(Click this MS Maasdam Cruise Ship text link to see the largest size)
The bow of the Maasdam is pointing towards the open waters of the Straits of Dover and the English Channel through the harbour's Western Entrance. This 245 yard-wide gateway into the Port of Dover is bounded by the Admiralty Pier, behind and to the right of the ship, and the out-of-shot Southern Breakwater further to the left. Also on the right is the bow of the Norwegian Sun cruise ship that berthed alongside Cruise Terminal 2 (CT2) just a few minutes earlier.
The DHB Dauntless tug belongs to Dover Harboard Board of Harbour House.
This post-sunrise photo of the Maasdam was taken at 6.33 am on Tuesday, 3rd of August, 2010, from the lighthouse and Harbour View cafe end of the Prince of Wales Pier while on a morning cycle ride (1) (see all lighthouse photos).
The Maasdam passenger ship left Boston (Commonwealth of Massachusetts, USA) on a transatlantic cruise that began on Saturday, July 17. Before arriving in Dover Harbour the ship called at the following ports along the way:
St Pierre (Territorial Collectivity of St Pierre and Miquelon, France), St. Johns (Newfoundland, Canada), Qaqortoq (Danish: Julianehåb, Greenland), Isafjordur (Ísafjörður, Iceland), Akureyri (Iceland), Aalesund (Ålesund, Norway), Bergen (Norway), Oslo (Norway), and Copenhagen (Denmark).
The Maasdam left Dover later in the day (5.11pm) on an 18-day "Voyage Of The Vikings" cruise back to Boston. Itinerary (schedule):
Amsterdam (Holland/Netherlands), Dunmore East (Waterford, Eire/Ireland), Liverpool (UK), Dublin (Eire/Ireland), Heimaey (Iceland), Reykjavik (Iceland), Nanortalik (Greenland), St. Anthony (Newfoundland, Canada), Corner Brook (Newfoundland, Canada), Bar Harbor (Maine, USA), and Boston (Massachusetts, USA).
Video - A 3D virtual cruise of the route and ports of call on "Voyage Of The Vikings":
Each port has an inset photo. The one for Dover shows the Castle (classic view) above the White Cliffs.
The Maasdam is a Holland America Line (HAL) cruise ship named for a dam located on the Maas River in the Netherlands. She was ordered along with her sisters MS Statendam and MS Ryndam in 1989 from the Fincantieri Shipyards (a shipbuilding company based in Trieste, Italy, formed in 1959).
The Maasdam and her sisters have articulated "Hinze" flap rudders, basically a rudder with a small portion of its aft that can be steered in addition to the main rudder, for exceptional maneuverability. When launched in 1993 her class proved to be one of the world's most technically advanced and optimised cruise ships in the world during sea trials.
The ship was dedicated in December 1993, by the actress June Allyson
Concept and Construction
The Maasdam features a teak promenade deck, two-tiered dining room, and atrium with glass sculpture. The ship also features an expansive art collection. In April 2006 Maasdam emerged from drydock in Freeport, Bahamas after a multi-million USD dollar refit. Additions included several new dining venues, a culinary arts center and all new cabin amenities, including flatscreen televisions and DVD players.
Signature of Excellence Program
The Maasdam currently has received SOEP1 which included Pinnacle Grill specialty restaurant, the Neptune Lounge (for suite guests), the Culinary Arts Center with demonstration kitchen, expanded children's and teens' facilities, enhanced stateroom amenities, and improved dining and enrichment offerings and recently received SOEP2 in April 2011 which included Spa Staterooms, Mix which is a bar type lounge & Showroom at Sea (nightclub/lounge).
See the Signature of Excellence video.
Current Cruises
The vessel serves the Caribbean in the winter based out of Fort Lauderdale (Florida, US) and during the summer sails from Boston, Massachusetts sailing to Europe, Atlantic Canada and New England.
Vessel Details
Name: MS Maasdam
Owner: Carnival Corporation & PLC
Operator: Holland America Line (Holland America Line website)
Port of registry: Netherlands, Rotterdam
Ordered: 29 November 1989
Builder: Fincantieri, Monfalcone, Italy
Cost: 180 million US dollars
Yard number: 5882
Completed: January 1, 1993
Call sign: PFRO
IMO number: 8919257
MMSI number.: 244958000
Class and type: "S class" cruise ship
Tonnage: 55,575 GT
Displacement: 10,965 DWT
Length: 220 m (721.78 ft)
Beam: 30.937 m (101.50 ft)
Height: 40 m (131.23 ft)
Draught: 7.6 m (24.93 ft)
Decks: 10
Ice class: 1D
Installed power: Two Sulzer 12ZAV40S, Two Sulzer 8ZAL40 diesels (All engines built under license by Fincantieri/Grandi Motori Trieste)
Propulsion: Electric shaftline
Speed: 22 knots (41 km/h)
Capacity: 1,258 passengers
Crew: 580
See the official Maasdam webpage.
The Holland America Line is a cruise shipping company. It was founded in 1873 as the "Netherlands-America Steamship Company" (Dutch: Nederlandsch-Amerikaansche Stoomvaart Maatschappij), a shipping and passenger line. Headquartered in Rotterdam and providing service to the Americas, it became known as Holland America Line. HAL is now headquartered in Seattle, Washington, USA.
The first ships sailed between Rotterdam and New York in 1872, with New York remaining the American terminal. Other services were started to South America and Baltimore. Cargo service to New York was added in 1899. During the first 25 years the company carried 400,000 people from the old world to the new world. Other North American ports were added during the early 20th century.
Though transportation and shipping were the primary sources of revenue, in 1895 HAL offered its first vacation cruise. Its second vacation cruise, from New York to the Holy Land (Hebrew: ארץ הקודש; Eretz HaQodesh ; Arabic: الأرض المقدسة Al-Ard Al-Muqaddasah; Palestine, Israel) was first offered in 1910. In 1971, HAL suspended transatlantic passenger trade and in 1973 sold its cargo shipping division.
In 1989, HAL became a wholly owned subsidiary of Carnival Corporation & PLC, the largest cruise line. The company operates 15 ships to 7 continents and carries almost 700,000 cruise passengers a year. In addition to its cruise line, Holland America operates the Westmark Hotel chain in Alaska and the Yukon.
Bollard-pull DHB Dauntless tug: Call Sign MZGC8, IMO 9190456, MMSI 232004784.
More Tug photos.
Originally established in 1606, Dover Harbour Board is responsible for the administration, maintenance and improvement of the harbour at Dover.
It operates right at the heart of the UK's and Continental Europe's cross-Channel transport network, managing and piloting what has become one of today's busiest drive-on, drive-off terminals in the world.
The history and origins of the Port of Dover can be traced right back to Roman times.
Robsons Yard Flats
(1) On a cycle ride beginning at Robsons Yard Flats in the Tower Hamlets area of Dover, then: Athol Terrace (Eastern Docks) - Seafront Promenade - Prince of Wales Pier (Western Docks) - Robsons Yard.
This is where I do my Evolution and Psychology research! (archive)
(2) Wikipedia entry for MS Maasdam
(3) Marinetraffic entry for MV Maasdam
(4) Wikipedia entry for Holland America Line
(5) The official Dover Harbour Board website
The main photo first appeared at:
MS Maasdam Cruise Ship after Sunrise, Western Entrance, Dover Harbour
Other Dover ships belonging to Holland America Line Cruises include:
Other ships at Sunrise in the Western Entrance include:
Click to see all Dover MS Maasdam, Holland America Line Cruise Ships, Cruise Ship, and Tug photos.
Clickable thumbnails of all harbour-related photos on the main Panoramio Images of Dover website are available on this blog on the Port of Dover Page (also linked to at the top of the page below the blog title).
The Panoramio photos are each accompanied by a Google Earth satellite map. However, the images are smaller than those on the Images of Dover Blog and the captions are less well formatted.
Port of Dover travel and tourism in the Western Docks.
John Latter / Jorolat
Dover Blog: The Psychology of a Small Town
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2 comments:
Beautiful photo! I adore Dover, many fond memories of the coast and waiting to board ferries for holiday adventures! I realise you haven't updated here in a little while now, but perhaps I could persuade you to give your blog a second life over on glipho.com? We're a new social blogging site, and I know our community would love to look through your work here. Let me know what you think!
All the best,
Teo
Thank you, Teo. At the moment I am too busy to do much of anything on the internet, but I'll bear your suggestion in mind!
John Latter
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