switchlogic:
The Norman Atlantic isnt particularly small. Its a Visentini, cheap and nasty but very common. Currently Stena run one on Rosslare Cherbourg 18 hour crossing after taking over Celtic Link and two on Belfast Birkenhead
Thats the one on fire ,it was Rosslare, St Nazaire, Gijon until October when Ld gave up that route.
Interesting read just surprised no one has mentioned what may have been the cause.Travelled on ferries for years including Ancona/Bari to Patras
and I have no doubt that at some time in the future it will probably be revealed that a plugged in fridge caught fire, seen it happen Dover/Calais.
10 dead though, ■■■■ shame.
Partly. This boat was run by a joint venture between ANEK and Superfast and Superfast did do Rosyth - Belgium for a time, along with Blue Star who are owned by the same company as Superfast, the Attica Group.
Coffeeholic:
One person confirmed dead according to news reports.
make that around eight according to the latest,also fair play to the captain who was the last off the ship
Heard report on the BBC this morning that 2 Albanians on a tug in the towing process have been killed,
Two Albanian seamen have been killed on a tugboat while towing the fire-stricken Norman Atlantic ferry.
Both men died after a connecting cable between the vessels snapped on Tuesday morning after it became entangled in a propeller, Albanian officials say.
That’s brings the total killed in connection with this tragedy to 12.
A driver that I used to work with, was previously on Trawlers out off Lowestoft, he told me about one off their crew being Killed by a steel cable. What a horrible way to go, for those 2 poor souls,
The operator said 478 people had been on the ferry when it left the Greek port of Patras for Ancona in Italy, but Italy’s final tally following the rescue comes to only 437, including those who died.
When they call at the islands people wander on and off the boats like it’s the local bus, which in a way it is. So its easy to imagine there will be plenty of passengers not on the passenger list.
this ferry is a sister ship to the Brittany ferries ETRETAT which belonged to ld lines.
currently running Portsmouth _le havre thro the week and and Portsmouth _Santander at weekends
a bit more useless info
dennis
We are travelling to Santander on the 10th on the Etreat , I have had to keep very quiet about it being a sister ship (also ex LD Line) to Norman Atlantic ,if I had mentioned it I think Ryanair might have got another female passenger that day.
hi kerbut,we return to spain on the etretat the week after on the 17th like you I havn’t said anything or I would
be paying for an air fare as well take care and safe journey all the best dennis
I reckon you chaps should, mid crossing breezily say to your other halves ‘you know, this ship is identical to the Norman Atlantic, remember, the one that burnt to a crisp’…
luke that is one way of keeping the wife quiet for a few days because I’m sure she wouldn’t be speaking to me all the way to Alicante !! not a bad thing I suppose
because I did many years driving in Europe with only myself to talk to. at least you have bertie keep making the videos please as i enjoy happy new year to you and onward in 2015 regards dennis .
Well, I have had a"that looks like the Brittany Ferries one" comment when she saw it on the news under tow , I said yes it is similar but a different make and the BF one is far more sea worthy , hope its not rough in Biscay as if it is there will be stoney silence between Santander and Benalmadena.
according to some passengers,the italian crew were the first to bail out into the lifeboats,leaving them to fend for themselves…no change there for the tallys then?..obviously the ferry owners say theres no proof,effectively calling the passengers liars.fair play to the captain for hanging about till the end though.no doubt the fire will have been caused by a faulty fridge,or similar,but i wonder where public opinion will lie if it shows it has been caused by similar circumstances to my previously removed post,what has 4 legs and goes woof ,where the polish truckie in calais had his truck explode into flames after a cpl of flipflops hid in his crammed with inflammibles trailer then incinerated themselfs. had that happened an hour later in the middle of the english channel instead of on the docks,then the ensuing carnage would no doubt be broadly similar to what you see on the reports for this disaster.possibly the crew might have hung around to assist passengers a bit more,but you can easily see the similar situation.apparantly theres an increase of whats still heading our way now with this one… mirror.co.uk/news/world-news … ip-4900385 according to that,its rising constantly,so mabey they should be putting back up the new fences that blew down a.s.a.p.they could just as easily point a ship at portsmouth . they took the 1000 off the boat and into shelter,i wonder where they will endup ■■?
I like the words ‘Safety First’ on the bridge front of the Blue Sky M, not alot of that there. Sietas build ship, Germany, will be sold at auction for peanuts …
raymundo:
I like the words ‘Safety First’ on the bridge front of the Blue Sky M, not alot of that there. Sietas build ship, Germany, will be sold at auction for peanuts …
Probably go to Aliaga. I have a very high regard for Sietas built ships though, the one I sailed on was superbly built and one of my dad’s old Sietas built ones lasted over 50 years. About 35 years in Europe and a further 15 trading between Guyana and Trinidad.
Edit: Just noted your new location info, Ray. What part of the prestigious British Merchant Navy are you representing on the Clyde now?