How can I find out when big container ships scheduled to dock at Southampton

[10FingersOnTheFender]

I've not long developed a fascination with container shipping.

I'd like to go to Rotterdam and Hamburg next year.

But in the meantime maybe I could go and see big container ships docking at Southampton. Anyone got any tips? How can I find out as far as possible in advance when certain big ships are due to dock there?

Draylon a friend works for a seafarers charity in Soton and has interesting tales. Ships so run down and being impounded, crew still on board, haven't been paid for months and can't get home. One poor Syrian crew member, stuck on a ship so decrepit the crew had run out of fresh water, food and power, had to be legally accepted by a port who eventually impounded the ship. He hadn't been paid for months, yet if they leave the ship its seen as abandonment so they'll never get the money owed. He had nothing left in Syria to return to and had been living on board for months with charity support. On talking to him my friend said he mentioned he'd also been held hostage by Somali pirates for I think over a year a couple of years prior to this. You'd think you were hearing mariners stories from 100s of years ago. Re port pilots, if you want to hear a full on rant ask them what they think of the fact that anyone can buy a yacht and go on the water with no training whatsoever unlike car drivers . Does anyone remember which year a container ship came into Southampton under the "control" a drunk captain and crew and took out part of Hythe pier?

Thanks @LoveMySituation we often nip into Liverpool on a weekend as it's only takes a short while on the train from m/c. Will definately go up in next few weeks I think ❤️

amelia
and how many smack into the Brambles
and the shipwreck in the needles
and even Hurst spit !

When I was at Uni, for the first year or two there was the supertanker berthed in the Western docks
when it left, half the city watched
and suddenly we could see the New Forest from the Civic Centre !

What a fascinating subject op, never thought about container ships before, you’ve now converted me into a shipping geek also!!

10Fingers
In the spring, I cannot remember the date, Southampton University and the National Oceanography Centre have family / open days

at the NOC one you can go onto the research ship which has live tracking of all dock movements.
I got distracted for rather a while with that!
On some days they will take you out into Southampton water in amongst the ships

@10fingers Yes, mainly railway enthusiasts I think but dd has some of the 00 gauge containers and an Oxford diecast reach stacker to move them around with!

Oh this thread is heaven.
Some time ago, we went to Montreal to visit family. I was a bit frazzled so booked a massage on a “boat spa” and didn’t give it much thought. When I turned up, the view from the hot tub on deck was of massive ships going up the river. Not many containers but still a blissful day. We are off to Southampton this weekend so shall be stopping in IKEA on the basis of this!

What a fascinating thread. A cargo ship round trip has been added to my bucket list.

Anyone have any suggestions for websites with 'tales from the sea ' type stories?

Like woo but for shipping geeks? 🚢

Thanks @questionablemouse, I’m in cunbria but work in Hexham sometimes so might have to check out Hartlepool etc, thanks very much for the heads up

Ordered this before I realised it’s mentioned further up the thread, looks like a good read!

Amelia, whereabouts do you live to be able to hear fog horns? Sounds like heaven..

Lovemy
Move to Southampton
on a normal foggy day we get a few
at midnight on New Year it ROARS!!

When I was a kid in London we used to listen to the Pool of London
but the freight ships are gone from there now

@oldlaundbooth g-captain is something

London Gateway Port in Thurrock is great, they run ‘insight’ days where you can get up close to the ships and HUGE cranes. It’s one of the biggest (or deepest, I forget now) ports in the UK

Great granddaughter, granddaughter, daughter, niece and ex wife of merchant navy captains checking in here! Spent lots of time as a kid on big, big container ships and married into big oil tankers. The smell, the smell, the noise and the comfortable proper wooden bunks.

We used to track my father via Lloyds List. I imagine that’s online now.

How can I wangle my way into your family @LittleWitch?

I love those ships too but I take it a step further...I'd love to be on them and sail the seas.
Now...how does one get into the merchant navy? scratches head

I'd like to take another lorry overseas. I had two trips back in the early 90s, both to Holland. The first was... interesting. The clown I was running with drove across the grass outside Europoort, and knocked a trailer wheel into a pretzel. The second was even more so: driving a roadsweeper, one of the small ones, direct to the customer in Vlaardingen. The ride and handling were somewhat unusual to say the least.

These days I swap trailers over at Bootle docks twice a week. I'll put up a pic next time I'm in there.

When I worked in customs clearance we used to get the Iraqi lorries coming in at this time of year bringing dates ....
the best ones were driven non stop (two drivers one sleeping one driving) all the way from southern Iraq to the depot in the midlands

The other cool lorries were the Russians (each with a KGB minder) bringing timber in for furniture
and the Christmas trees arriving from Poland
and the watermelons from Spain
I loved that job.

All dead sadly, 10fingers (except XH).

I am going to be in Felixstowe at New Year; I'm definitely going to visit the docks now

I'm just waving as I'd like to join the conversation. My grandfather was foreman of the docks in Falmouth and my father was in the merchant navy, so I've spent a lot of time on container ships travelling the world. I lived with a view of Southampton docks for 16 years, but am now elsewhere in the city. I miss seeing the ships, but my asthmatic lungs are glad we're away from the docks traffic!

My parents travelled to South Africa on a container ship and loved it. I often look at the available journeys as I really want to go through the Panama Canal. I'd hate a cruise but I'm sure I'd be much happier on a container. 56 days at sea.