For those boaters who share ports with container ships, it’s quite an important thing to learn about how these monstrous vessels work. One can only imagine that a container ship destined to deliver in the Port of New York and New Jersey has quite a lot to deal with before making it home safe–nothing short of a water highway, a space for everyone–kayakers, sailboats, motorboats, ferries, and cruise lines, all getting of these unstoppable freighters.
Although they are able to communicate with other ships, they are not privy to the intentions of all the boaters, which cannot only get confusing, but quite dangerous considering its force.
Did you know? Most boaters don’t realize that cargo ships have a blind spot 500 meters ahead of them and what is the displacement of a ship that is has 20-30 tons of water filling a void. In the case of the Port of NY/NJ, the container ship can’t leave the channel and can’t back up. Attempting to back up could result in serious consequences for the harbor and it could result in damages in the hull and/or spilling of fuel and containers. Something to think about next time you’re in a narrow space with one.
As a best practice, captains of these ships recommend that you avoid the channel altogether or at least respect when they see a cargo ship coming their way. Getting too close can easily suck you in and if by chance, a small motorboat happens to have an engine issues, this could pose serious problems for anyone on board.
Stay safe!
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