Former Military – Yacht PLAN B at Malta

One of the former naval vessels that was given a second life, converted as the luxury yacht PLAN B is the former Royal Australian Navy (RAN) Hydrographic Ship HMAS FLINDERS A 312. She was built by HMA Naval Dockyard at Williamstown, Victoria, Australia. HMAS FLINDERS  was commissioned into the RAN in 1973, and was used […]

Yachting – Converted cruise ship DREAM again at Malta – June 2023

After nearly 5 years, the megayacht DREAM was again at Grand Harbour, Malta of which she entered on Sunday 18th June,2023. She was built in 1997  by Halic Shipyard at Istanbul, Turkey for the Turkish Maritime Lines with yard number 303 trading as TDI KARADENIZ until May 2005 of which we use to see her […]

Anti Piracy Vessels – DE 421

One of the fishing vessels that was converted into an anti piracy vessel is the Maltese (MLT) Flag vessel DE 421. She was built at Muggia, Trieste in Italy in 1994 as PUCCIO SECONDO with fishing matricola as CT 2850 homeported a Catania, Italy. During 2015 she use to operate for a Maltese company and […]

Special Purpose Vessels – Tidy Thames Refuse Services at River Thames, UK

Thames Gateway Marine (TGM) run a fleet of two self propelled barges that are used for a waste removal service under the Tidy Thames Refuse Services brand.   These are the 30.26 Metres waste disposal vessel EILEENA. She was built by De Noord NV Industrieel, Maats, Alblasserdam in Holland in 1930 and delivered to Ajax […]

Yachting – Former German Government SOLEA

One of the former Government vessels converted into a yacht is the 1974 built SOLEA. She was built in 1974 with yard number 162 at the Sieghold shipyard, Bremerhaven in Germany for the Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Forestry. The delivery was on May 29th , 1974 for which the Federal Republic of Germany did […]

Malta Naval Visits – RFA ARGUS A 135 – 23-25.11.2022

On Wednesday 23rd November, 2022 the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) Role 3 Casualty Treatment/Aviation Training Ship RFA ARGUS A 135 passed Grand Harbour, Malta breakwaters at 1026 hrs after embarking pilot at Marsaxlokk Harbour Pilot Station 2 Bravo due to heavy swell off Grand Harbour (OGH) during her maiden call. She was originally built as […]

Tanker News – Converting Tanker to a containership Project put on hold – August 2022.

Swedish tanker shipping company Concordia Maritime has decided to put on hold the project that has been exploring the feasibility of converting a tanker into a containership. “The technical study shows that it is technically feasible to convert P-MAX vessels into 2,100 TEU container vessels, but the increasing economic uncertainty has made it difficult to […]

Dredging – GRANE R dredging inner part of Grand Harbour – August 2022

After nearly a month anchored at Bunkering Area 3, the 2010 built DP 2 multi purpose offshore vessel GRANE R entered Grand Harbour on Friday 12th August originally coming from Viana do Castelo at Portugal of which she passed breakwaters at 0839hrs. Transport Malta issued Local Notice to Mariners no 136 regarding the dredging works […]