Random Ships 87

The Kill Van Kull is a relatively narrow strait, but skill and experience allows passing like this to occur routinely.   Zim Tarragona (856′ x 106′) and CMA CGM Tosca (1096′ x 140′) need to mind the physics in this passage.

MSC Toronto (1065′ x 140′) heads into Port Elizabeth with another container ship not far behind.

MOL Courage (1036′ x 150′) heads for sea.  She seems to have shed the false AIS signal that accompanied her last trip.

Chacabuco (905′ x 31′)  heads toward the container port.  Years ago, I met this vessel in Brazil.  The name comes from a region in Argentina.

 

Ever Lasting (1098′ x 160′)  heads for the next port.

YM Evolution (849′ x 122′) comes in.

The past few years, she’s been a regular here.

Ever Front, (1095′ x 157′) and the newest vessel in this post, heads for the next port.

 

Taipei Trader (485′ x 76′) does a regular shuttle run.

All photos by Will Van Dorp.

No. 11 Asomaru Mystery

I’d been watching No.11Asomaru for a few days, wondering what the story was.  It appeared to coexist with containership MOL Courage, the green symbol surrounding the smaller gray one.  It did this screen grab Friday morning . . . yesterday.  When I saw there was a Asomaru No.8  and it was a tugboat, I thought possibly there’d be a tugboat riding on the containers, and I made excuses to avoid work and zoomed out to the Narrows.

There I saw MOL Courage anchored, an unusual spot for a container ship.

Several Moran tugs were standing by with it.

When the MOL vessel headed in, I leaped into motion and followed it, hoping to catch a glance of the Japanese tug.

 

But I saw nothing, except containers.

Later in the day, I checked on MOL Courage in Port Elizabeth, and sure enough, the

gray icon for No.11Asomaru is still there.

Can anyone explain this signal?  I saw a similar signal once before last fall . . . supposedly an unspecified vessel on a container ship, also in Port Elizabeth.

I’m puzzled.

Dd you catch my reference to leaping into motion . . .   Sorry . . . I couldn’t pass up that opportunity, given today’s date.  Previous leap days’ posts are here and here and here.

All photos, captures, leaping imagination here, WVD.