Ferry News Archive
Newcastle Amsterdam Ferries cancelled until Saturday
Date: 24 Feb 2008 00:00 Source: Evening ChronicleFerries between Newcastle and Amsterdam have been cancelled this week while repairs are carried out on a runaway ship.
The 30,000-tonne DFDS Seaways vessel, King of Scandinavia, crashed into an oil platform on Friday after it was torn from its moorings when freak winds battered the North East.
Several ropes tethering the ferry in North Shields snapped, causing it to break free and drift towards the south side of the Tyne.
No passengers were on board at the time and no crew members were injured.
But due to damage to one side of the ship and the repair work needed, the vessel will be out of action until Saturday.
A sailing from Newcastle to Ijmuiden, near Amsterdam, was cancelled yesterday evening, and departures from North Shields, due at 5.30pm tomorrow and Thursday, have been called off. Trips scheduled to depart from Ijmuiden at 6pm today, Wednesday and Friday, will also not take place.
John Crummie, UK managing director of DFDS Seaways, said: “We are advising that due to repairs required to the King of Scandinavia following a weather-related accident which occurred on Friday, the sailings are being cancelled.
“DFDS Seaways wish to apologise for any inconvenience caused.”
The next scheduled departure is from Newcastle on Saturday.
Now an investigation is under way following the crash into the decommissioned oil rig.
An emergency maritime operation was launched just after 1.30pm on Friday. Three tug boats were scrambled by the Port of Tyne authority to hold the ship back as ferocious winds battered the ferry. It was then towed back to a river berth.
The Northern Producer rig, at McNulty’s shipyard in Commercial Road, South Shields, was not damaged.
Dave Scott, 45, a machine operator, of Wallsend, said he saw the ship floating down the Tyne.
He added: “We were doing some work in the DFDS Port and it looked like the boat broke her moorings and then turned and went nose forwards down the river.
“Then it was all hands on deck while they got her sorted out. They did eventually, though, and she was moored up on the south side of the river.
“We all thought it was the weather. I’ve worked down here a few times and I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Last Tuesday, the ferry was cancelled due to technical difficulties, leaving passengers stranded in Amsterdam.
The ship was due to leave Amsterdam at 5.30pm but developed problems with its alarm system
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