Messages

1

Trip reports / Re: Your worst memory when you were trying to spot or take pictures of the ships?

« on: May 03, 2020, 02:14:45 PM »

Hmmm
Quite a few over nearly 40 years but, among the worst:
Breaking an ankle while trying to reach the riverfront at Gravesend for a Chinese general cargo;
Watching an ex Bank line inbound to Rotterdam (I was in the B&B packing to go back to UK);
Arriving at Vlissingen with no spare film (luckily Kodachrome was available in the town);
Being arrested as a suspected terrorist in front of an unmarked British consulate house on the Bosphorus;
Stepping on broken glass at Kandilli on the Bosphorus and, three hours later, patched up, being soaked to the waist by the wash of a passing coastguard vessel (which at least cleaned most of the blood off the promenade)
Happy days

2

Trip reports / Re: Antwerp?

« on: April 27, 2019, 12:06:35 PM »

Chris
Although Terneuzen itself is best for photography from late morning to mid-afternoon, you don't need to go through the tunnel to the north bank of the Schelde to have the sun behind you in early morning/afternoons. Two good locations for morning photography are Zeedorp, where the end of a mole is close to the shipping channel, and north of Griete (by two wind turbines). Griete is about 15 minutes from the locks at Terneuzen, Zeedorp another 10 minutes.
as Patrick mentioned, Walsoorden (about 20 km to the east) is an excellent spot in the afternoon, either by the harbour entrance or on a mole about 800m to the north.
Hope you have a good trip
regards Simon

3

Shipping News and information / Re: Amazing near-miss in the Strait of Istanbul

« on: January 10, 2017, 02:04:52 PM »

Northbound vessels often pass very close to the Asian shore at Kandilli (opposite Rumeli Hisari, and the narrowest part of the straits). Southbound vessels passing Tarabya (where the channel is wider) tend not to come anywhere near that close as the boxboat did on this occasion - I'm not 100% sure of the angles but southbound traffic has to turn about 90 degrees to port while passing Sariyer, then about 90 degrees to starboard near Yenikoy (Tarabya being about equidistant between those two turns).
A couple of years back MAJED AND RANDY, transiting northbound, hit a house north of the second Bosphorus bridge - was that the incident Captain Ted?

regards
Simon

4

Shipping News and information / Re: COSCO SHIPPING PANAMA - what an idiotic name for a ship

« on: June 27, 2016, 04:55:38 PM »

Must accountants be blamed for everything? And if an accountant really had been responsible for this (instead of the marketing types who thought it was a good idea to rename P&O's vessels as PANDO and haven't looked back since) he obviously wasn't thinking of the extra expenditure on paint.....

cheers
Simon

5

Shipping News and information / Re: Mystery bulker 'Tai He Hai' at Chittagong

« on: December 19, 2015, 01:43:59 PM »

Hi Rick

possibly TAI ME HAI IMO 7027708, broken up Chittagong 26/11/05 according to Miramar

regards
Simon

6

Shipping News and information / Re: Avin International of Greece

« on: March 13, 2015, 04:29:14 PM »

Peter

apologies, it's old Greek letter Beta which has softened to "V" in modern Greek.

regards
Simon

7

Shipping News and information / Re: Avin International of Greece

« on: March 13, 2015, 02:41:32 PM »

Peter

I think "B" in modern Greek corresponds to ancient Greek "V", hence "B" represents shipowner Vardis Vardinoyannis or Varnima Corp of which Avin International is a part.

regards
Simon

8

Shipping News and information / Re: ship spotted on music record cover & Hamburg S

« on: November 28, 2012, 07:51:23 AM »

Hi Robert

The two Columbus sisters acquired by PIL also had black hulls when operated by them so perhaps the vessel on the album cover might be the former MONTE ROSA IMO 8018974/COLUMBUS CANTERBURY IMO 7800162/MONTE CERVANTES IMO 8014632, scrapped as ALIANCA URSA, CAP BRETT and COLUMBUS CALIFORNIA respectively (ie at least the latter two likely to have retained Hamburg Sud hull colour.

regards
Simon

9

Help and Advice / Re: Kodak files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy

« on: January 20, 2012, 07:06:29 AM »

Sad but an iconic name is now not enough, if it ever was. Perhaps effective action to protect its patents taken earlier would have helped, but as a one time market leader maybe it was too complacent. I can't help thinking that this mirrors its abject failure to support Kodachrome, surrendering market share to what many regard as inferior (and more expensive) alternative slide films. After its withdrawal, justified by Kodak as reflecting "what photographers have told us", many contributors to its "share your memories of Kodachrome" website posted that their only reason to switch from Kodachrome was that it had become impossible to obtain in their country.

10

Help and Advice / Re: Istanbul

« on: November 19, 2011, 08:50:02 AM »

Hi Faith

Traffic through the Bosphorus generally moves in convoy, northbound in the morning, southbound in the afternoon, which is generally helpful for ship photography. The switch is usually around 1/2 pm but can be earlier or later. Naval vessels and cruise ships are not subject to the convoy system.

There are plenty of vantage points but the cityscape background can be a problem. Clearest spot for morning photography is a promenade near the Kadikoy ferry stop on the Asian side but a long lens is essential. Northbound ships come closest at Kandilli, the narrowest point in the straits. here you can take shots from the crumbling promenade or from the road above (which helps with background and avoids the risk of fishing rods getting in the way).

A "tourist" ferry leaves Eminonu 2/3 times each day, first one at 10.35, calling at several locations en route to Anadolu Kavagi at the northern end of the straits. Penultimate stop is Rumeli Kavagi, on the European side, which is excellent for afternoon shots (best position is from the hill about 600 metres to the south of the ferry stop and after around 2.30 when the summer has moved around).

There are several other good points for afternoon photography: the Sarayburnu tea gardens (in Gulhane park and near Topkapi palace) is sufficiently high up to avoid background clutter); Rumeli Hisari, near the 2nd Bosphorus bridge (and almost opposite Kandilli); and Tarabya, about the only point where you can take southbound traffic around midday with the sun behind you.

please send me a pm with your e-mail if you would like a map with the locations marked.

Hope you manage to get there - it's a fantastic city, not just for the ships

regards
Simon

11

Shipping News and information / Re: Informations regardin 2 old romanian tankers

« on: July 23, 2011, 07:30:13 AM »

Hi Cristi

According to Fairplay (issues 24/12/1981 and 17/12/81), both were sold to "London Greeks" for around US$2.8 million and US$3.4m respectively.

Lloyds Confidential Index September 1982 lists LARNACA (ex ARGES) as owned by Cypriot company Luga Bay Shipping Corp, part of the fleet of Troodos Shipping & Trading (Loucas Hajioannou). She was broken up at Alang in June 1992 (Stark/Schell register).

OLTENIA was renamed DONA MARGARITA (possibly DONA MARGARETA), owner Third Ioannis Shipping Co, part of fleet of AJ Chandris. She had several subsequent names and appears to have been broken up in 1996.

regards
Simon

12

Shipping News and information / Re: Dredger OPALE

« on: March 13, 2010, 10:18:01 AM »

Bob

I think "D-P" indicates Groupement d'Interet Economique Dragages-Ports. Lloyds Confidential Index September 1993 shows around 15 dredgers/hopper barges under its ownership.

regards
Simon

13

Shipping News and information / Re: Dredger OPALE

« on: March 13, 2010, 10:17:45 AM »

Bob

I think "D-P" indicates Groupement d'Interet Economique Dragages-Ports. Lloyds Confidential Index September 1993 shows around 15 dredgers/hopper barges under its ownership.

regards
Simon

14

Help and Advice / Re: REQ SHEERNESS-VLISSINGEN 1986

« on: March 11, 2010, 07:36:34 AM »

Mark

By coincidence I also travelled to Vlissingen on 24 May 1986, en route for three days at Terneuzen. The Vlissingen anchorage was particularly busy due to a strike in Antwerp - following the end of the strike, traffic on the Sunday was also heavy.

I only keep a record of vessels photographed, however I took OLAU HOLLANDIA (IMO 7928811) outbound on the late morning sailing from Sheerness on 2 April 1986 so would assume she was on the 24 May day sailing.

regards                                                                                                     Simon

15

Help and Advice / Re: Miramar Ship Index

« on: February 17, 2010, 04:37:19 PM »

Hi Allan

No problems on this occasion (subscribed over 3 weeks ago and Amex statement received today showed no funnies), however the only previous time I have used Paypal, a couple of years back, resulted in attempted fraudulent use of another card, fortunately queried immediately by Natwest.

regards
Simon