SHIPS EXPECTED WORKINGTON Klaverbank 28th July Arklow Vanguard 28th July Sospan Dau (dredger) 31st July
SILLOTH Waterway 28th July Zapadnyy 29th July
SILLOTH Waterway 28th July Zapadnyy 29th July
Pictured in Whitehaven marina is the Royal Navy's HMS MAGPIE. (H130) which was commissioned in 2018 and is part of the Hydrographic Squadron. Her job is to do surveys of the shallow inshore areas and ports etc where the larger deeper draughted vessels of the squadron are unable to go.
On a recent visit to the Fort William area I came across this superyacht in the corner of a loch. The NORN is owned by the millionaire Charles Simonyi a Microsoft employee who contributed to the development of Microsoft Word and Excel. At a cost of $250 million it's thought to have a annual maintenance bill of $15 million. Note the helicopter on the stern of the vessel. And further below a passenger enjoying the still waters of the loch.
Work is progressing rapidly on the construction of new silo's at the port of Workington for the storage of cement powder. the current set up cannot cope with the demand for cement hence the extra storage requirement. When finished there will be two, both 40m. high with a 10,000 ton capacity.
Four large wind farm crew transfer vessels arrived In Whitehaven together which was of great interest to passing members of the public. Having been working on the Walney Offshore windfarm project off the coast of Barrow in Furness, it's believed they have finished their contract and are waiting for further orders.
Work on "The Edge" in Whitehaven is continuing. Described as a place for community spaces with a cafe and toilets and 16 bedrooms this must surely be a contender for the "Carbunkle of the Year" award. It appears to be totally out of place amongst the ancient port buildings and surrounds.
ZAPADNYY, a regular visitor to Silloth carrying a cargo of molasses ran aground as she was entering the dock. She was successfully refloated on the next tide. A small leak had been detected which required a visit to a drydock.
A few days after Zapadnyy sailed for drydocking from Silloth, after unloading her cargo of molasses and rectifying some deficiencies which meant she had been detained in the port until they were rectified, another tanker arrived also with a cargo of molasses. Pictured below discharging is KAPRIFOL, on her first visit to the port of Silloth.
For over a year since the problem of discoloured water started in Whitehaven Marina the contamination continues to be a problem. The brown coloured water is staining the white hulls of the moored yachts and other vessels. Despite intensive investigations there appears to be no end to the problem being solved anytime soon.