Eckerö Shipping's ro-ro ship Transporter on its way to Amsterdam

The 120 m x 19 m m/v Transporter - below shown in the Sound this afternoon - is one of Eckerö Shippings's ro-ro vessels. The ship was built by Fosen Mek. Verksteder A/S, Norway, in 1991. Eckerö Shipping specializes in the transport of forestry products.  

Flashback: Fredriksdal Museums and Gardens on August 22

Flashback:
A beautiful summer afternoon at Fredriksdal Museums and Gardens in Helsingborg on August 22, 2013:

Afternoon traffic on the Laröd road

Traffic was light on the Laröd road at just after 3 pm this afternoon.

 

 

Mutlti-purpose Ro-Ro ship Kraftca on its way to Antwerp

M/v Kraftca, here shown on its way to Antwerp this afternoon, is one of the regulars in Øresund. The 205 m x 25.5 m multi-purpose Ro-Ro vessel is currently deployed in Transfennica's
Antwerp - Hamina  trade.

M/v Kraftca, which flies the Dutch flag, is owned by the Spliethoff Group in Amsterdam.

Copenhagen continues to be one of Europe's most popular cruise destinations

Cunard's Queen Victoria was one of the cruise ships visiting Copenhagen during the 2013 season.

Copenhagen continues to be one of Europe's most popular cruise destinations. At the end of the 2013 season (there are still five Christmas cruise calls in December) the number of calls will be 346 and the number of passengers is going to be just over 800,000:
"Copenhagen has become the natural hub for cruise traffic in northern Europe. We continue to be competitive and are attracting both new and returning guests. The location of the port in the capital is perfect. The airport is close by and Copenhagen is a city that attracts many different types of shipping line and guest – there is something for everyone here," says Arnt Møller Pedersen, COO Cruise and Ferries at CMP.
The biggest month for cruises was June, with 88 calls, followed by 86 in July and 74 in August. The season ends in December with five Christmas cruises. Of the 346 calls, 46% are turnaround calls, i.e. the ships take new passengers on board before departure and then passengers disembark when the cruise is over. Numerous changes of crew also take place in Copenhagen during the season. Copenhagen is therefore a sort of home port for these ships during the summer season in the Baltic Sea.
The rest of the calls are transit calls, which means that the ships visit for the day, allowing the passengers to spend six or seven hours as tourists in Copenhagen. Cruise passengers' and crews' consumption has been estimated as DKK 825 million per annum.*
CMP is making extensive investments to develop cruise traffic. A new cruise quay will allow 500 calls a year from the start of 2014. Three new state-of-the-art terminal buildings are also being built for the turnaround business.
"We are pleased to be able to contribute to the development of the tourist industry by creating the best possible conditions for cruise traffic," says Arnt Møller Pedersen.
Top six nations for cruise passengers in Copenhagen:
1. Germany (25%)
2. USA/Canada (22%)
3. United Kingdom (14%)
4. Italy (7%)
5. Spain (4%)
6. Australia (3%)
2013 was also the first cruise year with turnaround calls for Malmö, with the Spanish cruise operator Pullmantur's ship Empress calling ten times with just over 36,000 passengers.




The flagship of the Windstar Cruises fleet, the Wind Surf
left Copenhagen on August 19.

Next year the port of Copenhagen will have a new cruise-ship quay, which will mainly be used for so called turnaround ships - ships that changer passengers and crew in Copenhagen.

Late afternoon pictures from Helsingborg and Helsingør

The ferry trip between Helsingborg and Helsingør always offers good possibilities to take pictures. Below are a few of my shots from late this afternoon.

The Helsingborg city hall.



The entrance to the port of Helsingborg.

 

The small passenger ferry Pernille arriving in Helsingborg.

The Scandlines ferry Hamlet leaving Helsingør.

You can see that local elections are soon to be held in Helsingør - and Denmark
in general.

A summer evening in the Sound

During the dark season it's nice to remember the gorgeous summer evenings we had last summer here in the Øresund region.

This paddler was on his way towards Helsingborg on the evening of August 8. The birds were heading north ...

Dutch heavy lift vessel Rolldock Sea on its way to St. Petersburg

 

It was already fairly dark when the Dutch heavy lift vessel Rolldock Sea passed Hittarp in Øresund late this afternoon, but the clear blue and white colors and the large letters made it quite easy to recognize. The 140.6 m x 32.6 m ship, built in 2011, is on its way to St. Petersburg.

 

PS

I added this picture of cargo ship which also was going southwards in the Sound late this afternoon. Unfortunately I was not able to find out its name.

Mozart's La Clemenza di Tito at the Drottningholm Palace Theatre 2013 - A musically and visually superb performance

The cast of the Drottningholm Palace Theatre performance of
Mozart's La Clemenza di Tito.

Thank God that you can still find non-modernized performances of classic - particularly baroque - operas! One of the best - and certainly the most beautiful - venues for historically informed performances (HIP) is the Drottningholm Palace Theatre in Stockholm.

This intact 18th century opera theatre, which has been described as "the Swedish jewel in our European cultural heritage crown of centuries-old theatres", was after the assassination of King Gustav III in 1792 (Verdi based his Un ballo in maschera on the event) forgotten for almost 130 years, until it was rediscovered in 1921.

The highlight of the Drottningholm Palace Theatre's 2013 summer season was without doubt Mozart's La clemenza di Tito in a HIP production by Sigrid T'Hooft. Last night, those who did not have a chance to attend one of the performances, could watch Swedish SVT2 channel's broadcast of the opera. The star studded cast included Richard Croft (Tito), Katija Dragojevic (Sesto), Annemarie Kremer (Vitellia), Luciana Mancini (Annio), Elena Galitskaya (Servilia) and Markus Schwartz (Publio). The The Drottningholm Theatre Orchestra was eminently conducted by Drottningholm's artistic director Mark Tatlow. The small, but superbly singing chorus consisted of members of the Swedish Radio Choir.

One must hope that this performance of extraordinary musical and visual beauty soon will be available on DVD!

Mezzo soprano Luciana Mancini as Annio was one of the brightest stars of the evening.

 

Tenor Mark Croft was a superb Tito.




A scene with Tito, Publio and Sesto.

 

Sesto, Publio and Vitellia.

Members of the excellent Drottningholm orchestra.