Kalberdans/james96/merstone/marinha

[KEITH SEVILLE]

I have put this question on before without any success but there just might be one of the members who may be able to provide some infortmation, regarding the fate of the old hopper barge James no.96 which worked on the Mersey for many years during the sixties/seventies.
The information I have:-

Built 1939 at the Elsflether yard Germany. Completed August 1939.
She was named Kalberdans.
720 tons. Hopper Barge.
ID No.6130067.
She was later bought by James Contracting + Shipping, Southampton who were taken over by Westminster Dredging Company and at that time was called James No.96.
She was later converted to a suction dredger and renamed Merstone and still remained with Westminster Dredging working on the Mersey.
In the late seventies she was taken over by Sociedade Portuguesa de Draggens,Lisbon,Portugal a subsiduary of Westminster Dredging and worked as a standby hopper barge called Marinha.
I do know that she was still in their service up to the mid nineties but have tried contacting her owners without any success.
Can anybody throw any light on her demise please?????

Best Regards
Keith

[Rui Amaro]

Olá Keith
I was searching for another dredge, named Final Marina, and I met your message.
I remember seeing the Marinha, Soc. Port. Dragagens, Lisbon. working here in the Douro/Leixões bars some years ago, perhaps in the 70s, but her subsquent history untraced.
This is all I can assist you
Best Regards
Rui Amaro

[KEITH SEVILLE]

Rui

Good to hear from you because I have just been keeping in contact with Boskalis Netherlands and and my contact there has a good friend who is Portuguese.
He has been making further enquiries on my behalf and has found out that Sanfins and Moreira, Oporto bought the vessel from Soc.Port Dragagens,Lisbon and operated her and she was finally broken up in 1998.
So the mystery has finally been solved.

Best Regards
Keith