During this voyage she has battled with Canal delays and then more delays in Europe due to the wild winter gales. She firstly sailed from Singapore through the Suez Canal to Felixstowe. After she left Felixstowe she headed for Rotterdam then Gdansk and Wilhelmshaven before heading to Felixstowe for her second visit. Strong winds at Felixstowe had caused a few delays with arrivals and departures, CSCL Arctic Ocean finally berthed alongside Felixstowe berth 8.

The Titan which was approaching the Sunk Pilot Station, took priority of the berth so the Arctic Ocean had to vacate her berth and anchor out at the Sunk Deep Water Anchorage until the berth became available. While her time at anchor, Storm Freya was whipping up the winds to about 50mph so the port suspended their ship to shore operations on safety grounds.

The Titan finally finished cargo operations but the winds were still a bit of a concern so a decision to delay the CSCL Arctic Ocean to come back in was put on hold until the weather conditions were more calm.


Still a little breezy, the CSCL Arctic Ocean had finished cargo and was waiting for a tidal window to depart. The Harwich Haven Pilot boards and increases the tug order from 2 to 3 and then requests the services. Svitzer Kent makes fast centre lead aft, Svitzer Shotley makes fast starboard shoulder and Svitzer Deben makes fast centre lead forward. All tugs back off as the mooring gang singles up to two offshore lines and two springs each End. The offshore lines were released followed by the springs a few minutes later.

The Kent was the first tug to start increasing their power with Deben shortly after. Steadily she edges away from the fenders and then the tugs increases further up to full power. Kent eases so the forward tugs can start to angle the bow towards the entrance of the harbour.

The pilot gets the Shotley to ease then let go. Once the Shotley was clear, the Deben would be the next to be released. As the CSCL Arctic Ocean was deep draughted and well loaded, the pilot required a tug to push up on the port quarter around the Beach End turn. Shotley swings around the stern and positions on the quarter on the most aft tug marker. The pilot says that the Shotley would be the primary escort tug.

Approaching the South Shelf Buoy, Shotley lays alongside the ship waiting for instructions from the pilot, the pilot gives the tugs heads up that a couple of minutes they will be steering around the Beach End.

The pilot radios the Shotley to nose up at a 45° angle and push full on the quarter. Kent favours the starboard side but stands by just incase they were required for an indirect if Shotley struggled.

свернуть