Tuesday 25 December 2012

m.v. SMIT SINGAPORE


Posted by Picasam.v. "Smit Singapore"
Owner Smit Tak, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
Flag the Netherlands.
Built 1984 by Niestern-Sander Scheepswerven b.v., Delfzijl, the Netherlands.
Grt. 2.670, dwt. 802, l.o.a.75.32 mt., breadth 15.68 mt.
Engine type Motor, 2 x Stork-Werkspoor 2 x 6.750 bhp., 2 screws.
BP 189 ton.
Vessel type Tug.

The "Smit Singapore" is seen here departing for her Maiden voyage on the
Nieuwe Waterweg near Hook of Holland.

Monday 24 December 2012

HOLLANDS GLORIE (Dutch Glory)

The title is not a reference to a famous or less known brand of liqueur made in Holland but is a season
greeting of the master of one of the last ocean going tugs flying the Dutch flag. It regards the tug "Singapore".
I invite you to read this season greeting for it tells in a few well chosen  words the demise of a once great and
world famous salvage and towing company, Smit Internationale Sleep- en Bergingsdienst N.V. in Maasluis.

"This is the last season greetings send from this vessel. Soon the "Singapore" will be history and wholesaled together with "London" and "Rotterdam".  Presently the "Singapore" is performing her last towage under Dutch flag. An empty barge from Malaysia across the Pacific to Morgan City (USA).
I was already retired, but due to personnel circumstances I was requested by Svitzer Ocean Towage to make this last voyage. I joined "Singapore" in Honolulu end of Novermber, during a bunker stop. It is trip down memory lane. In 1984 I was Chief Officer on the "Smit Singapore" on her maiden voyage. After that I made many voyages as Captain on the "Smitwijs Singapore". This is my last voyage as Captain and it gives me great pleasure that I can do this on this tug, with a few old good time colleagues. On the other hand it is a sad feeling now the end is near for this branch of Dutch ocean towage, dating back to the Nineteenth century. It didn't have to end this way.
The decline and demise, which took several decades to materialize, was caused by wrong strategies, wrong investments and haughty judgement by Smit International management in the past. The final axe came from the cold and ruthless bean counters in Denmark.
Fortunately other Dutch towing companies are keeping this traditional and reputable Dutch trade alive.
Personally I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a good 2013. Let one of your toasts during New Year's Eve be on the "old ladies" and their crews that sailed on them. I wish you all well!!
Capt. Kees Pronk - Master Singapore  "

This says it all, I think. Smit, once a force in the towage and salvage world is now part of a dredging company and slowly the tugs are being sold to foreign interests. Wijsmuller, another well known towing and salvage company has disappeared from the seas, because the management did not have the courage to affront the competition with the lame excuse that it was a matter of taking over or being taken over. The last happened of course and now they are part of the "happy" A.P. Moller family.

Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Wednesday 19 December 2012

m.v. MAGDALENA


Posted by Picasam.v. "Magdalena"
Owner Dammers & van der Heide, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
Flag the Netherlands.
Built 1979 by Nieuwe Noord Nederlandse Scheepswerven B.V., Groningen, the Netherlands.
Grt. 1.195, nrt. 785, l.o.a. 83.76 mt., beam 14.02 mt.
Engine type Motor, Deutz, 3.000 bhp.,
Speed 14 knots.
Vessel type Reefer.
 

Sunday 9 December 2012

s.s. SANTA ROSA


Posted by Picasas.s. "Santa Rosa".
Owner Grace Line, New York, United States.
Flag United States.
Built 1958 by Newport News Ship Building & Dry Dock Company Inc., Newport News, USA.
Grt. 15.371, l.o.a. 177.93 mt, beam 25.61 mt.
Engine type Steam Turbines, General Electric, 22.000ihp., speed 20 knots.
Vessel type Passenger.
In 1970 the Grace Line Inc. amalgamated with Prudential Lines Inc. to form Prudential-Grace Lines Inc.
In January 1971 the "Santa Rosa" was laid up at Hampton Roads, in 1975 to the U.S. Department of Commerce. Remained laid up.
In 1976 the vessel was sold to the Vintero Corp., New York and renamed "Samos Sky", in South America services.

Wednesday 5 December 2012

m.v. SANTO STEFANO

 m.v. "Santo Stefano".
ex Nicoletta Montanari '79.
Owner Petrolmar SpA, Genova, Italy.
Built 1961 by Cantiere Navale
Felszegi, Trieste, Italy.
Grt. 998, nrt. 464, dwt. 1.491,
l.o.a. 65.89 mt., breadth 10.83 mt.
 Engine type Motor, MWM, 800 bhp., speed 9.75 kn.
Vessel type Tank.
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m.v. YOLANDA


Posted by Picasa
Owner E.H. Roelfs (Scheepvaart & Handelmaatschappij COMAR b.v.), Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
Flag the Netherlands.
Built 1978 by Scheepsbouw & Reparatie Gebr. Sander B.V., Delfzijl, the Netherlands.
Grt. 997, nrt. 694, dwt. 2.300, l.o.a. 82.00 mt., beam 14.23 mt.
Engine type Motor, Kloeckner Humboldt Deutz, 1.500 bhp., speed 12.5 knots.
Vessel type Cargo.

m.v. HURRICANE


Posted by Picasam.v. "Hurricane".
ex Hurricane '81.
Owner Braithwaite & Dean, London, United Kingdom.
Flag United Kingdom.
Built 1938 in United Kingdom.
L.o.a. 23.95 mt., beam 6.30 mt.
Engine type Motor, 558 bhp.
Vessel type Tug.

Tuesday 27 November 2012

m.v. ECO ISABELA


Posted by Picasam.v. "Eco Isabela".
Owner Naviera Eco S.A., Bilbao, Spain.
Flag Spain.
Built 1976 by Soc. Met. Duro Felguera, Gijon, Spain.
Grt. 1.253, nrt. 867, dwt. 2.900, l.o.a. 89.13 mt., beam 14.64 mt.
Engine type Motor, Deutz-Hijos de J. Barreras, 2.700 bhp., speed 13 knots.
Cessel type Cargo/Container.

m.v. KONKAR RESOLUTE


Posted by Picasam.v. "Konkar Resolute".
Owner Konkar Resolute Corp., Piraeus, Greece.
Flag Greece.
Built 1970 by Mitsui Shipbuilding and Engineering Company Ltd., Tamano, Japan.
Grt. 24.693, nrt. 17.156, dwt. 45.206, l.o.a. 203.00 mt., width 28.73 mt.
Engine type Motor, Burmaister & Wain-Mitsui SB & Eng. Co. Ltd., 13.800 bhp.
Speed 16 knots.
Vessel type Bulk.

m.v. HOLLWEDE


Posted by Picasam.v. "Hollwede".
ex Ibesca Anglia '80, ex Hollwede '78.
Owener Osterwisch und Sohn Schiffahrtsbetriebe, Hamburg, Germany.
Flag Germany.
Built 1977 by J.J. Sietas KG Schiffswerft, Hamburg, Germany.
Grt. 897, nrt. 611, dwt. 2.044, l.o.a. 71.99 mt., beam 12.81 mt.
Engine type Motor, MaK, 1.000 bhp., speed 12 kn.
Vessel type Cargo.

Sunday 25 November 2012

m.v. HOECHST EXPRESS


Posted by Picasam.v "Hoechst Express".
ex Incotrans Promise '84, ex Hoechst Express '81, ex Hoechst '79.
Owner Hapag-Lloyd AG., Hamburg, Germany.
Flag Germany.
Built 1971 at Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft, Hamburg, Germany.
1979 (Main cargo section), Bremer Vulkan AG., Vegesack, Germany (leng. & deepened, converted from
General Cargo vessel 1979).
Grt. 16.736, nrt. 9.887, dwt. 21.307, l.o.a. 181.44 mt., beam 28.77 mt.
Engine type Motor, MAN-Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft, 22.500 bhp., speed 21.5 knots.
Vessel type Container.

m.v. ETHA RICKMERS


Posted by Picasam.v. "Etha Rickmers".
ex Etha '75, ex Munchen '70.
Owner Felicitas-Rickmers Linie (Panama) S.A. (Rickmers Linie K.G. (A.G. & Co.), Panama.
Flag Panama.
Built 1958 by A.G. "Weser", Bremen, Germany.
Grt. 12.669, nrt. 7.618, dwt. 16.444, l.o.a. 166.58 mt., beam 22.28 mt.
Engine type Motor, Frd. Krupp A.G., 12.500 bhp.
Speed 17.5 knots.
Vessel type Cargo.

m.v. CRES

 m.v. "Cres".
Owner Losinjska Plovidba OOUR,
Brodarstvo, Rijeka, Jugoslavia.
Flag Jugoslavia.
Built 1980 by Brodogradiliste "Titovo",
Kraljevica, Jugoslavia.
Grt. 2.855, nrt. 1.144, dwt. 4.469,
l.o.a. 103.00 mt., beam 19.72 mt.
Engine type Motor, MAN, 9.000 bhp.,
speed 15 knots.
Vessel type RoRo Cargo/General Cargo.
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m.v. BENCLEUCH

 m.v. "Bencleuch".
Owner The Ben Line Steamers Ltd.
(William Thomson & Co. (Ben Line),
Leith, United Kingdom.
Flag United Kingdom.
Built 1976 by Nieuwe Noord-Nederlandse Scheepswerven N.V., Groningen, the Netherlands.
Grt. 1.599, nrt. 951, dwt. 2.549.
L.O.A. 80.78 mt., breadth 12.78 mt.
Engine type Motor, N.V. Smit & Bolnes, 2.730 bhp., speed 13.5 knots.
Vessel type Tank.
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Wednesday 21 November 2012

s.s. BATAVIA


Posted by Picasas.s. "Batavia"
ex s.s. Polonia '1913.
Owner HAPAG (Hamburg Amerika Linie), Hamburg Germany.
Built 1899 by Blohm und Voss, Hamburg, Germany.
Grt. 10.178, l.o.a. 157,43 mt., width 18.91 mt.
Engine type Steam, 4 x expansion engines, Blohm & Voss, 4.100 ihp., speed max. 12.5 knots.
Vessel type Passenger (300 in second class) 2.400 steerage.
The "Batavia was launched in March 1899. The maiden voyage Hamburg-Baltimore was on May 30, 1899.
On June 11, 1909 the "Batavia" took aboard 300 passengers from the Cunard steamer "Slavonia" which had run aground near the Azores.
In 1913 the "Batavia" was sold pro-forma (without payment) to the Unione Austriaca di Navigazione in Triest, this because of a rate war with the Canadian Pacific Railway Company. The vessel was renamed
"Polonia" and served the Mediterranean-Canada service. Later thta year the ship returned to the HAPAG and her old name.
on December 1919 the "Batavia" was handed over to the French Government.
Broken up in 1924.

Wednesday 31 October 2012

m.v. ISGARD


Posted by Picasam.v. "Isgard".
ex Britmari '79, ex Beluna '61.
Owner Bror Husells Rederier, Mariehamn, Finland.
Flag Finland.
Built 1955 by Kalmar Varv A/B, Kalmar, Sweden.
Grt. 499, nrt. 351, dwt. 1.212, l.o.a. 65.23 mt., breadth 9.50 mt.
Engine type Motor, Kloeckner Humboldt Deutz, 500 bhp., speed 10.5 kn.
Vessel type Cargo.

m.v. FERDINAND DE LESSEPS

m.v. "Ferdinand de Lesseps".
Owner Messageries Maritimes, Marseile, France.
Flag France.
 Built 1952 by Chantiers de la Gironde, Bordeaux, France.
Grt. 10.881, l.o.a. 150.09 mt., breadth 19.01 mt.
Engine type Motor, Burmaister & Wain, 12.204 bhp. Speed 18.5 knots.
Vessel type Passenger/Cargo.

m.v. FENGHANG


Posted by Picasam.v. "Fenghang".
Owner Shanghai Ocean Shipping Company (COSCO), Shanghai, People's Republic of China.
Flag People's Republic of China.
Built 1978 by Hudong Shipbuilding, Shanghai, People's Republic of China.
Grt. 10.273, nrt. 5.864, dwt. 15.000, l.o.a. 161.30 mt., beam 20.42 mt.
Engine type Motor, Hudong-Shanghai Diesel Engine Works, 9.000 bhp., speed 16 knots.
Vessel type Cargo.

s.s. ARGONAUT


Posted by Picasas.s. "Argonaut".
Owner Farrel Lines Inc., New York, N.Y., United States. (United States Trust Co. of New York,
Trustee).
Flag United States.
Built 1979 by Bath Iron Works, Bath, Maine, United States.
Grt. 17.902, nrt. 12.871, dwt. 16.401, l.o.a. 185.93 mt., beam 23.83 mt.
Engine type 2 Steam Turbines, General Electric Co., 17.500 shp. speed 20 knots.
Vessel type Container.

m.v. AQUAMARINE


Posted by Picasam.v. "Aquamarine".
owner Faros Shipping Co. Ltd., London, United Kingdom.
Flag Greece.
Built 1972 by Ishikawajima Harima Heavy Industries, Tokyo, Japan.
Grt. 9.856, dwt. 15.175, l.o.a. 143.03 mt, beam 19.84 mt.
Engine type Motor, Pielstick-I.H.I., 5.130 bhp., speed 13.5 knots.
Vessel type Cargo.

Sunday 28 October 2012

s.s. MAASDAM


s.s. "Maasdam".
Owner Nederlandsch-Amerikaansche Stoomvaart Maatschappij (Holland Amerika Lijn),
Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
Flag the Netherlands.
Built by N.V. Dok- en Werfmaatschappij Wilton-Fijenoord, Schiedam, the Netherlands.
Grt. 15.024, nrt. 8.976, dwt. 7.057, l.o.a. 152.00 mt., beam 21.10 mt.
Together with her twin sister, the ss. "Ryndam", the "Maasdam" was originally planned  as a passenger- cargo vessel. The "Ryndam"  would be named "Dinteldyk" and the "Maasdam" was going to be the s.s."Diemerdyk.
Before the building started the management of the Holland Amerika Lijn decided to order the vessel as a
passenger liner.
The engines remained as planned, 2 cross compound General Electric steam turbines, which were built in 1945. They developed 8.500 shp double-reduction geared to a single screw. Service speed was slow compared with other cross-atlantic steamers, just 16.5 knots. The crossing from the United Kingdom to the U.S. east coast took eight days. The daily fuel consumption however was just 53 tons, making the twins
exceptionally economic to operate.
Both the "Rijndam" and the "Maasdam" revolutionised passenger shipping on the Atlantic. Up to that time most ships were divided into three classes. First class having the lion's share of the accomodation and Tourist class being the least favoured. The "Maasdam" and the "Rijndam" were virtually all Tourist class with only a token 39 passengers carried in a small and exclusive First class section.
They were to prove very succesful and became highly popular, sharing the ocean with some of the greatest
glamour stars in marine history. Together with the "Ile de France", the "America", "United States", the two "Queens" of the Cunard, the Holland Amerika's own "Nieuw Amsterdam" the twins were among the galaxy
of ships binding the Old and the New World, but it was with the scream of the jet engine that all that suddenly shuddered to a halt and one by one these wonderful ships were withdrawn from service and either
converted for cruising or sent to the breakers, never to be replaced.
The "Maasdam" and the "Rijndam" developed a "Friendly Ship" reputation, making them appealing to students, tourists, emigrants and cultural groups. First class attracted the elite, , who enjoyed sitting high above the Tourist class, in their Penthouse accomodations. We could call this the "snob effect".
The s.s. "Maasdam" made her maiden voyage on August 11, 1952 from Rotterdam via Montreal to New York.
On October 2, 1954, while leaving the Port of New York, she collided with the French m.v. "Tofevo" and was forced to return to that port to have repairs carried out. She left again New York on the 25th of October 1954 to continue her voyage to Rotterdam.
In 1955 she was the first HAL vessel  with Denny Brown stabilizer fins. Both the twins were designed with
a freighter hull which meant that in a little , or rough weather the would pitch and roll, causing some discomfort to passengers with less then sea-legs.
In September 1968 the "Maasdam" was sold to the Polish Polskie Linie Oceaniczne and renamed
"Stefan Batory".
On March 24, 2000, as the "Stefan" the "Maasdam" arrived behind a tug boat in Aliaga, Turkey, to be
broken up.


Tuesday 9 October 2012

m.v. LUIGI D'AMICO


Posted by Picasam.v. "Luigi d'Amico".
ex Orient Mariner '69
Owner d'Amico Societa di Navigazione per Azioni (Societa Internazionale di Navigazione S.p.A.),
Palermo, Italy.
Flag Italy.
Built 1964 by Soc. Espanola de Const. Navales, Bilbao, Spain.
Grt. 9.543, nrt. 5.674, dwt. 13.277, l.o.a. 156.85 mt., beam 19.74 mt.
Engine type Motor, Sulzer-Soc. Espanola de Const. Navales, 9.600 bhp., speed 16 knots.
Vessel type Cargo.

m.v. PRISTINA


Posted by Picasam.v. "Pristina".
Owner Slobodna Plovidba, Split, Yugoslavia.
Flag Yugoslavia.
Built 1980 by Kherson Shipyard, Kherson, U.S.S.R.
Grt. 11.980, nrt. 6.128, dwt. 14.950, l.o.a. 162.34 mt., breadth 22.26 mt.
Engine type Motor, Burmaister & Wain-Bryansk Engine Works, 10.600 bhp.
Speed 18 kn.
Vessel type Cargo.

m.v. MANISTEE


Posted by Picasam.v. "Manistee".
Owner Elders & Fyffes Ltd., London, United Kingdom.
Flag United Kingdom.
 Built 1972 by Kaeasaki Heavy Industries Ltd., Kobe, Japan.
Grt. 6.513, nrt. 2.836, dwt. 6.127, l.o.a. 144.51 mt., beam 20.45 mt.
Engine type Motor, MAN-Kawasaki H.I. Ltd., 12.600 bhp.
Speed 20.5 kn.
Vessel type Reefer

m.v. MARBELLA


Posted by Picasam.v. "Marbella".
ex Mare Sereno '81.
Owner Grain Maritime Ltd., Monrovia, Liberia.
Flag Liberia.
Built 1966 by Ansaldo S.p.A., Genoa, Italy.
Grt. 15.771, nrt. 9.268, dwt. 23.724, l.o.a. 190.48 mt., breadth 22.86 mt.
Engine type Motor, S.A. Fiat Societa Grandi Motori, 11.200 bhp., speed 14 kn.
Vessel type Bulk.

s.s. PATRICIA


Posted by Picasas.s. "Patricia".
Owner HAPAG (Hamburg Amerika Linie), Hamburg, Germany.
Flag Germany
Built 1899 by Vulcan Werft AG, Stettin, Germany.
Grt. 13.023, l.o.a. 178.33 mt., beam 18.87 mt.
Engine type Steam, 5.460 ihp.
Speed 18 knots.
Vessel type Passenger