Shipping Lines - More of Europe's scenic rivers

This has ranged from immediate postwar conversions to the present day low air draft (LAD), “bridge dodgers” capable of reaching well into the heartland of the European continent.

Evolving ship design and construction has perfected the shallow draft vessel capable of participation in inter-continental trade as well as reaching inland ports far from the coasts of the North, Baltic and Mediterranean Seas.

The concept of the river/sea ship is not new but has been developed progressively since the late 1960s and early 70s. However back to the Rhone, an important river highway since the days of the Roman Empire connecting the cities of Arles, Avignon, Valence, Vienne and Lyon with the Mediterranean ports of Marseilles, Fos sur Mer and Sete. Its early drawback was the strong current, especially during the first part of the year, which made it difficult for primitive early trading by ship.

Eventually, steam paddlers came on the scene from the 1830s.

Vessels trading to and from the navigable stretches of the Rhone and Saone and the Mediterranean have to pass along the Port Saint-Louis du Rhone Canal as the direct route of the outflow of the Rhone is not possible for ships due to large sedimentary deposits most of which make up the wetlands of the Camargue.

One of the few UK shipping companies which did get involved coming up the Rhone as far as Lyon was the London & Rochester Trading Co. Ltd. whose Vibrence made it on at least one occasion in the 1980s. That company’s red-hulled coaster fleet were regularly seen at Montrose, both in the former Wet Dock until mid-1981 and also at the riverside quays. The Vibrence was one of a quartet of similar ships built by Cochrane Shipbuilders Ltd. at Selby, Yorkshire where they were launched sideways into the River Ouse, the others being Stridence, Turbulence and Urgence.

For several reasons small British shipyards withdrew from the coaster and short sea trader newbuild market around the turn of the Millenium.

Therefore, it was no surprise to find combined tours by coach and river cruise vessel across European waterways an ideal way to see such shipping along the mighty Rhine, the Danube and the Elbe with numerous shipyards located in central Europe, and so by 2018 the Rhone remained to be explored.

Having sailed along the above rivers plus the Albert and Rhine-Main-Danube Canals, it was interesting to reach unexplored territory to observe commercial freight traffic working to and from central France nearly to the Mediterranean. For some reason I have been remiss in not relating this 2018 “voyage” from Lyon southwards to Arles/Avignon on board the Viking Cruises “longship” Viking Delling, but fortunately relevant additional information has kept cropping up. To be concluded.