Really Random Ships 1

Let’s try a variation:  I’ve random tugs and random ships, in which I’ve confined most pics to a single general location and a a single photographer . . . me.  “Really random tugs” combines locations, eras, and photographers.  So why not do the same with ships, although in this case I’ve taken almost all the photos but in a variety of locations and times.

But this first one launches the concept.  What can you surmise or identify about the photo below, not taken by me?  Answer at the end of this post.

Spring brings the Great Lakes back to life. Here is a March 11 AIS capture of traffic on the Lakes.  The “arrows” are US and Canadian CG doing ice ops.  The rivers system around Chicago has some traffic.

The NOAA satellite image below provides the explanation . . .  what looks ice covered IS.  With the Soo scheduled to open on Monday, March 25, icebreaking carries high priority.   Note Green Bay as well.

March 22 marked the opening of the Welland Canal.  The first upbound ship this year was Thunder Bay;  this photo I took in Quebec in October 2017.  The first down bounder through the Welland was Algoma Spirit, but I’ve never gotten a photo of her.

Kaye E. Barker was the first springtime vessel out of Duluth;  I took this photo in the last week of navigation before the Soo closed on January 15.  The Soo is scheduled to open on Monday, March 25.

The KVK is a busy place all year round, although it’s not uniformly busy.  On this day last month, Alpine Maya followed Port Richmond, which  followed Atlantic Sun.

Stolt Integrity here stemmed while waiting to replace the tanker in the distance to leave the berth.

Tankers come in a variety of sizes;  Selasse is a particular small one.

By now, have you figured out that first photo?  I’ll give you a clue:  vessel name is Nggapulu and as of last night she was in BauBau.

Traffic moves at all hours;  night photos turn out quite unsatisfying, but golden hour ones I enjoy.  Can you guess the hull color on this one?

Foreshortening belies the amount of distance actually between the stern of the Evergreen ship and Diane B/John Blanche.

The colorful Stena tankers, bears and all,  seem to appear mostly in winter.

So here you have the answer, sort of.  Indonesia, being a far-flung archipelago supports a ferry system called Pelni, an acronym.  As an example of distances here, find Jakarta lower left.  From there to Makassar roughly in the center is 1000 miles!  Pelni operates about two dozen ferries of various designs.  Ngga Pulu has classic lines and was launched in 2002.

Here’s an English language site about traveling the archipelago.   Restless?  Aye peri!

Many thanks to Hannah Miller for sharing the photo of Ngga Pulu.  I’m not sure how that’s pronounced, but it’s named for a mountain.  Learning about Pelni and seeing this map gives me a whole new appreciation of Dewaruci.

Random Ships 65

Beyond Capt. Brian . . .

Stena Penguin prepares to exit the KVK for the Upper Bay and up to the Saint Lawrence.

Anchored in the Upper Bay, it’s Stenaweco Elegance and

Venus R. now both away south . . ..

Eric McAllister here passes Harbour First, and later

escorts in RHL Agilitas.

Meanwhile crude oil tanker Alpine Confidence, somewhat down by the bow, turns in the tide just inside the Narrows.

All photos by Will Van Dorp, who always finds change in the sixth boro, whether it be every day or every decennial.

By the way, see Tugster Tower in the distance . . .  somewhere out there in the haze.

 

Dropped Balls and New Years Ships

January 1 glides in as some folks pay attention to dropped things like balls and quite unusual and unexpected other items.  In fact, in a few weeks media will be mentioning balls in bowls ad nauseum.

My surprise on my new year’s morning jaunt was that two tankers side by side sported baskets.  See it on Stolt Efficiency, painted on the homeport backstop.  Presumably, halftime would include drinks served on the picnic table.

 

The angle is not as favorable here, but Stena Penguin also had a basket through which balls might drop.

The back to back ships seemed to beg for crew to compete, but first they’d have to move the tankers stern to stern and each team post some of their crew on the other vessel’s deck.  I don’t think this will catch on.

Silver Philippa appeared to have no basket.

Nor did Arctic Flounder or

the revelatory vessel Single.

Single what?!

Overnight, though, a whole new set of ships arrived in the port, as some of these tankers departed, possibly to away games?

Photos and attempts at levity by Will Van Dorp.

 

Made in Croatia 2

I’ve seen another Penguin here already, but it was not part of this colorful fleet that I first traced to Croatia here . . . and grouped by their bear logo here.

No vessel–not even passenger carrier–is quite so distinctively colored.

Given their frequency here during winter, I think of the fleet (of which I’ve recorded more than half) as an uncommon seasonal indicator:  hungry bears coming to town . . . happens in the cold season. Name and placement on this vessel suggest the bear chases forever across all the seas–like Ahab–but never catches.

Assisting Penguin into port were Brendan Turecamo and

Margaret Moran.

Be on the lookout for more bear ships in the sixth boro.

All fotos by Will Van Dorp.