This post will probably only be of interest to people who live near a coastline – as I do. Usually there are at least a few container ships and tankers anchored in the Firth of Forth, near where I live. I live close to the exact same stretch of coastline which gave Adam Smith the Scottish economist his ideas, but he was watching a lot more ships coming and going in those days. I’ve always wondered what they’re all doing and where they are going, but when I saw this ship (below) I just had to find out what on earth she is.
I call her a Swiss army knife of a ship because she has all sorts of bits and pieces hanging off her, I’ve never seen anything quite like her. Anyway, it turns out that she is called The Solitaire and she is the world’s largest pipe-layer. She is absolutely enormous and she has been in the Forth for a couple of weeks now as she is between contracts at the moment. They don’t have to pay berthing fees if she is anchored mid-river. She’s off to China in the autumn to have her crane upgraded from 300 tonnes to 850 tonnes.
Solitaire was embroiled in a fair bit of controversy a few years ago, when she was sabotaged off the coast of Ireland by people protesting the Corrib gas pipeline and its construction. Apparently, the pipelay stinger (the lower of the two white bits hanging off the back of the vessel) was completely detached, forcing Solitaire to limp to Greenock for urgent repairs.
If you want to know the names and details of ships all you have to do is visit this website.
There has been quite a lot of ship movement out there recently, I’m hoping that that means the economy is improving a wee bit. I know, I’m clutching at straws!
That is very interesting and I love that picture. We live on the California coast and occasionally see either a cruise ship or an aircraft carrier. Apparently there was a navy destroyer last year, although I don’t remember that.
Tracy,
It’s the same here with cruise ships, the ferry to Belgium/Holland and a lot of naval ships because the naval base Rosyth is just down the Forth from here. We get small yachts too and that looks like good fun, as long as you can keep out of the way of the big ones.
I’m hoping the economy is improving for you’ns Katrina!
Peggy Ann,
We can’t complain on that score, I just wish we knew when Jack can retire!
We live on the coast – but nowhere near shipping channels, so this is fascinating. What a great resource ShipASIS is!
Debbie,
I hope you have a nice blue sea to look out on most of the time then. I hate it when it’s grey, which is a lot of the time here. The ships brighten the scene up, even when they’re just container ships.