Where do they PARK all the ships

[Aplmac]

8 hours ago, navybankerteacher said:

If Europe remains a mess of COVID 19, will Caribbean governments

want to assume the risk of a denser than usual cruise season.?

 

Our summer cruise season sucks! 2 ships a week if we're lucky.

 

Caribbean Governments need the money: we can do it

- if everyone washes their hands.

 

[1city@atime]

cruisemapper.com

[Aplmac]

Here on the island, I am observing multiple cruised ships

just parked-up, waiting on.........

 

Visually, and with the aid of marinetraffic.com, I am seeing that some of them

take little daily jaunts out to sea, and then return to safe harbour here.

I'm assuming that these little jaunts of theirs are for a reason.

Flushing grey water tanks,etc.

 

But I'm also assuming that this Covid crisis has presented cruise lines

with the rare opportunity to train crew in procedures hitherto unavailble..

due to No Passengers On Board!

 

I am imagining lifeboat drills out in the open ocean, under real life conditions

like a rolling 3-5 ft. swell, with winds unabating!

 

-also hi-speed turns?... training bridge team members in this and that --

seeing how the ship simply drifts (Mein Shiff 1, drifting at 4.7 kts. currently)

and other fun stuff that they couldn't be trying with pax on board!

 

I'm hoping that our resident expert  Chengkp75 might shed some light

re. what sort of tricks they might be up to, out there?

 

[CruiserBruce]

5 minutes ago, Aplmac said:

Here on the island, I am observing multiple cruised ships

just parked-up, waiting on.........

 

Visually, and with the aid of marinetraffic.com, I am seeing that some of them

take little daily jaunts out to sea, and then return to safe harbour here.

I'm assuming that these little jaunts of theirs are for a reason.

Flushing grey water tanks,etc.

 

But I'm also assuming that this Covid crisis has presented cruise lines

with the rare opportunity to train crew in procedures hitherto unavailble..

due to No Passengers On Board!

 

I am imagining lifeboat drills out in the open ocean, under real life conditions

like a rolling 3-5 ft. swell, with winds unabating!

 

-also hi-speed turns?... training bridge team members in this and that --

seeing how the ship simply drifts (Mein Shiff 1, drifting at 4.7 kts. currently)

and other fun stuff that they couldn't be trying with pax on board.

 

I'm hoping that our resident expert  Chengkp75 might shed some light

re. what sort of tricks they might be up to, out there?

 

It was mentioned on another thread that making water, and dumping the various waste products, needs to be further away from shore, so the ships will move off, and cruise around regularly.

[Aplmac]

3 minutes ago, CruiserBruce said:

It was mentioned on another thread that making water, and dumping the various waste products, needs to be further away from shore,

so the ships will move off, and cruise around regularly.

 

Thank you for that feedback, all very probable and necessary!

I believe 12 miles offshore is their legal limit for flushing their holding tanks.

 

but I don't see how they could be missing this God-given opportunity

to conduct stuff they probably wouldn't want us knowing about?

[Diver2014]

I love this topic because I love looking at photos of cruise ships.  I love cruise ships, period.

[Aplmac]

Today's cruise ship situation at Barbados looks like this..

the marinetraffic.com graphic - as of 7:30 p.m. Tuesday 24th. March.

 

Other photos taken around 1030 hrs. morning time -same day

showing Freedom of the Seas anchored off Needham's Point

 

and the stern end of MSC Preziosa showing to the left of the trees

-she was anchored in Carlisle Bay @the time.

 

[jocap]

Allure OTS is moored at City Terminal, Southampton, UK

[Host Kat]

Check out the Cruise Critic article What Are Cruise Lines Doing With Their Empty Ships?

 

 

[Aplmac]

Still at anchor in Carlisle Bay, Barbados!

 

AIDAperla and RCL's VISION of The Seas

 

[Aplmac]

On 3/25/2020 at 7:33 PM, Host Kat said:

Check out the Cruise Critic article

What Are Cruise Lines Doing With Their Empty Ships?

 

Very informative. Thanks very much!

[shipgeeks]

Aplmac, I am enjoying your photos of the ships at Barbados.

Port of Miami webcam is interesting, as ships come and go all day every day.  Currently six within view anchored out, as well as several at the piers.

[Host Kat]

15 hours ago, Aplmac said:

 

Very informative. Thanks very much!

 

You are most welcome!  

 

I especially enjoyed the pictures & videos.

 

[Aplmac]

Two more for Monday 30th. March 2020

showing MSC Preziosa and Hanseatic Inspiratin

anchored in Carlisle Bay -BARBADOS.

 

Looks like Mein Schiffs One and Two have taken off (yesterday)

heading N-Eastward towards Europe and the Med

for a hopeful Summer cruise season? -lol Good luck with that!

 

[jocap]

I was watching Viking Sea heading north to Gibraltar last week, but I've spotted her anchored outside now for a couple of days. Does anyone know if she's not allowed to dock, or is just waiting for a slot?

I see QM2 and MSC Orchestra are still waiting outside Durban. QM2 is on her world cruise; I'm not sure about Orchestra, because she used to overwinter in SA.

Interesting shuffle around of ships in Southampton- Ventura and Queen Elizabeth went around the English Channel for a couple of days, but now are back in their original docks; Allure OTS and Britannia are now having a wander down the Channel. Is this for grey water reasons? 

Little Boudicca, which was allowed to dock in Cuba, and then passengers flew back to the UK in separate planes for sick/well, is now due to arrive in Southampton tomorrow.

[Grahambythesea]

P & O’s Britannia sailed into Weymouth Bay (Dorset UK) today having left Southampton yesterday. She’s now moored. I wonder how long she’ll remain.

[jocap]

5 hours ago, Grahambythesea said:

P & O’s Britannia sailed into Weymouth Bay (Dorset UK) today having left Southampton yesterday. She’s now moored. I wonder how long she’ll remain.

The S'ton docks look pretty full, and Azura's coming along the Channel ready to dock there… I cannot find Allure OTS anywhere, because marinetraffic seems to break down when I ask. No room for both Britannia and Allure unless the Fred O ship moves out from Ocean Terminal.

[jocap]

Found Allure of the Seas... she's in the Bristol Channel, south west of Pembroke Dock. Her destination is still logged as Southampton, so perhaps she's disposing of grey water.

[Aplmac]

This evening, around 5:20 - 5:30 there were either 8 or 9 cruise ships

anchored in Carlisle Bay, Barbados!

I thought we had lowered the numbers -but it doesn't seem so.

 

We're glad to have them!!

[Aplmac]

I hear that Europa is due here on Saturday

and more ships next week, too.

This from a contact who handles such things, in the Port.

 

Seems Barbados will accept ships for lay-up

whereas others ports will not!

 

Lots of 40 ft. shipping containers full of things for three RCLs

are also in the Bridgetown Port, to keep things going, on board

 

This morning the Carlisle Bay anchorages looked like this....

with two more ships lying about offshore, and not shown here

 

[Aplmac]

Later this same morning of April 1st. 2020.....

Carlisle Bay Barbados is crowded with multiple cruise ships

looking like this!

 

Freedom OTS is anchored to the left of that crowd you see in the first pic

with Hanseatic Nature also -in the Port at Bridgetown!

 

[Aplmac]

Barbados situation.

 

3 anchored off Speightstown, our second town to the North of the island

6 in Carlisle Bay..

2 more lingering offshore

 

All of them oriented towards staying here for the forseeable future!

 

[flyingron]

Maybe they should go back to their home ports.   These countries should have some obligation to providing the flags.

[jocap]

6 hours ago, Aplmac said:

Barbados situation.

 

3 anchored off Speightstown, our second town to the North of the island

6 in Carlisle Bay..

2 more lingering offshore

 

All of them oriented towards staying here for the forseeable future!

 

I presume all passengers have left? So the crew are still on board... are the ships moving around for water reasons, like the Southampton ones? Tonight, Aurora, which was safely tucked up in Dover, is roaming the Channel... 

[Aplmac]

5 minutes ago, jocap said:

I presume all passengers have left? ===> Yes: all gone back home now.

 

So the crew are still on board... ===> Some crew, I should imagine -not all

are the ships moving around for water reasons, like the Southampton ones? ==> Yes.

Tonight, Aurora, which was safely tucked up in Dover, is roaming the Channel... 

 

There seem to be about 10... maybe a dozen cruise ships hanging-out at Barbados

whether at anchor in the lee of the island

or whether 20 miles offshore fooling around

with whatever it is cruise ships fool around with

when faced with gobs and gobs of boring Down Time!

 

Yes, tank-flushing is a neccessity,

albeit probably a lot less now with no pax on board