Ship Spotting In Albany

Well, here we are in Albany. Again!

I would suggest that Albany is the best ship spotting port in Australia, if not the world.

Fremantle Shipping News’ Shipping Correspondent, Jean Hudson would love it down here. I love it down here. We can follow the ships from them appearing over the horizon entering King George Sound to tying up to their berth in Princess Royal Harbour. All from beautiful viewing places which require only a short drive to get to. King George Sound and/or Princess Royal Harbour are laid out in front of you in their majestic glory. If you work with a ship spotting app like Marine Traffic and use the Albany Ports website you know as much about what’s going on as just about anyone. And why is not Shipspotting more popular? Ships are very very interesting and most of our daily lives connects to ships.

Passenger ship MV Insignia’s visit to Freo was well covered in Jean’s Freo Today report and we also knew she (Insignia) was also coming to Albany. We thought we would keep an eye on her. Arrival day was well, frankly, confusing. Initial information said Tuesday 6 May. No sign of her that day. 0800 next day Wednesday and this time I looked at Marine Traffic and noted she was due at 0830. Marine Traffic is a fabulous website. Through part of my working life many, many years ago I met and farewelled many ships and I still have trouble believing that if you want to know where any ship is on this earth you just look on Marine Traffic. Darling wife Robyn and I then had to scramble. We left our breakfast on the table and headed on the short drive from Emu Point to a scenic lookout on Marine Drive. You know the ones. Two other cars were parked there.

Looked out over the vastness of King George Sound. No sign of Insignia. Rain was falling out in the middle of the Sound. Heavy cloudbanks overhead. Classic Albany. Then out of the rainsqualls Insignia appeared. Small but getting larger. His flag indicated Pilot was already on board. We watched her come up to the navigation buoys that lead her into the Attaturk Entrance heading up to Number 1 berth in Princess Royal Harbour. Then the Rainbow appeared. Nice photos attached even if they were taken with a telephone. (Ed, please ensure photographer Robyn Metcalf is acknowledged!)

Why wasn’t I taking some photos. Well, I was too busy chatting. One of the cars had a couple in it about my age. He had been a steward on the British Port Line vessels. Regular visitors to Freo in their time. They met each other at a Flying Angel club dance at Fremantle fifty or so years ago! These stories blow me away. The other car contained a fork lift driver from Patricks Terminal!

Well, who would you expect to encounter shipspotting in Albany?

Insignia was up to sail at 6 pm. Robyn did not want to watch it. Where did I go wrong?
So I drove in to the port to park near Number 1 berth and watch. It seemed nothing much was happening. Citizens are not allowed on the wharf to wave farewell to ships anymore. Far too risky. Who knows what they would get up to. Perhaps someone else knows. I certainly don’t. A single tug was drifting around seemingly looking for something to do. And then I noticed Insignia’s bow being thrust off the wharf, so she was pointing down towards the harbour exit. Then after lines cast off, and it was full steam ahead, straight off the berth. Passenger ships are so manoeuvrable these days. Look up ‘Azimuth Thrusters’. Everything happened so quickly I hardly had time to jump in the car and dash back to the lookout and watch her exit Attaturk entrance.

But that’s not all. By Sunday we have recovered from Wednesday and we are at the Boatshed market having our coffee and chatting to anyone who stands still. Adjacent to the tug berth. Tugs started to become active. Horns sounding, lines being cast off. They both head down to MV Boa which was ready to sail having discharged 15000 ton of fertiliser. Once again back to the lookouts to watch the action. Two tugs escorted Boa out into the Sound and then hung around whilst the pilot transferred in his boat from MV Boa to MV BH Assemble which was at anchor having arrived a few days earlier. It was heading for the grain berth. Boa headed out of the Sound to sea starting to look small and lonely. Pilot now aboard, BH Assemble proceeded to enter harbour, one tug alongside starboard, the other attached to the stern.

I have a nephew with his family living in Albany. His family room overlooks King George Sound. Is he interested in shipspotting? Nope. Are his children? Nope. I must bore him to tears when we visit. I thought my suggestion for a large screen permanently on Marine Traffic located at his front window was sound.

But the fact remains.

Shipspotting is very interesting and there is no better place in Australia to be a Shipspotter than in Albany!

Words by Michael Metcalf. Photographs by Robyn Metcalf. Michael Is a regular contributor to FSN. You’ll find more of his articles, including about ships and Albany and his real life tales as a Customs Officer in yesteryear, right here.

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