Topic starter
29/10/2011 9:49 pm
Greetings From New Orleans ,
Without a doubt , the time when a ship of any size , tonnage or draft is most vulnerable to a very unforgiving marine environment and especially the wrath of the Mississippi River is when it is maneuvering either into or out of an anchorage or birth !
Consequently , to minimize the risk of this situation , we as ship Pilots have come to fully utilize the modern day harbor tug boat to its maximum extent and ability .
With the modern day " Tractor " tug boat coming into play on the river , we have been able to further mitigate this dangerous and vulnerable situation for the different ships that we service , by fully utilizing the " Tractor " tug's acrobatic abilities !
For example , there have been times that we will place a " Tractor " tug , bow to bow with what we refer to as a " Dead Ship " ( a ship that has no steering or engine or both ) and then have the " Tractor " tug maneuver the bow and forward portion of the ship by literally backing the " Tractor " tug's azipods into the desired position and direction that the ship needs to go !
We are now placing these " Tractor " tugs in places and locations on ships , such as a ship's transom , to control and maneuver the ship into almost any direction and position as imaginable !
Having said that , I some times wonder if something is also lost from the standpoint ; do the modern day " Tractor " tugs make the job too easy and do the tug captains that man and operate these same " Tractor " tugs still have the skill and ability to operate the more conventional single screw tugs , when the " Tractor " tugs are not available ??
Food for thought !
Smooth Sailing !
Ted Davisson
WA-4141
Topic starter
01/12/2011 5:39 am
More New Orleans Tug Boat Pictures !
Greetings From New Orleans ,
Just a few more New Orleans Tug Boat Pictures !
The first shot is of the M/V Terrance Smith , partially sunk at her fleet below Algiers Point .
The second shot is of the E.N. Bisson fleet just above Six Mile Point .
The third shot is of a sunset near the La Place Anchorage , mile 135 AHP , LMR .
Hope You Enjoy !
Smooth Sailing !
Ted Davisson
WA-4141
Ted Davisson;27855 wrote: Greetings From New Orleans ,
Without a doubt , the time when a ship of any size , tonnage or draft is most vulnerable to a very unforgiving marine environment and especially the wrath of the Mississippi River is when it is maneuvering either into or out of an anchorage or birth !
Consequently , to minimize the risk of this situation , we as ship Pilots have come to fully utilize the modern day harbor tug boat to its maximum extent and ability .
With the modern day " Tractor " tug boat coming into play on the river , we have been able to further mitigate this dangerous and vulnerable situation for the different ships that we service , by fully utilizing the " Tractor " tug's acrobatic abilities !
For example , there have been times that we will place a " Tractor " tug , bow to bow with what we refer to as a " Dead Ship " ( a ship that has no steering or engine or both ) and then have the " Tractor " tug maneuver the bow and forward portion of the ship by literally backing the " Tractor " tug's azipods into the desired position and direction that the ship needs to go !
We are now placing these " Tractor " tugs in places and locations on ships , such as a ship's transom , to control and maneuver the ship into almost any direction and position as imaginable !
Having said that , I some times wonder if something is also lost from the standpoint ; do the modern day " Tractor " tugs make the job too easy and do the tug captains that man and operate these same " Tractor " tugs still have the skill and ability to operate the more conventional single screw tugs , when the " Tractor " tugs are not available ??
Food for thought !
Smooth Sailing !
Ted Davisson
WA-4141
Topic starter
03/12/2011 4:16 pm
More Ship/Tug Maneuvering Pictures !
Greetings From New Orleans ,
Just a few more ship/tug maneuvering pictures ! Hope you enjoy !
The first shot is of two " Smith " tugs turning me out of the Bunge grain elevator in Destrehan , La. , " On A Left Helm " ( meaning simply turning to the left )
The second shot is of a Moran tug , formerly Rivco , " On The Port Quarter " of a container ship as it makes its approach to the Nashville Ave. container dock .
The third shot is of three Bisson tugs all on the port side of a loaded tanker as we make our approach to the Exxon Refinery in Baton Rouge , La. !
Smooth Sailing !
Ted Davisson
WA-4141
03/12/2011 4:28 pm
Ted: Interesting pix. What are the black looking cylinders in picture No.3 that look like huge fragmentation grenades?? I would think that your job would be enormously complicated by the vast variety of ships you must guide. I'm sure that there are some similarities but are controls often in a foreign language? Do you control the engines directly or is it though and engine room crew? Is the captain required to stand the watch with you? How do you communicate with them? What is their attitude toward you as a harbor pilot? Cap'n Walnut
Topic starter
04/12/2011 2:34 am
The Fragmentation Grenades Are..............................
Greetings From New Orleans ,
Tom , first of all , thanks for your interest and question concerning the
" Fragmentation Grenades " ! WOW ! What a great analogy ! I never thought of them in that way but actually , they are simply giant rubber fenders , covered with car tires !
These " Fragmentation Grenades " are known simply as " Yokohama Fenders " , and are used primarily by oil tankers and are deployed over the side of the ship and used as cushion fenders when these ships will go alongside other and usually larger tankers in order to transfer cargos of oil or other petroleum products while out at sea . To get an appreciation of the over all size of these Yokohama Fenders , in the first picture on the left you can see a crew member walking toward the suspended port side fender .
To answer your other questions concerning piloting in general on ships , unlike the procedure on other vessels such as tow boats , steamboats , ferries , and the like , I as other ship pilots do , do not touch the wheel or the sticks but in actuality we literally talk our way up and down the river by giving " rudder commands " to the Helmsman or Quartermaster who does the actual turning of the ship's wheel in the direction and the amount of degrees that the pilot has ordered . Every ship is required by law to be able to turn the rudder a full 35 degrees to either Starb'd or Port ( meaning left or right on the foreign flag ships , on American ships the steering terms are simply either Left or right ) For example , if I want to steer the ship to the right , I would give the rudder command of , " Starb'd 10 or Starb'd 20 or Hard to Starb'd " depending on how hard I need the wheel to be turned in order to make the ship turn to the direction I want the ship to turn to . Now if I want the ship to turn to the left , I would give the rudder commands in terms of " Port 10 or Port 20 or Hard to Port " !
Generally speaking , most ship bridges are very similar but there could be small differences such as the position of some of the electronics such as the radars , the vhf radios and the chart room but the steering station is always on the center line of the ship with a clear view of the bow so the Helmsman may be able to see directly ahead and steer the ship .
Hope this may answer some of your questions and if you have any more please feel to ask !
Smooth Sailing !
Ted Davisson
WA-4141
Tom Schiffer;28327 wrote: Ted: Interesting pix. What are the black looking cylinders in picture No.3 that look like huge fragmentation grenades?? I would think that your job would be enormously complicated by the vast variety of ships you must guide. I'm sure that there are some similarities but are controls often in a foreign language? Do you control the engines directly or is it though and engine room crew? Is the captain required to stand the watch with you? How do you communicate with them? What is their attitude toward you as a harbor pilot? Cap'n Walnut
04/12/2011 4:47 am
Fascinating stuff, thanks for this.
Looks like "Real Men" work.
Topic starter
04/12/2011 3:39 pm
" Manly Man Sutff "
Greetings From New Orleans ,
What a Great Line , yes it is very " Manly Man Sutff " !
No , Girly Man " Stuff " here !
Thanks for your input !
Smooth Sailing !
Ted Davisson
WA-4141
Ron Anderson;28342 wrote: Fascinating stuff, thanks for this.
Looks like "Real Men" work.
04/12/2011 4:44 pm
Ted: Thanks for your reply. Where is the ship's captain in all this, physically and legally? Now, sometimes the ship needs assistance in docking involving the tugs that you talk about. Said assistance costs money, no doubt. Who is authorized to order them out, how many and what kind needed?? This obviously has to be arranged well ahead of time for it to all come together properly. Is there a flat-fee for traversing the port, or is it on a sliding scale based upon tonnage? Is there a pecking order for coming up or down river (ie pax vessels vs freighters). I hate to be a pest, but I AM interested. I think mebbe others are too. Cap'n Walnut.
Topic starter
04/12/2011 7:10 pm
Great Questions !
Greetings From New Orleans ,
Tom , great questions and I appreciate your interest and if I don't answer them all to your satisfaction please let me know .
First of all , and on the ships , the Captain is technically ALWAYS in charge regardless of nationality and license and the only exception to that is in the Panama Canal , where the Pilot actually IS in charge of the vessel . Now , having said that , when the Pilot comes on board and takes the Con , from a broad and practical stand point , the Pilot is in charge of the safe navigation of the vessel . Furthermore , it is the shipping company's policy and not a Coast Guard mandate where the Captain must position himself during the vessels transit on the river . Usually , the Captain remains on the Bridge of the ship during the trip but every so often the Captain will tell me he has " Paper Work " to complete and slip off to his cabin and in all likely hood get in a quick nap . Generally speaking , it will take anywhere from 18 to 24 hours to make a transit up the river from the Sea Buoy to Baton Rouge , and usually these Captains are both physically and mentally exhausted during this trip . Many times the Captain will tell me out right that he is going to his cabin and the Chief Mate will assist me , if need be and he is only one deck away and he has his portable vhf radio with him for on board communication at all times .
There have been many , many dissertations on the role of the Pilot with regards to his relationship with the Captain but on the river , the Pilot is viewed as a navigation officer that is there to assist the Captain with the safe navigation of the vessel . Furthermore , from a libel standpoint , that is the way that most Pilots and Pilot Associations want it to be in order to limit our personal liability status . Now having said that , there has been a conscientious move by the Coast Guard to subjugate the relationship of the Pilot and Captain and to make the Pilot MORE responsible for all that takes place on board a vessel as it transits the river .
As far as the tug boat issue goes , the ship's agent is responsible for ordering the tug boats for a maneuvering assignment and when I go on board and access the situation , I have the authority to either order more or for that matter to discharge a tug if I don not feel that his presence is necessary . There have only been a few times that I and the Captain and or agent have butted heads over the number of tugs that I feel is necessary to safely perform a maneuvering assignment and I do have the legal option to literally tell the Captain , OK , if you feel that we do not need an additional tug , well then YOU do the maneuver and hand him over my portable vhf radio ! This action by me will get his attention and understanding of my strong and experienced opinion quicker than anything else ! One way that I look at it is simply an additional tug boat is simply a cheap insurance policy that as we are maneuvering , there will be sufficient tug power to safely complete the maneuver . I also will tell a Captain and or agent , that if you feel safety is expensive , well then try having an accident ! That will convince the Captain if nothing else will that that additional tug expense if not that big an issue !
Hope this may answer some of your questions concerning this matter and please if you have more let me know and I will attempt to answer them .
Smooth Sailing !
Ted Davisson
WA-4141
Tom Schiffer;28345 wrote: Ted: Thanks for your reply. Where is the ship's captain in all this, physically and legally? Now, sometimes the ship needs assistance in docking involving the tugs that you talk about. Said assistance costs money, no doubt. Who is authorized to order them out, how many and what kind needed?? This obviously has to be arranged well ahead of time for it to all come together properly. Is there a flat-fee for traversing the port, or is it on a sliding scale based upon tonnage? Is there a pecking order for coming up or down river (ie pax vessels vs freighters). I hate to be a pest, but I AM interested. I think mebbe others are too. Cap'n Walnut.