ULCVs 13

Technological marvel and global supply chains spawned by the deindustrialization of this country go hand in hand with these huge vessels.  CMA CGM J. Adams comes in with +14,000 teu, a peak capacity reached in August 2017 when her sister vessel T. Roosevelt arrived first. 

That’s 1202′ x 166′ and running deep. 

Tokyo Triumph comes in slightly smaller, 13,870 teu and 1197′ x 168′.

CMA CGM Argentina brings in +15,000 teu on her 1200′ x 167′.

Monaco Bridge carries in 13900 teu on a 1197′ x 168′.

Wanna guess for OOCL Chongqing?

Her 1202′ x 158′ dimensions transport 13,208 teus.

CMA CGM Alexander von Humboldt comes in at the top, +16,000 teu on dimensions of 1299′ x 177′.

That puts her in the class with CMA CGM’s Marco Polo and Jules Verne as the largest trio to call in the sixth boro so far.  She’s been here before, I believe, but this is my first time to see her.  

These ULVCs are sometimes referred to as CMA CGM’s Explorer class box boats.  If you’re unfamiliar with the the name, Von Humboldt surely deserves to be grouped with Polo and Verne.  See his bio here.

USACE Dobrin followed the ULCV around Bergen Point.

And then, there’s the case of Ever Forward, shown here in a photo shared by Captain Nemo. Ever Forward is the newest of the ULCVs in this post, carrying 11,850 teus on dimensions of 1096′ x 157′.  Ever Frustrated is likely how her owners, crew, and recipients of cargo must now feel.   Ever Forward would have called in NYC this past week, as have her sisters of the Ever F class. 

All photos except Ever Forward, WVD, who is responsible for any errors of fact. 

Spring Morning Hour 3

Following from yesterday, which covered 0900 to 0930, today we pick up from the mystery vessel and do 0930 to 1000.  Identify this blue ship?

Here’s a clue and a hint that traffic is busy, as another vessel comes around Bergen Point.

 

As MSC Bilbao clears the bridge, you get a sense of all the boats over on the NW side of Staten Island.  Anyone know the passenger vessel at the shipyard to the left?  I don’t.

As MSC Bilbao approaches from the west and Adams heads out to sea, a RORO arrives.

The random curves of waves and reflections seem just perfect as a vessel named Bilbao passes by.

 

x

Kimberly has released the line to Bilbao and is about to rotate to starboard and head back west.

All photos, WVD.

 

Flags of Convenience 6

aka “that you can choose your registry is something I’ve never fully understood.”  I suppose some folks prefer the term “open registry.”  Check all these different registries, FoCs, all taken in the past 30 days!  Here are previous installments.

Let’s start with Maersk, the largest overseas cargo transport company in the world, based in Copenhagen, although with many overseas subsidiaries.    Hvide Sande is a fishing, shipbuilding, windfarm supply port and tourist destination in the dunes of western Denmark.

Ringkøbing is a Danish town near Hvide Sande with history back to the 13th century.

Skovshoved is a fishing town just north of Copenhagen.

Kalundsborg is a Danish town with a natural harbor, also on the western coast.

Kleven is a port in southern Norway, southwest of Oslo.   Monrovia is the 1822-settled capital of Liberia, about 5000 miles southwest of Copenhagen.  A drive there would be quite the odyssey through a dozen or so countries.  Of course, it’s also the name attached to a US-operated vessel registry established in 1948.  It’s the world’s second largest registry, after Panama.

Singapore ranks 5th.

And then there’s the US-flagged Maersk vessels.   For its first five years, this 2008-built vessel was called Safmarine Kariba.

For a lengthy but clear discussion on FoCs, including how the choice of flag relates to “end of [ship’s] life” issues, click here, but only if you’ve a half hour or so to devote.

Of course, Maersk is not the only company that flags foreign.  In fact, most do.  Here’s a CMA CGM ULCV named for a US president and flagged in Malta.

Another US president, and another port of registry.  T. Roosevelt is also a London-registered CMA CGM ULCV.

Marseille is what you’d expect, since they are headquartered there.  The US headquarters are in the great port of  . . . Atlanta.  I’d love to see CMA CGM ships on the Chattahoochee.

Madeira is a tiny archipelago where this ship will never call.

Jeju sounds like a lovely island, although this RORO will never be seen there.

Oleander is THE supply vessel for Bermuda.  It surprises me greatly that this vessel would be named for a Pacific atoll.

I’m wondering if the Hong Kong registry will be shedding vessels, given the changes in the special administrative region of the larger country.

A Turkish ship with a Turkish registry . . . now that I’d expect.

All photos, comments, and misunderstanding . . . all credited and/or blamed on WVD.

Speaking of ships, do you recognize the name Rhosus, a 1986 Moldova-flagged general cargo ship?  You should . . . you’ve certainly heard what happened to its cargo this past week . . . .  Moldova-flagged . . .  I’ll bet that falls under the category of grey flags or worse.

 

 

Megalopolis

Growing up in a beautiful rural place, I never imagined some day living in the largest megalopolis on the US.  But here we are; I live in a concentration with over 50 million others.  That many people and consumers together has implications.  Click on the map to see source.

Here’s how a plethora of goods comes in . . . .

Ten years ago, single vessels this large never transited the sixth boro…

Just yesterday, no fewer than three of these ULCS found themselves in port, and they’ll soon push today’s limits.

So I have my own word for them:  megaboxforus.  Megaboxforuses . . . could be the plural.

 

 

 

And they change hands . . . Edison not long ago was Maersk Edison.  Maersk possibly traded in a 1200′ for a 1300′.

See the paint outs?

 

This morning Cosco Shipping Peony–the first of its class–arrived just before adequate light for photos.  I hope some one gets photos during its first sixth boro stay.

And once the boxes leave the ULCS, they go into the hinterland on steel rails or–less efficiently–on a single chassis pulled by a tractor.

These statistics are quickly becoming obsolete.

All photos and sentiments by Will Van Dorp.

 

 

CMA CGM 14,414s

A different post was scheduled for today, but when good fortune smiles, I smile.  Behold  J. Adams bound for sea, as she could not have a year ago . . . in fact, she may very well not even have been completely fitted out a year ago. As of this writing, I believe that J. Adams and T. Roosevelt are the only two of CMA CGM’s 14,414-teu vessels calling in the sixth boro. CMA CGM has just launched a 20,600 teu vessel, not scheduled to call here.

I’ll smile even more once the walkway on the bridge opens, allowing photos from a different perspective.  Such a change in capacity from the vessel carrying the first containers outbound from the sixth boro back on April 26, 1956!  This tech spec sheet starts out with an interesting graph of vessel capacity since 1980, and much more.

Kirby Moran (6000 hp) looks small here, and notice the two bow thrust symbols on the bow, which–if I interpret this info correctly–operate with 5000 hp.

Captain D and her trash barge provide some sense of scale here.

 

 

 

For cleaner port air, she’s equipped with an HVSC by Wärtsilä , which also provides the propulsion power.

 

Kirby Moran–work on this vessel complete– heads back to sail the next ship out of port.

Following are James D and JRT.

I don’t know the calling ports for the other two 14,414 teu vessels:   A. Lincoln and  T. Jefferson.

All photos by Will Van Dorp.