LISBON one of the most spectacular ports to sail into Europe

"Lisbon, in my opinion, is one of the most spectacular ports to sail into in Europe. Alongside Venice and Valletta it is one of my favourites, though admittedly less challenging. The pilot boards just off of the symbolic Belem Tower, before you sail past the statue of Henry the Navigator, and under the 25th April Bridge with the statue of Christ looking down from the Southern Bank. Then its just a case of making a wide turn using the breadth of the Tagus and allowing for the strong tidal currents, before docking at the Alcantara Passenger Terminal in the shadow of the Bridge that draws comparisons to the San Francisco Bridge in its visual impact.
Captain Steve Angove, m.s. SAGA RUBY"

Thank you Captain Angove for your interest in the Port of Lisbon, my homeport. One of the most spectacular cruise ports in Europe, one of the greatest ports in the world.

Captain Angove statement on Lisbon taken from the SAGA RUBY blog written on the ship's call in Lisbon back in January 2012. LMC

Texto e imagens /Text and images copyright L.M.Correia. Favor não piratear. Respeite o meu trabalho / No piracy, please. For other posts and images, check our archive at the right column of the main page. Click on the photos to see them enlarged. Thanks for your visit and comments. Luís Miguel Correia

SAGA SISTERS IN LISBON IN 2007

The SAGA cruise ships SAGA ROSE and SAGA RUBY were docked in Lisbon on 14th May 2007 at the Alcântara terminal. It was the second time in 2007 that the two SAGA near sisters visited Lisbon on the same day, having been at the same dock also on 4 January.
Seen as two of the more elegant passenger ships afloat, they were constructed to the former Norwegian America Line as the SAGAFJORD (1965) and the VISTAFJORD (1973). After a stint under Cunard ownership, the two near sisters sailed once more as fleetmates under the colours of SAGA CRUISES until sold in 2010 and 2014.

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Dois dos meus navios de passageiros favourites, os navios de cruzeiros SAGA ROSE e SAGA RUBY, aqui atracados ao cais de Alcântara, em Lisboa, a 14 de Maio de 2007, num de diversos encontros no Tejo. Eram navios bonitos, co cores queue só ampliavam a elegância de linhas clássicas. O meu preferido era o SAGO ROSE, antigo SAGAFJORD. Fotografei ambos muitas vezes, e com diversos nomes ao longo dos anos, vantagem de ter começado a fotografar na década de 1970, quando estes navios eram praticamente novos.
Text and images copyright L.M.Correia, unless otherwise stated. For other posts and images, check our archive at the right column of the main page. Thanks for your visit and comments. You are most welcome at any time - Luís Miguel Correia

SAGA RUBY final call in Lisbon

The cruise ship SAGA RUBY photographed alongside the Jardim do Tabaco cruise berth in Lisbon on 6 January 2014, on her final cruise prior to the sale of the ship to undisclosed interests associated to an hotel ship project in Burma.

Texto e imagens /Text and images copyright L.M.Correia. Favor não piratear. Respeite o meu trabalho / No piracy, please. For other posts and images, check our archive at the right column of the main page. Click on the photos to see them enlarged. Thanks for your visit and comments. Luís Miguel Correia

CTE PASSOS GOUVEIA and SAGA RUBY

The Portuguese tug CTE PASSOS GOUVEIA escorting the Saga cruise ship SAGA RUBY on her final cruise, sailing from Funchal, Madeira Island, on 1st January 2014. The SAGA RUBY sailed for Lisbon arriving on 3rd January. Due to bad weather she departed Lisbon only on 7th January for Southampton, arriving at the end of her final cruise on 9 January, the call at Corunha being cancelled.

Aspectos do rebocador português CTE PASSOS GOUVEIA assistindo o paquete SAGA RUBY na largada do Funchal pela última vez. O SAGA RUBY escalou a seguir Lisboa, onde permaneceu atracado de 3 a 7 de Janeiro devido ao mau tempo. O cruzeiro terminou a 9 de Janeiro em Southampton.

Texto e imagens /Text and images copyright L.M.Correia. Favor não piratear. Respeite o meu trabalho / No piracy, please. For other posts and images, check our archive at the right column of the main page. Click on the photos to see them enlarged. Thanks for your visit and comments. Luís Miguel Correia

SAGA RUBY numa das suas últimas escalas em Lisboa

O navio de cruzeiros SAGA RUBY, que está a fazer os últimos cruzeiros ao serviço da Saga Cruises, fez uma das últimas escalas em Lisboa na manhã de 13 de Outubro de 2013. O navio, que vai ser retirado a 5 de Janeiro próximo, é um dos actuais melhores exemplos de paquete clássico, e navega desde 1973, quando foi introduzido pela Norwegian America Line como VISTAFJORD.
As fotografias que apresentamos registam a largada do SAGA RUBY ao princípio da tarde. Ao meu lado, um "perito" em cruzeiros comentava a "saída" do FUNCHAL, confundindo o SAGA RUBY com o nosso paquete mais famoso da actualidade.
O SAGA RUBY vem a Lisboa pela derradeira vez no final do seu último cruzeiro, a 3 de Janeiro de 2014. O futuro do navio é incerto, especulando-se que poderá seguir para a sucata.
 Texto e imagens /Text and images copyright L.M.Correia. Favor não piratear. Respeite o meu trabalho / No piracy, please. For other posts and images, check our archive at the right column of the main page. Click on the photos to see them enlarged. Thanks for your visit and comments. Luís Miguel Correia

SAGA RUBY em Cape Town

O navio de cruzeiros inglês SAGA RUBY entrou em Cape Town na manhã de 5 de Abril último depois de atravessar o Atlântico Sul com escalas em Port Stanley, Ilhas Falklands e Tristão da Cunha. Trata-se da última visita do SAGA RUBY a Cape Town. O navio está a fazer o cruzeiro substituto da volta ao mundo que não se chegou a concretizar devido à avaria nas máquinas detectada em Southampton no início de Janeiro antes da largada para a viagem à volta do globo,que seria a última deste belo veterano, com retirada de serviço prevista para Janeiro de 2014.

Belas fotografias do SAGA RUBY no Cabo registadas por Ian Shiffman, um amigo de longa data. Apesar dos seus 40 anos, o SAGA RUBY mantém o seu aspecto lindíssimo, ajudado pelas cores fantásticas: a chaminé amarela, simples mas muito elegante. Pena que os dois outros navios da companhia estejam agora com chaminés azuis com um design nada marítimo, juntando a falta de imaginação e estética ao desrespeito pelas linhas elegantes dos navios SAGA SAPPHIRE e QUEST  OF ADVENTURE.

Texto de / Text copyright L. M. Correia. Imagens / images by Ian Shiffman. Favor não piratear. Respeite o meu trabalho / No piracy, please. For other posts , check our archand images ive at the right column of the main page. Click on the photos to see them enlarged. Thanks for your visit and comments. Luís Miguel Correia

SAGA RUBY refit at Bremerhaven

The cruise ship SAGA RUBY arrived in Bremerhaven on 15 November from Leixões (Oporto, Portugal), where her cruise was shortened for technical reasons and the passengers disembarked. SAGA RUBY is now at the Kaiser Dock under the attention of Lloyd Werft undergoing extensive class and maintenance work and repairs in order to keep her in tip top conditon for another 13 months of contiuous cruising under the classic livery of SAGA CRUISES before she is taken out of service on January 7 2014. Repairs include the renewal of pipe work, the maintenance of pump, valves and fire-fighting equipment, steel repairs and the repair of cracks to superstructure supports and windows. Other scheduled work includes the cleaning of 16 tanks, the exchange of a generator and the cleaning and conservation of the hull of the ship. On December 4, SAGA RUBY returns to cruise service once more. 

Texto e imagens /Text and images copyright L.M.Correia. Favor não piratear. Respeite o meu trabalho / No piracy, please. For other posts and images, check our archive at the right column of the main page. Click on the photos to see them enlarged. Thanks for your visit and comments. Luís Miguel Correia

SAGA RUBY de saída

Paquete SAGA RUBY fotografado a sair de Lisboa na tarde de 12 de Outubro de 2012 na segunda das três escalas previstas para este mês em Lisboa pelo que na minha opinião é actualmente o mais bonito e interessante navio de cruzeiros em serviço em todo o mundo. Infelizmente o SAGA RUBY tem os dias contados pois vai ser retirado do serviço a 7 de Janeiro de 2014 tendo programada a última visita a Lisboa a 3 de Janeiro de 2014, no último cruzeiro do navio para a Saga Cruises. 

SAGA RUBY leaving Lisbon on 12 October 2012 on the second of three calls of this beautiful ship in Lisbon this October. I feel she is no the most beautiful and interesting cruise ship in service by now, althought she is not going to last. She will be taken out of service by Saga on 7 January 2014.

Texto e imagens /Text and images copyright L.M.Correia. Favor não piratear. Respeite o meu trabalho / No piracy, please. For other posts and images, check our archive at the right column of the main page. Click on the photos to see them enlarged. Thanks for your visit and comments. Luís Miguel Correia

A chegada do COUNTESS

A generosidade das dimensões do rio Tejo frente a Alfama - o Mar da Palha - conjugado com o baixo relevo da margem sul proporciona por vezes a ilusão de que para lá está o oceano. Isto era mais evidente antes da construção da ponte Vasco da Gama, que veio alterar a paisagem fluvial, mas mesmo assim volta e meia oiço alguém a afirmar convictamente que sim, que por ali se chega ao mar. 

E esta imagem do OCEAN COUNTESS a atracar em Santa Apolónia "à enchente" parece dar razão a esses observadores precários.  Parecia mesmo que o antigo CUNARD e OLYMPIC COUNTESS vinha do Montijo.

Fotografia registada a 12 de Outubro de 2012 por Luís Miguel Correia.

Texto e imagens /Text and images copyright L.M.Correia. Favor não piratear. Respeite o meu trabalho / No piracy, please. For other posts and images, check our archive at the right column of the main page. Click on the photos to see them enlarged. Thanks for your visit and comments. Luís Miguel Correia

EUROPA and VISTAFJORD

Another old photograph taken from a tug on the river Tagus passing the cruise ships EUROPA and VISTAFJORD alongside "Cais da Rocha" on 19 September 1986.

Both ships sail under the Saga houseflag now, as SAGA SAPPHIRE and SAGA RUBY...

Texto e imagens /Text and images copyright L.M.Correia. Favor não piratear. Respeite o meu trabalho / No piracy, please. For other posts and images, check our archive at the right column of the main page. Click on the photos to see them enlarged. Thanks for your visit and comments. Luís Miguel Correia

VISTAFJORD in the river Thames

The VISTAFJORD photographed on the river Thames at Tilbury in her Norwegian America Line days, still under the Norwegian flag.

Photograph taken by the late Alex Duncan, who sent the original negative in exchange for mine...

Texto e imagens /Text and images copyright L.M.Correia. Favor não piratear. Respeite o meu trabalho / No piracy, please. For other posts and images, check our archive at the right column of the main page. Click on the photos to see them enlarged. Thanks for your visit and comments. Luís Miguel Correia

VISTAFJORD in Lisbon 1986

The VISTAFJORD photographed in Lisbon on 19 September 1986 berthed at the Rocha Passenger Ship Terminal.

She had already been sold by Norwegian America and spotted the Cunard funnel colours and a gray hull.

She was on the around Europe cruise back into the Med after another season in Northern waters.

Texto e imagens /Text and images copyright L.M.Correia. Favor não piratear. Respeite o meu trabalho / No piracy, please. For other posts and images, check our archive at the right column of the main page. Click on the photos to see them enlarged. Thanks for your visit and comments. Luís Miguel Correia

SAGA RUBY in Lisbon

SAGA RUBY leaving Lisbon on the evening of 6 October 2012: the classic beauty of a timeless ship, the perfect light of Lisbon and the blue of the Tagus waters encircling an old friend. This ship first visited Lisbon in September 1973, as the then brand new VISTAFJORD, the final flagship of Norwegian America Line.

Texto e imagens /Text and images copyright L.M.Correia. Favor não piratear. Respeite o meu trabalho / No piracy, please. For other posts and images, check our archive at the right column of the main page. Click on the photos to see them enlarged. Thanks for your visit and comments. Luís Miguel Correia

Festival de paquetes dos anos 70 no Tejo

 Ontem, dia 22 de Setembro de 2011, o porto de Lisboa apresentava atracados aos seus cais de Alcântara, Jardim do Tabaco e Santa Apolónia, três navios de cruzeiros da década de 1970.
O primeiro a chegar foi o SAGA RUBY, construído em Inglaterra em 1973 com o nome VISTAFJORD para a Norwegian Amarica Line e hoje propriedade da Saga Cruises.
Seguiu-se a atracação do OCEAN COUNTESS, um paquete grego de bandeira portuguesa (Registo MAR) afretado pela empresa inglesa Cruise Maritime: o navio foi construído na Dinamarca e acabado em Itália em 1976 com o nome CUNARD COUNTESS, para a companhia Cunard.

A meio da manhã, foi a vez do BLACK WATCH, da Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines atracar a Santa Apolónia, completando o grupo: o BLACK WATCH data de 1972, foi construído na Finlândia para o armador norueguês Royal Viking, com o nome ROYAL VIKING STAR.

Entretanto, escondido na Matinha, continua o nosso FUNCHAL, em reparação e rejuvenescimento.

Texto e imagens /Text and images copyright L.M.Correia. Favor não piratear. Respeite o meu trabalho / No piracy, please. For other posts and images, check our archive at the right column of the main page. Click on the photos to see them enlarged. Thanks for your visit and comments. Luís Miguel Correia

SAGA RUBY in Lisbon 2010-11-02

Two photographs depicting the arrival of SAGA RUBY in Lisbon on 2 November 2010.

The first photograph shows her passing the Belém tower while on the second she is about to reach the Alcântara passenger ship terminal where she berthed. It was also in this terminal that the SAGA RUBY berthed on her first call to Lisbon in September 1973, by then the proud flagship of Norwegian America Line VISTAFJORD. 

The SAGA RUBY was reflagged-out to the Malta registry in June 2010.

Texto e imagens /Text and images copyright L.M.Correia. For other posts and images, check our archive at the right column of the main page. Click on the photos to see them enlarged. Thanks for your visit and comments. Luís Miguel Correia

SAGA RUBY registado em Malta

VALLETTA é o novo porto de registo do navio de cruzeiros SAGA RUBY (24.492 GT / construído em 1973), como verificámos ontem durante a mais recente escala deste belo paquete clássico no Tejo. VALLETTA (Malta) é assim o quarto porto de registo deste navio depois de OSLO (Noruega), NASSAU (Bahamas) e LONDON (Reino Unido).

O SAGA RUBY foi construído em Inglaterra no estaleiro Swan Hunter para a companhia Norwegian America Line, de Oslo, tendo sido o último navio de passageiros construído por aquele armador. O navio pertenceu depois à Norwegian American Cruises e à Cunard antes de ser adquirido pela SAGA. O registo do SAGA RUBY foi transferido para Malta a 1 de Junho de 2010.

Fotografias tiradas em Lisboa a 2 de Novembro de 2010. 

Texto e imagens /Text and images copyright L.M.Correia. For other posts and images, check our archive at the right column of the main page. Click on the photos to see them enlarged. Thanks for your visit and comments. Luís Miguel Correia

CRUISE SHIP FESTIVAL in Lisbon

May is always a busy time for cruise shipping in Lisbon and this year the ships and the weather coul  not have been more positive.

Here it is a glimpse of our present passenger shipping movements in Lisbon with photos of SAGA RUBY (16 May), BLACK WATCH, JEWEL of the SEAS, SILVER SPIRIT, AIDAcara (15 May).

Those and many other passenger ships have been the subject of busy ship photo sessions.

Texto e imagens /Text and images copyright L.M.Correia. For other posts and images, check our archive at the right column of the main page. Click on the photos to see them enlarged. Thanks for your visit and comments. Luís Miguel Correia

The same funnel, different colours...

The same funnel in different colours: which one is the best looking livery? Saga Cruises Yellow, white and blue or the traditional Cunard red and black?

As built as NAL VISTAFJORD, it was buff with the national colours of Norway.

Anyway, yellow or red she is now one of the best looking classic passenger ships still in service...

More SAGA RUBY photos here, here and also here.

Texto e imagens /Text and images copyright L.M.Correia. For other posts and images, check our archive at the right column of the main page. Click on the photos to see them enlarged. Thanks for your visit and comments. Luís Miguel Correia

NEW YEAR's CRUISE SHIPPING in MADEIRA

I have just returned from a short photographic break in Madeira Island where I arrived on 29 December to see and photograph the cruise ships gathering for the usual New Year's eve festivities.

On 31 December 2009 there where seven passenger ships in port: AIDALUNA, AMADEA, BOUDICCA, LOBO MARINHO, ORIANA, QUEEN VICTORIA and SAGA RUBY. The handsome sailing ship ASTRID was also in port and some of the images registered are published in this and adjoining posts. Hope they are of interest.

I wish a very happy New Year of 2010 for all...

Texto e imagens /Text and images copyright L.M.Correia. For other posts and images, check our archive at the right column of the main page. Click on the photos to see them enlarged. Thanks for your visit and comments. Luís Miguel Correia