'Voyages of Discovery - M/V Discovery severe engine trouble fixed (at last) - Page 156

**Ally** · 10-09-2008, 02:26 PM

I don't think it was a reliability issue, Neil. I get the distinct feeling the shoreside operation hoped no-one would notice or make a fuss about the engine fault this time around. Discovery is 36 years old, she is at the end of her working life, so mechanicals are going to be more common than a younger ship anyway. Her age is against her and added to that we have seen a really bad example of trying to make do and mend to a bare minimum.

I seriously doubt that VoD had any intention of repairing the engine at all. They have been pressured into doing so, and not just by their guests and the media but the authorities too. That should never have happened, the engine should have either been repaired 7 months ago or VoD should have been open on their website and admitted that a problem existed and that it was being rectified.

So far VoD shoreside have flatly refused to even apologise for what they have done. They have failed to acknowledge that they ruined thousands of guests cruises over the last 7 months. They also made matters worse by giving out repair dates that were frankly impossible to do...they made themselves look like amateur fools.

It would not have been so hard for shoreside to swallow their pride and say sorry to those people who they duped into paying for cruises that shoreside knew could not be completed.

Ultimately it will be VoD as a whole that will pay the price for shoreside's deception and lack of apology. They screwed up the cruises, the surcharges and the compensation amounts for 7 long months and left the crew of Discovery to pick up the pieces.

VoD shoreside should be ashamed of what they have done and tbh I feel that there should be changes made in regards to the MD and anyone else who stood behind him and allowed this to happen.

**neil** · 10-09-2008, 06:19 PM

If their M. D's salary included a performance bonus, I would think he could be earning less this year !

FuzzyBear · 10-11-2008, 12:23 PM

This gives some good speeds if powered by mice.

Live Ships Map - AIS - Vessel Traffic System 10 2008 9:45AM
10 2008 9:45AMSuspect it's a web site fault

I Cant get the correct url into this page. Please ignore

Regards FuzzyBear

bandos · 10-13-2008, 09:24 AM

Discovery is off to South Africa and India Ferbruary and March, the Maritime Memory group will be on then, instead of Antartic she is going to the far east for winter 2009.

**Ally** · 10-13-2008, 09:28 AM

If she is in the Far East anytime in October 2009, I might just see her as I am aboard Costa Classica from October 10 thru 24 from Shanghai to Hong Kong via Japan, Okinawa and Taiwan.

**Ally** · 10-23-2008, 02:22 AM

Discovery is in Istanbul today, I think she is the ship farthest away from Costa Fortuna's stern...

**neil** · 10-23-2008, 06:19 AM

Hi Ally

That certainly looks like her and is her position in port as showing on the AIS maps for Istanbul.

What we need is zoom webcams on the Costa ships that we can control !

swan · 10-24-2008, 09:13 AM

Don,t know if anything was reported ,ie, her inspection in Gdynia but I dug this piece up today.
Still wouldn,t fancy cruiseing on her again.

September 4 Discovery
Voyages of Discovery Despite assurances August 20 (see August 9) that engine problems would be repaired "by the weekend," a safety inspection by British authorities in Harwich confirmed the repairs have still not been completed. According to the inspectors, the ship is running on three engines but she is able to manoeuvre to legal requirements. They inspected the paper work on the spare parts, and the company making the new bearing has admitted that they supplied the wrong size. Discovery hopes to fit the new parts in Lisbon or Nice. NOTE: The ship was also inspected in Gdynia on Sept 1 where they found seven deficiencies, including: Fire safety measures (Jacketed high pressure lines), MARPOL annex I (Oil record book), Propulsion & aux. (Auxiliary engine; Bilge pumping arrangements; Gauges,thermometers, etc), Structural safety (Steering gear), and Working spaces and accident prevention (Obstruction/slipping, etc).

**neil** · 10-24-2008, 07:38 PM

Hi Swan

After the way a lot of people had their cruise holiday spoilt this year, by ports being missed and not being told of the ships engine problems, I think a lot of people will book with other companies and boycott Voyages of Discovery in 2009.

When you save and plan for a cruise holiday you do expect it to be what is advertised.

We know on the odd cruise there can be a mechanical problem but you do not expect problems to go one as long as they did with the mv Discovery.

**Ally** · 10-25-2008, 04:02 AM

Swan...these are her last 7 inspection dates according to ParisMou, it does not include the inspection at Harwich done on the 4th September...

7108514
Ships' name: DISCOVERY

31/05/2005 at Aalesund, Norway Initial inspection
01/06/2006 at Bergen, Norway Expanded inspection
30/05/2007 at Aalesund, Norway Initial inspection
11/09/2007 at Rostock, Germany Expanded inspection
15/05/2008 at Helsinki, Finland More detailed inspection
01/09/2008 at Gdynia, Poland Initial inspection
15/09/2008 at Civitavecchia, Italy Expanded inspection

Her last 3 inspections (inc Harwich, not on list) were very close together, a ship the age of Discovery has to have a mandatory inspection every 12 months. As you can see she has had 4 within the space of 2008 so far (including Harwich, not listed). That alone should send red flags up to the top of the mast to anyone thinking about booking the ship for a cruise. The last 3 inspections, again including the Harwich one, were done after the engine problem went public, so it confirms that the authorities were just as curious about the ship as we were...ie if she was having her engine fault hidden, what else was wrong.

If you go onto http://www.parismou.org/ParisMOU/hom...4/default.aspx

Then click onto 'Basic Search' from the choices on the left side of the screen, fill in her details and you can then click on each date listed and see what was found. When filling in her details from the drop down menu's, it's Name - Discovery, Flag - Bermuda UK and Type - Passenger.

You can check any vessel you want on that site.