fire on board the vessel.

The owners of the Kingswear Belle are breathing a huge sigh of relief after "brilliant" work by fire-fighters saved the catamaran from certain destruction in the early hours of Tuesday.

Mike Palmer, praised staff for raising the alarm and the fire-fighters who quickly extinguished the blaze after commandeering a boat on the Dartmouth side of the river to reach the mid-estuary incident.

"They did a marvellous job working together to get the fire under control very promptly," he said. "Without their actions we would have lost the boat. It would have been a disaster."

He said the company was extremely fortunate the fire had happened after Dartmouth Regatta when all three of the company's boats were involved in carrying thousands of passengers during the hectic week of events.

"We would not have been able to cope if the regatta had been this week instead of last. The Kingswear Belle is an excellent boat. She's had a lot of careful attention from us over the years - and this summer in particular she has been in peak condition."

But an electrical short circuit in the engine room triggered a slow-burning fire which took off when it hit fresh air as it broke out of the bulkhead. Fire spokesman assistant divisional officer Glenn Askew said: "Five of our fire-fighters did an extremely good job to get in there and put out the fire. I was very impressed.

"In all seriousness, the boat should be at the bottom of the Dart. It was very fortunate that company staff spotted a problem as they brought another vessel alongside the pontoon at midnight."

He said the fire could have been smouldering since 5pm when it was moored up.

It is believed the source of the problem may have been faulty starter motor cables which overheated and set boat timbers alight. [Western Morning News]

ISLE OF MAN STEAM PACKET COMPANY

SUPERSEACAT TWO - the SuperSickCat is continuing to run on a temporary revised timetable whilst work is underway to put SEA EXPRESS I back into class. The latest sailing information can be found on the Steam Packet Web Site. How many other shipping companies in these islands operate such a constantly unreliable service as this?  

KNOTT END FERRY

The ill-fated Fleetwood to Knott End ferry could be out of action for a further three weeks. The £350,000 vessel has already been sidelined for more than three months with mechanical problems.

And now Lancashire County Council is working frantically to get it back in service. After a delivery of new parts, work is progressing but county bosses are reluctant to set a firm date for the renewal of the service in case further delays leave them with egg on their faces.

A spokesman for Lancashire County Council said: "Repairs are in hand with the aim of getting the ferry back in the water in the next two or three weeks.

"We have not been able to set a date for the service to resume." The county and Wyre Council have invested £500,000 to guarantee the service for the next 10 years.

But there have been a series of problems since the new vessel sailed into the River Wyre estuary almost 12 months ago.

Engine problems and a lack of properly trained crew delayed the launch of the revamped ferry service by more than six months.

And it was only six weeks after the first service ran across the Wyre Estuary that the ferry was taken out of service again because of the latest damage.

The boat had been crippled because of debris being sucked into the engine by the bow thrusters which provide great manoeuvrability.

The parts which have been obtained include new grilles to prevent rubbish from the river bed being sucked up into the engines.

For the few weeks that the vessel was running, passenger numbers were high and council officials are confident that it has great potential once the teething problems are overcome. [Lancashire Evening Gazette].

A.P. MOLLER - MAERSK GROUP

SVITZER

The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has referred the anticipated acquisition by SvitzerWijsmuller A/S of Adsteam Marine Ltd to the Competition Commission (CC). The CC has been asked to decide whether the acquisition may be expected to result in a substantial lessening of competition in the market for the supply of harbour towage services in the UK.

The CC is expected to report by 14 February 2007.

The CC would like to hear from all interested parties, in writing, by 22nd September 2006. To submit evidence, please write to:

Inquiry Secretary (Svitzer/Adsteam merger inquiry) Competition Commission

Victoria House

Southampton Row

LONDON

WC1B 4AD

PEEL PORTS

Liverpool Opens Up US South Atlantic With Third New Service

The first ship has left Liverpool on a new Italia Marittima-Zim container service – the third North Atlantic service attracted to the Port since the beginning of 2006.

The 1800 teu capacity Artemis made the inaugural sailing from the Royal Seaforth Container Terminal bound for New York, Norfolk and Savannah.

The weekly fixed day service will be maintained by four ships, two deployed by Italia Marittima, part of the Evergreen Group, and two by Zim Integrated Shipping Services.

The Italia/Zim service will offer direct calls at Antwerp and Hamburg before Liverpool as the last European port of call.

All three new services to start from Liverpool since the beginning of the year are operated by members of container shipping’s “premier league”. Said Frank Robotham, Marketing Director of Peel Ports Group, owners of the Port of Liverpool: “We are delighted to have the Italia Marittima-Zim service to further consolidate Liverpool’s No 1 position in UK-USA container trade. We are particularly pleased that this service opens up the Port of Savannah as a new gateway into the US South Atlantic Region for business through Liverpool.”

The two other North Atlantic container services introduced at Liverpool this year are operated by Mediterranean Shipping Company and Maersk and CMA CGM and China Shipping Container Line.

Agents for the Italia Marittima service are Warrant Group plc of Liverpool. Zim provide their own agency service.

ROYAL NAVY

HMS OCEAN - An expert in public health has warned that more potentially deadly illnesses on a front-line warship could follow after two further cases of active tuberculosis (TB) were diagnosed on a Westcountry-based vessel. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has confirmed that five crew members of HMS OCEAN, the Devonport-based amphibious helicopter carrier and assault ship, now have the infectious form of the disease after TB first emerged in May.

The unidentified crewmen have been prescribed with up to six months of antibiotics to keep the life-threatening illness under control.

The MoD last night said that all five cases of active TB were confined to the marine engineering department, which is responsible for mechanics and electrics. Fifty-five latent forms of the illness emerged on board following a screening process of the entire crew.

The latent form produces no symptoms and is not contagious, as the bacteria are not active, although they can become active in later life if another disease puts pressure on the immune system.

The MoD said the two new cases of active TB had developed from the 29 latent forms apparent within the marine engineering department. The source of the original infection is still not known.

Dr Josep Vidal-Alaball, a GP and specialist registrar for the National Public Health Service for Wales, an expert in the disease, said that if all of the crew members had been screened there was every chance of limiting the full-blown infection. As such, sailors with latent TB have been given a three-month course of antibiotics.

Dr Vidal-Alaball, a former doctor at Plymouth's Derriford Hospital, said: "There could be more. There have been a lot of outbreaks in prisons, and it's a very similar situation - people together in a small space for a long time with a lack of ventilation."

He said the level of the disease would only be a major concern if around 10 per cent of the 400-strong crew were taken ill with active TB - a figure that would be "very high". He said: "People outside the ship shouldn't be concerned."

Rates of TB have been rising in the UK in recent years, with 7,000 cases being reported last year. The disease is most common in the lungs and lymph glands. TB is responsible for three million deaths a year worldwide, mainly in developing countries.

A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence said of HMS OCEAN: "There are now five [cases of active TB] of which two were suspected at the end of last week. One member of the crew developed TB earlier this year and there have been four further with active TB."

HMS OCEAN is docked in Devonport ahead of deployment for low-flying helicopter exercises over Wales and the South West on Monday.

The ship was moored away from its Westcountry home when the latest cases of TB emerged after it had been withdrawn from last weekend's Navy Days event at Devonport after consideration was given to public health and confidence.

The third crew member struck down with tuberculosis has already returned to service.

[Western Morning News]

NAVY DAYS

BIBBY LINE