And talking of floaters, my Belgian spies have alerted me to the fact that one of the two old TransEuropa tubs that's rotting away in Ostend is being put up for auction this month.
Bidding on The Gardenia takes place at the Hotel/Restaurant Weinebrugge on Saturday 14th September at 2pm. So, er, do pop along if you fancy grabbing yourself a rusty bargain.
It's worth reading the small print, though, since there's a whole list of debtors attached to the sale, amounting to some 5m Eurowhatsits of prejudged charges on a ship that's probably not worth much more than a mill. Strange, though, that despite the Port of Ostend, a number of Belgian companies, and sailor types (who are presumably attempting to claim back unpaid wages) attached as having a charge over The Gardenia, there's not a single mention of Thanet Council or the Port of Ramsgate being owed a bob or two. So what's going on there, then?
The Ostenders reckon they're owed €2.5m by the defunct ferry line, which, they say, is about the same as us Fannit taxpayers are out of pocket. Although my calculator makes that about £2.1m, way short of the £3.4m that Thanet Duffer Central has fessed up to so far. And not even a chance to make some back on the auction. Kuh!
Meanwhile, I see from my copy of Krant Van West-Vlaanderen that Ostend Council are, not surprisingly, vexed about the €25,000 a month it's costing them to keep The Gardenia, and its sister rustbucket The Larkspur, moored up in their lovely port. Each ship apparently has to have a three man safety crew on board, and there are other costs such as popping the odd Euro in the lecky meter. All of which is coming out of the public purse. The Krant Van West-Vlaanderen also mentions there have been talks about restarting an Ostend-Ramsgate service. Apparently 'there may be Italians or Greeks interested'. Yep, I'll believe that one when I see it!
Click here to read the notice of the Gardenia auction in Ostend.
Click here to read the TransEuropa article in Krant Van West-Vlaanderen
48 comments:
Wait for a bandwaggoner tar to jump aboard
Excellent work ECR: Macgonigal and Hart and Bayford have stuffed us again.
They've neither been looking for a new ferry service nor reclaiming the debts.
Empty waffle about how wonderful they and TDC are as usual.
And we can certainly do without any new rustbucket ferry and pollution into Ramsgate.
What are the Port staff doing seeing as the port is closed?
If this is true, it could be because TDC just waived TEF's bills, and so there is nothing on paper to claw back.
But then when this whole can of worms was opened back in April, TDC said they would be going after their money via the Belgian administrator. So, more lies?
Good points 4:27 although in the absence of paper records and the sums of money involved, both full council and the Police could take detailed witness statements from macgonigal etc.
As you say the latest set of lies alone would result in gross misconduct and dismissal.
What a set of twerps we've elected and paid.
I just checked the IP addresses of 4:27 and 5:25 and they're exactly the same!
Good work you flash but consummate exposer.
Latest news is Mr Sleazekiel is glad to be out of it.
TDC is referring back looking for a bungle free period. Cllr Dolding dressed as a Sheikh with some idea about starting a rumour investors were lining up at Ramsgate Harbour.
A suitably matched investor was found at one time for Pleasurama. Jimmy G.
So in the traditions of TDC admin the rumour is they are in discussions with Shaun Keegan Ferries Ltd. Iris Johnston is parroting "Will it create jobs"
A Shaun Keegan Ferries spokesman in a rare moment of candour said "Yes in the longer term for debt recovery bailliffs"
"Oh we never pay out public money for debt recovery" chirped McGonical and Harvey Patterson in unison. We just write debts off.
6:08, the IP addresses may be the same (although I doubt it) but I can assure you that they are two different people.
I wrote 5:25 but not 4:27. I hope that clarifies things for you.
Surely you must be more concerned at the trickery if not fraud by TDC over the ferry?
I do like the point about Shaun Keegan Ferries, although that's not me either.
East Kent highest user of ADHD drugs in the country
Time to dust off those effects of cyclohexonone in the water supply for 30 plus years?
Je pensais que je vous ECR vu, dans Chez Astoux la semaine dernière.
A 12 year mortality gap too in Thanet according to the NHS GP Group. They're dropping like flies.
A point of detail: I think the TDC accounts have closed/ready for signing off and the RTC accounts?
Is there any detail of Ferrygate in there - especially if the Housing reserve funds were being raised to balance the books?
There seems no paperwork at all to support any of these figures? I wouldn't trust Macgonigal as far as I could throw her, would you?
Yep the water abstraction was stopped for domestic use 1993 when the 30 year history of massive contamination from Sericol was discovered.
But what about direct abstraction licences in an area that the Environment Agency says will remain a problem for the foreseeable future.
Laundry workers laundry environs agricultural abstraction.
Then there is Thor contamination by mixed solvents and mercury.
Mortality rate, ectopic pregnancy rate, polycystic ovary syndrome rate, ADHD rate.
Were Sericol and Thor even fined ?
And since Thor was shut down operationally (?) by HSE late 80s how come the contamination wasn't weighed against planning consent for a housing development just down the hill. You know downhill where water runs.
Even those military styled Landrovers that visited Thor at night didn't like hanging about. In and load and out quick sharp. Musta been avoiding staying too long in a contamination zone or something.
Still if the Zulus want to send mercury for reprocessing in parent company (Thor ... Cato Ridge) then South Africa could use Ramsgate Harbour to bring it in.
Iris Johnston is on phone "Any jobs if the Zulus send mercury sludge to Margate?"
"Yes Iris but it can cause ADHD in the offspring of the workers mate"
Sericol and Thor are both very concerning: who at TDC is the councillor and responsible for cleanup? There must be some TDC minutes? Thor never closed of course hence the fire in 2007: it was expanding with investment from Thor Germany?
will/is the running of the Marina and warehouse businesses be affected by the Port closing?
Sorry, but I can't put up with any more of this off-topic, watery nonsense!
I know it's an important issue, but it's driving me to abstraction... er, distraction.
If I wanted to talk about it, I would be posting about it. Until and unless I do, please (and I choose my words carefully here) keep to the fucking point!!!
...and that's the polite version!
...how many blogger commenters just say stuff to check the time?
Hi ECR, the only way to change this supine council is to join it.
No group of independents is going to win through. How about infiltrating the incumbents with sensible, strong minded people who can wrestle leadership from Bob 'n Clive and actually start serving the people instead of feeding their own egos?
I can see you with a blue rosette sporting an ' I heart MT' tattoo castigating anyone who looks mildly working class for being a workshy benefits scrounger who should get a job.
Whaddya think?
7:22, why don't you do it? Either that or get a job, you work-shy benefit scrounger!
Me with a blue rosette? You must be joking!
there certainly is a problem with BobnClive's leadership how do we get rid of them?
Who should replace them?
A small ball of fluff would do better. Stick a red or blue rosette on it, and it would be a shoo-in round here!
Or even better, a yellow and purple one!
What happens if the electorate is colour blind - do they vote for the chiaroscuro or the op art?
Its easy to get rid of TDC, just support the creation of a unitary council for east Kent and in one swoop you also get rid of the west Kent dominated KCC. Of course it may result in a Canterbury dominated council but hopefully it will be more balanced that the two councils we have now.
How do we do that 4:03? Is there somewhere we can vote, or a petition perhaps?
I've got a purple and yellow one. Just awaiting the test results.
Not sure a unitary council is the way forward sounds like lumping the same lot together - maybe towns and KCC without the District layer and staff reductions? What do 750 people do at TDC? And 15-40k at KCC?
I doubt most of The Duffers can hang onto the 2015 election. Changes are required and they're simply doing nothing now.
We need to ensure there's no payoffs of Macgonigal etc when they go and some sort of vote of no confidence.
The EA supposedly has statistics on Manston and Thor pollution and cleanup: howard.davidson@environment-agency.gov.uk
Email him - it's worse than you think...
7:53 a petition of no confidence in TDC and KCC could be put on the epetitions website (the councillors will refuse to hold one or the civil servants will hide it) and links put on the blogs.
The Duffers know they've failed anyway - maybe a council tax refund too for all the waste?
OK, let me know when you've created one & I'll then put my name to it!
Definitely 2:27! Don't hold your breath though! If only there were more people like you.
Anon 2:27 probbaly doens't even know his own name. the proverbial ball of fluff or TIB.
The Environment Agency contact is useful - who at TDC/councillors is dealing with Thor etc?
Peter seems to be taking over Holyer's role of crap jokes. Thor as in Mercury dear boy. Mercury as in the chemical not the Greek god of contamination, oh you know what I mean!
A naked cyclist into Thor would make a good guinea pig for contamination effects.
He wants to talk to Freddie Mercury now.
Peter may get a Thor bum! From his naked bicycling in Thor mercury.
Or if he crashed his bike and became tangled in the wreckage would he sing "I want to break free!"
Or get ill from mercury poisoning some years down the road and be a drain on the NHS as his health declines and his bike is sold off to pay for organ transplants.
He'd need to buy some pyjamas for the hospice. He can't be wandering naked around there showing his transplant scars.
Peter could "want to ride his bicycle, bicycle" around the cancer wards looking for "Fat bottomed girls" for his photoshoots!
ECR I hope you will give your old show bizz chums at Channel 4 a thread about the "Blackout" programme they have prepared for our interest.
I see the old Thor story is mentioned
Red Mercury, does it exist, Thor Chemicals
Thor Sales Director murdered and South Africa Police main suspect is Mossad
Health and Safety Executive take Thor to Court
Thor mercury contamination of aquifer and river systems Cato Ridge South Africa
Thor Fire 2007 Margate
Another fire but happens to be at the home of a contact at one time of Wouter Basson South Africa Nuclear Chemical Biological weapons programme who programme who traded with Thor Margate and their South Africa man Kidger (see above) Bassons Porton Down contact was Dr David Kelly
FOI by Rick revealed the previously secret remediation projects at Thor and at Sericol.
The Fire Brigade in putting out the fire washed a lot of gubbins into local drainage system presumably. But the point of a remediation project is to contain ground contamination to stop it entering the storm and foul water drainage systems.
Not the Fire Service fault who would have expected an explosion and inferno from a warehoues of "Fire retardant chemicals" ?
But instead of slagging people off, who try to get contamination problems recognised and addressed, put yourself in the mind of a potential inward investor. You wouldn't touch Thanet with a barge pole.
ECR, did you really set out to attract all the nutters in Thanet or was it an accident.
To write something on thread, maybe MOD should buy the old ferry, remove the upper structure, reinforce the deck and use it as a carrier until our new ones come into service in 2020 or thereabouts, give or take a decade or two.
So you cannot address facts then William ?
The FOI responses from Environment Agency re Thor and Sericol.
The links to reports about prosecutions and fires
Are you recovered now then William/Hammy man because I heard you were indisposed and not prepared to take a view on anything but Broadstairs Parish Council issues.
I think the water issues arose from Comment 2 introducing the idea of more pollution at Ramsgate Harbour.
That could be where the Cato Ridge sludge ends up coming in to be treated at parent company Thor of Margate.
Who is this Cllr Epps fool? Why hasn't he spoken up on Thor rather than making idiotic jokes?
There's still a car parked in the park - who are those idiots? And that P601 RYL van parked on the seafront at the weekend. It's like a road rather than a promenade and we wonder why there's so few tourists. I don't understand why there's so much parking at the marina/port when there's a multistorey car park next to it?
10:57 I doubt Cato Ridge is being returned to Margate (especially with the Port closed): usually the other way. But who knows what is going on at the Margate factory? How is the cleanup being done there? Who is the councilor for the nearby housing estate and hospital?
I don't think anyone knows what's happening at Thor - the Environment Agency confirmed the pollution had spread beyond the factory years ago.
Southern Water are hardly to be trusted and TDC are keeping quiet over the mess.
Not sure if the MOD Fire station is still doing training fires?
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