Here’s 3.
Cape Washington left today, following in the wake of Lia. Zim Beijing came in; I’m guessing “my” Bebedouro will leave soon, and the pace of ins-outs is such that I have to content myself seeing in on AIS.
Although I’m intrigued with names and itineraries like OOCL Oakland and
Zim Qingdao back here yesterday,
traffic longterm runs together and
goes out of focus and even
blurs.
For a moment, that is. HS Livingstone entered the harbor Saturday morning, and by midmorning Sunday, it’s off Atlantic City making for Baltimore.
In
in
inbound, then outbound . . .
I wonder about the blur for the mariner of these global box vessels. Here’s a question I have insufficient info to answer: Pick a year like 1940, and the number of dockworkers that year per ton of cargo transferred between ship and shore. Now compare the tonnage of freight handled on the docks of NYC in 1940 and 2012 and thereby calculate how many dockworkers would be needed in 2012 using the 1940 dockworker/ton rate. And why? Check out this article in today’s NYTimes called “…Rise of the Machines.”
All fotos by Will Van Dorp.
tugster: a waterblog 
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October 1, 2012 at 12:29 pm
Chris Williams
I found the linked article from the Times on the Longshoremen fascinating. I had studied the “yard and stay” method of working break bulk cargo into or out of a hold, and had seen it done, but the containers have revolutionized the job. Isn’t it similar, though, on the tugs? Gene Moran’s “Tugboat,” (1956) lists a normal harbor tug crew size of 9, and an ocean tug crew size of 14 to 20. Most of what I see in “Professional Mariner” lists crew sizes of around 4 to 6 or so, even in bluewater operations. The advent of true pilot house controls for capstans and winches as well as engine room automation have contributed to reduced labor requirements to be sure, but I have the subjective impression that the crews are standing longer watches and more frequently now, e.g. 6 on and 6 off, much like the old canal tugs. Can anyone elaborate, and are the similarities I think I see real?