OTELLO

The M/V Otello will make its first call to Rotterdam today. The car carrier was delivered on August 25 by Daewoo Heavy Industries Ltd, Korea and registered in the Swedish Register of Ships. She is a sister ship to M/V AIDA, with the same main dimensions, i.e. 200 m long and 32.2 m wide with a loading capacity of 6.700 cars. She will sail for Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics. and owned by Wallenius Lines which is a privately-owned shipping company, founded in 1934 by Olof Wallenius. The fleet consists of 40 vessels, transporting approximately two million cars and trucks worldwide. The fleet is chartered and commercially operated by companies in which Wallenius Lines is a shareholder. Wallenius Lines is also an active investor and part-owner in several other international shipping and logistics companies.

The Otello has entered Rotterdam this morning from Antwerp and has berthed at the Rotterdam Car Terminal.

RAMFORM EXPLORER

The Ramform Explorer (IMO: 9118472) is a sistership of the Atlantic Explorer, which was SotD on September 7. The Ramform Explorer is a seismographic research ship owned by PGS Geophysical AS and is capable of detecting all kinds of underground fields, such as oil fields by using 3D techniques (More information at the PGS website or the above link of the Atlantic Explorer). Streamer seismic has been the keystone of PGS' services from the beginning. With six Ramform vessels complemented by four “standard” seismic vessels, PGS has understandably established a leading global track record for 3D operational efficiency and innovation.
The impact of the PGS Ramform technology on marine seismic exploration is uncontested. The Ramform design produces performance levels and efficiencies that continue to set new industry standards for high-technology seismic acquisition. Today approximately 80% of the world’s advanced technology seismic surveys have been acquired using PGS Ramforms — the most advanced seismic fleet afloat.

This boat launched the Ramform class and was the first ever seismic vessel to tow eight streamers, the first to acquire over 1,000 square kilometers in a month, the first to tow 12 streamers and the first to acquire 100 square kilometers in a single day.

The Ramform Explorer is expected to enter the port of Rotterdam this afternoon and will berth at the Waalhaven.

FRONT COMMODORE

The Front Commodore (IMO: 9176993, Port of Registry: Monrovia) is a Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC), delivered in 2000 by Hitachi Zosen Corp. The vessel is 333 metres long, 60 meters wide, has a draught of 21 metres and a deadweight capacity of almost 300,000 tons. It is owned by DS rendite fonds Nr 97 VLCC Front Commodore gmBh and chartered by Frontline Shipping limited. Three pumps with a capacity of 5500 cu. metres / hour will ensure that the cargo is (un)loaded quickly. The Front Commodore is scheduled to arrive at the TEAM terminal, Rotterdam this evening, coming in from Sidi Kerir Terminal, Egypt.

(Photo by Michael Harms)

MELLUM

The Mellum (IMO: 8301981) is a multipurpose vessel capable of oil recovery and chemical recovery. Further it is an emergency tug and an ice breaker. It is equipped with:

• 2 Sweeping arms with 320 m3/h each for oils with max viscositiy of 12,000 cSt to 15,000 cSt
• One crane, max 120 kN, max 15 m,
• Special separation plant for oils with max viscosity of 12 000 cSt to 15 000 cSt
• Gase / chemicals detection and protection systems
• Fire fighting systems
• First aid room (no doctor on board !)
• 2/4 high sea fenders for lightering / cargo transfer operations on board (ship’s equipment)
• 910 m3 tank space

The vessel is 80 meters long, 15 meters wide, was built in 1984 and is crewed by a minimum of 16 persons. It is owned by the German 'Bundesministerium für Verkehr-, Bau und Stadtentwicklung' (Ministry of Transport) and is based in Wilhelmshaven, Germany.

The Mellum entered Rotterdam this morning for a visit at the Parkhaven, Rotterdam.

BERGELAND

Today's SOTD is the Bergeland (IMO:9002776) that replaces the Berge Stahl while it's out of service for maintenance. The Bergeland is a bit smaller than the Berge Stahl, but still the second largest bulk carrier owned by Bergesen Worldwide Shipping with its deadweight of 322.941 tons. This in 1992 built, 338 meters long, 55 meters wide, ore carrier has a draught of 23 meters and 7 holds and hatches and was built by Hyundai Heavy Ind. Co. Ltd. Ulsan, Korea.
The Bergeland transports iron ore from the 'Companhia Vale do Rio Doce' mines in the eastern part of the Amazone. From Rotterdam the iron ore is transported in barges to the steel mills of ThyssenKrupp and Hüttenwerke Krupp Mannesmann in Germany.

The Bergeland should arrive today at the EECV terminal, Rotterdam from Ponta da Madeira, Brasil.

ITAL CONTESSA

The Ital Contessa was built this year at Samsung Shipbuilding & Heavy Industries. The containership has a teu capacity of 8,000, is 334 meters long, almost 43 meters wide, has a draught of 14.5 meters and a deadweight tonnage of 101,000.
It is owned by Conti Reederei, Germany, managed by NSB Niederelbe, Germany and is sailing for the Italian based Italia Marittima (previously: Lloyd Triestino) on their China-Europe-Mediterranean Service.
The Ital Contessa entered Rotterdam this morning and is currently (dis)charging at the ECT Terminal. The vessel's next destinations are: Thamesport (UK), Taranto (Italy) and from there the vessel will sail towards the Far East. She will return in Rotterdam within two months.

AL SHEGAYA

The Al Shegaya is an Ultra Large Crude Carrier (ULCC) built in 1998 by Hyundai Heavy Industries, Korea. The vessel is 335 meters long, 58 meters wide and has a maximum draught of almost 23 meters. With a deadweight of 310,000 tons, the Al Shegaya is one of the largest crude carriers currently sailing. The ship is owned by the Kuwait Oil Tanker Company which is also the owner of the Al Shegaya's sister vessels: Al Tahreer, Al Awdah, Kazimah, Al Salhia, Al Samidoon, Al Funtas and Al Shuhada.

The Al Shegaya will arrive in Rotterdam this afternoon from Sidi Kerir Terminal (Egypt) for discharging at the MOT terminal.

RAMBIZ

The Rambiz is a crane vessel equipped with two cranes that can both reach to a lift height of 90 meters. It is suitable for platform installation and removal, wreckage removal and other special heavy lifting tasks. The vessel is fully certified for ocean passage with the cranes fully erected. The cranes can be loaded independent or simultaneous with a maximum load capacity of 3300 tons.
The platform of the vessel is 85 meters long, 44 meters wide, is propelled by 4 units of 2200 kW and can accomodate up to 28 persons. The ship is owned by the Belgium based company Scaldis Salvage & Marine Contractors and was one of the cranes used in salvaging the Tricolor in 2004. For more details see: http://www.tricolorsalvage.com/.


The Rambiz has entered Rotterdam this morning accompanied by the tug Fairplay-27 and will berth at the Beerkanaal.

GUNVOR MAERSK

Although it is not as big as the Emma Maersk the Gunvor Maersk is still one of the largest containerships owned by Maersk with its length of 367 meters, width of 43 meters and teu capacity of up to 9000. The vessel was built in 2005 by Odense Steel Shipyard, Denmark.

The Gunvor Maersk is due to arrive this afternoon at the APM terminal, Rotterdam coming in from Bremerhaven, Germany. After Rotterdam the vessel will set sail for Algeciras, Spain and from there it will sail towards the Far East. The vessel will return in Rotterdam within two months.

RHINE ORE

The Rhine Ore (IMO: 8802923, ex.name Onoe Maru) is one of the biggest Japanese ships currently sailing. This bulk carrier has a deadweight of 233.000 tons, is 315 meters long, 54 meters wide and has a draught of about 19 meters. It is owned by NYK line and was built by Nippon Kokan, Yokohama, Japan in 1989.

The Rhine Ore will arrive later this day at the EECV terminal in Rotterdam from Ponta da Madeira, Brasil.

CALAMITY JANE

The Calamity Jane is a support vessel for Allseas' mechanical subsea pipeline vessel Digging Donald, which is fully remote controlled from the Calamity Jane and has a maximum depth of 350 meters. In addition to trenching, other support services on dynamic positioning can be performed by the Calamity Jane, such as pipeline crossing preparation, mattress installation in deep water, surveys and pigging and testing of pipelines, all diverless.
The vessel is 151 meters long, 20 meters wide and can accomodate 72 persons. It is equipped with one fixed lifting frame for lifting up to a maximum of 200 tons and a general purpose crane for lifting up to 55 tons. The Calamity Jane is owned by the Swiss-based Allseas Group S.A. which is one of the major offshore pipelay and subsea construction companies in the world, operating specialised vessels - which were designed in-house.

The Calamity Jane entered Rotterdam this morning with destination the Keppel Verolme shipyard.

CMA CGM DON CARLOS

The CMA CGM Don Carlos (IMO: 9305491, flag: Liberia) is a 8,204 teu capable vessel, delivered in June this year by Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries. Its sister ship is the CMA CGM Parsifal which was SotD on September 3. The ship is 334 meters long, almost 43 meters wide and has a deadweight tonnage of 100,800. It is currently sailing on CMA-CGM's French Asia Line (FAL) which services a line between China and Europe.

The CMA CGM Don Carlos will enter Rotterdam this morning from le Havre and will depart within 24 hours for Hamburg. Afterwards the vessel will visit Zeebrugge, Southampton, Malta and will then set sail to China. The ship will visit Rotterdam again within two months.

RHINE FOREST

The Rhine Forest (IMO: 7125706) is a so-called 'LASH-ship' (for an explanation see the Spruce which was SOTD on August 16). The Liberian flagged ship is 237 meters long, 33 meters wide and a draught of 12 meters. The vessel is equipped with a 500-ton gantry crane to lift and stow 83 barges. Each barge is 18.26 meters long and 9.16 meters wide and has a capacity of 385 metric tons. The Rhine Forest was built in 1972 by Cockerill Mechanical Industries, Belgium. The Rhine forest entered Rotterdam this morning and is currently moored at the Waalhaven for about one week. The vessel will then leave for New Orleans and will return to Rotterdam next month.

MS ROTTERDAM

Already for the third time this year, the ms Rotterdam (port of registry: Rotterdam) is visiting Rotterdam. The Rotterdam is the flagship of the Holland America Line and has a capacity of 1.316 passengers. It is already the sixth ship of the HAL to bear the name.
The vessel has 658 rooms of which there are 4 penthouse suites, 36 normal suites, 120 mini suites, 381 outside staterooms and 117 inside staterooms. Furthermore there are several restaurants, bars, a theather, a kids club, a library, a casino and a health spa on board. This in 1997 in Italy built vessel is 238 meters long, 32 meters wide and has a gross tonnage of almost 60.000. It will depart this evening for Le Haver and will continue its tour to Lisbon, Cadiz, Barcelona, Monte Carlo, Rome, Malta, Kusadasi and Piraeus. Prices start from about $ 2.000 per person.

Pictures below are of the penthouse, the art gallery and the atrium.

TRANSSHELF

The Transshelf is a semi-submersible heavy transport carrier owned by the Dutch company Dockwise that is specialised in heavy transports. The submersible deck space of the Transshelf has a size of 40 x 132 meters. The Transshelf is 173 meters long, 40 meters wide and has a standard draught of 8.8 meters when sailing and a draught of 21 meters when submerged. Due to its submersible features the Transshelf is mainly deployed for marine transportation of drilling rigs and offshore platform components. It just completed a project carrying Russian submarines to several yards near Murmansk for dismantling. It was the first time a western company was contracted by the Russian navy to transport their nuclear submarines. The Transshelf arrived this morning at the Waalhaven, Rotterdam.

EMMA MAERSK

Today's SOTD is, of course, the Emma Maersk. The Emma Maersk is the largest containership of all times with a total teu capacity 11,000 teu (of which 1,000 forty foot reefer containers)according to the A.P. Moller - Maersk Group . Rumours are that a total capacity of 13,500 teu are also possible. This capacity is possible by stacking the containers in 22 rows wide. The vessel is 397 meters long, 56 meters wide, has a depth of 30 meters and a deadweigth of 156,907 tons. The specially designed Wärtsilä diesel engine delivers 80,000 kW. A waste heat recovery system is installed to optimise the use of the energy produced, so that the engine can deliver up to 90,000 kW. The ship was built this year by Odense Steel Shipyard Ltd.

The Emma Maersk will arrive at the APM terminal, Rotterdam from Bremerhaven later this evening. It will primarily load containers, since it is still almost empty. The vessel will then set sail for Algeciras, the Suez canal and then towards the Far East (amongst others Singapore, Kobe, Hong Kong) on the APM AE1 line.

GOLDEN PRINCESS

The Golden Princess will visit Rotterdam today coming in from Zeebrugge. The Golden Princess is one of the bigger cruisers at this time with a length of almost 290 meters, a width of 36 meters and a full capacity of 3.100 passengers. The vessel was built in 2001 by Fincantieri Shipyards in Monfalcone, Italy. The ship is equipped with several dining rooms and restaurants, bars, a casino and a show lounge, a pool (of course), a spa, a nine-hole putting course (!), duty-free boutiques, a wedding chapel and, the most remarkable feature, the Skywalkers Nightclub at the back of the ship at 15 decks above the sea.

The Golden Princess will continue sailing through Europe until December. The vessel has just finished its roundtrip around Great Britain and will now continue towards the Mediterranean. Should you be interested, prices start at about $1.800 per person.

You can see a live picture from the bridge below:


Here you can find also some pictures of the rooms:

Grand suite with balcony

Standard interior double room

MARGIT GORTHON

The Margit Gorthon (IMO:
7612656, flag: Cyprus) entered Rotterdam last night and is currently dis(charging) at the Interforest terminal, Rotterdam. This ship is a 'sideloader' and is therefor capable of an easy way of charging and discharging pallets. The ship is equipped with 2 side ports with two elevators each with access to the lower hold. The elevators have a lifting capacity of 10 tons each. The size of the loading platforms is 6,8 x 4,1 meters; the size of the elevators is 2,6 x 3,2 meters each. The vessel is also equipped with a crane of with a SWL of 15 metric tons and an outreach of 16 meters. The Margit Gorthon has a total hold volume of 17167 cubic meters. The ship is 141 meters long and is almost 22 meters wide. It was built in 1977 by Korea Shipbuilding and Engineering Corp. Pusan, Korea and rebuilt to a sideloader in 1990 by Blohm & Voss AG, Hamburg, Germany. It is currently owned by Gorthon Lines AB, Helsingborg, Sweden.

OTINA

The Otina (IMO:9196644, flag:Isle of Man) is an, in 2002 built by Hitachi Zosen Corp., very large crude carrier (VLCC). The vessel is 333 meters long, 60 meters wide, has a draugth of 21 meters and a deadweight of 298,000 tons. The ship is owned by Hitachi Hull 4983 Ltd. and managed by Stasco Ship Management, London. The vessel was previously named Hakata.

The vessel arrived this morning at the MOT terminal, Rotterdam from Basra, Iraq and is currently discharging for a few days.

ATLANTIC EXPLORER

The Atlantic Explorer (IMO: 8610667, Port of registry: Nassau, Bahamas) berthed last night at the Waalhaven, Rotterdam. The vessel is a Seismographic research ship owned by PGS Geophysical AS and is capable of detecting all kinds of underground fields, such as oil fields by using 3D techniques (see picture below). Seismic data and 3D seismic data in particular are fundamental in the exploration, development and production of hydrocarbons. These data are used to assess prospectivity and identify potential hydrocarbon resources, to perform detailed mapping of the reservoirs in the field development phase, and to monitor how the reservoirs are being drained during the production phase.

As the industry’s second six streamer ship, the Atlantic Explorer became the first vessel to offer full onboard seismic data processing in 1994. Working in Angola during 1996, the Atlantic Explorer became the first six streamer vessel to acquire over 1000 square kilometers of data in a month.

The ship is 91 meters long, 17 meters wide and was built in 1987 by Hellesøy Verft AS, Norway.

IRAN DARAB

The Iran Darab (IMO: 9218492, Port of Registry: Busher, Iran) is a 333 meters long, 58 meters wide crude oil tanker with a draught of 22 meters and a deadweight of almost 300,000 tons. The vessel was built in 2004 by Dalian New Shipbuilding Heavy Industry Co. Ltd., Dalian, China and is owned by Nat. Iranian Tanker. Its sister vessels are the Iran Damavand, Iran Daylam, Iram Delvar and Iran Dena. The tanker has 5 port, 5 center and 5 starboard tanks and has a pump capacity of 16,500 m3/h.


The Iran Darab arrived last night at the MOT oil terminal, Rotterdam from Khark Island, Iran.

ALEXANDRA

Today we have a 'golden oldie' as the SOTD. It is the, in 1963 built, tug Alexandra (IMO: 5418630, flag: United Kingdom). The Alexandra is with its gross tonnage of 164 only small amongst all the large ships on this page, but since it's 43 years old, it is worth mentioning that it has arrived last night at the Waalhaven, Rotterdam. The tug is still in service, owned by Niarcos Shipping, Rochester, UK and managed by G.P.S. Marine Contractors. It is 28 meters long, 7.6 meters wide and has a maximum BHP of 1066. The following towing gear is available:

• Auto winch hydraulic single drum towing winch
• 500M x 32MM wire with spelter sockets
• 2 x 220M x 64MM Nutech polyprop ropes
• 2 x 20M 20 ton tested wire bridles
• 2 x 10M 20 ton tested wire bridles

The Alexandra sails in the extended European area IE North Cape, Full Baltic/Gulf of Bothnia in season, full Meditarranean and the Black Sea.

ORIANA

The Oriana is a cruiseship owned by P&O Cruises. It is already the fourth time in two years that the Oriana visits Rotterdam. The cruiseship is 260 meters long, 32 meters wide and has a deadweight tonnage of 69,000. The vessel has a maximum capacity of 1,928 passengers and a crew of 794. There are 10 decks that hold a total of 914 cabins, several bars and lounges, a casino, some shops, a health and beauty spa, four restaurants, a theatre and a cinema an art gallery and lots more.

The Oriana is currently sailing on its 'Autumn break' cruise, a 3-day cruise on which it visits Southampton, Rotterdam and Zeebrugge. After this cruise the Oriana will set sail from Southampton to the Mediterranean and the Black Sea to visit Lisbon, Athens, Istanbul, Yalta, Odessa and Palma.

The most recent webcam picture can be found here:

















Some pictures of the interior:

Suite interior	Standard cabin (without window) interior
Atrium	Art Gallery

CMA CGM PARSIFAL

The CMA CGM Parsifal (Flag: Liberia, IMO: 9318060) is one of the newest and largest containerships currently sailing. The ship is capable of transporting about 8.200 teu and has a capacity for 700 reefers. The vessel is 335 meters long, 43 meters wide and has a deadweight tonnage of 100.800.

The Parsifal entered Rotterdam this morning and is currently dis(charging) at the ECT terminal. The ship is sailing on the Far East - North-Western Europe line. Its next port of call is Hamburg

Hr. Ms. TROMP (F 803)

The Hr. Ms. Tromp is an air defense and command frigate of the Dutch navy. It is one of the four Dutch frigates of the 'Zeven Provinciën'-class and is therefor a sistership of the 'Hr. Ms. De Zeven Provinciën' which entered Rotterdam for a short stop last week. The Tromp will visit de Rotterdam 'Wereldhavendagen'.

Source: Dutch Royal Navy

The Hr. Ms. Tromp has a crew of 174 persons and is already the 9th ship to bear the name 'Tromp'. The ship was built by 'De Schelde' in Flushing between 1999 en 2001. It is 144 meters long, 17 meters wide, can reach a speed of 30 knots, is incorporated with stealth techniques and is armed with a Oto Breda-cannon 127 mm, Vertical Launch System (VLS) Mk 41 for Enhanced Sea Sparrow Missiles en Standard Missiles, Harpoon Missile, Goalkeeper (fast fire cannon), Mk. 46 Torpedo-weapons and a Lynx orNH-90 helikopter.
The ship will enter Rotterdam this morning and will stay at the Parkkade in Rotterdam until Sunday evening.