Methania on the move?

[Kelvin Davies]

Southamtpon VTS schedule today shows a departure for the LNG carrier, Methania.
Methania, which has been laid up awaiting disposal for some months at Southampton is scheduled to leave 31 March at 12:00.
We have seen these "phantom departures" before; Margaret Hill for example.
Let's wait and see what really happens
Kelvin

[Allan RO]

Hi Kelvin

I wouldn't hold your breath - they also list the other long term resident Axiom 2 as leaving on  the same day  -  guess its 'end of quarter' paperwork.

And I see Championship has just arrived at Fawley, she never appeared on the list until this morning !!!

Allan

[Kelvin Davies]

Hi Allan,
I saw the Championship on her way St Helens last night.
I notice that just to add a bit of excitement, VTS are showing Nordic Chantal moving from 107 to 108 berth 3 times in one morning, using 2 different agents; Sigas Commander will move from Esso #8 to Esso #1 twice (without having made the return journey from 1 back to and Promitheas is due to berth on Esso 5 in the morning tomorrow and Cape Bari will pile in on top of that in the afternoon.
I suppose I will just have to make the journey to see who comes out on top!
I noticed Maersk Nordenham has been in and out like a fiddler's elbow over the last few weeks and is due for a return visit in the morning.
Cheers
Kelvin

[Allan RO]

Hi Kelvin

Regarding the change of berths, VTS normally give 2 entries, one for departure and the other for arrival at the new berth. but in practice neither are usually accurate and have to be checked by AIS.

They are also giving Nordic Chantal as coming from St. Petersburg, USA, but according to AIS she is in the Russian version, not the USA !!!

all the best

Allan

[Kelvin Davies]

It gets worse, Allan,
This morning, the tanker Senatore was due to follow Promitheas in, about 45 minutes behind it, for Hamble.
I get up at 05:15 and find it is put back to this evening. Well, the weather was rubbish so I went back to bed rather than go all that way to get a silhouette of the Promitheas. Anyway, I can can catch Majestic Maersk and OOCL Long Beach leaving around mid-day Sunday.
Oh no I can't! OOCL Long Beach is already passing Cowes something like 18 hours early!
I see 2 tugs suddenly appeared on the schedule from Ramsgate, just before one of them appeared on AIS; they hadn't featured on the site before this evening.
Worse, Senatore made a brave effort to get up to Hamble, got as far as Spithead and made a U turn and is now heading back to the Nab Anchorage.
Promitheas is due to leave at 12:00 tomorrow. By coincidence, the rain is due to arrive around then!
Did you notice, this evening Arabian Breeze is coming in via the North Channel? That is the first time I have seen any of those car carriers come in that way and it is not a particularly high tide today at only 4m.

[ChasB46]

Kelvin/Allan, hope you put your clock on and did not dash off for 12.00 Promitheas, now 19.00; and as for Senatore, could not keep the meter running for ever, and is now entering North Sea.

[Kelvin Davies]

Chas,
I failed to put my clock on but it made no difference; absolutely nothing went to schedule today.
CMA CGM Quartz came in early (good thing)
Majestic Maersk left late (not a bad thing)
Esso lied about Promitheas (usual thing)
And someone else lied about Nordic Chantal which was showing 29 or 30th arrival. It is now alongside 107 but too late for me as it started raining while up at Marchwood.
Knightsbridge's PM move to Fawley looks like Perhaps Maybe.
I wonder if Senatore went to Rotterdam as a result of British Airways saying "we don't actually need any aviation fuel, thank you"?
It does look as though there is some activity on Methania though as water is running through the anchor hawsepipes this afternoon.

[ChasB46]

Kelvin, Allan, you can have another lie in. Methania now pencilled in for 31/5/10. Guess that's the best end of month they can choose at VTS and they still have that big eraser handy.