Repairs to the P&O Stena ro-pax ferry POSL Aquitaine, which ploughed into a concrete berth at Calais a month ago, have been completed by the A&P Falmouth shipyard in southwest England, two days ahead of schedule. 

SeaFrance personnel on the Calais to Dover route went on a wildcat strike Tuesday night.  With the Ascension Day holiday coming up on the Continent chaos is expected in both Channel Ports.  Police in Kent have started Operation Stack on the M20 forcing all tourist traffic off the motorway at junction 11.  Several hundred lorries are at the moment parked on the eastbound carriage-way waiting to be shipped to Calais.  If the backlock cannot be cleared today then lorries will have to wait until Friday because of the 'bank holiday" tomorrow in France, when no lorries are allowed on the road except for the corridor to the Belgian frontier.   Also Eurotunnel is having technical troubles today, which is also causing its share of problems for traffic across the Channel. 
 

Dover Cruise Port's second new cruise terminal has just received its first call.  Its official opening will take place in the Summer.  The first cruise ship to make use of the new 342m long quay was Orient Lines' "Marco Polo".  It brought 850 passengers from Le Havre to the port. The new terminal, which has a capacity of up to 2,500 passengers, is situated close to Terminal One which opened in 1996.  "The second terminal has been designed with the larger cruise vessels in mind," said John Turgoose, the port's General Manager, Shipping. "The second terminal will give us extra capacity for more turnrounds and port-of-call visits to take advantage of the large number of heritage tourist attractions in the area."  One of the important features of Terminal Two is that it can function on one or two floors offering maximum flexibility according to individual customer requirements.  Over 150,000 people passed through Dover on their cruise vacation in 1999 - a record for the port and dwarfing the throughput at many competing ports such as Zeebrugge . Dover's actual total of 153,000 was 7,500 more than in 1998 and is a reflection of the ever larger vessels cruising in Northern Europe. 
 

Rough seas and high winds have hampered a flotilla of small boats preparing to mark the 1940 Dunkirk evacuations, but a "mad dash" to Dover is planned for Monday and Tuesday. 
Almost 20 from an original 80-strong line-up of vessels have abandoned the trip because they cannot be certain of reaching Dover before Thursday's scheduled trip to France.  In May and June 1940, 225,000 British and 112.000 French and Belgian troops, were rescued from beaches in northern France after becoming surrounded by Hitler's armies. Some 15 Belgian fishermen who helped to rescue soldiers from the beaches surrounding Dunkirk will be present on Sunday at the 60th commemoration.  In 1940 they sailed with a small armada of Flemish fishing vessels to the rescue of British, French and Belgian troops trapped on the beaches between De Panne and Dunkirk.  The handful of Belgian veterans from Heist, Zeebrugge, Blankenberge, Nieuwpoort and De Panne will arrive in the Northern French port just in time to line up for the Prince of Wales taking the salute at the final annual parade of Dunkirk veterans during the 60th anniversary commemorations of the war time rescue. For 84-year Heist fisherman Theophiel De Groote it isn't the first time he is in a line up for members of the British Royal Family.  During the war the Belgian fisherman working in Cornwall were presented to the then King and Queen.  On Sunday next Prince Charles will meet some of the veterans, lay a wreath at Dunkirk's War Memorial and have the opportunity see some of the little ships which formed part of the civilian fleet that assisted the evacuation.  Just four boats made it to Dover's Granville Docks by Sunday afternoon, although dozens are waiting out the bad weather in harbours all around England.  Wartime singer, Dame Vera Lynn, has criticised the refusal of the Heritage Lottery Fund to give money for a new memorial to the Dunkirk evacuation.  A trust had sought £750,000 to build a monument commemorating the so-called 'Little Ships' fleet that took part in the dramatic 1940 rescue.  P&O Stena Line staged an evacuation of its own on Saturday to return 40 people involved in a re-enactment in Dunkirk.  Three so-called "little ships" from the original 1940 flotilla were to have collected the English Heritage party - but were hampered by a Force Nine gale over the English Channel.  The ferry firm instead sent a bus to take them to Calais, where they caught a ferry back to Dover. 
 

According to Kent's Meridian TV SeaFrance's ex Dover-to-Calais vessel Monet has been named in the top four worst-performing ferries in Europe by the AA.   Ferry passengers were warned that safety measures on some vessels operating out of Britain were among the worst in Europe.  An investigation by independent marine experts of 26 European ferries found that three of the four "worst performers" sail regularly from British ports. The "worst" ferry was found to be the Pride of Rathlin, operated by P&O Ferries between Cairnryan, in Scotland, and Larne, in Northern Ireland. Two other vessels with "poor" ratings were the P&O Portsmouth ship Pride of Hampshire, which sails from Portsmouth to Cherbourg, and the Seafrance Monet, which operated until a short while ago on the Dover-Calais crossing.  The survey, sponsored by motoring organisations including the Automobile Association, found faults in four major areas on the Pride of Rathlin: clogged-up fire sprinklers; insufficient emergency information and poor signposting of rescue facilities; unsafe access routes for passengers; and a lack of evacuation slides and fast-rescue boats. The Pride of Hampshire was found to have badly maintained fire equipment and poorly designed "you are here" signs. The Seafrance Monet was said to have life jackets in poor condition and inferior safety information. The Scandinavian vessel, King of Scandinavia, operated between Newcastle and Amsterdam by DFDS Seaways, was one of three ships having a passenger deck below the water line. "In the event of a disaster, this can lead to passengers being trapped, but [the decks] are allowed under the regulations," said the survey.  P&O North Sea Ferries' vessel Norsun, which sails between Hull and Rotterdam, was rated "good", while Stena Line's Stena Discovery, a high-speed catamaran, was rated "very good".  Inspectors carried out the tests posing as fare-paying passengers. They judged the ships on a wide variety of criteria such as emergency drills, fire equipment and navigation systems. The report said that safety management on board, together with the emergency training of crews, still left much to be desired.John Dawson, the AA's policy director, added: "Many of the changes needed could be put right quickly and at little cost." Peter Smith, director of corporate affairs at the P&O group, said the company regarded the safety of its passengers and ships as of "paramount importance".  The AA's critical safety survey has been branded "alarmist" by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency. 
 

Kiwi Gold, the world's newest fruit is set to conquer Europe from Zeebrugge as from June 6th.  The name of this newest fruit in 14 years is somewhat misleading however.  Kiwi Gold is not a kiwi fruit at all.  It is in fact a firm exquisite yellow raspberry (Coprosma prostrata) that over the years has been improved from a plant native to New-Zeland.  Until recently the fruit was only sold locally in New-Zealand.  Part of the crop was also used for the production of fruit wine.  Now this everyellow is poised to conquer the European Union and beyond. 
 

French newspaper "La voix du nord" suggests that the "P&O SL PICARDY" (ex "Pride of Bruges", ex "PRIDE of Free Enterprise") is on the verge of being sold to SeaFrance.  Some months ago the vessel was withdrawn from the Dover-Calais route when the "P&OSL AQUITAINE" came into service and the "P&OSL PROVENCE" returned from refit.  The 13,601 gt "P&OSL PICARDY" with a capacity for 1,326 passengers and 330 cars, is the smallest vessel in the P&O Stena fleet. The ferry, which was built at Schichau Unterweser AG, Germany,  in 1980,  is still generally in excellent condition and being capable of speeds up to 23 knots is unlikely to remain out of action for long. The crew of the "P&OSL PICARDY" has been transferred to other vessels in the fleet.
 

Belgian dredging company Jan De Nul has come to the rescue of the Chennai Port Trust by completing a crucial dredging contract left unfinished by the Dredging Corp of India (DCI). The Port Trust awarded DCI a contract to dredge 1.32M m³ in the sand trap and entrance channel at a cost of Rs145M ($3.3M), but DCI dredged only 800,000 m³. The area warranted
immediate dredging when deep-draught Suezmax tankers and ore carriers could not be berthed because of silting in the channel. Marine officers refused to pilot vessels in such a condition. The Belgian firm, which was working in Ennore port, undertook the completion of the dredging in Chennai.  Chennai, formerly know as Madras, is the hubcentre of economic
and cultural activity in South India.  Started as a trading post of the English Settlers, it has now grown to become the capital of Tamil Nadu, India's Southernmost State. The Jan De Nul Group ranks at the top of the international dredging industry. The most prestigious project of the Jan De Nul Group was the construction of the platform for the new airport at Chek Lap Kok, Hong Kong, involving 237 million m3 of dredging and land  reclamation works.  Jan De Nul is also the company named in a contract with Belgian electricity supplier Electrabel to realise Europe's largest offshore windmill complex along Belgium's east coast. 
 

P&O is considering the closure of its reservations office at the port of Zeebrugge.  If the company goes ahead with the plan this would mean the axing of 5 jobs at the company's Belgian branch.  In future passenger reservations for the Benelux countries would then be centralised at Rotterdam. 
 

The French passenger/ro-ro-ferry SeaFrance Monet has been bought by Spanish ferry operator Navieres Armas. The 1974-built vessel had been withdrawn from service after sustaining hull damage in a collision with the quay while berthing at the port of Calais on March 29. The Seafrance Monet is due to leave Dunkirk in tow for a Spanish yard where she will be repaired. 
 

P&O Stena Line is increasing its number of daily sailings on the premier Dover-Calais route to meet increasing demand from freight customers.  However, this means less sailings on the route between Dover and Zeebrugge.   From July 1st  there will be 38 return sailings between Dover and Calais every day, compared with the current 35.  The extra six sailings will be operated by a dedicated freight-only ship, the 22,986 gt P&OSL European Seaway, which has capacity for 120 lorries. As a consequence the 08.30 return sailing between Dover and Zeebrugge will be cancelled from July 1st.  P&O Stena Line managing director Russ Peters said: “The cross-Channel freight market is currently growing at 12 per cent annually
and this move enables us to use our tonnage in the most effective way to meet the demand from our freight customers.”  In Zeebrugge hower it is feared that freight customers will increasingly be forced to drive to Calais, thus further undermining the viability of the Zeebrugge route.  In 1999 P&O Stena Line carried a total of 1,185,000 freight units, amounting to a 48 per cent market share.
 

Sea passengers could face a summer of disruption after a seafarers' union ordered a strike ballot over a pay dispute with ferry giant P&O.  Workers are being offered a wage increase of between 1.2% and 1.4%, a figure which the unionNumast describes as "derisory".  The union, which wants an improved offer andnational pay bargaining, will ballot 600 members later this month.  It is threatening to target crossings in the peak summer period,including the school holidays and sailings during the Euro 2000 footballchampionships in Holland and
Belgium next month.  The seafarers' union also plans to lobby the ferry company's AGM in London on Friday, when P&O is expected to announce a significant rise in profits and passengers. "P&O will present a rosy picture of its trading position to shareholders but it gives a different picture to us," said a union spokesman.  "It is telling us that because it has lost duty-free sales it cannot afford a bigger pay rise."  The collapse of pay negotiations has been felt throughout P&O Ferries, which is split into different companies for each of its major routes serving Ireland and the Continent. Numast, which represents more than 18,000 seafarers, said it suspected that P&O's headquarters was dictating terms across the group.
The P&O company on the Dover to Calais route told the BBC that it believed the offer was fair and would be accepted by staff. 

Officers on Caledonian MacBrayne's Western Isles ferry services in the UK are also set to strike at the end of this month as part of a long-running pay dispute. Although they are seeking last-ditch talks to prevent a strike, representatives from Numast, the officers' union, say their members will act to shut down ferry services from May 26-29 and June 8-10. A senior union spokesman said: “We wish to avoid disruption to the public, and
members will ensure that the vessels are... ready to sail at a moment’s notice in the event of an emergency.” Caledonian MacBrayne operates 29 vessels on 26 routes serving the islands.
 

Count Leopold Lippens, mayor of Knokke-Heist has said that Belgian utility Electrabel had signed a deal with private construction group Jan De Nul to build what would be Europe's largest offshore wind turbine farm in the North Sea. He gave no financial details. A planned 50 wind turbines at the Vlakte van de Raan, more than 12 kilometres off the Belgian
coast near Knokke-Heist, will generate 100 megawatts of power by 2004. A second stage of development will later add 170 more windmills and extend its capacity to 400 megawatts, Electrabel said in a statement. The companies must now obtain construction permits and legal permission and will complete an environmental aspect assessment by the end of 2000, Electrabel informed.  Belgium said last week construction of an offshore wind park could begin by the end of the year if the cabinet approves a draft decree setting out conditions for bids to build and operate them.  Probably more than one company could be granted such concessions.  Offshore wind farms are an established concept in Denmark, which is a world leader in renewable energy, but Belgium currently only produces a very small amount of renewable energy at a windfarm in the outer port of Zeebrugge.  It is feared however that the new plans will be opposed by local fishermen and by environmentalists because the location is in bird access routes to the Zwin nature reserve. 
 

The Belgian navy was working Saturday to disperse an oil slick spread 25 miles off the popular beaches of the country's North Sea coast.   In some places the oil was as close as 11/4 miles from the coast, but the navy was confident the slick could be broken up and the oil evaporated before it hit the shore.  "We expect most will be dispersed,'' Cmdr. William Blomme said by telephone from the port of Zeebrugge. "The risk for the beaches is rather small.''   Patches of oil up to 3 yards wide were detected Saturday along the 30 mile coastline from Zeebrugge, in the north, to Nieuwpoort, close to the French border in the south.  Blomme said a naval vessel had dispersed a large patch off Zeebrugge, and was working its way down the coast breaking up the oil on its way. The cleanup operation was helped by calm seas and bright sunshine, which was evaporating the oil.  He said the pollution was most likely caused by a leaking ship or a vessel cleaning its oil tanks at sea. Samples of the oil would be taken in an effort to trace the source, Blomme said.   The Belgian navy warned coast guards in Britain, France and the Netherlands about the possible pollution risk. 
 

On Saturday a cat, which managed to get into an electricity substation, caused an explosion which brought  the port of Zeebrugge to a virtual standstill.  For just under two hours no work could be carried out at the container terminals.  No loading and unloading planning could be prepared by computer and no ferry berths could be operated.  Should the electricity failure have lasted any longer problems would also have ensued for the refrigerated containers and warehouses in the port area.  Port Control managed to keep in contact with shipping offshore and in the port by means of a backup system powered by an emergency generator.  The new lock bridges remained in operation throughout because they are partly powered by wind-generated electricity and partly from a substation in neighbouring Knokke-Heist.  It was the worst electricity failure the port has ever known.  Fire fighters who dealt with the explosion at the port substation confirmed later that little if anything remained of the adventurous cat. 
 

P&O Cruises’ Aurora has arrived at Blohm+Voss repair yard in Hamburg following extensive damage sustained to the stem section as a result of overheating of a propeller shaft bearing. The work is expected to take seven days to complete. The return voyage from
Hamburg to Southampton will be used as a test run for the rebuilt lube system. P&O hopes the vessel will be back in service in time for its second scheduled cruise, which leaves Southampton on May 15.  Examination of the shaft bearing on the Aurora has found that the brass shows signs of pressure, indicating a shaft lubrication deficiency.  Two pressure points were found, located near the outlets of the lubrication system, which will have to be rebuilt. There is no evidence of production faults in either the prop shaft or the bearing itself. The failed bearing is the last of those supporting the 22 m-long, 45-tonne shaft between the electrical motor and stern tube. 
 

It is still unclear when P&O Stena Line's roro-passenger ferry POSL Aquitaine will re-enter service on the Dover to Calais run.  On Friday the ship arrived at the A&P Falmouth shipyard for repairs following her collision with a berth at Calais a week ago in which 38 passengers were injured and the ship sustained damage to her bulbous bow and bow apron.  All week nautical engineers at Dunkirk have been trying to work out what, if anything, went wrong with the mechanical systems on the ferry.  The master of the ferry, who the operators refused to name, and other crew members were questioned by company bosses about the minutes before the impact.  Repairs to be carried out are extensive.  Fragments of the harbour wall were embedded in the ferry bows.  It is uncertain how long repairs at the dry-dock repair centre of A&P at Falmouth will take.  It is hoped that the vessel will be back in service before the end of the month.  On June 2nd veterans will be sailing across to France for a ceremony on the Dunkirk beaches.  A spokesman for P&O Stena Line confirmed that it is still hoped that the ceremony of the Last Post, followed by Reveille, will sound over the Dover Strait from the deck of the Acquitaine.   Meanwhile at the port of Calais a large crane has been put into place to facilitate repair work to the number seven berth.  A spokesman for the Calais Chamber of Commerce, which runs the port, said the damage was "quite serious".  It is expected to be several more days before the berth will be operational again.  As a result of the impact, the steel supports of the berth, which act as crash barriers, were mangled.  The loss of the berth means that during times of busy shipping movements ferries are sometimes asked to wait off the coast causing delays of between 15 and 30 minutes.  Although the Aquitaine is out of service, the P&O Stena Line's other six ferries continue to cope with passengers, cars and freight between Dover and Calais.  In addition the company also runs three freighters between Dover and Zeebrugge.
 

The port authority at Dunkirk has given the go-ahead for the development of  a 255 ha logistics area in the western port, near the ferry and container terminals.  The area is to be commercialised by the British company Continental Exchange Ltd.  The aim is to move swiftly and make a 30 ha site available in the second half of the year.  The project will diversify the number and type of jobs in the area and should vastly increase traffic at the port. 
 

Le Conseil d’Administration du Port Autonome de Dunkerque a approuvé les conditions de mise à disposition d’une zone de 255 hectares pour le développement des activités logistiques au Port Ouest, à proximité des terminaux conteneurs et rouliers.  C’est la société britannique Continental Exchange (Dunkerque) Ltd (ConteX) qui, en tant que promoteur, assurera l’aménagement de la zone et sa commercialisation auprès des entreprises spécialisées dans la logistique et les transports.  Une première tranche de 30 hectares devrait être aménagée et opérationnelle dès cette année. Tous les grands ports développent aujourd’hui leurs fonctions logistiques (entreposage, opérations physiques sur la marchandise, services) pour tirer parti de leur intermodalité. Pour Dunkerque, le succés du projet aurait un impact sur le développement des trafics portuaires, notamment conteneurisés et rouliers vers la Grande Bretagne, mais aussi en terme de diversification des emplois dans la région.
 

As from June 1st British made Honda cars will no longer be shipped to the port of Ghent.  In future they will be handled by CTO in Zeebrugge.  An estimated 27,000 Honda cars are expected to arrive at the Belgian coastal port before the end of the year.  Next year numbers will probably exceed 45,000.

Next Sunday sees the start of a new regular freight service between Zeebrugge and Mexico.  Initially there will be four calls per month at the Belgian port.  Via the new service Mexican built Chrysler cars will be imported for Western European dealers.  The first vessel to call at Zeebrugge will be the Panamanian roro-ferry "Sea Venus" with 338 cars on board. 
 

Stena Line is to launch a new freight route between Hook of Holland and the new ro-ro terminal at Killingholme, near Immingham on the UK's east coast. The service will be operated with two vessels in direct competition to P&O North Sea Ferries' service to Hull, on the opposite bank of the River Humber. The North Sea route has seen substantial growth over the past ten years, prompting the industrial services group Simon Ports & Logistics to invest in a completely new ro-ro facility - the Humber Sea Terminal at Killingholme - to be used by Stena from October this year. Crossing time is about 12 hours, allowing one daily
departure each way
.

P&O's £200 million cruise ship Aurora, launched by the  Princess Royal last week, was sailing back to the port of Southampton last night on just one propeller after breaking down on the first day of her maiden voyage.  But according to the latest reports she will be making her entry into Zeebrugge as scheduled on July 9th.   Almost 2,000 passengers, who had been waved off by as many VIP guests on Monday, were being brought home after  their 14-night Mediterranean cruise was unceremoniously cancelled. The Aurora had been about 250 miles from Southampton and heading towards the Bay of Biscay when, at a speed of about 25 knots,  a propeller shaft bearing overheated, prompting the decision to abandon the cruise. The Aurora's sister ship, Oriana, suffered similar roblems in her first year. P&O, which owns the 76,000-tonne ship, said that the repairs had to be carried out in dry dock. Gwyn Hughes, the managing director, said: "The situation is totally unforeseen as all the necessary rigorous checks and tests were completed satisfactorily before Aurora entered service. The ship has undertaken full trials and has been operated extensively at higher speeds than she was travelling at the time the failure occurred. We can only ascertain what went wrong when we are able to look at the bearing when the ship is out of the water." Repairs in Germany wil take about a week.  The ten-deck vessel, which was built in the Meyer Werft shipyard in Germany, had been carrying her full complement of 1,874 passengers, who had paid between £2,000 and £8,000 for the trip. Mr Hughes promised them a full refund and a free  replacement cruise.  Before embarking on her maiden voyage, the ship had completed a number of short dinner cruises, including a gala dinner and overnight cruise for the Princess Royal, her husband and 900 guests before the naming ceremony.  The Aurora's second cruise is expected to go ahead on schedule later this month. It's taking the vessel to the Canaries and then on to Zeebrugge. 

P&O, the ferry operator, blamed the impact of the abolition of duty-free and weak post- millennium demand for a significant fall in first-quarter profits.  The company reported a headline loss of £11.4 million, compared with a £3.5 million profit in the same period last year. It added that the late timing of Easter also contributed to a fall in passenger numbers.  To add to its problems, P&O Stena Line also lost market share in freight transport because of the effect of increased Eurotunnel traffic. Against this, P&O Ferries recorded increased volumes in its North Sea freight operation from Zeebrugge and Rotterdam.   The company said that Internet bookings had risen for both freight and tourist traffic and that increasing numbers of customers were taking advantage of being able to log their driver and load details online. P&O shares fell 1p to 633p yesterday. 
 

Over the next few months the Belgian salvage company TV Bergingswerken will be preparing to remove 7 wrecks and obstacles from the approaches to the port of Zeebrugge and the Scheldt Estuary in order to improve access.  One of the vessels poses a delicate problem as it concerns the wreck of the British destroyer HMS Wakeful, which has been officially declared a seamen's grave by the British Admiralty.   Participating in Operation Dynamo on May 29th 1940 the Wakeful, in an 8 hour operation,  had rescued over 600 allied soldiers off the beaches at Dunkirk and was taking the long Y-route back home.  This took the vessel past the Belgian coast.  Around  lunchtime the Wakeful was torpedoed some 13 miles north of the Belgian port of Nieuwpoort.  Heading to Dover at a speed of 20 knots she was struck amidships on the starboard beam by a torpedo fired from the German E-boat S-30.  The Wakeful reared up from the water and broke in two.  Fifteen seconds later the ship sank below the waves.  Nearby vessels picked up 25 survivors but for over 640 men below deck, the end came swiftly.   The wreck of the HMS Wakeful is situated near shipping lanes at a position of 51°15' N and 2°45' E.  It is unlikely that Britain wants the wreck salvaged.  Hence, Belgium is planning to aks the British Admiralty for permission to move the grave site to a nearby sandbank.  Possibly a service of rededication will be held. 
 

It would appear that in a few weeks' time France is set to drop its objection against plans of Delta Radio 171 to start beaming programmes to the UK  from a location just outside territorial waters off the Scheldt estuary.  Menno Hidajattoellah, the project´s representative in Amsterdam, has in recent months submitted revised technical documentation to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in Geneva. This was necessary because of concerns expressed by the French. In the 1970´s, the Dutch were allocated the longwave frequency of 171kHz for a 500kW transmitter at Lopik, with an antenna pattern that was designed to cause no adjacent channel interference to France-Inter on 162kHz.  Now the French seem to be satisfied that even from a location in the North Sea and one Megawatt of power there will be no interference because of the westward beam.  G. Visser, spokesman for Delta Radio, said that possibly during the coming Summer construction of the two 400m high antenna masts will commence.  Transmissions will start next year.  Fishermen in both Belgium and the Netherlands are against the building of any more obstacles on the high seas.  Also environmental organisations and the Belgian seaside resort of Knokke-Heist have lodged complaints.  Legislation is being prepared for the future, but at the moment there is nothing on the statute books to prevent construction from going ahead.  Because of the large area occupied by the masts and their guy-wires, the offshore broadcasting installation is also said to pose a serious threat to shipping from and to the ports of Zeebrugge, Vlissingen and Antwerp.