The Royal Swedish Navy's school ship HMS Gladan returns to Øresund

The Royal Swedish Navy's sail training ship HMS Gladan (40 m x 8 m) today sailed northwards in the Sound on its way from Karlskrona to Öckerö. Here she meets a small sailing boat close to the coast of Danish Zealand:

Offshore drilling Ocean Nomad returns to Øresund

The Ocean Nomad, towed by Tor Viking, passing Hamlet's Kronborg castle.

Exactly a month ago, on May 7, the huge offshore drilling rig Ocean Nomad was going southwards in Øresund on its way to Latvia, where it was about to start drilling exploration wells in the Latvian zone of the Baltic. 

Today, the Nomad was back in the Sound. It is returning to the UK (Newcastle) after a hopefully successful campaign in Latvian waters. 

Unfortunately the haze made it very difficult to get decent images of the drilling  rig, which was accompanied by the Swedish tugboats Odin Viking and Tor Viking. 

The Ocean Nomad is owned and operated by Houston based Diamond Offshore. 

The Magical Light of the Nordic Summer Night (2)

Last night everybody just enjoyed the beauty of the Nordic summer night:

The Magical Light of the Nordic Summer Night

The magical light of the Nordic summer night was on display yesterday here in the Øresund region. I tried to capture the sunset with my camera at about 10 PM in Hittarp. On three last pictures the Viken lighthouse is clearly visible. 

The Royal Danish Navy's frigate Thetis in Øresund

The Royal Danish Navy's frigate Thetis in Øresund on June 6, 2013.

The Royal Danish Navy's frigate Thetis (F 357) tonight passed Hittarp at about 8 PM. The 112.5 m x 14.4 m ship, which entered service in 1991, is the first of four ships in the Thetis Class. The primary operational role of these ships is sovereignty patrol and fishery protection in the North Atlantic. 

Tanker Antracyth and cargo ship Aquarius meet at Kronborg

Late tonight oil/chemical tanker Antracyth (86 m x 15 m, Cyprus registry) and the small Lithuanian cargo ship Aquarius (81 m x 10 m) met in front of Kronborg castle. Antracyth is on its way to Hull, while Aquarius is heading for Klaipeda. 

Rhododendrons

I think our rhododendrons look wonderful this year:

PS

There are some other nice flowers just in front of my living room:

And my garden "balloon" ....

Gullmartank - a Beautiful Classic Coastal Tanker

Gullmartank in the Sound on its way to Hirtshals last night.

The tiny Swedish coastal tanker Gullmartank (48 m x 7 m) is one of my favorite ships. It is a pleasure to see this classic 1963 vessel, owned and operated by Öckerö Bunkerfrakt AB, so well maintained and still in active use. 

Gullmartank and Kronborg castle.

 

A minute later in front of Kronborg.

PS (October 6, 2013)
I now have information that Gullmartank has been sold to Russian owners in St. Petersburg and has been renamed Sula.

Research and survey vessel Kommandor Calum approaching Helsingborg/Helsingør

The UK registered search and survey vessel Kommandor Calum was early this morning approaching Helsingborg/Helsingør on its way from Kristiansund to Karlshamn. The Kommandor Calumn is the former Royal Maritime Auxiliary Service Sal-Class mooring and salvage vessel RMAS Salmaid, which, according to one report, was sold to Hays Ships of Aberdeen in February 2012. (However, for some reason, the Kommandor Calum is not mentioned on the Hays website.) 

The 77 m x 14.9 m Kommandor Calum, here approaching Helsingborg/Helsingør, was commissioned
in 1986 as SAL Class mooring  ship Salmaid.  

The Kommandor Calum and the Danish cruise ferry Crown Seaways.

Views from my balcony (11): A party tenth on the lawn

Late last night a party tenth was ready for a  neighbor's family celebration.

PS

The party tenth "in action" on the following day:

The Polish Navy's Salvage Ship Lech in the Sound

The Polish Navy's salvage ship Lech in Øresund  this evening.

The salvage ship Lech (282) was the second Polish Navy ship today in the Sound. (The first one was the training ship Wodnik (251), which was on its way to Varna this morning.)

Lech with Kronborg castle and Helsingør in the background.

Like Wodnik, also Lech was built (1974) at the Gdansk Northern Shipyard, where Lech Walesa, the charismatic co-founder of the Solidarity, the Soviet bloc's first independent trade union, worked as an electrician. I wonder, whether the name of the ship refers to Walesa? 

The Polish Navy's training ship Wodnik 251 in the Sound

Wodnik 251 passing Hittarp on June 4, 2013.

The Polish Navy's training ship Wodnik (251) today sailed through Øresund on its way to Varna. The 72.2 m x 11.9 m Wodnik's complement is 56 (24officers) and 101 midshipmen. The ship was built in 1975 by the Northern Shipyard in Gdansk - the birthplace of Lech Walesa's Solidarity movement. 

Views From My Balcony (10): The Garden in the Morning

This is how my tiny garden looked early this morning: 

Seabourn Sojourn in the Nordic Summer Night

The Seabourn Sojourn in Øresund just after 4 AM on June 4, 2013

The Seabourn Sojourn, one of the most luxurious cruising vessels in the world, looked great in the Nordic summer night, as it passed Hittarp just after 4 AM today. The flagship of Seabourn Cruise Line - voted World's Best Small-Ship Cruise Line for the last four years by Travel + Leisure - is on its way from Gothenburg to Copenhagen.

Seabourn gives the following facts for the Sojourn:

Ship's Registry:  Bahamas	Guest capacity:  450
Crew members:  330	Tonnage:  32,000grt
Length:  650 feet	Breadth:  84 feet
Guest Decks:  8	Cruising speed:  19 knots
Maiden Voyage:  June 2010	Refurbished:  Newly Built
Christened by:  Twiggy

Seasoned Surfers in the Sound

Today the wind was ideal for windsurfing in the Sound. These seasoned Hittarp surfers (and the photographer) clearly had a great time!

Reefer Avelona Star in Øresund,

Reefer Avelona Star in  Øresund on June 3, 2013

A classic style reefer is always a nice sight. This one, the Avelona Star, was on its way from Kronstadt to Cristóbal, Panama, presumably to fetch a new load of bananas for Russian consumers. The 158 m x 23 m Avelona Star was built in 1991.