Grande Europa seen in the Port of Salerno on 8 June 2012.

Built by Fincantieri Italiani at Castellammare as Yard Number 5987 in 1995 she is 181.2m long with a 32m beam and 9.4m maximum draught.

She is the lead ship in the Grande Europa Class which consists of  three vessels and has a Ro-Ro capacity of 2,000m.

GT = 51714, NT 17155 and DWT 18427.

Powered by a Sulzer 7RTA62U (15545 kW, 21,141 bhp) engine with a single propeller she has a service speed of 18.5 knots.

The vessel is owned and operated by the Grimaldi Group which was
established in 1947 when Guido Grimaldi and his four brothers set up the
business using a liberty ship. During the 1960's the company expanded into
freight and tanker operations as well as in the late 60's the transporting of vehicles. The company operates throughout Europe, West Africa and South America.

I have seen quite a few Grimaldi vehicle carriers and had previously seen Grande Europa before whilst on holiday on the Isle of Wight in August 2009. In fact looking through my records all the vessels were seen from this part of the World presumably delivering vehicles to Southampton apart from Grand Benelux which I saw moored in Bristol.

MMSI - 247206000
REG - IT, Palermo
IMO - 9138381
Call Sign - ICGE
Vehicles Carrier
Built - Fincantieri,  Italiani, Castellammare, IT
Yard Number- 5987
L 181.2 W  32
GT - 51714
Year - 1995
Salerno, 8 June 2012

The island of Stromboli photographed through a mid morning haze from the deck of the Serenade of the Seas as we headed South towards the Straits of  Messina on 2 June 2012.

It is one of eight Aeolian Islands located in the Tyrrhenian Sea North of Sicily and one of three active volcanoes in Italy. The peak of the island sits approximately 924m above sea level but the island as an entity rises over
2700m from the sea floor.

Although not visible on my photograph a thin plume of smoke was coming
from the top of the volcano which was visible on the horizon long before the
island came into view, the volcano seems to have been erupting on a regular
basis since it was formed 40,000 years ago.

As we passed I could see Italian registered Products Tanker Naxos (IMO 6909909, GT 1429, 1969) moored off Stromboli Town, this is one of two places
on the island, the other Ginostra is much smaller and on the other side of the
island. In the 1890's the population of the island numbered about 2,100, this
has reduced considerably over the years and now some 300 to 350 people live
there.

Boudicca photographed in Liverpool on 13 September 2013. 

She was built in 1973 by the Wartsila Hietalahti Shipyard in Helsinki, Finland as Yard Number 396.

Named Royal Viking Sky she was one of three sister ships and initially served in the Royal Viking Line between 1971 and 1991.

She is currently owned and operated by Fred Olsen Cruise Lines but before entering service with her current owners she sailed as :-

Sunward (NCL 1991-1992)
Birka Queen (Birka Cruises 1992)
Golden Princess (Princess Cruises 1993-1997)
Hyundai Keumgang (HMM 1998-2001)
SuperStar Capricorn (Star Cruises 2001-2004),
Grand Latino (Iberocruceros 2004-2005). 

When built she could carry 536 passengers was 177.70m long with a 25.19m beam and 7m draught. GT was  21,891and DWT 3595. Powered by four Wartsila-Sulzer 9ZH40/48 (13,240kW) engines with 2 propellers she could make 21.5 Knots .
 
She was rebuilt in 1982 at the AG Weser shipyard to enable her to carry 880 passengers and her length was increased to 205.47m. 
 
In 2005 her main engines were changed to four MAN 7L32/40 (14000 kW) giving her a top speed of 22 Knots.

Her latest refit was in 2011.

At the time of writing she is heading North along the Norwegian coast at a leisurely 4.9 knots.

MMSI - 309964000
REG - BS, Nassau
IMO - 7218395
Call Sign -   C6VA3
Cruise Ship
Built - Wartsila, Helsinki, FI
Yard  No. - 396
L  205.47m W 26mm
GT - 28388
Built - 1973
Liverpool, 13 September 2013

Fishing vessel Sainte Marie De la Mer which is translated as St Mary Of The Sea photographed in Le Treport on 10 August 2013.

It was a fine summer day and after driving South for about an hour from our camp site through the French countryside and parking the car against the sea wall I took the picture in the inner harbour as we were walking into the town centre.

She was built by Forges de Caloin Etaples in 1991 and has a length of 24.02m. 

GT = 102 and Summer DWT 34.

She is powered by a 526kW engine.

MMSI - 227106100
Call Sign -FQGH
IMO - 9010759

General Cargo Ship Wilson Caen heading out of the River Humber on
23 August 2012. I took the photograph from the P&O ferry from Rotterdam as
we were heading towards Hull, with a couple of other hardy souls I was on deck just before dawn to see the sun rising out of the North Sea and enjoy the final leg of the journey into the Humber Estuary past Immingham and onto Hull.

She was built by Slovenske Lodenice in Komarno as Yard Number 3007 in 1998 and until July 2004 was known as Dutch Navigator.

With an overall length of 99.91m, 12.80m beam and 5.67m Summer Draft (5.55m Winter) she has a GT of 2999 and NT 1733.

She has a single hold with two movable bulkheads which has a capacity of 5841m3.

Powered by a Deutz MWM TBD 645L6 Engine the vessel has a service speed of 12.5 Knots, she also has a 250kW bow thruster. 

She is operated by Wilson Shipping based in Bergen, Norway which owns / operates over 100 vessels.

MMSI - 314179000
REG - BB, IBridgetown
IMO - 9173290
Call Sign - 8PRM
General Cargo Ship
Built - Slovenske Lodenice, Komarno, SK
Yard No - 3007
L 99.91m W 12.8m
GT - 2999
Year - 1998
Humber Estuary Nr Immingham, 23 August 2012

Products Tanker Energy Century photographed at Fawley on 26 October 2013.

I took the photograph from the ferry as we headed from Southampton to East Cowes on the Isle Of Wight.

She was built by Hyundai in Ulsan, South Korea as Yard Number 1463 in 2003 and has a length of 228.02m, 32m beam and 13.72m Summer draft. Her main engine consists of a single MAN B&W 6S60MC-C Engine (13548 kW @ 96.6RPM). 

DWT 70201 & NT 19597

She is owned / managed by Golden Energy / Enterprise Shipping and Trading SA which is based in Athens. Enterprise Shipping and Trading was formed in 1973, manages a fleet of over 70 vessels and operates Worldwide.

MMSI - 235733000
REG - UK, Douglas
IMO - 9259329
Call Sign - MBEF7
Built - Hyundai, Ulsan, KR
Yard No. 1463
L 228.02m W 32m
GT - 41397
Year -  2003
Fawley, 26 October 2014

Smit Damietta photographed in Liverpool Docks on 13 January 2014. 
 
She is a relatively recent visitor to Liverpool having arrived in the port after
sailing from Valetta in January.
 
Built in 2005 by Anadolu in Tuzla, Turkey as Yard Number 195 she has a length of 30.25m, 11.6m beam and 4.55m maximum draught.

On board air-conditioned accommodation is provided for 9 persons.

She is equipped with two fire fighting monitors rated at 1200m3/hr and a crane (2.2 SWL @9.3m reach).
 
Her main engines consist of two Caterpillar 3516 HB DITA (3,600 kW & 4285 BHP) with two controllable pitch propellers giving her a service speed of 9 knots and maximum speed of 13 Knots.
 
Bollard pull (ahead) is 60t and bollard pull (astern) 55t.

I believe that the vessel was named after the LNG Export Terminal in Damietta, Egypt where in 2005 Smit commenced operations with BP, Union Fenosa, BG and Petronas. She was working the terminal with sister tug Smit Port Said. 

Smit became a member of the Royal Boskalis Westminster Group in 2010 and provide towage and salvage in numerous locations around the World, they currently have a fleet of approximately 200 harbour tugs.

MMSI - 30895400
REG - HK, Hong Kong
IMO - 9359521
Call Sign - C6VA4
Built - Anadolu, Tuzla, TR
Yard No. 195
L 30.25m W 11.6m
GT - 404
Year - 2005
Liverpool, 13 January 2014

General Cargo Ship Huanghai Advance photographed in Liverpool Docks on 7 February 2014.
 
A multi-purpose carrier she is equipped for the transporting of containers and has also been strengthened for heavy cargo. She was built by the Huanghai Ship Building Company in Rongcheng, China in 2012 as Yard Number hcy-87 and has a length of 166.31m, 27.4m breadth and 7m draught.

GT= 20695, DWT = 28154 & NT 10263

She has four holds with a total grain capacity of 39102.02m3 with each hold having a folding/lift away hydraulic weather hatch cover. 

The vessel can carry a total of 1742 teus (733 in the hold and 1009 on deck) and is also equipped with three electro hydraulic cranes (2 x SWL 200t + 1 x SWL 45t).

Propulsion is provided by a MAN B&W / STX  6 Cylinder 6S40ME-89 Diesel Engine (6,810 kW) with a singe propellor giving a service speed of 13.5 knots.

Up to July 2012 she was called Macarena.

Since I saw her she has  left port and is en-route to Fredericia, Denmark.

MMSI - 477914400
REG - HK, Hong Kong
IMO - 9458418
Call Sign - VRKY4
Built - Huanghai SB Co., Rongcheng, CN
Yard No. hcy-87
L 166.31m W 27.4m
GT - 20695
Year - 2012
Liverpool, 7 February 2014

Veteran ferry Princess Royal photographed 13 February 2014 in Liverpool Docks. 

For the first time in many years she has moved from her berth enabling a side on photograph.

She was built in 1959 as Yard Number 1298 by Schlichting Werft, Travemunde, Germany and has a length of 54.9m, 11.1m beam and 3.11m draught. 

Launched as Alte Lieb her name changed to Orestad (1962), Baltica I (1973), Habicht (1977) and Princess Royal (1995). In 2008 she may have changed her name to Trinity.

GT = 918 & NT 172

Machinery consists of two 8-cyl, Modag diesel engines (836 kW) which gave a service speed of 13.5 Knots.

MMSI - N/A
REG -  N/A
IMO -5264663
Call Sign - 9HBX9
Ferry
Built -  Schlichting Werft, Travemunde, DE
Yard No. -1298
L  54.9m W 11.1m
GT - 918
Built -1959
Liverpool, 13 February 2014