Tag: sailing

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200 000 barrels of radioactive waste dumped in the Bay of Biscay approved by the UK on our behalf is not too far away to add to our burden of waste and disease

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Support Talking-up Scotland’s work to counter the lies and get you the facts, daily, at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/checkout/help-talking-up-scotland-tell-truth-about-scotland/payment/nBQxjVzq/details Professor John Robertson OBA From WION on 29 August 2025 (Indian English language news channel) European nations dumped 200,000 barrels of radioactive waste in the ocean, and humans might soon pay the price – A team of scientists has found 3,355 barrels of radioactive waste at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. The discovery was made at a depth of 13,000 feet, and hundreds of miles offshore from France. This is only a tiny part of the actual number of barrels filled with nuclear waste scattered … Continue reading 200 000 barrels of radioactive waste dumped in the Bay of Biscay approved by the UK on our behalf is not too far away to add to our burden of waste and disease

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For the West Coast of Scotland’s island routes, mono hull ferries are generally better suited due to their stability in rough seas, higher capacity for passengers and freight

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Professor John Robertson OBA Throughout much of 2024, the Herald worked with opposition politicians in a campaign aimed at undermining CalMac and, by association, the SNP’s competence in government. We, at TuS found several reports of the unsuitability of catamarans across the globe, even in milder conditions than off the West coast of Scotland and today we have used the X AI platform Grok to finally answer the question – Are mono hull or catamaran ferries better for the West Coast of Scotland island routes? The findings were unequivocal in favour of the mono-hulls: Choosing between mono hull and catamaran … Continue reading For the West Coast of Scotland’s island routes, mono hull ferries are generally better suited due to their stability in rough seas, higher capacity for passengers and freight

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The ferry new build and maintenance delays reported so feverishly by media are covered by other vessels and have not affected CalMac’s performance – 98% of sailings completed and 99% of those on time

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Professor John Robertson OBA The Herald and BBC Scotland continue to deceive with selective reporting of the availability of particular vessels with sensationalist headlines hiding the fact that ferry services are largely unaffected by these as CalMac’s large fleet provides reliable cover. That they are deliberately making up a picture of unreliability due to a few maintenance and new build delays and implying that these result in a loss of service is simply countered by data, in the public domain, which they choose to ignore. CalMac is obliged to publish ‘contractual reliability‘ data (sailings completed as a percentage of those … Continue reading The ferry new build and maintenance delays reported so feverishly by media are covered by other vessels and have not affected CalMac’s performance – 98% of sailings completed and 99% of those on time

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BC Ferries in Canada just beginning to think of replacing four ferries between 7 and 19 years older than the oldest major CalMac vessel

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Professor John Robertson OBA From Global News yesterday: BC Ferries is going to get four new major vessels for its fleet. The new vessels will replace the aging Queens of Alberni [49], New Westminster [61], Coquitlam [49], and Cowichan [49], which are the oldest major ships still in use. BC Ferries applied for five new diesel-battery hybrid, all-electric-ready ships, but the independent British Columbia Ferries Commissioner approved four. This news comes as the Queen of Oak Bay suffered a mechanical issue on Monday morning. https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/politics/bc-ferry-breaks-down-as-commissioner-announces-4-new-vessels-coming/ar-AA1C1mcN?ocid=BingNewsVerp None of these vessels is even specified or designed yet, never mind actually ordered. The … Continue reading BC Ferries in Canada just beginning to think of replacing four ferries between 7 and 19 years older than the oldest major CalMac vessel

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No cheap, sickly, unreliable catamaran ferries for Scotland

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Professor John Robertson OBA, Navel Architect From the Bournemouth Daily Echo, two days ago: The Condor Liberation has made its final passage through Poole Harbour and out to sea. The ferry made its final departure from Poole at around 10am on Friday morning, March 28,, escorted through the harbour by a flotilla of our Harbour Master’s team and other working vessels, paying tribute to her years of service.1 How many years of service? Originally named Austal 102, it was built Austal at its shipyard in Henderson, Western Australia as a speculative order. It was launched in January 2010 and was laid up at the shipyard … Continue reading No cheap, sickly, unreliable catamaran ferries for Scotland

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Channel Islanders sickened as new Danish ferry service cancels sailings on very first day due to ‘technical issues’ only days after hearing there will be no Sunday service at all for more than a hundred thousand of them

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Professor John Robertson OBA, International Ferry Correspondent From ITV today: DFDS has cancelled its sailings between Jersey and St Malo for the first day it serves the island. The Danish firm, taking over from Condor, says the cancellations on Friday 28 March are due to “technical issues” with preparing one of their ferries, the Tarifa Jet, to run to and from Jersey. https://www.itv.com/news/channel/2025-03-27/dfds-cancels-sailing-between-jersey-and-france-on-opening-day Surely they checked the boat out a few days beforehand, to enable a professional start to the contract? Kind of makes you think they must be a rubbish company putting profits ahead of passengers? There were warnings. Only two … Continue reading Channel Islanders sickened as new Danish ferry service cancels sailings on very first day due to ‘technical issues’ only days after hearing there will be no Sunday service at all for more than a hundred thousand of them

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The Herald’s so-obvious Cartunionist has another lazy dig at the best ferry service in the world

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The Herald’s third-best cartoonist, Steven Camley, like one of those drunk ‘wits’ in a bar, tries to turn the news of whale-spotting made easy by Scotland’s ferries into one of those ‘Aye, aye, very good, I’m sure but my pal in Brodick wiz late for a medical appointment because that Sturgeon messed up the ferries’ moments. It’s his regular, lazy, thick trope. See these: It’s a sad state of affairs that the above pub-level banality passes for political satire at the Herald. To waste more time on his output considered, see: https://talkingupscotlandtwo.com/?s=Camley On ferries, here’s why his infantile pokes are not … Continue reading The Herald’s so-obvious Cartunionist has another lazy dig at the best ferry service in the world

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New Zealand ferry runs aground after button is ‘inadvertently pressed’ by crew member denying he had left the bridge for coffee

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From 1News today: Interislander ferry Aratere ran aground after a button was “inadvertently pressed”, sending the vessel off-course, according to an internal safety bulletin obtained by 1News. According to the bulletin, dated July 5, the bridge crew had switched the Aratere from hand steering to autopilot as it passed Mabel Island when an “execute button was inadvertently pressed” at 9.26pm. This led the vessel to “commence an alteration of course” by around 1 nautical mile earlier than planned. The bridge team attempted to switch back to hand steering mode but was unable to override the autopilot in time. Hewlett denied … Continue reading New Zealand ferry runs aground after button is ‘inadvertently pressed’ by crew member denying he had left the bridge for coffee

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Ardrossan to Arran ferry – Manchester billionaire tax exile’s company is to blame for reduced services and safety risks

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In ukdj today: “The facilities at Ardrossan have not been maintained to an acceptable standard,” stated Duncan Mackison, Interim Chief Executive of CalMac, in the submission. He detailed the “continuing deterioration” of the Ardrossan berths, emphasising that the lack of investment has significantly impacted the operation and safety of ferry services. Over the past decade, CalMac has paid a staggering £15,480,000 in fees for the use of the berths, split into berthing and traffic dues. Despite this substantial outlay, the necessary reinvestment in harbour maintenance appears lacking argue the ferry firm. https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/calmac-criticise-peel-ports-harbour-maintenance/ Where does that money go? Peel Ports Group Ltd are the … Continue reading Ardrossan to Arran ferry – Manchester billionaire tax exile’s company is to blame for reduced services and safety risks

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CalMac is the only decent ferry service in the world

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It’s chaotic out there on the seas, as regulars here will know. BC Ferries in Canada can’t get crew to run their aging fleet but can make huger profits. Washington State Ferries has just told their customers they’ll have to grin and bear it for six years with only half of their boats serviceable, until they get new vessels built. Kingston Ferries in Lake Ontario, Canada, are still using the old ferries two years after two new vessels built in Romania arrived unfit for service. Condor Ferries in the Channel Islands can’t get a boat that will run for any … Continue reading CalMac is the only decent ferry service in the world