The expedtion ship M/S Quest waiting in Helsingborg for the cruise season 2014 to begin

The blue/white M/S Quest is a familiar winter "resident" in Helsingborg.

The expedition ship M/S Quest is again spending the winter months in Helsingborg waiting for the cruise season 2014 to begin. Next year she will be taking passengers to the Svalbard, Orkney, Shetland and Faroe islands.

The 50 m x 11.1 m M/S Quest was built in Denmark in 1992 to serve as a ferry on Greenland's west coast.  She was completely refurbished in 2004/2005 and has since then had been used as an expedition ship. Quest  takes 53 passengers in 26 cabins. The number of crew is 17.

Autumn foliage in Helsingborg

Two weeks ago I shot this image of the Helsingborg city hall (on the left) and the city's medieval Kärnan tower surrounded by autumn foliage:

General cargo ship Annegret on its way to Antwerp

Annegret on its way to Antwerp yesterday.

The general cargo vessel Annegret, here shown going northwards in Øresund yesterday, is easy to recognize from its three yellow cranes. The 151 m x 20 m Annegret, which was launched in 2000, has had its fair share of problems, according to this information:

"The vessel had collided with CELTIC WARRIOR in the Saronic Gulf on Agios Gergios Island, Greece on 7 Dec. 1997. CELTIC WARRIOR sank after the collision but the nine crew members, all Polish citizens, were rescued by the ANNEGRET and taken to Piraeus."
World Martime News, 12 Dec. 1997

"ANNEGRET was in collision with COMET off Aarhus in position 56.09 N. 10.15E and sustained serious damage to her starboard and bulbous bow. Repairs are required before she resumes trading."
Marine News (date not given)

"M/V Annegret in collision with Kiel-Holtenau locks gate of the Kiel Canal. Vessel damaged on starboard side."
www.cargolaw.com, Jan. 12 2005

Multipurpose cargo ship Rickmers Chennai on its way to Antwerp

The Rickmers Chennai on its way to Antwerp this afternoon. The 166.17 m  x  22.90 m
multipurpose ship has 1 forward crane (lifting capacity 120 tons) and two main cranes (400 tons each).
Max. container  capacity is TEU 1.031.

This is the Rickmers-Linie general cargo ship Rickmers Chennai in Øresund this afternoon. The ship, owned by Reederei Heino Winter, entered service last year as Pacific Winter, but as it is on long-term charter for Rickmers-Linie, it was renamed on July 2 in Hamburg.

Here is some information from the Rickmers-Linie:

One of the multi-purpose ships operating on Rickmers’ service between Europe and the Middle East/India has been christened Rickmers Chennai. The former Pacific Winter was renamed in a ceremony in Hamburg yesterday, by Dr Christine Winter, daughter of owner Heino Winter, acting as sponsor of the vessel.

The 19,100dwt Rickmers Chennai has been on long-term charter from Reederei Heino Winter since April. With her 800 tonne lift capacity, the 2012-built Rickmers Chennai – together with sister ship Rickmers Dubai ex Baltic Winter – has proven to be a highly successful addition to the Rickmers-Linie fleet.

Ulrich Ulrichs, Rickmers-Linie’s Chief Operating Officer and Managing Director says the co-operation between Reederei Heino Winter and his company is proving a great success.

"We now have four vessels on charter from Reederei Heino Winter, all of which perform extremely well. Both the two smaller vessels Rickmers Chittagong and Rickmers Mumbai as well as Rickmers Dubai and her sister Rickmers Chennai, which was named today, enable us to offer increased flexibility on our Middle East/India – Europe Service.”

 

A bird of prey?

Is this a bird of prey?

Late this afternoon, while walking on the sea shore, I almost accidentally pointed my camera on a bird flying above the water. At the time, I did not pay much attention to the bird, which quickly disappeared in a southerly direction. However, back home I had a closer look.

There were many seagulls around at the beach, but surely this cannot be a gull. To me it rather lookslike a bird of prey. My ornithological skills are very modest, indeed, so if somebody can help me out, I would be most grateful!

PS

It is of course difficult to ascertain which bird it is when you can't see the head, but a friend of mine suggested that it could be a Caspian gull, and thus not a bird of prey. So, probably no bird of prey, after all.

The view from the library in Helsingør

The view from the Helsingør (Elsinore) city library, located in the beachfront Culture Yard building, is like a painting:

The historic coal-fired tugboat S.S. Bjørn in Helsingør

The historic coal-fired tugboat/icebreaker S.S. Bjørn looked great yesterday afternoon in its home port Helsingør:

The well restored steamship Bjørn in front of the Culture Yard in Helsingør.