MS AIDAblu Cruise Ship berthed at Cruise Terminal 2, Admiralty Pier, Dover, Kent, UK

An early morning view of the MS AIDAblu cruise ship berthed at Cruise Terminal 2 (CT2) on the Admiralty Pier of the Western Docks, her bow pointing in the direction of the Western Entrance and English Channel beyond:


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

The low structure on top of the pier to the right of the AIDAblu's stern is the Victorian Admiralty Pier Turret (alt. Dover Turret) containing 2 Fraser RML 16 inch 80 ton guns (RML = "rifled muzzle-loading") which were declared obsolete in 1902.

This Dover Harbour photo was taken at 7.24 am on Tuesday, 17th of May, 2011, from the lighthouse end of the Prince of Wales Pier (western side).

The reflections in the glass windbreaks - which I like! - are from the table and bench combinations (such as the one I stood on to take the photo) set out in front of the Lighthouse Cafe.

The seagull wheeling above the centre of the passenger ship has been included at no extra charge.

The MS AIDAblu sailed from Hamburg (Germany) on Friday, 13th of May, on a "7-Nachte Nordeuropa" (7-Night North Europe/Northern Europe, German Bight) cruise with the following itinerary: Amsterdam (Netherlands/Holland), Antwerp (Belgium), Dover (for London, England), Le Havre (for Paris, France), and then back to Hamburg.

AIDAblu Cruise Ship at Sunrise, Admiralty Pier, Dover Harbour, Kent, UK (2)

MS AIDA Blu seen from the Prince of Wales Pier on April 27th, 2010:


(Click this MS AIDAblu text link to see the largest size)

The Admiralty Pier of the Western Docks is behind the passenger ship which is berthed at Cruise Terminal 2 (CT2).

The MS AIDA Blu passenger ship is a Sphinx series cruise ship built by Meyer Werft for the German cruise line AIDA Cruises, a British-American owned German cruise line based in Rostock, Germany (parent company, Carnival Corporation and PLC).

On 7-day German Bight Cruise: last port Le Havre (France), next Antwerp (Belgium) and Amsterdam (Netherlands, Holland); back to Hamburg (Germany).

Ship's details:

Tonnage: 71,300 gross register tons (GRT)
Length: 827 feet (252.07 m)
Beam: 105.5 feet (32.16 m)
Decks: 15 decks
Installed power: Diesel-electric (about 36,000kW)
Propulsion: 4 Caterpillar MaK engines
Capacity: 2,050 passengers
Crew: 607 crew
Call Sign IBWX
IMO 9398888
MMSI 247282500

One of two photos (they look similar, but the lamp-posts are different!)

More information (including sources used) can be found on this photo's original webpage at:

MS AIDAblu Cruise Ship at Sunrise, Admiralty Pier, Dover Harbour (2)

Other photos taken this day:

MS Pride of Dover ferry, Admiralty Pier, Western Docks, Dover Harbour

AIDAblu Cruise Ship and Pride of Dover Ferry, Admiralty Pier, Dover Harbour

MS AIDAblu Cruise Ship at Sunrise, Admiralty Pier, Dover Harbour (1) (not yet uploaded)

The MS AIDAblu in 2011:

MS AIDAblu Cruise Ship berthed at Cruise Terminal 2, Admiralty Pier, Dover

A new vessel from AIDA Cruises for 2011:

MS AIDAsol Cruise Ship in Dover Harbour on her Maiden Voyage

A Dover Harbour photo.

Click to see all Dover AIDAblu, AIDA Cruises, and Cruise Ship photos.

Clickable thumbnails of all harbour-related photos from the main Panoramio Images of Dover website are available on this blog at Port of Dover Page (also linked to at the top below the blog title).

The main site 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.

John Latter / Jorolat

Dover Blog: The Psychology of a Small Town

AIDAblu Cruise Ship and Pride of Dover Ferry, Admiralty Pier, Dover Harbour, Kent, UK

MS AIDA Blu owned by AIDA Cruises, MS Pride of Dover owned by P&O Ferries:


(Click this AIDA Blu and Pride of Dover text link to see the largest size)

The passengers ships are berthed in the Western Docks against the Admiralty Pier on the far side of the Prince of Wales Pier in Dover Harbour.

Photo taken from the jetty at the western end of the Gateway Flats near Henry VIII's Mote's Bulwark coastal artillery fortification on Tuesday, April 27th, 2010.

The ships:

MS AIDAblu

The MS AIDA Blu passenger ship is a Sphinx series cruise ship built by Meyer Werft for the German cruise line AIDA Cruises, a British-American owned German cruise line based in Rostock, Germany.

The parent company is Carnival Corporation & PLC.

The ship is shown part-way through a 7-day German Bight Cruise. Her last port of call was Le Havre (France), the next were Antwerp (Belgium) and Amsterdam (Netherlands, Holland). The cruise then ended in Hamburg (Germany).

Vessel details:

Tonnage: 71,300 gross register tons (GRT)
Length: 827 feet (252.07 m)
Beam: 105.5 feet (32.16 m)
Decks: 15 decks
Installed power: Diesel-electric (about 36,000kW)
Propulsion: 4 Caterpillar MaK engines
Capacity: 2,050 passengers
Crew: 607 crew
Call Sign IBWX
IMO 9398888
MMSI 247282500
Owners website: Aida Cruises

The Pride of Dover primarily operated the Dover–Calais route, but on a number of occasions she made crossings between Dover and Zeebrugge as a result of industrial action in France.

MS Pride of Dover

The vessel ended her P&O service on 15 December 2010 with her last crossing leaving Dover at 2345 local time. She has now been replaced by the new super-ferry, MS Spirit of Britain that arrived in the Port of Dover on Sunday, 9th of January, 2011, after a handover ceremony at the STX Europe shipyard in Rauma (Finland) on the 5th of January.

With a bigger capacity and almost double the amount of tonnage, at 49,000 tonnes, the Spirit of Britain (ex-Olympic Spirit) is the largest ferry to ever cross the English Channel. "P&O" is derived from Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation Company.

Vessel details:

Tonnage: 26,433 tonnes
Length: 169.6 m (556.4 ft)
Beam: 28.27 m (92.7 ft)
Draft: 6.12 m (20.1 ft)
Installed power: 3 x Sulzer ZA40S Diesels
Propulsion: Triple controllable pitch propellers
Speed: 22 kn (41 km/h)
Capacity: 2,290 passengers, 650 vehicles
Call Sign: GJCR
IMO: 8517736
MMSI: 232001670
Owner's website: P&O Ferries

The main photo (includes sources) was originally uploaded to:

MS AIDAblu Cruise Ship and Pride of Dover Ferry, Admiralty Pier, Dover Harbour

The MS AIDAblu in 2011:

MS AIDAblu Cruise Ship berthed at Cruise Terminal 2, Admiralty Pier, Dover

A new vessel from AIDA Cruises for 2011:

MS AIDAsol Cruise Ship in Dover Harbour on her Maiden Voyage

A Cross-Channel Ferry and Cruise Ship photo.

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 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.

John Latter / Jorolat

Dover Blog: The Psychology of a Small Town