MS Saga Ruby Cruise Ship and a God of the Night, Dover Harbour, Kent, UK

At top-right, the fiery eyes of some departing God of the Night blaze down in rage as a last-minute prey achieves sanctuary upon entering the harbour:


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

The unsuspecting ship, the MS Saga Ruby cruise liner, is shown framed in the Eastern Entrance of Dover Harbour, formed by the Eastern Arm pier on the left and the Southern Breakwater on the right.

The structure on the end of the Eastern Arm pier is the Dover Port Control building; beyond the Eastern Entrance lie the dangerous waters of the Straits of Dover and English Channel.

The photo was taken from near the lighthouse end of the Prince of Wales Pier at 6.17 am on Wednesday the 11th of August, 2010.

Another Saga Cruises ship in port this day was the Spirit of Adventure (photographed during an earlier visit in June).

Later, the Saga Ruby left Dover at the start of the "Treasures of the Anglo-Celtic Isles" cruise that called at various ports in England, Scotland, Wales, Nothern Ireland, and Eire (Ireland).

Full itinerary (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