Lashing and More

The ONE Apus “dump” must have some folks wondering how containers are secured.  The answer is lashing, and it is not new, but it has changed over centuries.  Today’s lashing rods are an outgrowth of containerization, attempts to prevent what happened with ONE Apus and many other vessels.  See the turnbuckles on the lower ends of the lashing rods, to tighten not too much but just right.

See more turnbuckles  here, with the top ends connecting near the corner twist locks.

Here you see lashing rods between each of the stacks. Lashing rods bolster the twist lock connections, lower and upper corners, between containers on a stack. 

Here closer up you can see the rods and the twist locks.  Lashing requirements can be learned here. The gray structure below is a lashing bridge, which serves both as a platform for crew who attach the lashings and an anchor for the lashing rods.  On corners of containers are interlocking cones.  A short video on the hazards can be seen here.

Lashing bridges throughout the vessels can be seen clearly when a vessel carries no containers above the deck.

ACL prides itself on never having lost a container overboard because of these substantial structures between rows of containers.

Looking elsewhere around some ships, you may see a panel marked AMP.  No, it’s not an amplifier for the crew rock band.  AMP, alternate marine power, allows a vessel to plug into “shore power,” thereby reducing emissions in port.  You may have heard of “cold ironing,” which this equipment facilitates;  anyone downwind benefits from the improved air quality.

Follow the blue stack downward to see the location of this AMP panel.

Another vessel, another configuration.

A few years ago, I saw one here on Cosco Prince Rupert

port stern quarter, and also on

MOL Gratitude.  I saw the first of these back in 2014 here.

And while we’re looking at details in the stern quarters, . . . check out the basket.  It’s certainly not the first hoop I’ve seen on a ship.  While we’re looking at this photo, check out the two roller fairleads, through which dock line is led to mitigate harmful line chafing.

All photos, WVD, who wishes you “happy looking.”

Random Ships 60

Cosco Prince Rupert came into town recently 27 days out of Pusan, Korea.

She was launched in South Korea in 2011, has dimensions of 1095′ x 141′, and has container capacity of 8208.  By current standards, she’s upper medium-sized calling in the sixth boro of NYC.

Prince Rupert’s namesake?  He was the first governor of the Hudson’s Bay Company.

JPO Capricornus, 2005, 865′ x 106,’ teu capacity of 4132 . . .  makes her a smaller size calling these days.  She was a week out of Cartagena upon her arrival in NYC.  She was built in South Korea.

 

Atlantic Sky, a CONRO vessel with capacity of 3800 tea and 1300 vehicles, was launched in 2017 in China.  The tape has her at 970′ x 121′.

 

 

 

Ever Leading launched in 2012 in South Korea.  She has 8452-teu capacity and has dimensions of 1099′ x 151′.

 

Zim Ukrayina  was launched in 2009 in the Philippines.  Her dimensions are 849′ x 105′ and her teu capacity is 4360.

She made the voyage from just north of  Hong Kong (Da Chang Bay) to NYC in 40 days.

All photos by Will Van Dorp.