Sweet Commodities

Here was a precedent.

Sugar Express .  . . I’ve seen and posted about you before here, here, and in other places.

Arabian Sea–where’s Sea Robin, previously on this route?– stood by with the barge while

another–Jonathan–was offloaded over at the ASR Group facility in Yonkers.  ASR Group is the contemporary name for a series of companies and mergers going back to the 18th century.

As crew on the barge watch, clamshells of sugar  lift from the hold.  See the crane operator in the blue t-shirt?

My guess . . .  10 tons per scoop?

Click here for more info on dry barge barge Jonathan, identical dimensions to Sugar Express.

All photos by Will Van Dorp.

My conjecture is that some of this sugar comes from operations owned by the Fanjul family.  

 

First Hours 2016 a

Technically the first vessel I saw–before dawn– in 2016 was Hudson River-built Jean Turecamo and then Surrie Moran, as they headed south to assist this outbound tanker, Kingcraft, which seems to be barely off the ways.

And once I spotted such a bright clean LNG vessel headed my way, my noirish self dissipates;  call me Marinus de Blauw.     Tugboat Jean Turecamo is off the starboard bow, whereas Surrie is invisible at the stern.   Parading behind are USCGC WPB 87361 Sea Horse and Vane’s Chatham.

 

 

As it turned out, Kingcraft still had its USCG escort as it continued out the Thimble Shoals Channel of the CBBT, Morocco bound.

From Island 1, to the north I could see a tug and barge headed southbound through the Chesapeake Channel between Island 3 and 4.

It turned out to be Sea Robin towing  . . .

Sugar Express . . . Florida bound, I presume.   Here’s more info on Sea Robin.

And I include this next set as a jog-memory for myself:  at the Route 13 scenic area pull-off  in southern Kiptopeke, a look past the weirs I got a glimpse of a future destination . . .

the concrete ships of the breakwater.

I have to allow enough time to see them closer next time.

More on the first twelve hours of 2016 tomorrow.

All photos by Will Van Dorp.

Marginally related . . . concrete barges also languish on the Erie Canal.

Directly related . . . some previous posts featuring the Hampton Roads area are here, here, here, and here.

Differently marginally related:  Kingcraft–whatta name!!–is a new vessel;  Horizon Trader, seen in this sixth boro post from less than two years ago, is about to beach for the scrappers in India.

Thanks to Paul Strubeck

I’m not going to count, but there must be dozens of posts here with photos from or some mention of Paul Strubeck.  Here I’m pleased to dedicate a whole post to him in part because these photos make me see the sixth boro with new eyes.  Enjoy.  Cornell . . . by foggy night and compare to my photo from about the same day but at dawn here and scroll to the third photo.  The location is the soon-to-open Brooklyn Barge Bar, where I’m eager to imbibe a sunset beer. Also in Paul’s “roll” of film are

Pinuccia and Specialist mostly obscured,

Captain D ,

Nanticoke passing the East River Seaplane base,

an unobscured photo of Specialist,

Sea Robin secured to Sugar Express at the sugar plant in Yonkers,

James William,

and Foxy 3 pushing a Thornton barge, which

brings us back to a great photo of Cornell, which Paul used his special lens for.

All photos here are used with permission from Paul Strubeck.  Thanks much, Paul.

Unrelated:  Here’s an East River seaplane photo I posted here many years ago. And a photo of Sugar Express towed south by a former fleet mate of Sea Robin.