JANUARY. The A&P Falmouth workforce assigned to the P&O cruise ship Adonia were working around the clock, with ship manager Peter Nimmo in charge, to carry out emergency repairs to the vessel’s port and starboard tail shaft seals as well as general refit work, tank repairs and painting.

The Devonport tug SD Adept was in dry-dock Number 4 undergoing a refit.

The Russian coaster Kelarvi arrived at Lighterage Quay, Truro, to load a cargo of scrap metal. The coaster is one of a class of 17 built at the Arminius Werke GmbH, Bodenwerder, Germany, between 1985 and 1995.

 The 240-metre Hong Kong registered tanker Seatransport berthed at the docks for repairs to collision damage to her stern, sustained when she collided with a fishing vessel off Milford Haven.

FEBRUARY: During a visit to Falmouth of the GMB union’s general secretary Paul Kenny it was announced that trial dredging could begin at Falmouth within two months.

The reefer (refigerated cargo vessel) Star Prima was dry-docked in Number 2 dock. She was the third vessel of a three-ship repair contract being undertaken by A&P Falmouth.

Captain Ross Ferris, who lives near Truro, officially welcomed delegates attending the UK-Caribbean Ministerial Forum onboard the British Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship RFA Rosalie when she visited Granada.

Falmouth’s MP, Sarah Newton, was keeping up pressure on the government regarding the removal of the Emergency Towing Vessels and Maritime Incident Response Group services from Cornish waters. She asked the Shipping Minister if the plans would be revised.

MARCH
A SIX-TONNE Sea King helicopter that was formally in service at RNAS Culdrose, Helston, was installed at the National Maritime Museum Cornwall, in Falmouth. The helicopter, the biggest object ever installed at the museum, was part of the attraction’s Search and Rescue Exhibition.

The Algerian Navy’s multi-million pound state-of-the-art Emergency Towing Vessel (ETV) El Moundjid was moored in the docks. It was the first of three such vessels ordered by Algeria to protect its shores from disabled ships.

Members of the waterfront community paid their final tributes to Falmouth lifeboat mechanic Timothy (Tim) Julian who slipped his anchor, aged 48.

Plans for a scientific trial to monitor the environmental impact of dredging in Falmouth Harbour were revealed to the public.

APRIL
THE $50 million Mirabella V, the world’s largest single-masted yacht caused a bit of a stir when she moored on the Queen’s Wharf after being moved from Port Pendennis Marina.

The former Falmouth Towage Company tug St Piran went to a scrapyard in Belgium for demolition.

The marine energy converter annular shaped device name Bolt 2 moved into location at the Falmouth Harbour Commissioners’ Fab/Test site in Falmouth Bay.

 A&P Falmouth successfully completed a multi-million pound refit of the RFA Cardigan Bay – the third ship in her class to undergo a major refit at the dockyard.

The BOLT Lifesaver, a pioneering new project designed to harness the power of the waves and created by Norwegian engineering company Fred Olsen, went live off the coast of Falmouth.

MAY
the expedition cruise ship Quest was forced to remain in port due to gale force winds that swept across Cornwall. The dapper vessel was on a gardens cruise from Oban to Poole.

Falmouth had a much welcomed invasion of nearly 3,000 American cruise ship visitors when the 114,000-ton Emerald Princess anchored off the port for the day.

The Royal Fleet Auxiliary Argus sailed from the docks for New York, USA, where she was to fly the flag for Britain in Fleet Week to mark the bi-centennial of the 1812 war.

The £50 million super yacht Leander owned by Sir Donald Gosling, former joint chairman of National Car Parks, and reportedly offered for the use of the Queen in her Diamond Jubilee year, moored alongside the National Maritime Museum Cornwall.

JUNE
THE former Falmouth Docks and Engineering steam tug Portwey was one of more than 1,000 vessels that took part in the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee River Pageant on the River Thames in London. Also taking part in the spectacular pageant were Cornish gigs from the Helford River, Devoran, Flushing and Mylor and Boscastle gig clubs and the last remaining St Ives mackerel driver Barnabas.

The cruise ship Athena left Falmouth for Honfleur, France. She had been alongside County Wharf for two days. The extra day was due to weather conditions as her call to the Isles of Scilly was cancelled.

Falmouth Harbour Commissioners welcomed the new Killigrew – a more economical and environmentally friendly patrol boat to its fleet. The 7.9 metre catamaran was unveiled at Seawork 2012, an international trade show.

JULY
THE Devonport naval base vessels SD Faithful and 1907 TCL arrived for dry-docking.
The former Dutch salvage tug Holland completed her duties as team headquarters for J Class racing off Falmouth and sailed for Fowey.

Survivors from the stricken containership MSC Flaminia, which caught fire and expanded in mid-Atlantic, were landed at Falmouth from the 300,000-ton tanker DR Crown.

 Penny Phillips, chairman of the Mission to Seafarers Falmouth, was given the Merchant Navy Welfare Board’s Annual Award for Services to Seafarers’ Welfare in recognition of her voluntary work.

The 1937 Dutch sailing training vessel Gulden Leeuw called at Falmouth to change her cadet crew.

Pendennis Shipyard completed the refit of Maquerade of Sole.

 

AUGUST
Falmouth pilot boat coxswain and former second coxswain of the Falmouth lifeboat, Roger McClarity, retired after a 50-year association with the sea.

The fire damaged ship MSC Flaminia was being held 100 miles south west of Falmouth by salvage tugs as firefighting experts carried out an extensive survey of the vessel and its cargo of containers.

RFA Lyme Bay entered dry-dock as her five-month refit continued and the hydrographic vessel HMS Enterprise arrived at the docks for repairs.

The  £400 million mega yacht Topaz made a brief call at Falmouth after completing trials in the German Bight.

 Falmouth Dock was repairing two of the Royal Navy’s hydrographic survey ships –  HMS Enterprise and HMS Echo.

SEPTEMBER
the semi-submersible heavy lift ship Condock V arrived in Falmouth from Tarragona carrying the 54-metre superyacht Malahne which was then towed out to the Pendennis Shipyard

Odyssey Explorer, a research vessel well-known in Falmouth, returned to the port from an extensive survey and search project taking place 22 miles south west of the Isles of Scilly.

 The Royal research vessel Discovery returned to Falmouth after her scientific deployment to the Porcupine Abyssal Plain, 300 miles south west of Land’s End.

Seabed Worker, the ship involved in a spectacular deep water salvage operation to recover silver bullion from the Gairsoppa shipwreck lying three miles down in the Altlantic, slipped quietly into port for a three-hour pit stop call.

The cargo vessel Huelin Dispatch was in dry-dock for repairs.

 

OCTOBER

The 80-metre long, multi-million pound barge Terra Marique moored at Falmouth Docks. The barge was awaiting a fine weather window to go around Land’s End to Ellesmere Port in tow of the Falmouth-based tug MTS Vengeance.

 The Mission Garden at The Mission to Seafarers Centre in Falmouth, lovingly created by former seafarer Graham Hall, picked up several awards at the Cornwall in Bloom Ceremony held at St Austell’s Eden Project.

The Royal Navy hydrographic survey vessel HMS Echo completed her period in dry-dock Number 4 and moved to Queen’s Wharf to complete her refit.
 

The Barrow-in-Furness tanker Cumbrian Fisher had an “in-water” survey carried out in No 2 dry dock.

Two Tall Ships, the Thor Heyerdahl and the Fryderyk Chopin, called into Falmouth before their respective trans-Atlantic voyages.

 

NOVEMBER
FALMOUTH Harbour Commissioners granted permission for Aegean Marine Petroleum Network Inc to provide bunker deliveries at Falmouth. The move expanded Aegean’s presence in the UK. The firm already provided bunkering operations in Portland Harbour.

Two of Falmouth’s “Cluster ships”, the RFA Mounts Bay and the RFA Argus were on high profile deployments flying the flag abroad.

The Ministry of Defence announced that four new Royal Fleet Auxiliary tankers that would be built as part of the Military Afloat Reach and Sustainability (MARS) programme would be called the Tide Class.

The Greek-owned refrigerated cargo ship Summer Meadow moved out of lay-up in the River Fal, just above the King Harry Ferry.

Two British-owned vessels in Falmouth were Highland Trader (just out of dry-dock) and Clyde Fisher (in port for repairs).

 

DECEMBER
THE Maersk Rapier, a product tanker on charter to the Ministry of Defence was in Dry-dock No 2 undergoing repairs after she was hit by another vessel when at anchor.

Falmouth’s adopted ship RFA Mounts Bay returned to UK waters following a top-level deployment to the Mediterranean.
Two semi-submersible heavy lift vessels, Transshelf and Black Marlin, were anchored in Falmouth Bay awaiting orders.

RFA Argus was on her way back to the United Kingdom for Christmas following a highly successful seven-month deployment to the United States and West Indies.

The general cargo ship Fehn Courage was taken in tow by the Turkish tug Emre Omur and taken to the docks after she broke down off the Channel Islands.

The bunkering tanker Sara arrrived to serve Chemtrans Weser.