Here are the birds. Now what’s the rest of the story?
Part of the story is told by these flags, US courtesy, German registry, and is that a pilot flag?
She was large for a 2008 container ship: 1098′ x 140′ with a capacity of 8606 teu.
I’d love to know more about accessing that lifeboat, given the cargo configuration.
And where are the birds?
Doubleclick on that last photo to see the closeup . . . you can almost hear the excitement!
All photos, WVD.
tugster: a waterblog 
4 comments
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February 27, 2021 at 12:37 pm
mageb
Dinner, dinner, lunch, breakfast….LOL
February 27, 2021 at 12:59 pm
tony a
bravo flag B Bravo “I am taking in or discharging or carrying dangerous goods.”
February 27, 2021 at 7:57 pm
tugster
Thx, tony.
February 28, 2021 at 4:30 pm
George Schneider
The bravo flag is rarely used for just the transport of dangerous goods, but she’s underway, so not likely refueling.
The gravity lifeboats are boarded from the stern, It’s slightly steeper than a theater aisle, and since the seats face towards the boat’s stern, you just plunk into one and strap yourself in. From there it’s a free ride, with your heart in your mouth. Or maybe your stomach.
Launching is easy. Recovery is not, so they aren’t required to be launched as often as davit-carried lifeboats. The ones I’ve seen on rigs have a fixed gantry over the launch area for recovery. I’m guessing the red/orange arch over the boat folds out to assist with recovery. On the original units, many vessels required a floating crane to reposition the boat, but I’m sure they’ve gotten past that. Even so, getting the geometry from horizontal, in the water, to inclined, on the skids isn’t easy. And positioning the boat under the falls, without a sea painter and ship’s side to control the boat, is a bear.