At anchor today in Stumptown

[darkemeralds]

Looming large in a fairly terrifying way the last couple of days next to the Steel Bridge (and making the Steel Bridge look particularly fragile by comparison): the Asia Graeca.

Without doing any research at all, I can tell you two things about this bulk carrier: it's nice and new, and it's very, very big.




Lousy photo--sorry--but that's what I call looming.

The Asia Graeca is a stripling of a ship--albeit quite a big one--having been built less than two years ago. Like happy people, the (relatively) lovely Asia Graeca has no history.

So this seems like as good a time as any to find out just how big big is. Because the Asia Graeca? Looks like it barely fits in the river. It'd be interesting to see it turn around, what with those fancy condos just across the way.

Bulk carriers--ships with big empty holds for stuff like wheat and phosphorous (I wonder if they hose them out in between?)--come in different sizes.

There's the Handysize, topping out at a handy-dandy 130 meters in length. The shuttlecraft of the shipping industries, Handysize carriers can squeeze into the smallest parking spaces.

Then there's the Handymax, your midsize vehicle, calling at the slightly better class of port, with up to 200 meters of shippiness. I think Handymax size ships are typical for Stumptown's grain elevators.

The Panamax class is so named because it takes up the whole damn lock at the Panama Canal and not an inch more--230 meters in length, apparently. And whoa, a very tight fit on width.



The Asia Graeca, as it turns out, is a Panamax.

And then there's the Capesize, so big it just has to go around--Good Hope, Horn, whatever. You see a Cape while driving one of these? You go around. Or, you know, stay in one ocean. I believe Capesize vessels may be visible from space.

Note to the shipping industry: in your place, when naming a class of very big ships, I'd've definitely gone more than one letter away from the term for a ship tipping over.

Comments

[vampirefan.livejournal.com]

omg that's huge! as for the name "capesize", someone not in the shipping business must have come up with that name...

[emeraldsedai.livejournal.com]

Hee! I know. One of those silly marketing mistakes, like an orange soda in Germany (or somewhere) called Pshitt. Needless to say, it isn't marketed that way in English-speaking countries.

[str8ontilmornin.livejournal.com]

I look forward to the post that doesn't include, 'sorry 'bout the pic, Guv'na'. You are doing a service that's much better than my mind's eye and I'll thank you for that, Miss.

I did not know about the names in accordance with size. Very interesting and a little scary. Tug boats tug but can they also upright a ship if need be? *wince*

[emeraldsedai.livejournal.com]

I shudder to think what happens when these big boys capsize--if they ever do. Tugs are mighty, but probably not mighty enough to right a Panamax.

I will endeavor to stop bitching about my own photographs. It's just that the one megapixel phone cam almost always disappoints. The light and the angles and everything the other day down on the East Bank Esplanade were just so, so perfect. One measly megapixel was not enough for them.

[owzers.livejournal.com]

Awesome pics hon! I feel so small-town and landlocked when I look at them. I really hope the captains of these giants are all sober, sheesh! Hey, I posted my driveway lights pictures in my LJ - check 'em out! Although I should have swept up the weed-wacked greens first - d'oh!

[emeraldsedai.livejournal.com]

I'll hurry on over and have a look!