Sixth Boro Augury

aka . . .  where we heading?

Down on the Jersey Shore some puzzling instruments float or drift or play … or whatever verb an instrument does.  The fact that said instruments are GB-registered (I thought it was the UK?) leads me to suspect this associated with that Ford etc. Unfortunately I was not there, so the only image I have are these from my phone/AIS app.   Some blogs readers have reported seeing unusual aircraft in that area as well, which might monitor UAVs like these or USVs like these.  Then there are UUVs . . . NOMARS  . . .  or all these . . .   it just goes on to a future unknown.

 Here is a CRS report on “plans” released last week.  Here is a summer 2019 tugster post on USVs.  And from earlier this year, it’s unmanned Sea Hawk.

Another indicator of incoming change is here, a tanker bearing sizeable external tanks.  When it was farther out, I didn’t take photos because I couldn’t imagine what I was seeing, very white shapes, I first thought, diffuse floodlights.

But at this, I knew:  it must be a dual-fuel vessel, at least the current iteration of it.  Back in August I saw a methanol-powered tanker, or so marked. LNG bunkering in the US is very limited at the moment.  Here’s what seems to be available in Asia and Europe.

Combusting different fuels must require additional “exhaust” configuration.

Proteus Jessica is a crude oil tanker and brand-new, launched in 2022;  she may be the latest  newest hull in the boro.

And then there’s this! Apollonia the merchant schooner has been around for a few years, but this was my first time to see her.  I’ll do another post on the schooner, but consider this photo for now:  new fuel and old fuel. Does anyone have Apollonia upriver photos under sail to share?  I’ve not seen any.

All photos, any errors, WVD, who wonders what sixth boro October 2032 will look like.