Shipping News, No. 5

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Shipping News, No. 5
New York Harbor Region
Monday, January 10, 2000

See also: Shipping News; Shipping News: Update; Shipping News, No. 2; Shipping News, No. 2: Update; Shipping News, No. 3; Shipping News, No. 3: Update; Shipping News, No. 4; Shipping News, No. 4: Update.

A traffic-control radar outage for a limited surface area, covering one inland anchorage and its associated channels, was made slightly more difficult to tactically manage by the presence of an early morning fog hanging over the region's coasts and channels. Small vessels were logged upon entry to, then exit from, the darkened space, and captains were advised to "keep a sharp lookout" while transiting the invisible waters.

The fog was largely dispersed by noon-time rains and growing winds -- portents of the gale predicted beyond the horizon. Tugboat captains were requested to return and tie-up to their barges that had been moored in delay along the inland anchorages, and ship captains were requested to bring their engines to standby. "Four hooks in the water."

Except for one small commercial vessel outbound from the piers of the old Brooklyn Navy Yard, and two small commercial vessels inbound to the ports of Newark Bay, no large container ships were noted inbound to nor outbound from the region -- almost as if a net had been cast over the Harbor, which net permitted small vessels and barges to pass through its folds, while capturing and holding fast the leviathans of maritime commerce.

A "security zone" exists at the head of the major Harbor channel leading to the ports of Newark Bay, with the purpose of this zone currently unknown. One vessel in the greater region was observed preparing for inspection by the U.S. Coast Guard. Also, USCG has preannounced a temporary disruption to maritime GPS services for short, scheduled periods of time on January 11 and January 12.

The rail bridge spanning the waters of Spuyten Duyvil (Hell's Gate) will be intermittently operative during the next few days, due to unspecified mechanical repairs. Also, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has declared Cape Cod Bay to be a critical habitat for the right whale.

". . . oil to illuminate a lamp, or to anoint a king."

'Tis advertised in Bostontown,
New York and Buffalo
Five hundred brave Americans,
a'whaling for to go, singing

[Refrain] Blow ye winds of morning,
blow ye winds, heigh-hoooooo
Haul away your running gear,
and blow ye winds, heigh-hoooooo

They take you to New Bedfordfaire,
that famous whaling port
And give you to some strangers there,
who board and fit you out, singing

[Refrain]

They tell you of the clipper ships,
a'running in and out
And say you'll take five hundred whale,
before you're six months out, singing

[Refrain]

And now we're out to sea, my boys,
the wind begins to blow
One-half the watch is sick on deck,
the other half below, singing

[Refrain]

Blow ye winds heigh-hooooooooooo.

--an olde ditty

Today's Quote from The Harbor:

"Until we get the generator goin', we can't get nothin' loaded on the barge."

"Is that barge automated like the Iroquois?"

"No."



-- Harbor Guy (HarborGuy@OnThe.Waterfront), January 10, 2000

Answers

harbour Guy,Do you think the ships from S.Juan to Elizabeth are sailing from S.Juan? You said that you have seen little containers ships movement. Is this regular for a Monday/

Very Good Reports,I always read them

-- Alex The Italian (alexcapr@yours.com), January 10, 2000.


Harbour Guy, Your updates are always worth the read. I'm with Alec the Italian - they would have more meaning to us lay folk if you compared the traffic/trends you are seeing versus normal traffic/trends (i.e. Jan. 1999). Keep up the great reporting! Thanks.

-- Think It (Through@Pollies.Duh), January 10, 2000.

Once again, succint and to the point. I can see the harbor in my mind evertime you report Harbor Guy. Keep up the fantastic work.

-- Witch Doctor (bobmarley@hotmail.com), January 10, 2000.

Harbor Guy,

Let me presume to add thanks to the nth on behalf of the lurkers. :-)

Jerry

-- Jerry B (skeptic76@erols.com), January 10, 2000.


Alex and Think: I can't tell you with certainty if Mondays are normally a day for only smaller ships; but I seriously doubt it, having never noticed such before.

W.D. and Jerry: Thanks, glad the observations are of interest. While (and when) things appear noteworthy in relation to this post- rollover period, I will post.



-- Harbor Guy (HarborGuy@OnThe.Waterfront), January 10, 2000.


Harbor Guy,

My favorite is the quote of the day. I am starting to scroll down to read those first! Like sneeking a peek at the last page of a novel.

-- Hokie (Hokie_@hotmail.com), January 10, 2000.


Harbor Guy,

You are the Ernest Hemingway of Y2K. You bring some class to the issue.

-- J Wheel (motherof5@wellprepared.noregrets), January 10, 2000.


Harbor Guy- As always, great report and I loved the song! Before, we had the "vessel exclusion zone" 50 miles S of Nantucket, now we have a "security zone" ahead of a major harbor channel, and still no or few (?) large container ships coming through? I am starting to wonder if the "spotty" shortages in goods as reported today in the "bug watch" section on Hyatt's forum might in anyway be connected to such seemingly sparse traffic? Anyway,thank you for all your efforts- I continue to look out for your reports.

-- swissrose (cellier@azstarnet.com), January 10, 2000.

Hokie: Salt from the sea :-)

J: Thank you again, and for the inside view of that billing snafu.

Swissrose: As I had posted, there was increased (though spasmodic) movement of inbound and outbound shipping yesterday; but then a noted change today. As far as any possible, sporadic shortages, I would think, if so, that it is more likely due at this time to hold- ups at distribution centers. I think any effects due to shipping- sector troubles would take a little while longer to percolate through to the surface.



-- Harbor Guy (HarborGuy@OnThe.Waterfront), January 10, 2000.

If it's container carriers that are being held up at a checkpoint, this could be related to inter-modal containers carrying illegal immigrants that have been found at west coast ports (Seattle is the latest I've read about.) I would imagine INS prefers to find the illegals before the ship arrives in port. Checking every container would be a time-consuming chore.

-- Tom Carey (tomcarey@mindspring.com), January 11, 2000.


Since there's no time stamp on our messages here, I don't know how long ago you passed this way, or if you will see this post. You are obviously a keen waterfront observer...has this been so for some span of time? If this is a long-term passion of yours (and given your lyrical descriptions, it does sound like a passion), do you see these snapshots you offer as unusual? Whether they are any indication of shipping-sector troubles or not, they are a most enjoyable read. I thank you for the time and care with which you craft them.

-- (RUOK@yesiam.com), January 11, 2000.

Thank you Harbor Guy, for your "no salt on the rim" perspective.

;-D

Diane

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), January 11, 2000.


Tom: I don't believe we have that particular problem here (also, to check each container at the "container port capital of the world" would be extremely time-consuming, as well as necessitating the breaking of container seals); rather, we get the occasional creative visitors from other nations who, wearing wetsuits, ride up inside the rudder compartments of ships, next to the plastic-wrapped kilos of cocaine. I don't yet know the purpose of the security zone -- it may be Y2K-related, it may be related to ongoing local channel dredging, we'll see.

RUOK: From what I can see thus far, based on a few years of casual observation, a post-rollover hiccup has occurred in the transoceanic and local maritime sectors, potentially from innocuous causes, potentially from various adverse inputs to the system. Whether this exacerbates or ameliorates is a question of time.

Diane: He he he.



-- Harbor Guy (HarborGuy@OnThe.Waterfront), January 11, 2000.

I'm not real sure where I'll find it - nor exactly when I'll find it - but this is a curious reduction in containter traffic (implying other large carrier reedcutions as well: coal, grain, iron ore, metals, oil, etc.)

The shipping industry is 95% domintaed by overseas-registered ships - Liberia, Greece, Panama, Yugoslavia, Moravia, etc whose registry exists to let foreign owners get by under lax laws, poor inspections, and reduced fees. All conducive to poor compliance.

The enginerooms (and control centers of these are almost entirely automated - most enginerooms now days are unmanned, and the whole ship has too few crews (12-15. Including the cook!) to actually runthings without the instruments and remote devices/controllers.

Few other process control problems have been publically reported nationally - but I don't know the actual results.

Don't think it is Coast Guard empoundment of ships - else you'd hear loud protests quickly.

-- Robert A Cook, PE (Marietta, GA) (cook.r@csaatl.com), January 11, 2000.


Harbor Guy,

Ohmygawsh!!!! I remember that song!!!!! And since I teach music in public school, we're going to sing it in some elementary classes. A little history lesson through music never hurts. Thanks, I always read your posts---such eloquence.....

Ohiomom

-- Ohiomom (Ohiomom@stillprepped.com), January 11, 2000.



Your reports are very interesting and I would request you put me on an email list (if possible) so I do not miss any future updates.

-- Jim G (JGren13@aol.com), January 11, 2000.

HG, your reports are just one of many reasons I'm glad the grid stayed up!

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Thanks for the song, too. My Dad used to sing that one, plus the one about what to do with a drunken sailor... nice memories!

-- Arewyn (artemis31@email.msn.com), January 12, 2000.


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