Viking Ship Locations

[Heidi13]

Affirmative, ETA Singapore on June 17th. Currently at 15.7 kts, but I expect her to drop down to 11 kts when clear of coastal traffic.

[Heidi13]

Viking Orion arrived at Singapore anchorage today and the AIS now shows her next destination as Manila. Best guess is she continues to disembark crew members.

[Clay Clayton]

So after they drop crew, who will be manning the ships?  #ghostship LOL

[Jim Avery]

Just now, Clay Clayton said:

So after they drop crew, who will be manning the ships?  #ghostship LOL

Haha, the Norwegians...

[Heidi13]

5 hours ago, Clay Clayton said:

So after they drop crew, who will be manning the ships?  #ghostship LOL

 

When we disembarked the Sun, they planned to retain about 80 officers & ratings. Mostly deck & engineering, with a doctor, 5 cooks and some additional hotel staff.

[uktog]

Viking Sky left Alesund this afternoon and is heading for Belfast

[Clay Clayton]

Wonder why Belfast?

[Jim Avery]

3 minutes ago, Clay Clayton said:

Wonder why Belfast?

Great pubs near the docks.🍺🍺🍺😎

[Peregrina651]

11 minutes ago, Clay Clayton said:

Wonder why Belfast?

 

Better price on bunkers? Dropping crew members at the airport? Day trip?

[photopro2]

1 hour ago, uktog said:

Viking Sky left Alesund this afternoon and is heading for Belfast

Good spot @uktog 

There have been other moments today too - The Sun has travelled from Kristiansand and is currently off Skagen. The Sea has left Alesund with a return to Alesund shown as the destination though it is currently heading SW away from the port towards open sea.

31 minutes ago, Peregrina651 said:

Better price on bunkers? Dropping crew members at the airport? Day trip?

Could be any of those (well..... maybe not just a jolly day trip and Jim will be sad to hear that all the pubs are still closed) and I would add getting a better deal on long term berthing as a possibility. Does anyone have other suggestions?    

Edited June 19, 2020 by photopro2
Added detail on pubs

[kcpvwill]

Sea, Sky and Sun all appear to have destinations of Belfast.  Any ideas?  

[Heidi13]

10 hours ago, Jim Avery said:

Great pubs near the docks.🍺🍺🍺😎

 

So true, flew over to Belfast one of my business trips to UK, visiting the liferaft manufacturer RFD. Chaps took me to a few of those pubs. Might be other attractions, but didn't have the time. 😁🍻

[Clay Clayton]

Could they be doing some sort of modifications for post Covid?  But I would expect those to be interior and isn’t Belfast Shipyard usually used for more major ship issues?

[Dukefan]

Most famous Belfast Shipyard is Harland and Wolff Shipyard.   They build most of the ships for the White Star Lines including the Titanic.   I'm not sure they still do traditional shipyard work today.

 

[uktog]

4 hours ago, Clay Clayton said:

Could they be doing some sort of modifications for post Covid?  But I would expect those to be interior and isn’t Belfast Shipyard usually used for more major ship issues?

Belfast did Azamaras refit work on the interior of Pursuit but I thought that yard was now in liquidation 

[Strangford]

March 10, 2020

HARLAND & WOLFF LAUNCHES INTO THE CRUISE SECTOR

Harland & Wolff is delighted to confirm its widely anticipated launch into the cruise sector. The shipyard’s main facilities in Belfast host two of the largest docks in Europe at 556m and 335m respectively, along with numerous fully serviced quayside berths.

InfraStrata plc, the parent company of Harland & Wolff announced on 5 December 2019 that it had completed the acquisition of the assets of Northern Ireland’s most iconic shipyard – Harland and Wolff.

Since then, the company has hit the ground running by undertaking an impressive host of dry docking projects with a steady backlog of contracts building up. With no other docks in the UK operating in this sector since the King George V Dock was closed in Southampton by the A&P Group in 2005, InfraStrata has clearly identified a niche in the cruise market.

John Wood Chief Executive Officer, commented “We are delighted to be re-establishing the Harland & Wolff brand within the cruise sector. Our two facilities in Belfast are now fully open for business. A key sector that we are actively pursuing is that of cruise vessels which we believe will make optimum use of our expansive facilities.

During the acquisition, we were delighted to have reached a labour agreement that enabled us to retain the highly skilled and experienced workforce. We have continued to build on that capability and capacity by welcoming more team members into the business and attracting a globally-recognised and motivated leadership team.

The re-opening of the yard has been split into two phases, in order to de-risk the operations and to ensure a smooth return to a business as usual scenario. We are pleased to have completed the reactivation and are now proceeding at pace towards fully realising our strategic goals, whilst receiving a large amount of positive feedback from our new clients.

The UK is in a prime location as a turnaround port and is only a short passage away from the cruising grounds of the Mediterranean. It is a key element of our strategy to focus on the cruise industry and returning the yard back to the days when it was a market leader in this sector.”

[Heidi13]

With the 3 ships currently steaming for Belfast, unscheduled drydocking is definitely a potential reason. Based on the previous post, all 3 ships can be accommodated on the blocks at one time.

 

The Star completed her 1st scheduled docking in December 2019, so the only thing she may require before returning to service is possibly a hull cleaning, which can be done by divers. The Jupiter at just over a year old probably is not cost effective to drydock this early.

 

No other cruise lines seem to be doing unscheduled dockings during the layup, so one can assume Viking would receive favourable docking and labour rates, especially for 3 sister ships.

[Dukefan]

Strangford:  Thanks for the update on Harland and Wolff.  Last I had heard they were sold last year to InfraStrata after focusing for several years on Offshore Energy Renewal.   I thought at the time that InfraStrata would keep the focus on that business segment. I am very happy that they are moving at least partially back to the cruise line segment.

 

Heidi13: Great analysis of why the Sun, Sky, and Sea may be headed to Belfast and the Jupiter and Star are not. If they are headed for Harland & Star for a general overhaul and refreshing this makes great sense.   If they are to be installing new air circulation and filtering equipment or other improvements as a result of the concerns over the virus, then the Jupiter, Star and Orion I think could eventually end up there as well if those type of upgrades work out well.  

 

I quick look shows no other cruise ships at Harland and Wolff right now.   If this is true, then these three Viking Ships should get some great attention if it is for a general overhaul and refreshing.   It will be interesting to see what work is being down.   

[Heidi13]

1 hour ago, Dukefan said:

Strangford:  Thanks for the update on Harland and Wolff.  Last I had heard they were sold last year to InfraStrata after focusing for several years on Offshore Energy Renewal.   I thought at the time that InfraStrata would keep the focus on that business segment. I am very happy that they are moving at least partially back to the cruise line segment.

 

Heidi13: Great analysis of why the Sun, Sky, and Sea may be headed to Belfast and the Jupiter and Star are not. If they are headed for Harland & Star for a general overhaul and refreshing this makes great sense.   If they are to be installing new air circulation and filtering equipment or other improvements as a result of the concerns over the virus, then the Jupiter, Star and Orion I think could eventually end up there as well if those type of upgrades work out well.  

 

I quick look shows no other cruise ships at Harland and Wolff right now.   If this is true, then these three Viking Ships should get some great attention if it is for a general overhaul and refreshing.   It will be interesting to see what work is being down.   

 

Stena Europe is currently in the larger Main Dock, having arrived June 17th, but the Belfast Dock is currently empty.

 

If drydocking, not sure how much mechanical/structural modifications they can make, as it requires plans drawn up, submitted to Class for approval and then lead time for purchase. In my experience Flag/Class approvals were never a quick process.

 

My best guess for unscheduled docking is changing/improving filters, spacing tables/adding barriers, etc along with regulatory inspections and hull cleaning/painting. Since the ships were laid up, the crew may have already completed much of the inside work - replacing carpets, upholstery, painting, cabin maintenance, re-arranging seats, etc. I note extensive cabin maintenance was taking place on the Sun before we disembarked.

 

If they are docking, hopefully Viking will issue a press release outlining the work completed.  

[Dukefan]

43 minutes ago, Heidi13 said:

 

Stena Europe is currently in the larger Main Dock, having arrived June 17th, but the Belfast Dock is currently empty.

 

If drydocking, not sure how much mechanical/structural modifications they can make, as it requires plans drawn up, submitted to Class for approval and then lead time for purchase. In my experience Flag/Class approvals were never a quick process.

 

My best guess for unscheduled docking is changing/improving filters, spacing tables/adding barriers, etc along with regulatory inspections and hull cleaning/painting. Since the ships were laid up, the crew may have already completed much of the inside work - replacing carpets, upholstery, painting, cabin maintenance, re-arranging seats, etc. I note extensive cabin maintenance was taking place on the Sun before we disembarked.

 

If they are docking, hopefully Viking will issue a press release outlining the work completed.  

Thanks for this post of what is most likely going to happen.   It appears the three ships may be arriving together.  It would be a great opportunity for a photo op not only for Viking but the shipyard with a news release on what work is being done to these beautiful ships to make them even better!   Do you know what will happen with the crew while the ships are in the shipyard?

[Heidi13]

9 hours ago, Dukefan said:

 Do you know what will happen with the crew while the ships are in the shipyard?

 

In normal times, depending on length of the docking, some non-essential crew can be sent on leave, or to other ships, with the rest remaining with the ship. Crew normally continue living on-board.

[uktog]

MJM Belfast who also operate beside Harland and Wolf are the big refitters that did Azamara Pursuit.  It’s been challenging for them but maybe they can bring staff back now COVID refits will be needed by many. 

[Dukefan]

6 hours ago, uktog said:

MJM Belfast who also operate beside Harland and Wolf are the big refitters that did Azamara Pursuit.  It’s been challenging for them but maybe they can bring staff back now COVID refits will be needed by many. 

AZAMARA PURSUIT TO COME TO H&W BELFAST

Marine fit-out specialist MJM Group has signed a multi-million pound contract with Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. brand Azamara Club Cruises, which will see one of the first major refits of a cruise liner in a UK dry dock. MJM Group will bring the cruise company’s newest ship, Azamara Pursuit, to Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast, to manage and complete a full refit. (From a Jan. 30, 2018 News Release)

Edited June 21, 2020 by Dukefan

[Heidi13]

Hadn't heard of this company before, so checked them out this morning. Started as custom joiners and now doing marine outfitting and project managing. Sounds like they focus on the hotel work, so they must sub-contract the docking and technical work to a shipyard, while project managing the entire project.

 

Read this morning they also completed the refit on one of RCCL's Behemoths of the Seas.

[PasadenaDave]

MJM Belfast who also operate beside Harland and Wolf are the big refitters that did Azamara Pursuit.  It’s been challenging for them but maybe they can bring staff back now COVID refits will be needed by many. 

We have been watching the crime drama Marcella on Netflix and in season 3 they are at the H&F yard and in the background is a cruise ship.


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