Konabish ~ Greg Bishop
'Erector Sets'
Best Viewed ~ L A R G E . . . . . Port of Los Angeles, California - - (See map) We are in the main LA Harbor channel, heading North. The 128-foot tugboat 'Mikiona' is pushing this 4 million + gallon petroleum barge to a refinery ahead; we must cross under the Vincent Thomas bridge first, then slowly maneuver to port (left), in order to line-up with the channel leading to the refinery.
These huge cranes are the maritime equivalent of an assembly line. Tens of thousands of shipping containers are loaded onto and off of container ships from all over the world. On land, trucks transport the containers. The cargo ranges from appliances to zippers, valued in the tens of billions of dollars in a single year.
These are older cranes; the new, high-tech cranes (blue/yellow) are coming up on the far side of the bridge. This photo was taken on a normal working weekday. The absence of shipping says something about the economy. The side-by-side Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach seem to have taken the reins with many programs to improve the environmental impact. This is also a major cruise liner terminal.
The man with the big responsibility is Capt. Dave Miner. He has to anticipate hazards -- including boats, ships, etc. -- so avoidance takes in the slow reaction time of the 100,000 barrel petroleum barge. Tuggerdave will help me correct any errors appearing here..... mistakes are punished by dancing the hempen jig.
SEE MORE PHOTOS from "The Great Tugboat Run of '09 "
here . . . www.flickr.com/photos/konabish/sets/72157623347947350/
'Erector Sets'
Best Viewed ~ L A R G E . . . . . Port of Los Angeles, California - - (See map) We are in the main LA Harbor channel, heading North. The 128-foot tugboat 'Mikiona' is pushing this 4 million + gallon petroleum barge to a refinery ahead; we must cross under the Vincent Thomas bridge first, then slowly maneuver to port (left), in order to line-up with the channel leading to the refinery.
These huge cranes are the maritime equivalent of an assembly line. Tens of thousands of shipping containers are loaded onto and off of container ships from all over the world. On land, trucks transport the containers. The cargo ranges from appliances to zippers, valued in the tens of billions of dollars in a single year.
These are older cranes; the new, high-tech cranes (blue/yellow) are coming up on the far side of the bridge. This photo was taken on a normal working weekday. The absence of shipping says something about the economy. The side-by-side Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach seem to have taken the reins with many programs to improve the environmental impact. This is also a major cruise liner terminal.
The man with the big responsibility is Capt. Dave Miner. He has to anticipate hazards -- including boats, ships, etc. -- so avoidance takes in the slow reaction time of the 100,000 barrel petroleum barge. Tuggerdave will help me correct any errors appearing here..... mistakes are punished by dancing the hempen jig.
SEE MORE PHOTOS from "The Great Tugboat Run of '09 "
here . . . www.flickr.com/photos/konabish/sets/72157623347947350/