Some lovely photographs of the new Dover Marina

Tomahawk

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On GB News this morning. (OK they are talking about the migrant problem). The reporter is standing at the old gun battery overlooking the harbour and new (empty) marina.
It clearly shows why there is so movement on the pontoons. It gets narrower towards the north so waves entering are amplified towards the landward end.
 

Bristolfashion

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I am saddened that you seem to take delight in someone's potential financial loss. I don't particularly like the Guardian. But I wouldn't wish financial failure on them simply because I disagree with their thoughts.
Not delight, an observation that enterprises that don't provide a service that customers require won't prosper and noting the intersection of 2 of 'em here. It's also a touch wry - like the Clairvoyant Times being unable to publish due to unforeseen circumstances!

Looking at the investors, even a total failure wouldn't be too much of a disaster - they are the odds for the speculative investor. Paul Marshall put in £10mill - he's worth £630 mill! The other investors have more cash.
 
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Poignard

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I am saddened that you seem to take delight in someone's potential financial loss. I don't particularly like the Guardian. But I wouldn't wish financial failure on them simply because I disagree with their thoughts.
If commercial enterprises fail because the management doesn't do its job properly, then they deserve to fail.

Maybe you think the state should prop them up?
 

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It will be interesting to see if the new Dover marina eventually becomes a financial success compared to the existing setup. Its part of a major redevelopment of the main port which is costing fortunes and will also need to make money of course. There is now an extra cargo wharf and a large new warehouse and container storage area but what will they do with the Granville dock and tidal basin once they have filled them in and gained all that extra land area? Lorry park or more container storage perhaps? I assume they will need to hugely increase carrgo turnover to justify any of it which would mean operating both cargo wharfs most of the time and lots more ships in and out. I wonder where all that business will come from.
 

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Good question. We are an island nation. Everything we use must either be imported or made here. However the Green lobby has put paid to national manufacturing industry on account of using energy. We are thus reliant on imports which need docks and ports.

Yet there are a limited number of docks to service the needs of the UK as an island nation. The real problem being that it is now impossible to develop new facikities on account of the green aganda that seeks to prevent any development on undeveloped land. To wit when the government allowed a new port facility at Sheerness for importing cars the green lobby took the UK to the courts to overthrow the decision. When that failed, they had another go at the EU courts but demanding that an artificial wetland be engineered to "compensate" for the use of a bit of mud to develop a port. Without wholescale repeal of green legislation there is no chance of reversing those precedents. And with the PM's wife calling the shots for a while, that’s unlikely to change.

So, in the end it is likely to succeed because there is little alternative. Is it good, that’s another matter.
 

Tomahawk

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Not delight, an observation that enterprises that don't provide a service that customers require won't prosper and noting the intersection of 2 of 'em here. It's also a touch wry - like the Clairvoyant Times being unable to publish due to unforeseen circumstances!

Looking at the investors, even a total failure wouldn't be too much of a disaster - they are the odds for the speculative investor. Paul Marshall put in £10mill - he's worth £630 mill! The other investors have more cash.

Is GB news going down? Genuinly don't know the answer... besides it’s nowt to do with my observation that the view behind the reporter on the broadcast clearly showed the problem with the marina. I suspect someone from the consulting firm is eating a lot of humble pie and trying to grow teflon shoulder pads . The new marina is not open because someone made a mistake. .... other more vernacular expressions that breach forum rules are available.

Whilst it is a bit of fun to take the Mik, it is a very expensive mistake that will cost a lot of money to rectify. And even when they sort out the excessive waves the thing will silt up like a duck pond the same as Brighton and Burnham and every marina that has just one entrance does.
 

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On GB News this morning. (OK they are talking about the migrant problem). The reporter is standing at the old gun battery overlooking the harbour and new (empty) marina.
It clearly shows why there is so movement on the pontoons. It gets narrower towards the north so waves entering are amplified towards the landward end.
I put my telescope to my blind eye and saw no pictures.
(No, I am not blind in one eye, just could not see any pictures.)
 

Bru

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I'm not sure what the connection between Dover Marina and GB News is but never mind!

The marina design looked suspect from the start and sadly the doubters, myself included, have been proved right. No doubt they'll correct the worst deficiencies but I don't think it will ever be as good as it could have been

Still, I suppose they could simply have done away with the marina altogether (and maybe wish now that they had) as the expanded cargo facilities will likely be more profitable (or one assumes so otherwise why bother? Hmm, I admit I may be being naive there! :) )
 

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There is no connection..
It just happened the reporter doing a piece was standing somewhere overlooking the harbour that by chance was in line with the length of the new marina .. the view clearly shows how the marina gets narrower .... and hence amplifies waves...
 

oldgit

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Will get out the binos on Thursday as we go past Dover and check for "wave action" .
Regards expanding cargo facilities at Dover, that ship has long sailed.
Its all London Gateway and ships with 23000 containers on board, not congested little ports clinging to the sides of cliffs .
There is of course an lifeboat station at Dover, read recently the RNLI had a remarkable and substantial boost to their fund raising efforts, might have heard about it via GB News.
RNLI at Dover appear to be very busy at the moment, perhaps they could give others tips on how to raise money. :)
 
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johnalison

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I'm not sure what the connection between Dover Marina and GB News is but never mind!

The marina design looked suspect from the start and sadly the doubters, myself included, have been proved right. No doubt they'll correct the worst deficiencies but I don't think it will ever be as good as it could have been

Still, I suppose they could simply have done away with the marina altogether (and maybe wish now that they had) as the expanded cargo facilities will likely be more profitable (or one assumes so otherwise why bother? Hmm, I admit I may be being naive there! :) )
I was shouted down when the plans were first shown on one of these forums and I questioned the degree of shelter. It would be fine, they said, because it was orientated away from the prevailing winds. I don’t wish any ill on the harbour or their sailors but I have taken a rueful delight in seeing how things turned out.
 

Biggles Wader

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The cargo side of Dover port is a bit more complex than that. When I grew up there nearly half a century ago they had a small ship general cargo operation in what is now the marina and they also specialised in reefer cargos from bigger ships mostly in the Eastern end of the harbour. The general cargo stuff went in the early 1980s but they carried on with the reefers and thats what they still do. Its a niche operation and is more suited to smaller ships and ports as compared to the big stuff at London Gateway and Felixtowe. The same applies at the loading ports in South America and the Caribbean. Whether they can expand enough to justify the new development remains to be seen.
 

Koeketiene

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Good question. We are an island nation. Everything we use must either be imported or made here. However the Green lobby has put paid to national manufacturing industry on account of using energy. We are thus reliant on imports which need docks and ports.

Not quite so.
It was Saint Maggie who deemed a British manufacturing industry surplus to requirements.
Successive governments just hastened its demise.
 
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