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Norwegian Epic (2010/153,000 gt) made a belated debut at Southampton on 22 June after suffering a propellor shaft bearing failure soon after delivery. The ship is the largest ever built by STX Europe at St. Nazaire, the same shipyard that built the much better looking Queen Mary 2 (2003/151,400 gt). Norwegian Epic is scheduled to cross the Atlantic for her official naming ceremony in New York on 2 July prior to repositioning to Miami for a season of Carribbean cruises.
HMS Albion, one of three Royal Navy warships placed under Foreign Office direction to help Britons return home to the UK, has arrived in Portsmouth with more than 700 troops and civilians. The assault ship picked them up in Santander amid widespread disruption to air travel throughout Europe. The carriers Ark Royal and Ocean remain on standby in the English Channel.
Celebrity Eclipse (2010/122,000 gt) made her debut at Southampton on 20 April. It was then announced that the timetable for her launch celebrations would be revised in order to assist UK holidaymakers whose return from their Easter break has been halted due to the impact of ash clouds from the eruption of the Eyjafjallajoekull volcano in Iceland. The ship was due to sail for Bilbao via Guernsey the same day to collect those affected by the airport closures and subsequent flight cancellations.
P&O Cruises' latest cruise ship arrived at her new homeport on a typically dull and chilly spring morning on 7 April. Azura (2010/115,000 gt) is a sister-ship to Ventura (2008/115,000 gt), although the new arrival sports a large 'duck tail' at the rear to improve fuel economy. She also differs from other P&O ships in that she is British-flagged and registered in Southampton. Azura will be officially named on 10 April and set-off on her maiden voyage two days later.
Bad weather has contributed to the disruption of ferry services on the English Channel over the holiday weekend. Strong winds led to an incident with Norman Arrow striking a dolphin at Portsmouth ferry port on only her second day in service. The 112m Incat subsequently left for repairs in Dunquerke. This effected timetables with LD Lines having to quickly rearrange their fleet disposition to cover her absence. Côte D'Albâtre (2005/12,000 gt) was shifted to daytime sailings, whilst Norman Bridge (1999/22,152 gt) was temporarily repositioned from the Dover-Boulogne route with Ostend Spirit (1991/28,883 gt) shifting from Ramsgate-Ostend as cover. All this and SeaFrance went on strike...again!
Brittany Ferries’ latest vessel, Cap Finistère (2001/32,728 gt), entered service on 22 March with an overnight sailing from Cherbourg to Portsmouth. At 204m long and operating at speeds of up to 29 knots the former Superfast V is the company's longest and fastest conventional ferry to date. She will provide two weekly roundtrips from the UK to Spain, complementing the twice-weekly sailings already offered by Brittany Ferries’ flagship Pont-Aven (2004/41,700 gt). In addition to her Spanish sailings Cap Finistère will also operate three times a week to Cherbourg.
MSC Magnifica (2010/93,330 gt) arrived at Southampton on 26 February for a three-day showcase event. The fourth Musica class vessel will be named in Hamburg prior to her maiden cruise from Amsterdam on 9 March. MSC Magnifica is the first of five newly completed cruise ships due to make an appearance at Southampton this year with Azura, Celebrity Eclipse, Norwegian Epic and Queen Elizabeth also expected.
Brittany Ferries' latest acquisition made a short stop at Portsmouth on 23 February for berthing trials. Cap Finistère (2001/32,728 gt) (ex-Superfast V) called in en route from her delivery voyage from the Mediterranean to refit in Dunquerke. She is due to enter service on 22 March when she will provide additional capacity between Santander and Cherbourg from Portsmouth.
OOCL Nagoya (2009/40,168 grt) visted the port of Southampton 6-7 February. The 4,578 TEU Panamax class vessel is the first of five newly introduced container ships scheduled to call in as many weeks. Also due are the 8,063 TEU SX class ships OOCL Washington and OOCL Seoul (both 2010/89,097 grt) and the Hapag-Lloyd vessels Vienna Express (2010/93,750 grt) and Seattle Express (2009/91,203 grt). Another first time visitor is the cruise ships MSC Magnifica which will berth at the City Cruise Terminal from 26 -28 February.
RFA Largs Bay pictured sailing from Marchwood military port (Sea Mounting Centre) near Southampton on 3 February. The auxiliary landing ship is loaded with shelter equipment and heavy lifting machinery amongst other items essential for the relief operation in Haiti. The ship will spend around three weeks on station supporting the UN relief effort on behalf of the UK Department for International Development and British and international Non-Governmental Organisations funded from the Disasters Emergency Committee appeal.
The second of six Type 45 destroyers being built for the Royal Navy has arrived at her new homeport for the first time. HMS Dauntless pulled into Portsmouth on 2 December ahead of her official handover the following day.
After early delays the T45 project is on schedule for completion by the end of 2013, with all but one of the class now afloat. All six will be based at Portsmouth and maintained under a recently agreed £309 million seven year support contract.
The unfeasibly large Oasis of the Seas made a brief stop in the Solent on 2 November to disembark shipyard workers prior to her Atlantic delivery voyage. The 225,282 grt Royal Caribbean vessel is comfortably the largest and most expensive passenger ship ever built. Some of her unique features include an aquatic amphitheatre that serves as a pool by day and an outdoor theatre by night. The ship will also feature seven 'themed neighbourhoods' - very American! Oasis of the Seas will be offically named at Fort Lauderdale on 30 November.
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