Ships in the Firth

It isn't often that we see a cruise ship making its way in or out of Invergordon, not because there aren't now plenty calling at that port but because the ships are too far away. However, last Wednesday we had a good view of the Norwegian Star leaving port - not because she was any closer than other ships but because she was beautifully picked out by the low, setting sun.

Over the last couple of weeks we've seen an unusually large number of working - as opposed to passenger - ships anchoring in the firth, not because they were seeking shelter from poor weather but because they seemed not to have any work. This is the Esvagt Alba a work/repair vessel which services the Moray East wind farm just to the south of us.

Delivered in 2021 to Danish owners, it's not the first time we've seen her.

This is the Maursund, a Norway-registered landing craft built in 1972, while....

....this is the Monika with a cargo we're noticing more and more - towers and blades for wind farms. She's described as a general cargo ship but her long, open cargo deck is ideal for delivering the bulky parts of wind turbines. She's Dutch-owned but registered in Madeira.

Carrying a similar cargo, this is he Aramis, described as a general cargo ship, registered in Lithuania.

One of the joys of our time living in Kilchoan was that we could watch, from our house, the many ships of many varieties moving up and down the Sound of Mull, often passing very close to us.