EMPRESS OF THE SEAS

[bobscott]

Anyone know what this ship is up to? Been sitting off Almyrida for a few hours now, and seems like a ghost ship with no-one on board. Weird. Bob.

[ros21m]

From Parakritika.gr
Cruise ship at the entrance of the Gulf of Souda, mooring is requested!


The cruise ship "Empress of the Seas" is anchored at the entrance of the Gulf of Souda and according to information has requested its mooring.

The ship is empty of passengers, with 82 crew members and its previous stop was Heraklion, where it remained for a few hours for technical repairs, without leaving the staff.

The cruise ship left Heraklion as there is no anchorage. From the moment it was approved by the General Staff of the Navy (due to the military nature of the gulf) to anchor the ship off Almyrida, there is, according to the same information, an oral request - for the time being - to dock once a week in Souda.

As you can see in the relevant photo, the ship started from Heraklion in a northwesterly direction, perhaps for another port in the country, and suddenly headed for Souda. Probably asked for his mooring somewhere else, but the request was not accepted.



The request for mooring in Souda was made in order to supply the crew with the necessary but also for any repairs and maintenance needed. The final decision, however, will be taken by the Port Fund of Chania, which is reminded that it has already received requests from cruise companies , whose ships are in the Mediterranean.

[Maud]

This might explain what is happening with cruise ships at the moment.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-53720419

[bobscott]

Thanks folks. Not used to seeing that here! Bob.

[Maud]

I bet there are plenty of cruise ships all around the world looking for somewhere free/cheap to anchor up right now!

[Kilkis]

There are so many anchored up in the English Channel that someone was suggesting that Border Force ought to use one or more to process the illegal migrants crossing the channel. Instead of taking them to Dover when they pick them up, take them directly to the cruise ship. Have immigration officers on-board to process their asylum claims. Those that were successful could be taken to land. Those that failed could be kept on-board until the ship was full and then the ship could be used to return them to wherever they were supposed to go.

Warwick

[mouche]

Those that failed could be kept on-board until the ship was full and then the ship could be used to return them to wherever they were supposed to go.
Warwick

Which port in Afghanistan would you suggest?

[Kilkis]

Not my idea, Mouche. I was just reporting what someone suggested. Many are from the conflict in Syria but you are right that many are from land locked countries. Not just Afghanistan but also from sub-Saharan Africa.

Warwick

[mouche]

But when you refer to them as illegal immigrants, how do you know before they are being processed? Maybe, just maybe, they are refugees and for a good course and will be accepted as such?

[Kamisiana]

Just find a French flagged and registered ship dump them on that, give em back to Macron that's where they came from.

[Kilkis]

But when you refer to them as illegal immigrants, how do you know before they are being processed?...

I don't. Some are processed and granted asylum while some are processed, not granted asylum and are typically kept in detention centres because they cannot be returned. Some are returned. They are classed as "illegal" in the sense that they are trying to enter the UK by an illegal route, i.e. bypassing any immigration checks. That is largely because the UK government strenuously avoids providing a legal mechanism. In the last decade the UK has had a string of very anti-immigration governments. They don't say it publicly but their attitude is that the UK is full.

Warwick

[mouche]

There are so many anchored up in the English Channel that someone was suggesting that Border Force ought to use one or more to process the illegal migrants crossing the channel.
Warwick

[Kamisiana]

Now Napoleon Macron is sailing his fleet to the aid of Greece in defending against the Turks could he not take a few illegals back down with him and drop them off, before the first salvo comes in and it's full astern back home.

[Kilkis]

There are so many anchored up in the English Channel that someone was suggesting that Border Force ought to use one or more to process the illegal migrants crossing the channel.
Warwick

I am not sure what you don't understand, Mouche. It is not complicated. They are migrants because they are moving from one country to another. They are attempting to move from France to the UK by an illegal means, i.e. avoiding immigration control. That makes them illegal migrants. It says nothing about their status as asylum seekers. In fact at the point of interception nobody knows if they intend to seek asylum or not. Even if they are seeking asylum from a country that they are fleeing they are supposed to seek asylum in the first country of safety that they reach. I would be surprised if they sailed a small rubber dinghy from Syria through the Mediterranean, across the Bay of Biscay and up the English channel to near Dover.

Personally, speaking as a migrant, I am in favour of migration. I think the present government's position on migration is idiotic. There are many people in detention centres who are young, extremely bright, well educated and could be making a valuable contribution to the UK economy. The government prefers to keep them in detention as a burden on the state because they are frightened what the racist press will say if they release them. It won't be that long before European governments face a stark choice: either allow more immigration or make it a criminal offence for any woman of child bearing age to have less than three children. If they cannot increase GDP they face economic collapse under the weight of debt. GDP = working population x productivity. It is highly unlikely that the developed countries, like the UK, will increase productivity significantly so increasing the working population is the only solution. Unfortunately the birth rate amongst the endemic population is falling to such an extent that it will not even sustain the same level of population.

Warwick

[Philb]

"Even if they are seeking asylum from a country that they are fleeing they are supposed to seek asylum in the first country of safety that they reach"

Not quite correct Warwick

https://fullfact.org/immigration/refuge ... e-country/