I regularly visit Port Aransas Texas, often fishing the shipping channel that goes to Corpus Christi. The channel can not handle the biggest of tankers, the supertankers. But even so, i can not overstate the size of these ships. It never ceases to amazes me. When you are in the channel you have to take into account them coming through the channel, and i dont mean simply getting out of there way, the channel is plenty wide to hold two(as they go both ways) with much space on both sides. I mean the effect they have on the channel, specifically when they are coming in (full of cargo). When full they draft a full 10-15' more of water. Displacing this much water causes mini tsunami in the channel. If you are to close to the bank you could either find yourself beached or slammed against something.
Its really a spectacle when they come by, even after seeing it hundreds of times i still stop and watch.
One thing not mentioned in this article which is a HUGE factor with moving these large ships is wind drift. Any boat /ship will act as a sail, but the bigger you get the harder it is to control. As anyone who has piloted any vessel can tell you it only takes seconds to get out of control. When moving these huge ships through such tight quarters i can only imagine how difficult it is to control.
Its really a spectacle when they come by, even after seeing it hundreds of times i still stop and watch.
One thing not mentioned in this article which is a HUGE factor with moving these large ships is wind drift. Any boat /ship will act as a sail, but the bigger you get the harder it is to control. As anyone who has piloted any vessel can tell you it only takes seconds to get out of control. When moving these huge ships through such tight quarters i can only imagine how difficult it is to control.