River monster

[NorthumBryan]

No, not a fish or anything like that but a dirty great sea going vessel. The Saipem 3000 (https://www.saipem.com/en/identity-and-vision/assets/saipem-3000) came into the River Blyth today and past our offices, where the picture was taken from. It's a big old hector to use a nautical term and was followed by another large cable laying vessel, probably to do with the Dogger Bank offshore wind project ? It's amazing what we see going in and out of the river these days.

[Asmith61]

Wow that’s some ship.  it must be great to work so close to the river and keep an eye on the river traffic 

[NorthumBryan]

We do see some very interesting and odd-ball ships coming in and out of the port. The madest are the wind turbine erection vessels which can jack themselves out of the water.

Click on the link below pdf only.

[Asmith61]

That ship is a amazing piece of engineering. I have never seen anything like it before 

[NorthumBryan]

Last night we were driving home from Pegswood after visiting a very good friend who's mum has passed away just 2 months short of her 102nd birthday. Over the fields and what would be a good 7 or 8 miles as the crow flies we saw this strange illuminated shape high above everything else. We then realised it was the crane on the ship ! They have it lit up at night and it's fully vertical while in port - it's huge !

[Asmith61]

Sorry to hear of your friends mum passing away but wow what a age.

That must have been an awesome sight 

My wife is a school teacher in Canvey island which is 11 miles from us and is on the Thames estuary and apparently there are huge ships pass there on there way to the London gateway at Tilbury.

[NorthumBryan]

In the grand scheme of things it's not really that big, as you say the Thames and the South coast in general see's some of the largest ships on the planet. I still look at the big container ships and think 'how doesn't that just capsize'? Incredible really.