2024 Review              (Updated 13th Oct 2024) 

The review of our 2024 programme is shown below.

Saturday 20th April 2024 - Solent Cruise (12:00 - 18:00)

TSS members gathered on Town Quay on 20th April for the first trip of the year - a Solent Cruise on board Solent and Wightline Cruises Solent Cat. After the very changeable spring weather lately, the conditions were very good with bright sunshine but a chilly breeze.

We set off at noon and made our way up to the Western Docks, where the cruise ships Jewel of the Seas and Ventura were berthed at berth 101 and berth 106 respectively.

At the SCT5 container berth the Hapag-Lloyd containership Al Zubara towered over her surroundings. We then passed the outward bound feeder containership Nordic Hamburg a regular caller and on her way to Cork. The rest of the container terminal was empty, so we turned around and followed the Nordic Hamburg out of the Western Docks. At the Eastern Docks the Wallenius vehicle carrier Tijuca was on the Itchen berths. In Empress Dock the research ship James Cook was present. She had recently arrived back from Puntarenas, Costa Rica.

We then proceeded down Southampton Water passing Fawley where the tanker Kivalliq W was in the process of departing. We decided to continue into the Solent and let the outbound tanker catch us up later in the cruise as we were keen to take the North Channel across the Solent in order to intercept the tanker UACC Shamiya which was inward bound for Fawley. Having photographed the UACC Shamiya we waited for the Kivalliq W to catch us up and photographed her as she passed bound for Antwerp.

Next, we photographed four vessels in St. Helen’s anchorage. There were three tankers Paul E, Sigaia Theresa and Cgas Monarch awaiting berths at Fawley. However, the highlight was the Extreme E electric racing support ship St. Helena. She was originally the RMS St. Helena, which maintained a service to Saint Helena island and Ascension Island in the South Atlantic. Onwards now to the Nab Anchorage where the only ship within range was the Lundqvist tanker Lancing. She was awaiting a berth on the Hamble oil jetty.

Having photographed all the ships in the anchorages we started to make our way back to Southampton. Off Cowes we passed the cruise ship Jewel of the Seas which had departed from Southampton for a refit in Brest. At Fawley we were able to get closer this time and photographed the tankers Nippon Princess, Eco Revolution, UACC Shamiya and Brisote.

On arrival back in Southampton Harbour the vehicle carrier Hoegh Asia was at berth 38/39 in the Eastern Docks. P&O’s cruise ship Ventura departed for a cruise with the first stop being Santander. By this time it was almost time for the cruise to end but we just had a few minutes to watch the P&O cruise ship Iona backing out of Ocean Dock, bound for Stavanger.

Our first cruise of the year was over and we found ourselves back at Town Quay. Our thanks go to the captain and crew of the Solent Cat for looking after us so well and also Neil Richardson for navigating our course for the day. Thanks also to the members of the committee for organising the day. I look forward to the next cruise.

Hapag-Lloyd's AL ZUBARA at the container terminal.

NORDIC HAMBURG departing from the container terminal.

Tanker KIVALLIQ W outward bound from Fawley in the Solent.

Tanker PAUL E in St Helen's anchorage.

The St. Helena was also in St Helen's anchorage.

Lundqvist's tanker LANCING in the Nab anchorage.

JEWEL OF THE SEAS outward bound off Cowes.

P&O's VENTURA departing Southampton...

...followed by her fleetmate IONA.

Photos and report by Chris Brooks

Preserved tug STEENBANK at Maassluis.

Bitumen tanker IVER BLESSING inbound on the New Waterway.

Korean LNG Carrier SM ALBATROSS at the Gate Terminal.

Heavy load carrier SEAWAY ALFA LIFT in the Maasvlakte.

Capesize bulker HENG MAY in the Mississippihaven.

Ore carrier SAO OASIS also in the Mississippihaven.

Feeder ship X-PPRESS ELBE in the Caland Canal.

VLCC BALTIC LOYALTY in the Caland Canal.

Shuttle tanker ALTERA WAVE in the Caland Canal.

Saturday 11th May 2024 - Rotterdam and Europoort Cruise (10:00 - 19:30)

A reasonably fine morning saw 36 TSS members, guests and friends gathered at Boompjeskade for the third Nehalennia cruise around the Port of Rotterdam.

Our boat for the day, the NEHALENNIA at Rotterdam.

During our trip, we saw vessels of practically every type – from the largest bulk, oil and container carriers down to the smallest pleasure boats, enough to satisfy the varied interests of everyone aboard. There were also quite a few movements to attract our attention.

As in previous years, our route took us out towards the Hook of Holland where we were caught up by the museum tug Steenbank passed by the inbound bitumen tanker Iver Blessing. However, instead of crossing via the Breediep, we continued out and turned hard to port to enter the Calandkanaal following closely in the wake of Elbcarrier and passing LNG carrier SM Albatross at the Gate terminal.

We then went into the Maasvlakte complex where many vessels awaited our attention including Seaway Alpha Lift loading largish windfarm bits at the SIF terminal, eventually making our way via Mississippihaven where ore carrier Sao Oasis was duly logged. We then continued back into the Calandkanaal. Again there were plenty of ships including crude oil tankers Altera Wave and Yuriy Kuchiev, feeder X-Press Elbe and outbound feeder A2B Spirit.

The boat's crew were kept busy during the day serving drinks of various types together with a very tasty lunch selection and late afternoon spicy nibbles.

Altogether a most enjoyable outing.

Photos by Des Upcraft and Charles McCrossan, report by Roger Hammond.

Monday 15th July saw the first TSS Solent Cruise where we joined forces with the Southampton Branch of the World Ship Society (WSS) for a joint venture. 71 members of the TSS and WSS assembled at Town Quay for the cruise. The weather had turned decidedly wet an hour or so before we boarded the Solent and Wightline Cruises vessel Solent Cat.

We set off in rather wet conditions, bound for Fawley, hoping to see the tanker Nantucket before she departed from Fawley berth 5 having discharged a cargo of crude oil. The tugs were still waiting to pull her off the jetty as we passed Fawley. We continued out into the Solent, bound for St. Helen’s anchorage. We passed the elderly tug Storebror towing a barge and bound for Southampton in the North Channel. By now it had stopped raining and there were a few patches of brightness forming. We photographed the LPG tanker Gas Elixir in St. Helen’s anchorage before continuing out to the Nab Anchorage.

Three vessels were photographed in the Nab Anchorage - the Italian tanker, Dattilo M., the Turkish built coaster Orko which had arrived from Waterford and finally, another Italian tanker, the Angelina Amoretti which had arrived from Rotterdam.

We then went back to St. Helen’s to photograph the remaining ships there. By now there were some small patches of blue sky and a few patches of sunshine. The remaining ships included a few Fawley regulars, Paul E, Eco Universe, Samus Swan and her fleetmate Mona Swan. Additionally the general cargo ship Bellingshausen was photographed. Finally, and probably the most interesting vessel was the Chinese owned tanker XT Peace. She was built in 2023 and had arrived from Rizhao, China, via Singapore and Las Palmas. I believe it is her first visit to Europe.

It was now time to head back towards Southampton where it was looking rather grey. We took the main channel in order to pass the outbound containership CMA CGM Louis Bleriot, which had departed from Southampton, bound for Rotterdam. We passed her off Cowes, but by this time it was tipping it down. Continuing back to Southampton we passed the outbound vehicle carrier Thruxton in Southampton Water. She was bound for Cape Town. The rain had almost stopped by the time we got to her, so photos were possible.

After looking in Empress Dock where several of Whitaker’s bunkering tankers were berthed, we headed up to the Western Docks where the cruise ship Mein Schiff 3 was berthed. By this time the inbound Hapag-Lloyd containership Al Jmeliyah was arriving in the harbour. We passed her in very grey conditions off Marchwood.

It was time for our cruise to end so we berthed in Town Quay where we said our goodbyes. Our thanks go to the TSS Committee and the committee of the WSS Southampton Branch for organising the day and thanks to Neil Richardson for navigating the boat on the day. Finally a big thankyou to the captain and crew of the Solent Cat for looking after us so well. Hopefully the next Solent Cruise will be held on a slightly drier day!

Veteran tug STOREBROR in the Solent.

DATTILO M in the Nab Anchorage.

Cargo ship ORKO also in the Nab Anchorage.

Fawley regular MONA SWAN in St. Helen's Anchorage.

Chinese owned tanker XT PEACE in St. Helen's Anchorage.

...finally the PAUL E was also in St. Helen's Anchorage.

Vehicle carrier THRUXTON outbound from Southampton.

MEIN SCHIFF 3 in the Western Docks, Southampton.

Containership AL JMELIYAH inbound in Southampton Harbour.

Photos and report by Chris Brooks

EUROCARGO VALENCIA in the Western Docks.

BG DIAMOND departing from the container terminal.

ONE TRUTH at the container terminal.

Japanese naval training ship SHIMAKAZE in the Eastern Docks.

Veteran dredger CHERRY SAND in the Solent.

MSC NIKOLETA II inward bound in the Solent.

GAS ELIXIR in St. Helen's Anchorage.

CELEBRITY APEX outward bound in Southampton Water...

...followed by P&O's IONA.

Photos and report by Chris Brooks

Around 40 TSS members gathered for the last Solent Cruise of the year, sadly under rather grey skies. We boarded our vessel for the day, Solent and Wightline Cruises vessel Solent Cat and proceeded into the Western Docks past the preparations for the Boat Show in Mayflower Park. The Western Docks hosted the cruise ships Celebrity Apex and MSC Virtuosa as well as Grimaldi’s ro-ro cargo ship Eurocargo Valencia which had arrived from Turkey. The cargo ship Arklow Raider was in the King George V dock. We passed the outbound feeder containership BG Diamond on our way to the container terminal. Around the corner at the container terminal was the Hapag-Lloyd vessel Al Safat which had arrived from Norfolk, USA, earlier in the morning. Also present was the very pink containership One Truth.

We re-traced our steps out of the Western Docks to view the visiting Japanese naval training ship Shimakaze in the Eastern Docks. She had arrived from Hamburg on the Japanese Navy’s annual training cruise. She was commissioned in 1988 as a guided missile destroyer and re-classified as a training ship in 2021. P&O’s cruise ship Iona was in the Ocean Dock and the vehicle carrier Morning Pilot was on the River Itchen berths along with the coaster CM Neptune loading grain on berth 36.

The tankers Essex Star, Songa Aurora, Versutius and Bergen TS were at Fawley. We took the North Channel across the Solent at Calshot, sadly missing the tanker Golden Orchid which was on her way in via the main channel. In the North Channel we passed the veteran dredger Cherry Sand which has been working at Southampton lately. Leaving the North Channel we intercepted the inbound containership MSC Nikoleta II but by now it had started to rain.

We continued out to St. Helen’s anchorage where the tankers Mona Swan, Gas Elixir, Eco Nical and Eco Universe were anchored – all regular callers at Fawley. We then made our way out to view the ships in the Nab Anchorage. Unfortunately at this point we started to encounter a bit of a swell and eventually as we neared the vessels in the Nab anchorage a decision was made to turn around and make our way back into the Solent as the swell made the voyage rather uncomfortable. We made our way back to Southampton via the main channel, calling in at Cowes harbour to view the replica Spanish galleon Andalucia which was visiting Cowes.

As we made our way back to Southampton we encountered the outward bound cruise ship Celebrity Apex bound for Glasgow. She was followed by P&O’s Iona which was bound for Stavanger. It was now time for our cruise to end, so we made our way back to Town Quay. Our thanks go to the captain and crew of the Solent Cat for looking after us and to Dave Smith and other committee members for organising the day.

A small number of members made their way to Bremen for the TSS trip to Bremen and Bremerhaven in particular. Flight delays on the Thursday caused major issues with one person over nighting in Munich !!

On the Friday members made their way by train to Hamburg where the port was quiet as were the movements on the Elbe. Most ended up trainspotting at Hamburg Harburg where 54 freight trains in 3 hours took some beating.

Saturday saw members join the cruise on the Weser from Bremen to Bremerhaven which takes just under four hours. The shipping was not plentiful but there was enough of interest as we made our way down river passing many industrial sites and berths. Vessels noted included the geared bulkers Sea Breeze and Crimson Queen at Bremen, the geared bulker TAC Daytona at Brake and the specialist carrier Kugelbake at the Airbus factory berth. Vessels of the Kustenwache were under repair at the shipyards between Bremen and Stade and included the vessels Bremen, Rugen, Scharhoern and Uthoern. Tugs noted included VB Blexen, VB Brake and VB Rechtenfleth.

On arrival at Bremerhaven members headed for the harbour trip which covers the docks system inside the locks. Vessels noted included the 2024 newbuild car carrier CMA CGM Silverstone, heavy lift ship Combi Dock 1, car carrier Morning Lucy, container vessel Maersk Newbury, the roro vessel ML Freyja, and the Hapag cruise vessel Europa. Tugs noted included Fairplay 61, VB Innovation, VB Ambition and VB Emotion.

The harbour cruise outside the docks was not operating but we could pick out the following on the extensive riverside container terminal, MSC Coruna, MSC Katrina, Mumbai Maersk, Anina, CMA CGM Musset, Laura Maersk, Maren Maersk, CCNI Angol and Elbwind.

On the Sunday we returned by train to Bremerhaven and did both the dock harbour cruise and the river Weser cruise to view the container ships. Vessels noted included Maersk Kansas, Budapest Express, Maren Maersk and 2024 newbuild CMA CGM Mermaid. The Spliethoffs vessel Sampogracht made a fine site inbound for Bremen. Tugs noted included VB Tragen, VB Pioneer, Fairplay 82, Svitzer Rota, Svitzer Ran and Svitzer Heimdal. Of particular interest was the cruise ship Aroya under refit for Saudi interests, the vessel being previously World Dream of the now bankrupt Genting cruise empire.

Built in the Netherlands in 1901 the General Cargo Ship DIDE sails down the River Elbe from Hamburg.

NYK DAEDALUS in the River Elbe on the approach to Hamburg.

Pollution Control Vessel MELLUM having some modifications at the Abeking & Rasmussen Shipyard on the River Weser near Bremen.

Heavy Load Carrier COMBI DOCK 1 in the Inner Harbour at Bremerhaven.

1990 built tug VB BLUMENTHAL comes through the lock at Bremerhaven.

Cruise Saudi owned AROYA nearing completion of a major refit in Bremerhaven.

Photos by Trevor Hargreaves, Report by Stephen Marginson.

16th November 2024 - Ocean Liner Society Ship Show

The TSS will have a table at the Ocean Liner Society Ship Show.

The show will take place in Alton Community Centre, Alton, Hampshire.

TSS Committee members will be on hand to answer questions, so come along and have a chat with us.

Further details to be advised when available.