CalicoJack
Active member
I’ve just realised that I haven’t seen any of the Prior ships pop up on AIS for some while. They always seemed to be about at one point. Does anybody know what’s going on?
Prior ships
- Thread starter CalicoJack
- Start date
snowbird30ds
Well-known member
Is this the ones you mean?
JJ_PRIOR
JJ_PRIOR
LONG_KEELER
Well-known member
Adios
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They are advertising for masters and crew according to their website so its not looking like they are done yet Aggregate and river transport in the South East - JJ Prior
Nice video too
Nice video too
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pvb
Well-known member
In view of the link in post 2, might the website you linked to be out of date?
Wansworth
Well-known member
A satisfying life
Adios
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It crossed my mind but from that other page it seems its not all finished, maybe just from Fingringhoe?
BERT PRIOR has not suffered the same fate as her sisters and still working on the Thames taking loads upstream from Clubb's Jetty. She works on a two weeks on and two weeks off schedule. It is believed that GPS Marine fills in the two weeks off. AIS indicates that she goes back to Fingringhoe during her two weeks off periods.
Lots of construction happening in London it seems strange that they wouldn't have a demand for their shipping service from somewhere.
pvb
Well-known member
The link you posted was identical in 2017. So, I reckon the website is just out of date.
Adios
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Ah could be then. Shame. They were a feature of pretty much every trip in and out of London I've done. Pretty sure I've seen them unloading up as far Battersea as well
Tomahawk
Well-known member
The problem may be getting planning permission for gravel working close enough to a river to be able to load. Theses days the bug huggers have sewn up everything to the extent that building a new loading wharf would be next to impossible for fear of offending a mollusk. An own goal from the overall environmental perspective as the transport will have to be done by lorry instead of ship but entirely predictable.
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Black Diamond
Active member
I agree, Aquaboy, completely barmy to put ten times the number of trucks on the roads.
I wrote a piece in my blogging days about my first freight in the Peter P (and I didn't know she was a Little Ship, so thanks Athompson for that lovely video), but it's very much angled towards landlubbers and written long ago, probably in drink - Prior's Barges and the days before Docklands
I wrote a piece in my blogging days about my first freight in the Peter P (and I didn't know she was a Little Ship, so thanks Athompson for that lovely video), but it's very much angled towards landlubbers and written long ago, probably in drink - Prior's Barges and the days before Docklands
RivalRedwing
Well-known member
At the bottom of the webpages is a 2021 copyright date
FulmarJeddo
Active member
The copyright date doesn't mean a lot. I run my club website, and the copyright automatically updated, without me doing anything. The website gives their Company Reg. number, and that is showing as active on the Companies register
Aquaboy
Well-known member
The ballast quay opposite Wivenhoe sailing club was active back in September when I was last up the Colne. I did notice the ship beached behind the pilling tho' had gone. Pic (not very good)from 2017.
Tomahawk
Well-known member
Looking at Google satallite there appears to be a huge reserve available around Furneaux Lane..
Cobra
Well-known member
An update on the Prior situation from a mate of mine who used to be a skipper on the Prior barges but is now a Dock master at Tilbury.
"Sadly there are no Priors barges left now except the Bert. The rest of the fleet have been sold or cut up at Fingringhoe. The issues came about when Deptford Bridge broke about a year or so back and they couldn't lift it so the barges could get in laden but couldn't get out light so cargo was delivered by tug and lighter. Priors had finished at Fingringhoe long before that when the tree huggers put a block on further extraction of gravel. At that time they were loading in the Thames at Alpha Jetty at Cliffe, so the writing was really on the wall. They have kept one skipper on furlough just in case the Deptford bridge is repaired but apparently this is unlikely. Sadly, it looks like the end of an era"
"Sadly there are no Priors barges left now except the Bert. The rest of the fleet have been sold or cut up at Fingringhoe. The issues came about when Deptford Bridge broke about a year or so back and they couldn't lift it so the barges could get in laden but couldn't get out light so cargo was delivered by tug and lighter. Priors had finished at Fingringhoe long before that when the tree huggers put a block on further extraction of gravel. At that time they were loading in the Thames at Alpha Jetty at Cliffe, so the writing was really on the wall. They have kept one skipper on furlough just in case the Deptford bridge is repaired but apparently this is unlikely. Sadly, it looks like the end of an era"
Adios
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Tree huggers protecting gravel now? I hope they live in mud huts and refuse to use paved roads the hypocrites.
Tomahawk
Well-known member
N ot protecting gravel, but in their stupidity they think they are protecting the environment. Yet they all live in an artificiality constructed building whose sole purpose is to protect them from the environment.
The real problem is the cowardice of planning officers who don’t have the integrity to disregard all the objections unless the objector actually lives in the environment without the benefit of a hiuse to keep them warm and dry. Then there is the fact of local politics and the next election. Councilkors won't ignore objections if thhey think they allowing a grqvel pit may loose them the next election.
Gary Fox
N/A
It's very sad if the bridge is closing forever, isn't there a right of navigation like the Swale?
