PRIDE OF CALAIS departing Tilbury tomorrow 19/12

[Ben]

PRIDE OF CALAIS is due to leave Tilbury tomorrowat 12.30 afte being sold and now named OSTEND SPIRIT.        One to keep an eye out for !

PLA departures list seems to confirm also

[CedricH]

She is expected to do berthing trials in Ramsgate first and then move to Ostend where she is scheduled to arrive at 9 pm local time, also for berthing trials.

Kind regards
Cedric

[chrisg46]

Do you know when she is supposed to enter service?

[CedricH]

Hi,

the Ostend Spirit is currently just off Ramsgate at the time of writing to perform berthing trials there. After that is done, she will cross the Channel and do some berthing trials at Oostende as well, where I expect her to arrive between 11pm and midnight local time. After that, it is understood she will sail to Antwerp for dry-docking. Other Trans Europa Ferries' ships have gone to Antwerp for dry-docking as well. The Ostend Spirit is expected to enter service in mid-January.

On the subject of the Pride of Dover: that ship will be re-engined in Turkey according to Belgian newspapers and renamed Ramsgate Spirit. The homeport of the Ramsgate Spirit will be Oostende but it is currently unknown when she will be back here.

Source: http://www.doverferryphotosforums.co.uk/ (registration required but definitely worth it!)

*Edit: some pictures of the ship leaving Tilbury this evening.
ShipSpotting.com

[Robert Smith]

Scandlines has apparently bought both ferries "Pride of Dover" and "Pride of Calais" for it's Rostock-Gedser service.

[chrisg46]

Robert and Cedric posts appear to disagree - Scandlines or Transeurope?

[Niall Magner]

Cedric is spot on I think

[davidships]

Or both?
All a matter of timing, perhaps.

[davidships]

(not found on the web yet)
SCANDLINES BUYS 2 FERRIES FROM P&O Ferry operator.
Scandlines announced the en-bloc aquisitions of P&O Ferries' "Pride of Dover" and "Pride of Calais". The company said the deal was part of a package of emergency measures to improve the sitiutation on its Rostock-Gedser route after it rejected the delivery of two purpose-designed newbuildings that failed to reach contractual specifications. "Pride of Dover" and "Pride of Calais" will be towed to a shipyard in Turkey, where the two ferries will be converted into a single duble-ended ropax ship to be named "Knudshoved". The operation will involve cutting the ships in half and welding together the two front ends. The redundant aft sections will be scrapped.

The converted "Kundshoved" is scheduled to enter service as a third ship on the Rostock-Gedser route for the summer season, where it will supplement the existing two ships, which - due to the collapse of the newbuidling deal - will be refurbished to extend their lifetime by three more years. "Knudshoved" will pioneer the concept of double - ended ferries on the route, and Scandlines is investigating the concept for its next-generation newbuildings. The price of the sale has not been disclosed. According to Broker sources the ships were sold at a very small premium over scrap value.

[brimar]

So if this is the case i am rather confused why the ex 'Pride of Calais' has been renamed 'Ostend Spirit' and has left Tilbury under her own power, steamed to Ramsgate and now in Oostend and achieved a speed up to nearly 18 knots,it all seems a little strange.

[davidships]

Indeed it is.  As you say, OSTEND SPIRIT is at Ostend, and seems to be doing the terminal trials this morning.  Also, I cannot think why she would need to be towed to Turkey.  No doubt the fog will lift soon.

[Robert J Smith]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MS_Pride_of_Calais

Quote

Charter to Transeuropa Ferries

Since her lay-up in October 2012, there were many rumours that Pride of Calais would be in service with Transeuropa Ferries on their Ramsgate/Ostend route. On the 17 December 2012 her P&O livery, house flag and name were painted out and it was reported that Transeuropa Ferries had bareboat-chartered her for three years. She was renamed Ostend Spirit on 18 December 2012 and departed Tilbury Docks the following day for berthing trials in Ramsgate and Ostend. After a refit and livery change at Antwerp, she is planned to begin service in mid-January 2013

[davidships]

Looks familiar Robert.  Probably because I wrote most of it!  Note that it lacks a citation - nothing in print yet from a reliable source on either TransEuropa or Scandlines, though Belgian media reported the TransEuropa charter yesterday, partly contradictory:

http://www.delloyd.be/Article/tabid/231/ArticleID/31986/ArticleName/POFerriesverhuurtropaxaanTransEuropa/Default.aspx (but PoD will be scrapped)

http://kw.knack.be/west-vlaanderen/nieuws/algemeen/transeuropa-ferries-oostende-huurt-p-o-ferry-in/article-4000223832578.htm (also PoD purchased and will be reengined for them)

[Robert J Smith]

Hi davidships,

A small world, this www 

Thanks for the update, we will have to wait to see the fate of the "Dover".

Regards

Bob

[brimar]

ex Pride of Dover (delivery name 'DOVER')being towed by the anchor handling tug 'Eide Fighter'is presently 95nm NW of Malta, making 6.7SOG.