Former lighthouse ship "MAYFLOWER"

Built in 1883 the "MAYFLOWER" was a lighthouse ship built in Holland, she is presently at Bruges serving as a bar, she is in need of a refurbishment, the ship doesn´t look very inviting at the moment, photo 22sd October

Amazing Bruges

22sd of October I was on my way to Rotterdam to catch the STENA HOLLANDICA, with a few hours to spare, a call at the enchanting city of Bruges once again, with Christmas fast approaching I can think of few places that can match this beauty, Bruges, Historic city so close and so appealing. If travelling by sea, the best option would be the P & O ferries from Hull to Zeebrugge

The new STENA LINE, "STENA TRANSPORTER"

Seen here last sunday the 23rd, is the new STENA LINE ferry "STENA TRANSPORTER", the vessel was built by SAMSUNG YARDS in South Korea and delivered earlier this year, she is operated by STENA LINE on the Hook Van Holland to Killingholme in Linconshire service, she can accommodate 300 passengers and is registered at Hook Van Holland

"STENA HOLLANDICA" departing on her maiden voyage

STENA HOLLANDICA beautiful interiors

Photos taken last sunday, the 23rd October during a voyage from Hook Van Holland to Harwich, beautiful mega cruise ferry

RIVA BAR one of the nicest features on board STENA HOLLANDICA

The RIVA BAR on board super cruiseferry "STENA HOLLANDICA" is named after the Italian Historic Shipyard, one of the oldest in the world with a huge reputation for building boats of top quality and craftsmanship, some 160 years of history, photos taken on the 23rd October 2011

My first trip on the superferry "STENA HOLLANDICA"

The mega cruise ferry "STENA HOLLANDICA" together with her younger sister "STENA BRITANNICA" are by far the biggest ferries ever built for STENA LINE, the ships have about 62.000 GRT, they are both owned and operated by STENA on the Harwich to Hook Van Holland service. HOLLANDICA was built in Germany by WADEN YARDS MTW and delivered to STENA in May 2010 so the ship is just one year old, she is powered by Diesel engines with a maximum of 46000 bhp that can propel the vessel to 24 knots, she has capacity for 1200 passengers, I was on board the ship last sunday, the 23rd October and was really impressed by the ship, the passenger facilities are beautifully decorated and very comfortable, she looks like a massive yacht, shame the main Restaurant "Metropolitan" is not more intimate and of course another criticism to these modern cruise ferries, the lack of outdoor space for passengers, exception for BRITTANY FERRIES, there is a big screen showing parts of the ship where passengers are not allowed, she almost does not release any smoke, very environmental friendly, great experience, also the embarkation in Holland is stress free and quick with almost immediate access to the ship

PORT OF ROTTERDAM

The PORT OF ROTTERDAM is a seaport on the banks of the river Maas in Holland. The construction on the "New Waterway" opened in 1890 connecting Rotterdam with Hook Van Holland brought access to the largest ships to the city of Rotterdam and its development into what is today, the greatest seaport in the world. Recently the growth of the Port has been stimulated by the building of the new "EUROPOORT" which is an extension of the original down-river port allowing container and ferry services to come into the port, Rotterdam is also a large centre for ship building and ship repairs and of course the geographic situation of the port makes an enviable destination for Central Europe. Photos taken on the 23rd of October from on board the superferry STENA HOLLANDICA

"BRITANNIA SEAWAYS" departing Hook Van Holland

Seen here captured from the STENA HOLLANDICA is the DFDS cargo ship "BRITANNIA SEAWAYS", the ship is owned and operated by the Danish company on the Rotterdam/Felisxtowe route, she was built in 2000 and has a GRT of 24.196 tons, photos showing the vessel departing Hook Van Holland and at sea.

Back at sea on board "SPIRIT OF BRITAIN"

 I was back on board P & O FERRIES "SPIRIT OF BRITAIN" for the third time this year, the ship is beautifully decorated and traces company´s history all over the vessel, this post has special emphasis on the BRASSERIE, photos taken on the 20th of October

"PRIDE OF CALAIS" at Dover

Seen here on the 20th of October is the P & O FERRIES "PRIDE OF CALAIS", the ship was supposed to be replaced in the beginning of October by the new SPIRIT OF FRANCE, but she is still in service due to delay delivering the brand new ship. "PRIDE OF CALAIS" was built in Germany by SCHICHAU UNTERWESER in 1987, she is 26.433 GRT, photo of the ship at berth number 6 getting ready for another crossing to Calais

SAINT-NAZAIRE submarine base

The submarine base in Saint-Nazaire was built in 1941 during WWII and is one of the five bases, the others are Base sous-marine de Bordeaux, Brest, La Rochelle and Lorient built by Germany during French occupation on the Atlantic Coast. Photo taken on the 28th of September 2011

BARCELONA famous for yacht maintenance

Huge yachts, they more like small cruise ships really, can be seen on regular basis in BARCELONA, the city is well known for maintenance and repairs, PONSEC SL is one of the most famous names on the subject, photos included taken on the 1st of October showing some of these marvels

Fishing vessels at BARCELONA

BARCELONA is an important fishing port as well, some photos taken on the 1st of October, the port is located  at Port Vell.

Oeanographic vessel GARCIA DEL CID

Seen here at Barcelona, her home port is the Spanish Oceanographic ship "GARCIA DEL CID", she was built in 1979 and is used for marine research and Spanish or International scientific teams carrying out oceanographic research. Photos, 30th September 2011

Back on board "MONT ST MICHEL" for the second time this year

I was once again traveling on the beautiful BF cruise ferry "MONT ST MICHEL", 3rd of October for a crossing from Caen to Portsmouth, few photos included, for other photos and posts of this amazing vessel please visit my BRITTANY FERRIES blog by clicking link below