Themaritimepilot Profile picture
Jan 22 4 tweets 2 min read Read on X
1/×
This is the port terminal on the Pacific side of the Panama Canal which is allegedly contolled by PRC through a Hong Kong based company. This terminal and another one located on the Caribbean entrance of the canal has been operated by Hutchinson Whampoa or its subsidiary, Image
2/×
...Panama Ports. Here is the one in Cristobal, also operated by Panama Ports under a concesion awarded in 1997.
Ships entering the terminal need to use the access chanels to the Panama Canal on either side. It is the Panama Canal Authorithy which grants permmisions and Image
3/×
coordinates the ships movements. Panama Canal Pilots are assigned to dock/undock/navigate every single ship that uses the terminals.
In my over 30 years working here I have not seen a "chinese soldier" or a soldier from any other country in or around the terminals.
4/4
Every single person working at the terminals is Panamanian. It is beyond absurd to even insinuate that China is in any way controling the Panama Canal or the port terminals at either end. They need to stop spreading such misleading ideas.

• • •

Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh
 

Keep Current with Themaritimepilot

Themaritimepilot Profile picture

Stay in touch and get notified when new unrolls are available from this author!

Read all threads

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

PDF

Twitter may remove this content at anytime! Save it as PDF for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video
  1. Follow @ThreadReaderApp to mention us!

  2. From a Twitter thread mention us with a keyword "unroll"
@threadreaderapp unroll

Practice here first or read more on our help page!

More from @Themaritimepil2

Jan 8
1/x
I will try briefly to shed some light on why the Panama Canal was turned over to the Republic of Panama while the "ONE MISSION" departs a waiting mooring station to continue her transit northbound.
Panama got its independence from Spain in 1821 and the joined Colombia.
2/x
During the period that Panama was part of Colombia, the Panamanians felt neglected by the Colombian authorities. Internal wars and the physical isolation caused by the Darien jungle caused the Panamanians to think about breaking apart from Colombia. Meanwhile, the U.S. had
3/x
shown great interest in building a canal through the isthmus of Panama after the French had desisted. In 1902 a treaty wa signed between the U.S. and Colombia, but the terms were financially and ridiculous unacceptable to the Colombian Congress.
Read 13 tweets
Jul 1, 2024
1. Let's talk a bit about the importance of ship's hydrodinamics in a not too technichal manner.
The larger the ship is, the greater the effects of the hydrodinamics forces that come into play, especially when in restricted waters.
2. In a narrow channel the stern of the ship is "pulled" by the bank that is closer to her (normally her starboard side) while her bow is "pushed" away from the bank. This is due to a difference in pressure (bow and stern) as the water flows between the ship and the bank.
3. This phenomenon is reffered to as "bank effect" or "bank suction/cushion". It increases with the speed of the ship and her closeness to the bank. If the pilot is not aware and does not take proper action, the effect may render the ship losing control,
Read 8 tweets
Apr 28, 2024
Some facts to take into consideration when piloting megacontainer ships.
1. Size matters: SHANGHAI EXPRESS, 366.45m long x 48.26m wide. She has a draft (the part of it under the water) of 12.8m, in a 17m channel depth, leaving (ukc) clearance under the keel Image
2. .(deepest point submerged) of roughly 3m. The less the UKC, the less maneouvrable the ship becomes. A phenomenon called "squat", which is the sinking of the stern also occurs (and increase) as the ship's speed increases. Image
3. Depending on the speed, squatting can reduce the ship's UKC by a couple of meters.
The SHANGHAI E., has its bridge about a third of its length from its bow, aprox 143 m. There is "more" ship aft than there is forward, something to bear in mind.
Image
Image
Read 11 tweets
Apr 4, 2024
1. How does one stop a mega container ship when moving in restricted waters if an engine and rudder failure occurs?
Short answer: one can't. Image
2. A mega container can be just as large as some of the tallest building in any major city, 360+m. It can weigh over 100K tons, and when gathering speed, even minimum speed, develops so much momentum as it moves through the water that it takes large distance to come to a stop...
3. They have no "brakes" Its anchors, depending on the speed, type of bottom, and other factors, can only help in taking some of the speed off. Or worst, if the ship is moving a bit too fast, the anchors might be ripped away and end up lost in the bottom.
Read 9 tweets
Feb 7, 2023
Short Sea Story
In the early 90s I sailed on a bulk carrier named the Golden Hope. The ship would normally load grain from terminals along the Mississippi t for ports in South America.
On the return trips we would load whatever cargo they could find back to the USA.
During one of those voyages back to the USA, we were a day or two from Tampa Fla, our next port of call, when the 3rd mate sighted a nice pleasure boat adrift, with people aboard. Apparently the boat's engine was inoperational.
Our Captain was informed and he decided to
bring the ship close enough to rescue the persons aboard. To do this, he first called the Ch. Engineer to advise him of the need of having the main engine ready for maneuvering.
It did not take long, in spite of the weather, to get close to the boat and send them a line...
Read 15 tweets

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!


This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3/month or $30/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Don't want to be a Premium member but still want to support us?

Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal

Or Donate anonymously using crypto!

Ethereum

0xfe58350B80634f60Fa6Dc149a72b4DFbc17D341E copy

Bitcoin

3ATGMxNzCUFzxpMCHL5sWSt4DVtS8UqXpi copy

Thank you for your support!

Follow Us!

:(