Many years ago when I lived north of Boston, I read that the Chinese thought Salem was a county, a prominent one, because so many vessels called in Qing dynasty ports.
Today one can’t not wonder what Majuro looks like,
given that so many vessels have that port inscribed on their stern. It’s the second (a move up from last year) largest registry, after Panama.
I’m told the correct pronunciation stresses the first syllable, i.e., MA ju ro, with ma pronounced as in matter.
I’m told that by someone who lived there the better part of a decade and helped write their constitution.
She also put me in contact with Karen Earnshaw, who lives in Majuro today and does the website from which I took these photos, with her permission.
So the next time you see a ship registered in Majuro, think of these photos.
I sent her my ship photos, and she put them on her site here.
Photos by Karen Earnshaw and Will Van Dorp.
To see other “port of ” tugster posts, click here.
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April 1, 2018 at 2:12 pm
George Schneider
I don’t know what Majuro is like now, but I know hardly any of the ships registered there can fit inside the “harbor,” a coral atoll. I was there in 1978 when the research ship GLOMAR CHALLENGER (not to be confused with the HUGHES GLOMAR EXPLORER) came in for a complete change of crew, 74 people in all. She was 400 ft long, 75 ft wide, and drew 20 ft, and she was probably the biggest thing that could fit through the reef and into the “Harbor.” Our crew came and went on a chartered 727, which could only land and take off during a particularly low tide, the only time enough length of land was available to land so huge and airplane.
The only drinking establishment was “The Yacht Club,” where we sat on logs on the beach and beer was served in cans out of a residential refrigerator. The refrigerator was treated to the only umbrella in the area. We also had to buy “Drinking Permits” for maybe 50 cents each to keep the local police in business.
April 2, 2018 at 1:50 pm
js
“The Yacht Club”….George,I see United has an afternoon trip out of Newark to San Francisco,Honolulu,Majuro for $1,291 USD.