Cruise Ships, Cargo Ships and a Submarine bring Visitors to Freo and Rockingham

It has all been happening!

CRUISE NEWS

Last week as part of CruiseFest, we had four cruise ships in town; we hope you enjoyed our stories replete with fab pics of the visiting ships.

Thousands of visitors walked the streets of Fremantle and took bus trips to Kings Park, the Swan Valley, Fremantle Prison, the Maritime Museum and Rottnest Island.

Now get ready for the next cruiser!

This Saturday, 10 December, Silver Muse arrives at 6.30am on a transit visit and leaves again on the same day at 11pm.

Silver Muse, Fremantle, 2 March 2019. Credit Deanna Shanahan.

INTERNATIONAL CRUISE NEWS

On Tuesday, 29 November, we learned of the sad news that a woman had died and four others were injured onboard the Viking Polaris, a Viking expedition cruise ship, after she was struck by a rogue wave off the southern tip of South America.

Credit vikingcruises.com.au

She was sailing towards Ushuaia, Argentina when disaster struck. The ship suffered limited damage, reportedly with several broken windows and arrived in port on 30 November.

Carnival Valor. Credit Carnival

And in the Gulf of Mexico, a 28 year old male passenger on the Carnival Valor fell overboard and survived 15 hours in the water without a life jacket. He was, apparently, on his way from a bar to the loo when he fell.

Meanwhile, as nurses strike in WA for better pay and conditions, in Florida Virgin Voyages are donating 2,023 complimentary cruises, estimated at US$5.9 million, for deserving health care workers.

CARGO NEWS

Freo’s inner harbour has been as busy as ever with cargo and container ships coming and going.

If, like me, you’ve often wondered what the engine rooms of cargo ships look like, then these pics recently posted by Wallenius Marine give you a good idea!

SUBMARINE AND WARFARE SUPPORT VESSEL

On 28 November, the USS Mississippi – a Virginia Class fast-attack submarine – arrived at Royal Australian Navy HMAS Stirling Naval Base, Garden Island for a scheduled port visit.

USS Mississippi. Credit Chief Petty Officer Yuri Ramsey

During her stay, Mississippi conducted interoperability training with personnel from the Royal Australian Navy. She is one of six Virginia-class fast-attack submarines home-ported in Pearl Harbour, Hawaii.

The last Virginia-class submarine to visit HMAS Stirling Naval Base was USS Texas in January 2020.

This week, as we reported under the headline, ‘Stealthiest Warship’, we have a mystery ship in town – the MV Ocean Trader – a Special Warfare Support vessel operated by the United States Military Sealift Command. The vessel is proposed to accommodate up to 200 troops (Navy SEALs), RHIBs, and hangar bays for helicopters and weapon lockers.

Ocean Trader, Fremantle. Credit Fremantle Shipping News, Michael Barker

Having refueled and re-provisioned she can endure 45 days at sea. She carries 150,000 gallons of JP-5 fuel. Modifications seen include a cavernous double hangar bay on the top deck. She has been in service since 2017 and has been photographed in the Mediterranean and Baltic Seas.

We don’t have information on how long she will be in town, but will keep a watch. If you see her leaving , do drop us a line.

You just never know what you’ll see in Fremantle’s Ports!

* STORY by our Shipping Correspondent, Jean Hudson @jeansodyssey. Jean is also a regular feature writer and photographer here on the Shipping News. You may like to follow up her informative Places I Love stories, as well as other feature stories and Freo Today photographs, right here.

WHILE YOU’RE HERE –