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It is a structural support for the luffing cylinder (hydraulic cylinder for the boom). Without this support, the cylinder would be fixed only to the top of the bridge, which is not designed for the static and dynamic forces exerted when the boom is hoisted. Other ships have the luffing cylinder fixe...

Ships built with heavier scantlings equal higher lightship weight, which correlates to less cargo capacity. This is the reason ships are now built very different than 100 years past. A ship is built to haul cargo. Heavier construction works against this, therefore efficiency from a freight lifted vi...

Some very good points. I have never sailed but doesn't a ship that is being well kept up also improve the crew's overall morale? It depends. Generally, I have seen this, but for many they are only working a job. If a ship has a good crew which cares about the appearance, they will take pride in the...

Absolutely, a ship holding good appearence is something which can set the tone for a surveyor or inspector. Indications of poor maintenance (mechanical or cosmetic) undoubetly will lead to more thorough investigations by the attending authority, something which always makes for long days of ship's c...

I read this article with interest and the photo of the fourth engineer in the engine room. I enlarged it and had a good look at this area where she was working. I know a few of the chief engineers that I sailed with would view this with horror as even I can see it's a mess. I suppose with such a re...

Registration and identification is based on the powered portion of the ship, or the engine room/stern section. So, when the CSL Niagara and others were rebuilt in the early 2000's, they remained registered under the original stern and thus would have an original construction year of when the origin...

The first mid-body module for the Stewart J. Cort was completed in June 1969, with the stern-bow section, "Hull 1173" arriving at Erie in June 1970 and float-off of the attached bow and stern sections to the mid-body occurring in January 1971. Sea trials commenced in the Summer of 1971, b...

I wasn't around to witness the large number of US ships built between the early 1970s and early 1980s so I don't know how long it took to construct those ships but it seems like this new vessel is going take around 2 years to complete. Is that about how long it took back in the 1970s? If not, is it...

Canadian shipowners, like many other worldwide shipowners, sell the ship to an intermediary company who then arranges for the tow overseas to the recycling yard. Ships are not often sold directly from a shipowner to a recycling facility. This intermediary company arranges the financial transactions ...

The John J. Boland, H. Lee White, Joseph L. Block and St. Clair use incline belts and not a loop-belt system like the BayShip thousand-footers or the Sam Laud, Algoma Buffalo or Great Republic. The first ship on the lakes to have a loop-belt elevator is the CSL Niagara (formerly J. W. McGiffin) and...

Most US flag ships built at Bay Shipbuilding use one single tunnel belt. This belt also continues up through the loop to the hopper which drops cargo onto the boom belt. In this case, there are only three belts: tunnel/outer loop belt, inner loop belt, boom belt. The American Shipbuilding 1000' ship...

Thr mamimum sized self-unloader vessel is Panamax and are usually employed in short-haul trades. For a longer voyage, say from Brazil to Europe or China the freight rates favour larger vessels than Panamax. Most terminals that unload Capesize or larger bulk carriers are able to match or exceed disc...

Convent is north of New Orleans, about 18 hours up the river from Southwest Pass. Convent Marine Terminal is a bulk loading and unloading dock that loads primarily coke. They also accept self-unloading ships. CSL, Algoma, and Vulica ships unload stone cargo at this terminal on occassion. Roughly 3-4...

Just read on a railroad board that CN is currently sending six trains of ore from Minnesota to a bulk terminal on the Mississippi River in Louisiana. It's a test shipment to see if they can compete on price exporting through the Gulf of Mexico vs the St. Lawrence to Europe. The controlling depth in...

This vessel is operated by Sealift Inc. (USA). It is civilian crewed with Americans, flagged USA, most likely working on government or military charter in the Maritime Security Program. Unknown what cargo is carried, however.

Thanks. We will fix for 2021. You can note the engine as MaK 6M32C. Same engine manufacturer as other vessels with MaK engines (John G. Munson, Saginaw, et al). MaK is now wholly owned by Caterpillar, but the MaK name is used for engine designs originating from MaK. Only mention this to you, Roger,...

Salt is a cargo, like any other commodity. What earns money for shipowners? Moving cargo. Salt is corrosive, but there are many new ships trading globally which transport salt. Damage to unloading machinery and the tunnel in self-discharging ships can be mitigated by using proper coatings to protect...

The molten sulphur barge Bahia de Tampa has been tied up in Port Redwing, Florida (near Tampa) for some time now.

The posts on welding steel hull plates are very informative. Thank you. Roughly, how thick are hull plates? 1/4-inch? 1/2-inch? 3/4-inch? Are hull plates below the waterline thicker than plates up near the spar deck?? How thick are plates in the cargo hold? I would assume steel at the bottom of the...

Do they weld them together with a MIG welder or with a stick welder? Or perhaps some sort of robot/automatic welding machine? It depends on the stage of assembly process. Robotics are frequently used for welding frames together and to shell plates during initial construction. Submerged Arc Welding ...