Shipping

[Micilin]

I was surprised to learn that the current largest container ship ( it loops from China,UK and Rotterdam )is too big for any US port.

Next month one that holds 24k containers will be launched.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-suffolk-30700269

 

[longdogs]

Watch out Captain Phillips

 

[Burnerman]

Let's hope the ship has a longer warranty than the goods on board
John

 

[wobs]

Good article here, with a diagram of the engine:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-30696685

Salvage would be a challenge with such large ships, should they ever run aground.

It is suprising that the US have no ports that can handle such ships.

 

[Micilin]

Wobs , do you think it is because of an insular mindset , rather than they just don't import on that scale.

I can't see any physical reason for it, in terms of deep water ports, seeing as they cut out the Panama Canal for a short cut

 

[wobs]

Wobs , do you think it is because of an insular mindset , rather than they just don't import on that scale.

I can't see any physical reason for it, in terms of deep water ports, seeing as they cut out the Panama Canal for a short cut

i think its more an economic and technical issue. Keeping up with increasing sizes of ships means you need bigger docks and cranes etc. Some ports struggle to keep up, and we seem to be reaching the limit on crane height.
Americans arent daft. Such large scale ventures are highly competitive.

 

[Micilin]

Wobs , so you think concious decision not to invest in the infrastructure?
Why is this the case

 

[empip]

Nice graphical layout 50 largest ports...
http://storymaps.esri.com/stories/2013/ports/

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[Micilin]

Nice graphical layout 50 largest ports...
http://storymaps.esri.com/stories/2013/ports/

-0-

Thanks for that- great link.

Are the bigger ports an indication of future importance?

 

[JBR]

Nice graphical layout 50 largest ports...
http://storymaps.esri.com/stories/2013/ports/

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I had to scroll down to no. 35 before the UK appeared. What does that tell us?

 

[EFLImpudence]

You should have clicked on Felixstowe.

Surely it is just the newer ones (far east) which have been built bigger by design.

 

[JBR]

You should have clicked on Felixstowe.

Surely it is just the newer ones (far east) which have been built bigger by design.

Felixstowe WAS no. 35!

 

[noseall]

I had to scroll down to no. 35 before the UK appeared. What does that tell us?

That they need to update their data.

 

[wkdhd]

These very tall ships just look so unstable. The car transporter that fell over in the Solent apparently had pumped ballast and they thought the pumps might have failed. Someone on the tv explained the ship was going round a corner as though that was unusual and scary for a ship to do.

 

[JBR]

These very tall ships just look so unstable. The car transporter that fell over in the Solent apparently had pumped ballast and they thought the pumps might have failed. Someone on the tv explained the ship was going round a corner as though that was unusual and scary for a ship to do.

You're right. They do look top heavy, especially with all those shipping containers stacked on deck.

As for going round a corner, not exactly a corner but sailing in a curved path in order to get down the Solent and, more to the point, to avoid the sandbank on which it was beached. Perfectly routine, as far as I know.