MS AIDAsol Cruise Ship in Dover Harbour on her Maiden Voyage, Kent, UK

The MS AIDAsol cruise ship entered Dover Harbour on Wednesday, 13th of April, 2011 (closely followed by fog!) via the Eastern Entrance and is shown in front of the White Cliffs of Dover and Eastern Arm pier:


(Click this MS AIDAsol cruise ship text link to see the largest size)

The passenger ship is now heading towards the Admiralty Pier of the Western Docks to berth at CT2 (Cruise Terminal 2).

The photo was taken at 8.49 am approximately 1300 yards away from near the lighthouse and cafe end of the Prince of Wales Pier (eastern side).

In the English Channel, sea fog can occur at any time of the year but seems to be more common in the late Spring and early to mid-Summer when the water inshore is still fairly cold (1).

The maiden voyage of the MS AIDAsol had the following itinerary: Kiel (Germany), Copenhagen (Denmark), Oslo (Norway), Dover (England), Le Havre (France), Amsterdam (Netherlands/Holland), and Hamburg (Germany).

Panorama of the White Cliffs of Dover in Sunlight and Shadow, Kent, UK

The iconic White Cliffs of Dover viewed from the the lighthouse and cafe end of the Prince of Wales Pier:


(Click this White Cliffs of Dover text link to see the largest size)

The strange-looking object on top of the cliffs just right of centre is the South Foreland lighthouse. The top of the darker Old South Foreland lighthouse, built in 1793, can be seen near the right-hand edge of the cliffs. Both lighthouses are over 5000 yards distant.

At the bottom of the cliffs is the Eastern Arm pier which runs out from the ferry terminal in the Eastern Docks (out-of-shot to the left) to the Eastern Entrance (bounded by the Southern Breakwater, out-of-shot to the right).

Dover Castle (also out-of-shot to the left) is located above East Cliff.

The photo was taken on Monday, May 10th, 2010 (the day the MV Princess Daphne cruise ship arrived in port).

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The White Cliffs of Dover (1)

Introduction

The White Cliffs of Dover are cliffs which form part of the British coastline facing the Strait of Dover and France. The cliffs are part of the North Downs formation. The cliff face, which reaches up to 107 metres (351 ft), owes its striking façade to its composition of chalk (pure white calcium carbonate) accentuated by streaks of black flint. The cliffs spread east and west from the town of Dover in the county of Kent, an ancient and still important English port.

MV Princess Daphne Cruise Ship before the White Cliffs of Dover, Kent, UK

On the 10th of May, 2010, the Princess Daphne cruise ship entered Dover Harbour via the Eastern Entrance and is shown making its way across the Outer Harbour towards the Admiralty Pier of the Western Docks to berth at CT1 (Cruise Terminal 1):


(Click this Princess Daphne Cruise Ship text link to see the largest size)

Eastern Docks at Night
Harbour House

The Eastern Arm pier, running the full length of the photo behind the ship, juts out from the out-of-shot Eastern Docks (the cross-channel ferry terminal) located below the White Cliffs of Dover. The top of the Old South Foreland lighthouse, built in 1793, can be seen near the cliff edge on the right-hand side of the photo.

The tugs DHB Dauntless (bow) and DHB Doughty (stern) belong to Dover Harbour Board of Harbour House.

The photo was taken just after midday from near the lighthouse end of the Prince of Wales Pier (eastern side).

The MS Princess Daphne arrived from Cadiz, Spain (5th May), and had previously called at: Barcelona, Spain (2nd May); Marseile/Marseilles, France (1st May); Nice, France (1st May - a day-trip); Marseile/Marseilles, France (1st May); Catania, Sicily (29th April); Beirut, Lebanon (22nd April).

Later in the day, the Princess Daphne left Dover and arrived at Kiel, Germany, at 7.16 am on the 12th of May.

MS Spirit of Britain and the White Cliffs of Dover, Dover Harbour, Kent, UK

After wandering around in small circles in the North Sea off Deal and Sandwich for a couple of hours, the MS Spirit of Britain super-ferry finally entered the Eastern Entrance of Dover Harbour at 11.05 am on Sunday, 9th of January, 2011:


(Click this MS Spirit of Britain text link to see the largest size)

The above view, with the White Cliffs of Dover as a backdrop, was taken at 11.19 am and shows the brand-new cross-channel ferry in the last stages of maneuvering prior to berthing.

The Eastern Arm pier running behind the Spirit of Britain juts out from the Eastern Docks cross-channel ferry terminal (out-of-shot to the left).

At the other end of the Eastern Arm is the Eastern Entrance to the Straits of Dover and English Channel (the other side of Eastern Entrance is formed by the Southern Breakwater).

The strange-looking object on top of the cliffs right of centre is the South Foreland lighthouse. The top of the darker Old South Foreland lighthouse, built in 1793, can be seen near the right-hand edge of the cliffs. Both lighthouses are over 5000 yards distant.

This zoomed photo of the Spirit of Britain was taken 1900 yards away from near the lighthouse end of the Prince of Wales Pier (see all lighthouse photos).

A similar view of the MS Pride of Calais will be uploaded anon.

Abridged extract from a P&O Ferries blog (1):

MV Fram Cruise Ship on a Foggy Morning in Dover Harbour, Kent, UK

The MS Fram cruise ship entered Dover Harbour - closely followed by fog! - via the Eastern Entrance and is shown in front of the White Cliffs of Dover and Eastern Arm pier:



The passenger ship is heading towards the Admiralty Pier of the Western Docks where it will berth at CT2 (Cruise Terminal 2).

This zoomed photo taken at 8.33 am on Friday, 15th of April, 2011, from near the lighthouse and cafe end of the Prince of Wales Pier (eastern side).

To the left of the passenger ship, the Eastern Arm pier juts out from the Eastern Docks (the cross-channel ferry terminal, not in view). The English Channel is on the right.

The MS Fram has just finished a "Spring in Western Europe" cruise which began on the 7th of April with the following itinerary:

Lisbon (Portugal), Porto (Oporto, Portugal), La Coruna (Spain), Bay of Biscay, Bordeaux (France), Sark (Channel Islands, UK), Guernsey (Channel Islands, UK), Honfleur (France), Dover (for London, UK).

At 5 pm, the MS Fram left the Port of Dover at the start of an 11-day, "Norwegian Highlights" cruise calling at:

MS Eurodam Cruise Ship just after Sunrise, Eastern Entrance, Dover Harbour, Kent, UK

A post-sunrise view of the MS Eurodam after she had entered Dover Harbour from the English Channel via the Eastern Entrance:


(Click this MS Eurodam Cruise Ship text link to see the largest size)

Eastern Docks at Night

On the left of the photo the Eastern Arm pier juts out from the Eastern Docks (the cross-channel ferry terminal, not in view) with the Eastern Entrance to the right of the ship bracketed by the out-of-shot Southern Breakwater.

The photo was taken at 5.44 am on Tuesday, 29th of June, 2010 (1) from a point mid-way between the Porthole Shelters and the lighthouse and Harbour View Cafe on the Prince of Wales Pier (eastern side). A zoomed shot: the ship is 700-800 yards away.

Unusually, the Eurodam is shown pivoting on her bow prior to continuing the rest of the journey across the Outer Harbour in reverse. Every other large cruise ship I've seen enter Dover Harbour hasn't reversed until they have reached the Western Entrance - see the MS Disney Magic and MV Braemar photos for examples.

This manoeuvre may be due to the presence of the Waasland Sea Barge and the Gaverland Sea Barge who are in port to remove the wreck of the Spanish Prince. The Spanish Prince (ex-Knight Bachelor) was a blockship scuttled in early 1915 during the First World War (World War I).

MS Disney Magic Cruise Ship at Sunrise, Eastern Entrance, Dover Harbour, Kent, UK

The MS Disney Magic cruise ship entered Dover Harbour via the Eastern Entrance and is now making its way across the Outer Harbour towards the Admiralty Pier of the Western Docks where it will berth at CT2 (Cruise Terminal 2):


(Click this MS Disney Magic cruise ship text link to see the largest size)

On the left of the photo the Eastern Arm pier juts out from the Eastern Docks (the cross-channel ferry terminal, not in view) with the Southern Breakwater bracketing the other side of the Eastern Entrance to the right of the ship.

To the right of MS Disney Magic is the Dover Harbour Board tug, DHB Dauntless; in the sky is an aeroplane on a photo-shoot of the passenger ship.

The photo was taken at 5.08 am on Saturday, 12th of June, 2010, from a point mid-way between the Porthole Shelters and the lighthouse on the Prince of Wales Pier (eastern side). A zoomed shot of about 1500-1600 yards.

The MS Disney Magic has just finished a "7-Night Barcelona to Dover Cruise" whose itinerary comprised: Barcelona (Spain), Gibraltar (United Kingdom, UK), Cádiz (Cadiz, Spain), and Lisbon (Portugal).

At 5.12 pm the Disney Magic passed through the Western Entrance of Dover Harbour and into the English Channel on a "12-Night Northern European Capitals Cruise" calling at Oslo (Norway), Copenhagen (Denmark), Warnemünde/Rostock (Warnemunde, Germany), St Petersburg (Russia), Helsinki (Finland), and Stockholm (Sweden).

Ship information:

MS AIDAaura Cruise Ship crossing Dover Harbour in Early Morning Fog, Kent, UK

The MS AIDA Aura cruise ship entered Dover Harbour via the Eastern Entrance and is now making its way across the Outer Harbour towards the Admiralty Pier of the Western Docks where it will berth at CT2 (Cruise Terminal 2):



On the left of this post-sunrise photo, the Eastern Arm pier juts out from the Eastern Docks (the cross-channel ferry terminal, not in view) with the Southern Breakwater bracketing the other side of the Eastern Entrance to the right of the ship.

The photo was taken at 6.14 am on Tuesday, 18th of May, 2010, from a point mid-way between the Porthole Shelters and the Lighthouse on the Prince of Wales Pier (eastern side).

MS AIDA Aura General Characteristics:

Tonnage: 42,289 gross register tons (GRT)
Length: 665.3 feet (202.78 m)
Beam: 92.2 feet (28.10 m)
Draft: 20.3 feet (6.19 m)
Decks: 12 total, 10 passenger
Installed power: Diesel-electric (27,150kW)
Speed: 19.4-knot (36 km/h; 22 mph)
Capacity: 1,300 passengers
Crew: 418 crew
Notes: 6 elevators
Operator: AIDA Cruises
Port of registry: Italy
Builder: Aker MTW (Germany)
Cost: $350 million
Christened: April 12, 2003 in Warnemünde
Maiden voyage: October 27, 2008 to Wilmington (North Carolina, USA)
In service: April 15, 2003
Identification: IMO 9221566
Call: Sign IBNZ
MMSI: 247117400

From Hamburg in Germany on a "British Isles Cruise".

More information (including sources used and a Google Earth satellite map) can be found on this photo's original webpage at:

AIDA Aura Cruise Ship crossing Dover Harbour in Early Morning Fog

Also see:

MS AIDA Aura Cruise Ship at Cruise Terminal 2, Admiralty Pier, Dover Harbour
MS AIDA Aura Cruise Ship after Sunrise, Western Entrance, Dover Harbour

A new vessel from AIDA Cruises for 2011:

MS AIDAsol Cruise Ship in Dover Harbour on her Maiden Voyage

Links to the main Images of Dover website:

Click to see all Cruise Ship photos (related tags: Boats, Ferries, Lifeboats, Navy, Sailing Ships, Ships, Tugs, and Workboats).

A Dover Harbour photo.

John Latter / Jorolat

Dover Blog: The Psychology of a Small Town