FleetMon Maritime Gallery October 2021

in Community by

Welcome to the fifth edition of the FleetMon Maritime Gallery. Each month, you’ll find a special section on our blog featuring the Best Maritime Photos in a certain category. You’ll not only get to view the most popular photos being voted by our community for “Photo of the Week” and “Photo of the Month”. We also present special shots which are less noted but in the same way extraordinary.

To finish off October, we want to showcase popular shots of one of the most important vessel types in terms of carrying heavy loadings. We’re proud to have a collection of around 2,570 heavy lift cargo vessel photos on FleetMon.com. Let’s take a closer look at selected photographs and tell their story.

To all our ship spotters out there: We truly appreciate your work. Keep it up, guys!

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LA Port Congestion and Pollution

in Decarbonization, Updates, Trends by

Los Angeles and Long Beach ports have long been the primary source of pollution on the US West Coast, which also happens to be the smoggiest region in the country. Since June of this year, the accumulation of diesel-powered container ships and a large number of cargo-moving trucks in the ports has exacerbated the situation. Residents living near these ports face the highest risk of cancer from the air pollution in that region, which is primarily caused by smoke-belching ships anchored at these ports. California has set a 2023 deadline for reducing smog and improving air quality, but the situation on the ground has deteriorated in recent years. Especially, with the ongoing congestion at the LA port.

While efficient ports are critical for the economic development of their surrounding areas, the associated ship traffic, cargo handling in the ports, and hinterland distribution can all hurt the environment as well as the economy.

Photo by Jens Rademacher on Unsplash

Port congestion and Pollution:

When a vessel arrives at a port and is unable to berth, it must wait at the anchorage until a berth becomes available. This is a problem that only gets worse over time and Southern California ports have been facing congestion issues like never before. A huge crowd of container ships has been constrained to queue outside Los Angeles and Long Beach, causing the latest supply chain disruption in the United States.

The ships are stranded outside two of the busiest ports of the country, which together handle 40% of all containerized cargo entering the US.

The number of ships awaiting entry into the largest US gateway for trade with Asia reached a record high, increasing delays for businesses attempting to replenish inventories during one of the busiest times of the year for seaborne freight.

On September 12, Port of Los Angeles Director Gene Seroka warned that a “significant volume” of goods was “coming our way throughout this year and into 2022.”

Timeline of the number of vessels in the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles and related anchoring areas

Consequently, on September 18, a record 73 ships were trapped outside the port – nearly double the number as that of the previous month.

The current congestion — with both ports setting records regularly — exemplifies cargo surge since the pandemic. The backlog has increased pollution and poses a threat of supply shortages ahead of the holiday shopping season.

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Why Is a Ship Referred to as “She”?

in Maritime Knowledge by

There is no clear explanation but there are different theories we want to introduce you to in this article.

1. Personal relationship

English grammar states that we use it when referring to things, while he and she are personal pronouns and should only be used for persons. However, when the relationship to the subject is personal, it is extremely common to use he or she for animals, depending on their gender, or even for inanimate objects. Ship as a feminine noun first appeared when shipping came along, that is, in the early 18th century, when it was more than normal for only men to be aboard ships. Ancient sailors were known as “married to the sea” and often named their ships after the women they loved to compliment them.

Photo of SANTA BARBARA ANNA by FleetMon Ship Spotter FeWu
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FleetMon’s data add to a study on bilge water waste risk in the Gulf of Antalya

in Research, Updates, Sponsoring, Partnering by

Visit our Research & Development section to read the original paper published by Ömer Harun Özkernak and Gönül Tuğrul İçemer of the Azdeniz University in Antalya, Turkey.

Abstract:

Bilge water waste poses an environmental risk for humans and marine creatures by causing cancer and developmental disorders due to the toxic substances. This study aims to create a calculation method to calculate the amount of bilge that a ship can produce. The number of ships and the amount of bilge water that they have given the port waste reception facilities in the past years were collected to prevent marine pollution caused by ships in the Gulf of Antalya.

The amount of possible future bilge water discharge in the gulf was estimated by using the collected data by linear regression method. The risk distribution of the amount of bilge water that a ship can produce was determined with the data obtained by the Monte Carlo method for the first time in this study. As a result, although the number of ships in the gulf will decrease in number, it is predicted that the amount of bilge water discharge and the needs of a waste receptions facility will increase in the coming years.

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Why the Command Center of a Vessel Is Called ‘Bridge’

in Community, Maritime Knowledge by

In our maritime knowledge base, you will find many exciting articles on maritime terms and expressions. If you’d like to contribute to this section, just get in touch with us and submit a question or marine topic that you would like to add to FleetMon’s Marine Knowledge Library. This article explains why the command center of a vessel is called the bridge.

A modern bridge contains all the necessary elements for the control of the ship.

In the early days of sailing, the rudder was connected to a tiller, which was operated by a helmsman. The term helmsman translates as “servant of the boat”. The tiller was located in the so-called cockpit, a pit in which the steering elements of the boat were located. Over the years, the tiller was replaced by a wheel. This was not connected directly to the rudder but was connected by ropes and pulleys. This allowed the wheel to be moved. Ships became larger and were built with more and more decks. The largest deck was the main deck. The ship’s steering wheel was located on the quarterdeck. The raised profile of the aft deck allowed the captain to walk around and have a good view of the entire ship as well as the sea around it. As he walked around, he could give verbal orders to the helmsman.

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AIS Station Update 10/2021

in Updates, AIS Station Update, Community by

Each month, we announce an update on how we extended our terrestrial AIS coverage worldwide. Become an AIS Partner and contribute to Global Maritime Transparency. Take a look at our latest achievements of FleetMon’s AIS station network.

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FleetMon supports young talents

in Events, Updates, Sponsoring by

In winter 2020, JAKOTA Cruise Systems | FleetMon called out a Charity Week. Within this week, our employees could submit local societies and social initiatives for FleetMon to support and donate money to. A total amount of 5,000€ in donations was available to be distributed among the submitted suggestions. For us, it was essential to support either a maritime association or make a difference in our immediate local area. One of the initiatives we decided to give money to is the “Deutschlandstipendium” (“Germany scholarship”). We agreed to finance two “Germany scholarships”. Since 2011, the “Deutschlandstipendium” has been promoting students and newcomers who are expected to perform well in their studies and at work. They receive 300 euros per month – half from the federal government and half from private donors. This alliance of civil society engagement and state funding is what makes the “Germany Scholarship” so unique.

Scholarship holder Lars Ratzka (left) and FleetMon’s Human Resource Manager Anne Siebke (right) at the festive event
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