State Visit – Pope Francis at Gozo – 02.04.2022

Malta welcomed His Holiness Pope Francis during his Apostolic visit to the country from Saturday 2nd April to Sunday 3rd April of which on Saturday 2nd April he visited the sister island of Gozo. The island of Gozo was wearing Holy Week dress and Vatican City Flags mounted on road roundabouts, balconies, roof flagpoles etc […]

Passenger Ships – PALOMA I

One of the Polish built ships originally bound for the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) was the 1980 built ferry DMITRIY SHOSTAKOVICH from a Class of 7 as Project B492/B493 by Stocznia Szczecinska im Adolfa Warskiego Warskiego in Szczecin, Poland. She was the lead of her class which she was named for the Soviet era Russian composer […]

Vehicle Carriers – ADIGE

One of the vehicle carriers owned by Grimaldi Lines was the 1976 built ADIGE. She was built in Japan by Honda Heavy Industries at Saiki as the general cargo ship BLUE PEGASUS with yard no 634 until a year later where she was converted into a car carrier and emerged as PEGASUS ACE trading until […]

Towage – FALISCA towing KAY (YARD 910) from Valletta, Malta – 18.03.2016

One of the most interesting Hull towages from Grand Harbour, Malta was of the 112 metre passenger ship YARD 910 known as KAY towed by the Italian tug FALISCA. She was built in Poland by Kommuny Paryskeij at Gdynia as Yard No B961/05. She was launched on 11th November 1989 and completed during April 1990 […]

Local Shipping – HERA II (II)

One of the short sea passenger ships around is the Turkish Gullet HERA II (ii) which replaced the first HERA II (1997 built) which was sold locally and now named as FAITH. She arrived in Malta entering Sliema Creek at Marsamxett Harbour on Thursday 23rd July, 2020 from Turkey. On 28th October 2020 she was […]

Casualties – MSC LIRICA fire at Corfu, Greece – 12.03.2021

On the afternoon of Friday 12th March, 2021 the MSC Cruise ship MSC LIRICA caught fire whilst berthed at Corfu, Greece. The fire blaze seemed to be originated in an empty lifeboat on deck 6 on starboard side and there were no injuries among the 51 crew members who were on board to maintain the […]

Cruise Liners – PALLAS ATHENA

PALLAS ATHENA was an ocean liner that operated for French line as FLANDRE and Costa Crociere as CARLA C from 1992 to 1994. Built in 1951 as FLANDRE she was the French Line’s first new ocean liner following World War II. Her maiden voyage of 23rd July 1952 was considered a complete disaster, as she experienced mechanical difficulties throughout […]