CARDIFF - Thurs 29th March 2012

Three arrivals on 29th - container ship Judith Borchard arrived from Leixoes and sailed on 30th for Dublin.
Tanker Bro Distributor came in from Milford Haven with a cargo of oil products, she returned to Milford on 30th.  And arriving from sea...........


Name                                   Flag                 Year      Tonnage       LOA       Beam
FNS PEGASE                     France                ?            605disp         52            9

Pegase (M644)

This French Tripartite/Eridan class minehunter (M644) was built sometime between 1981 and 1989.  She is on a 5 day courtesy visit to Cardiff and is seen berthed on Britannia Quay in the Roath Basin.  Picture below shows her as she sailed on 2nd April.

Pegase (M644) 2 April 2012

CARDIFF - Weds 28th March 2012

Two arrivals on 26th - Union Diamond from Halmstad, she discharged and sailed for Chatham on 27th and Stadum with a cargo of scrap metals, she sailed, bound for Flushing on 29th.
Three arrivals on 28th - The tanker Bro Garland came in (at night) from Rotterdam, discharged in the Queen Alexandra dock and sailed on 29th - at night, so no photograph. Coaster Mittelplate (Briese Schiffahrts) came in from Rotterdam (at night) is loading in the Q.A, dock and is due to sail for Porto Vesme on 30th. UPDATE- a picture has been added here >Mittelplate.  The 3rd arrival.............


Name                                   Flag                 Year      Tonnage       LOA       Beam
OSLO                               ANTIGUA            1996        4245dwt       90            13

Oslo

Arrived from Cork with a cargo of scrap metal, she is due to sail back to Cork on 30th March.

CARDIFF - Sun 25th March 2012

Three arrivals on 16th March - sand dredger City Of Cardiff from Milford Haven, dredger UKD Orca from Portbury - both sailed the same day for Avonmouth and Hull respectively.  The bunkering tanker Henty Pioneer arrived from Liverpool and after bunkering HMS Dragon, sailed back to Liverpool (missed this one, so no picture)  UPDATE - June 2012, Henty Pioneer has been sold and is on her way to Nigeria.
On 21st chemical tanker Stolt Shearwater arrived from Stade, she sailed for Le Havre on 22nd - missed this one also, so no picture.  UPDATE - June 2012, picture now added, below
The 23rd saw the arrival of containership Charlotte Borchard on her regular run from Leixoes, she sailed for Liverpool the same day.

Name                                   Flag                 Year      Tonnage       LOA       Beam
BRO GOLIATH                 Netherlands        2004       7108dwt        119          17

Bro Goliath

Photographed departing Cardiff on a misty Sunday morning, she had arrived from Milford Haven on 24th and is now bound for Grangemouth.


STOLT SHEARWATER    Cayman Is       1994         5300dwt           96              16

Stolt Shearwater departing Barry  June 4  2012

CARDIFF - Thurs 15th March 2012

On 9th March container ship Sara Borchard arrived from Leixoes, sailing for Liverpool on 10th.
Tanker Bro Developer arrived from Milford Haven on 13th, returning there on the following day.


Name                                   Flag                 Year      Tonnage       LOA       Beam
HMS DRAGON                     UK                   2009      7350disp       152          21


HMS Dragon

Arriving on a misty morning for an official 5 day visit to her adopted home city of Cardiff.  She is the latest Type 45 destroyer - the 4th of 6 to be built by BAE Systems at their Govan shipyard.  Launched in November 2009, she completed her builders sea trails in December 2010 and was handed over to the Royal Navy in August 2011.  Currently undergoing Royal Navy sea trials of her weaponry and defensive systems, she is due to start active service in the next few months.

Another picture below - taken on 19th March, as she was departing for Liverpool.

HMS Dragon 19th March 2012

CARDIFF - Sun 11th March 2012

Two arrivals on 6th March - tanker Bro Galaxy from Milford Haven with oil products for the Chevron Terminal and the cargo ship Sofia arriving from Sagunto (Spain) she had a quick turnaround, sailing for Warrenpoint the same day - missed this one (arrival and departure at night)

Name                                   Flag                 Year      Tonnage       LOA       Beam
WU CHANG HAI                  China               1998       27635dwt    169         26

Wu Chang Hai

Arrived on 9th from Corcubian (Spain)  and is seen here at the EMR berth loading scrap metals for Mermet Bay (Turkey)  She is due to sail on 13th.

BARRY - Sat 10th March 2012

Name                                   Flag                 Year      Tonnage       LOA       Beam
NOBLEMAN                         UK                  1976          256gt           32           9

Nobleman

Also photographed off Penarth on 28th February - Nobleman went to Barry on 10th to assist with the departure of Bergstraum.  UPDATE: another picture below, showing the new colour scheme.

Pictured in Cardiffs Roath Dock on 14th May 2014

BARRY - Thurs 8th March 2012

The chemical tanker Bergstraum arrived today from Tjelbergodden.  She was assisted by one of the new tugs that seem to have taken over towage duties at Cardiff, Newport and Barry..................


Name                                   Flag                 Year      Tonnage       LOA       Beam
ROMAN                                UK                  1983         230gt          26           9

Roman

 Roman (ex  Midgard III -04,  Brake -12) Photographed off Penarth on 28th Feb as she made a trial run to Barry.  Another photograph below:

Photographed on 6th Aug 2014

CARDIFF - Mon 5th March 2012

The container ship Judith Borchard arrived from Liverpool today and sailed for Leixoes on 6th.


Name                                   Flag                 Year      Tonnage       LOA       Beam
SOSPAN DAU                 Netherlands         1978        2134           71            14

Sospan Dau

She arrived from Harwich on 5th March and spent a few days alongside before moving out to carry out the annual dredging of the Cardiff Bay entrance in conjunction with the small tug Tioga B.
I've included another picture of Sospan Dau because she has undergone something of a rebuild since her last visit.  Starting at the bow, she has had a framework fitted to allow the anchors to clear the new bulbous bow. The jack up (?) leg appears to have been removed from the foredeck. Moving to the superstructure, another deck has been added, increasing the height of the bridge and a new taller funnel has been fitted - a further aft than the old one.
She's not a pretty ship but I think the changes are a great improvement and guess the skipper can see where he's going now.

CARDIFF - Sun 4th March 2012

Tanker Bro Distributor arrived from Milford Haven on 29th February and returned there on the following day.
Aasvik arrived from Belfast on 2nd March with a cargo of stone (aggregate), she sailed 'light' for Port Talbot the same day. Also arrived on 2nd - Sirocco back from Ijmuiden with a cargo of steel slabs, she also sailed the same day, back to Ijmuiden.

Name                                   Flag                 Year      Tonnage       LOA       Beam
COIMBRA                          Cyprus               1995       2489dwt        92           11

Coimbra

Arrived from Bermeo on Charles Willies (fairly) regular liner service between Spain and UK. Having discharged what is usually a general cargo, she sailed on 6th, bound for Rouen.