Advertisement

St Helena makes her final UK voyage

Royal Mail Ship St Helena marked the end of an era on 17 October when she departed Portland for the last time. The 6,767-tonne cargo and passenger vessel spent the last week in the island’s commercial port ahead of her final scheduled voyage from the UK. A small flock of sheep were unusual passengers on the voyage, which will be used to start a special breeding programme to help the islanders obtain a new sustainable meat supply.St Helena, one of only two Royal Mail Ships left, was a lifeline for her island namesake in the South Atlantic. She was the sole source of supply for St Helena, which is 1,500 miles north-west of Cape Town and only accessible by sea. Dignitaries, press and port representatives gathered to mark the event on the ship, which has made regular trips to the UK since 1977.The 128-berth ship, which celebrated her 21st anniversary in November, will no longer sail from the UK but will only operate from Cape Town in the future, cutting direct links to the island from the UK. But the trips, which link Ascension Island and St Helena, will be more regular in order to improve access to the islands. The economy of St Helena is dependent on tourists, and it is hoped an airport will be built there in the next five years.

Ships Montly - January 2024

Storylines and Brodosplit shipyard renew ship building contract for residence ship

Storylines, a pioneering company in the residential ship industry, has renewed a shipbuilding contract with Brodosplit shipyard based in Split, Croatia, to construct the...
Advertisement

Related articles

Storylines and Brodosplit shipyard renew ship building contract for residence ship

Storylines, a pioneering company in the residential ship industry, has renewed a shipbuilding contract with Brodosplit shipyard based...

World’s oldest cable layer in Greece

Celebrating her 115th birthday this year is the Greek cable laying ship Thalis o Milisios (Thales of Miletus),...

Damen to deliver two ASD Tugs 3010 to Norway

On 20 February 2024 Damen Shipyards Group signed a contract with BOA Group for two ASD Tugs 3010...

New partnership between Maersk Supply Service and Edison Chouest Offshore

A bew partnership between Maersk Supply Service and Edison Chouest Offshore is intended to enable faster offshore wind...