MS Maasdam Cruise Ship after Sunrise, Western Entrance, Dover Harbour, Kent, UK

A view of the MS Maasdam in early morning sunlight as it begins reversing towards CT1 (Cruise Terminal 1) of the Admiralty Pier in the Western Docks of Dover Harbour:


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

Western Docks at Night
Harbour House

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):

MS Prinsendam Cruise Ship in Fog, Southern Breakwater, Dover Harbour, Kent, UK

A grainy, yet atmospheric, zoomed photo of 1600 yards showing the MS Prinsendam crossing Dover Harbour from east to west in front of the Southern Breakwater on Sunday, 6th of June, 2010:


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

Western Docks at Night
The Clock Tower

The Prinsendam is on its way to berth at Cruise Terminal 2 on the Admiralty Pier of the Western Docks. Previously, the passenger ship had left Fort Lauderdale, Florida USA, on Monday, 17th of May 2010, and then made a transatlantic crossing to Le Havre, France, arriving on June 5th.

This was not a good weekend for taking cruise ship photos (even without the fog!) owing to the Prince of Wales Pier - the usual vantage point - being closed in preparation for firework displays commemorating the centenary of Charles Stewart Rolls' non-stop return flight across the English Channel on Thursday, June 2nd 1910 (1).

Unable to get any nearer to the ship, this distant view was taken from the Clock Tower end of Dover's seafront promenade, near the King Charles II Restoration of the Monarchy memorial, at 7.20 am while on a morning cycle ride (2).

The Prinsendam stayed until about 5.30 pm and then sailed for Amsterdam (Holland/Netherlands) via IJmuiden and the North Sea Canal. The ship subsequently called at Travemünde (Travemunde, Germany), Copenhagen (Denmark), Oslo (Norway), and Tromsø (Tromso, Norway).

Video - An advertiser has added an opening and closing credit to what is otherwise an official Prinsendam video:

MS Ryndam Cruise Ship before the Southern Breakwater, Dover Harbour, Kent, UK

A view of the MS Ryndam heading for the Eastern Entrance of Dover Harbour and English Channel beyond at 5.12 pm on Sunday, 1st of May, 2011 (1):


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

Harbour House
Western Docks at Night

The passenger ship is accompanied by two tugs, DHB Dauntless (left) and DHB Doughty (right), owned by Dover Harbour Board whose offices, located in Harbour House of Waterloo Crescent, overlook the harbour.

Behind the ship is the Southern Breakwater and the Dover Breakwater West End Light (2)

To the right of the lighthouse is the Western Entrance that lies between the breakwater and the Admiralty Pier (out-of-shot to the right: part of the Western Docks).

Cruise ships berth alongside the Admiralty Pier and then usually leave the Port of Dover by the Western Entrance. On this occasion strong winds have caused the Ryndam to opt for the same route a sister-ship, the MS Eurodam, took the previous year.

The photo was taken from the Prince of Wales Pier just as the Ryndam was passing the wreck site of the Spanish Prince (ex-Knight Bachelor), a World War I blockship scuttled/sunk in 1915.

Earlier in April, the Ryndam left the Gulf of Mexico by sailing south of the Florida Keys and then called at Cherbourg (France) and Zeebrugge (Belgium). The passenger ship is now beginning a 21-day Mediterranean Medley cruise and returned to Dover on Saturday, 21st of May, before the voyage finally ended in Rotterdam on the 22nd. Cruise itinerary (schedule):

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).