MSC Kleven departs Felixstowe with assistance of Svitzer Kent 6th September 2017

MSC Kleven deparst Felixstowe Beth 5 with assistance of Svitzer Kent. The MSC Kleven was a previously a Maersk ship, the Maersk Kleven, but had a name change when MSC joined up with maersk to create the 2M alliance. The ship sails as part of Maersk Trans-Atlantic Service 3 which calls at Veracruz-Mexico, Altamira-Mexico, New Orleans, Mobile-USA, Freeport-Bahamas, Savannah, Charleston then cross the Atlantic Ocean to Antwerp, Felixstowe, Rotterdam, Bremerhaven and then Le Havre before crossing the Atlantic Ocean again.

The 319 metre MSC Kleven finishes cargo operation late which pushed the departure time to just before midday. Svitzer Kent radios Harwich VTS for updates during the morning but finally the pilot radios Harwich to say there is only 2 gear bins to load and they were finished so he requires the services. The Svitzer Kent paddles up to the Kleven and makes fast centre lead aft while the mooring gang are getting ready to release the lines holding her alongside the berth.

Once fast the Kent moves away from the ship into a pull position with a slack line waiting for orders. The mooring gang begin to remove the lines slackened from the bollards. Springs let go the pilot gets the Kent to pull off the berth at 50%. Shortly after the Kent reduces to 25% to let the bow catch up with stern. The pilot uses the bow thruster swing the bow out into the channel.
As the pilot comes ahead on the main engine the Kent drops in astern. The pilot says to the Kent that he is going to pick up some speed to around 4 knots and then let go of the Kent to proceed out to the Sunk Pilot station where the pilot disembarks onto a pilot launch to his next job which was the Arklow Flair for Ipswich, Leaving the captain to steer his ship to her next port of Rotterdam.