Tramp Steamers

[MikeKardec]

It has been reported in the news that U.S. President Joe Biden has submitted a plan to clear the backlog of ships and cargo from U.S. ports, and that Congress has approved both the plan and how to steal...er, appropriate...uhh, I mean obtain the necessary funding. However, people "in the know" have all pretty much agreed that the personnel required for this plan to work just aren't available--there is a shortage of both qualified truck drivers and longshoremen currently, and the truck drivers and longshoremen currently in-place are notorious for a lack of cooperation, so it's believed President Biden's plan has failed before they could even attempt to use it.

They probably need to start with a new contract with the Longshoremen. The shipping companies, being in it for the long haul (and probably not losing any money with the current high rates), don't seem to want to renegotiate. The govt can keep the port open but, if there's no one there to work that's just a waste of our $$$. There's shipping containers everywhere, full and waiting to be transported elsewhere and empty with no where to go ... the ships don't want to wait for them to be reloaded and just take off. If you have a project where you need containers, now is the time to pick them up cheap. I hear TX is using them to build it's makeshift border wall and, if someone was smart, they could be used to house the homeless here in LA. I saw a lot of pretty nice container beach houses in NZ when I was there!

 

[Tiki Tom]

After 5 1/2 months our shipment has arrived. A good omen is that it came by Hapag-Lloyd. My father worked on their ships when it was just Hapag.

 

[Tiki Tom]

You can get used to anything, I guess. They say that after a few days or a week you “get your sea legs” and sea sickness becomes less of an issue. I don’t know. I can imagine myself getting quite green in this situation, and not taking it nearly as nonchalantly as this wife does. Nothing worse than getting sea sick with no port in sight!

 

[Zombie_61]

^ Oh, I don't know. I think it's good that we humans are reminded every now and then that we aren't as "in control" of everything as we think we are.

 

[Tiki Tom]

Ghost ship… sighted and boarded.

 

[clementishutin]

Maybe when I retire (which will be in a few years) and can afford to disappear for two months at a time, I'll hop on a tram to Vanuatu and Bougainville. It's lovely to consider.

 

[Tiki Tom]

FYI. The following article is a somewhat romantic elegy to tramp steamers. It is a rambling account of a naval officer who once dreamed of owning his own tramp freighter. The article is a little bit unfocused, but occasionally does capture the spirit of the thing. Not too many articles about tramp steamers these days, so I thought I’d share it. After all, who among us has not dreamed of captaining a tramp from exotic port to exotic port?

https://www.hubcityspokes.com/colum...-tramp-steamers#sthash.3GPE8pGz.xpjAsIEm.dpbs

 

[Zombie_61]

...After all, who among us has not dreamed of captaining a tramp from exotic port to exotic port?

Captain? No, thank you; not for me, anyway. I neither need nor want the responsibilities that come with that position. I'm certain I'd be happier simply being a member of the crew...as long as I was being fairly compensated, of course.

 

[Tiki Tom]

“There is a phantom fleet of about 100 vessels (tankers) operating globally beyond the law.” “Fraudulent bills of lading, ship to ship transfers, blending of crude cargoes, and changing ship names and registrations along the way.”

Barstad is right — but how does shipping sink the phantom fleet?

Taboo trade is frustrating vessel owners and outwitting shipping regulators

www.tradewindsnews.com

A fascinating read into the world of a rogue brotherhood. pirates and smugglers still ply the oceans waters. Operating illicitly wherever they can make a buck. Bad guys, of course.

 

[fireman]

“There is a phantom fleet of about 100 vessels (tankers) operating globally beyond the law.” “Fraudulent bills of lading, ship to ship transfers, blending of crude cargoes, and changing ship names and registrations along the way.”

Barstad is right — but how does shipping sink the phantom fleet?

Taboo trade is frustrating vessel owners and outwitting shipping regulators

www.tradewindsnews.com

A fascinating read into the world of a rogue brotherhood. pirates and smugglers still ply the oceans waters. Operating illicitly wherever they can make a buck. Bad guys, of course.

I gotta be honest here. Part of me is glad that there are guys operating outside the law and heavy handed regulation. "It's the romantic in me." However, the fact that there are old tankers running around out there is bad.

 

[Tiki Tom]

Ship carrying over 1,000 high end luxury cars is burning and adrift in the Atlantic.

DNyuz - Latest Breaking U.S. News

Latest Breaking News, U.S. and World Politics, Crime, Business, Science, Technology, Autos, Entertainment, Culture, Movie, Music, Sports.

dnyuz.com

 

[Tiki Tom]

Fun photo! (Image below was found by following a link imbedded in this article.)

Ship appears to 'fly' above the sea off Cornish village in stunning capture

At first glance this picture appears to show a ship flying through the air, as some kind of futuristic watercraft and aircraft hybrid.

www.falmouthpacket.co.uk

 

[islandcarabao.com]

FYI. The following article is a somewhat romantic elegy to tramp steamers. It is a rambling account of a naval officer who once dreamed of owning his own tramp freighter. The article is a little bit unfocused, but occasionally does capture the spirit of the thing. Not too many articles about tramp steamers these days, so I thought I’d share it. After all, who among us has not dreamed of captaining a tramp from exotic port to exotic port?

https://www.hubcityspokes.com/colum...-tramp-steamers#sthash.3GPE8pGz.xpjAsIEm.dpbs

thank you for the post. I have been reading the stories and boating for over 50 years. I want to build a little tramp and tryout the life style al

 

[Tiki Tom]

Holy smokes. This has got to be one of the most beautiful vessels that I have ever seen. If she was originally owned by Sara and Gerald Murphy in the 1930s, than it is indeed likely that all those famous names once strolled her teak decks. Oh, the grace, the beauty, and the history!

If I ever wake up and see such a graceful vintage gaff rigged schooner sailing into Kailua bay, I’ll know that my time is up and my ride has arrived to sail me into the sunset.

Boat of the Week: This Historic, 90-Year-Old Sailing Yacht Was Once a Floating Playground for Ernest Hemingway, Cole Porter and More

The original owners hosted literati like F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway, as well Cole Porter, Louis Armstrong and Coco Chanel.

robbreport.com

 

[GHT]

However, people "in the know" have all pretty much agreed that the personnel required for this plan to work just aren't available--there is a shortage of both qualified truck drivers and longshoremen currently.

You have that similar problem of qualified truck driver's shortage? That chronic shortage of drivers happened here too, it had a dramatic effect on driver's pay. In case you are unaware, LGV simply means Large Goods Vehicle.
Waitrose drivers are earning more than lawyers and architects. £53K, that's $66,189.00 US.

​

 

[islandcarabao.com]

thank you for the post. I have been reading the stories and boating for over 50 years. I want to build a little tramp and tryout the life style al

This is where I would start in the lonely blue. I have experience and friends in this area. Now its just figuring out the right boat for this scheme. A pirate looks at 70

 

[Zombie_61]

You have that similar problem of qualified truck driver's shortage? That chronic shortage of drivers happened here too, it had a dramatic effect on driver's pay. In case you are unaware, LGV simply means Large Goods Vehicle.
Waitrose drivers are earning more than lawyers and architects. £53K, that's $66,189.00 US.

​

Yes Sir, we do indeed. Driving a large truck here in the U.S. requires a different skill set and, because of the distances and schedules involved, someone who either has no family, or doesn't mind being away from family (and home) for several weeks at a time. Combine that with the fact that the average American doesn't see driving an automobile as a set of skills that must constantly be sharpened and improved upon, but merely as a method of getting from one place to another, and it becomes easier to understand why someone driving a truck with a "hinge" in the middle that's 70 feet long and weighing up to 40 tons might eventually grow weary of having to deal with the other "no talent for it" nitwits driving their precious overpriced SUVs.

 

[clementishutin]

The world of a rogue brotherhood is explored in this interesting novel. Pirates and smugglers still operate in the oceans. Wherever they can earn a buck, they operate illegally. Of course, there are bad guys.

 

[Tiki Tom]

Looks like I’ll be driving to Honolulu Harbor to do some sightseeing. Unless they decide to sail her straight to Pearl. (But that might be bad optics.)

https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2022/...eized-by-us-officials-reportedly-sail-hawaii/

 

[islandcarabao.com]

I thought this was a boating site , finding it on a tramp steamer search and then I saw an article titled j-24 , which is a sailboat, I thought I was home but now see I will have to think more about my hats.

I like the thought of the tramp steamer lifestyle, moving around and making deals.

I posted the area I am interested in, the lonely blue. This is a place I have some experience in and like the people and have a knowledge of the commercial activities in this area.

For this to work for me I will need the right boat not too big or not to small just right, safe, economical and efficient

It will help greatly if these boats are at least somewhat self-supporting financially. For many this aspect makes the whole thing more fun and who doesn’t like to make deals?

This boat will be about 90 feet long, which is small for a traditional tramp but it can be designed to operate efficiently with a small crew. It is more the tramp steamer life style I am after not something I have to shovel coal into.

Safety: all-weather blue-water operations with the endurance to travel many thousands of miles per trip.

Sea kindness: allowing comfortable conditions for the crew are important so the boat can be handled shorthanded.

Economics; for this project to be a successful the total cost of traveling from island to island will have to be lower than current methods. This will require the ability to operate shorthanded at reasonable speeds with a low fuel burn rate while having some payload capacity. Maintenance, availability of maintenance, and cost of maintenance have to be carefully considered. This area is remote and fedXing parts can take weeks. Keeping this boat light will allow moving it out or the water without a crane for safe storage, and maintenance.

Survivability: typhoons and reefs are part of this ecosystem, most boats in this area contact the reef sometime or in a storm in their life. This has led me into an alloy hull under the water line with the balance being composite.

I want to design and build this, a prototype boat that works in the islands so others that like this life style can get involved. One or two boats will not really help, tens of boats are needed.

Many technologies will improve this project, Electric drives, sky link, and solar are all being looked at. Thanks for the great site

al

a pirate looks at 70