Are there always ships anchored off Port Aransas

[flywise]

My company won’t . Wish we did .

Well shucks, I’d go out if someone would let me.

[outlook8]

....

[Strummer]

I never new how barges and ships were unloaded till a barge flipped over and capsized half loaded with sulfuric acid if my memory serves me correctly. It was in Texas City and they were unloading the barge and someone fell asleep and unloaded only one side and it flipped over spilling acid into the channel. I was told that those barges or ships have baffles and need to be offloaded evenly to prevent flipping. This was in 2002 or 2003. Was big news for our local Houston channels.

Most barges have either 3 or 6 tanks . If they only load or discharge either the port or starboard side there will be a major problem. Years ago we had a Tankerman fall asleep loading a edc barge . The stern of the barge was under water and the bow was about 4 ft out of the water . Turned out he passed out and the coastguard took him out in handcuffs. He only opened the first set of tanks . So he had two out of six tanks open .

[Drycreek3189]

That’s all that oil the Saudis are shipping to Joe Dementia

[HOOKNBULLET2]

No sir . I work at Formosa in Point Comfort. We load a lot of caustic , probably more of it then any thing . The one we are loading now is about 19700 metric tons . Close to 79,000bbls

Interesting that you work there. I worked for Commercial Chemical for a short while and we would purchase trucks loads of bleach from your plant.

[Greenheadless]

Good king fishing around those ships.

I would advise against this. They don’t take favorably anyone coming within 400 yards of a ship. Ask me how I know……..

Back in the old days, we would fish the heck out of them for ling.


And, they are probably waiting for pilot operations. The really big ones are lightering.

[Strummer]

Interesting that you work there. I worked for Commercial Chemical for a short while and we would purchase trucks loads of bleach from your plant.

That’s bleach is some powerful stuff . It’s like 99% pure . The bleach comes from the same unit that makes our caustic and Edc .

[RifleBowPistol]

Years ago, I never saw ship anchored outside of Port A. It's probably a case of we are importing a lot more oil now, than in the past. That is resulting in there being more ships than they can unload in Corpus Christi, before the next ships come ing, so the are having to wait to be unloaded.

[RifleBowPistol]

Good king fishing around those ships.

Usually the good fishing is around the gulf shrimp boats, when they are anchored in groups, cleaning out their nets. The only time I have ever seen a ship anchored, was at a dock. When we would see them in the C.C. ship channel they were always moving.
I ain't getting anywhere near them, when they are moving. We used to fish near Baker Marine in Ingleside and down near the Sun Oil docks, then also along the ship channel in Port A, on the back side o the island. When a big oil tanker is loaded down, and comes through, it will suck out a lot of water. The water level will drop 2 ft. to 3 ft. very fast. The water would go out 50 to 75 yards, when a loaded down tanker is coming towards you, and then when it is straight out from you. Then after it passes, there is a wall of water about 6 ft. to 7 ft. high that comes back in. At that point, you quickly figure out why the banks along the channel are cut out, with a 4 ft. to 7 ft. vertical drop off. If you are ever fishing along the channel and the bank has a vertical wall 20 ft. or so from where the water normally is. Don't set anything on the ground below that drop off. Because when a loaded down ship does come through and it sucks out the water, you probably won't be looking at your tackle on the bank, you will be watching the water get sucked out. Then if you make the mistake of walking out where the water used to be, you better be ready to run, for the bank and you better be able to get up on top of the high ground quickly, or you will get washed away, along with your tackle.

What you will learn after watching many ships pass, is the unloaded ships, don't suck out near as much water, as the loaded ships. I would guess the loaded ships are having to use a lot more throttle to move along, than an empty ships.

When we were teenagers and early 20s, we saw this many times when we fished multiple areas along the channel. So knowing the props on those big ships suck that much water, through them, I won't get anywhere near one of those ships when they are moving. I really have no desire to get near a anchored ship either. As many barnacles as a typical ship has on it, then it's huge size, I can see it attracting fish that eat barnacles, which then attracts larger fish. I would still rather fish around anchored shrimp boats, or a rig.

I really have no desire to get anywhere near those large ships, when I am in a boat. When you are in a boat and have one pass by you and get get to see how massive they really are, it's very impressive. Then one night many years ago, we were running up the channel that goes between Port A. and Aransas Pass, back to Conn Brown Harbor. We had an incident that scared me more than most every crazy incident I have been through. We were running back towards A.P., then all of the lights, along A.P, Ingleside, even Corpus, just went black, we saw zero lights anywhere along the coast lines facing west. We could not figure it out, looking back towards Port A. we could see lights, but nothing back the other way. Then eventually we started hearing a noise, that sounded like rushing water, we could not figure out what the noise was. We thought there must have been a huge power outage along from Corpus to Rockport, but then we kept noticing this water rushing noise getting louder. We were in a 21 ft. Wellcraft, running along about 30 mph. Then I saw a sharp white line across the water ahead of us. We were all trying to figure out what was going on, then at the last minute, I looked up, very high in the sky and realized there was a dark black sharp line across the sky, then I saw some pipes sticking up. Then realized we were running straight at a empty oil barge. So the tug pushing that barge, was way back on the other end of the barge, so we could not hear the engines of the barge, we could not see the barge and they could not see us.
I made a very hard left turn, and slammed the throttle wide open, trying to get out from in front of the barge. We were only a few seconds from hitting that barge head on. We just barely cleared the barge. Then since that area of that channel is much narrower than the CC ship channel. By the time we got clear of the barge, with the boat at full throttle, we dang near ran it up on the bank. I had to make another very hard left, I think we still hit bottom, and it about threw us all out of the boat, since we hit as I was making a hard left turn.

After seeing many times how much water those ships suck out when under power, then almost hitting that empty barge head on. I stay way clear of ships and barges, when out on the water. Then my wife and her parents almost got run over by a ship, in the middle of the night, out in the Pacific, while they were in their sail boat. So she has a serious fear of large ships, while being out on the water.

[DPElite]

Most of the time they are waiting on a berth to load or discharge. But you are correct a pilot has to bring them in from the pilot station . That’s normally 3 to 5 miles offshore from the jetties . Or that how far it is at the port o work at .

This

Was in that industry for almost 20 years and I don’t miss it 1 bit


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[Walker]

I think that they have to wait on a pilot boat to escort them in one at a time.

I've seen a lot of tankers coming thru the PA jetties and have never seen a pilot boat or tug guiding or steering them.

[BowhunterB]

Usually the good fishing is around the gulf shrimp boats, when they are anchored in groups, cleaning out their nets. The only time I have ever seen a ship anchored, was at a dock. When we would see them in the C.C. ship channel they were always moving.
I ain't getting anywhere near them, when they are moving. We used to fish near Baker Marine in Ingleside and down near the Sun Oil docks, then also along the ship channel in Port A, on the back side o the island. When a big oil tanker is loaded down, and comes through, it will suck out a lot of water. The water level will drop 2 ft. to 3 ft. very fast. The water would go out 50 to 75 yards, when a loaded down tanker is coming towards you, and then when it is straight out from you. Then after it passes, there is a wall of water about 6 ft. to 7 ft. high that comes back in. At that point, you quickly figure out why the banks along the channel are cut out, with a 4 ft. to 7 ft. vertical drop off. If you are ever fishing along the channel and the bank has a vertical wall 20 ft. or so from where the water normally is. Don't set anything on the ground below that drop off. Because when a loaded down ship does come through and it sucks out the water, you probably won't be looking at your tackle on the bank, you will be watching the water get sucked out. Then if you make the mistake of walking out where the water used to be, you better be ready to run, for the bank and you better be able to get up on top of the high ground quickly, or you will get washed away, along with your tackle.

What you will learn after watching many ships pass, is the unloaded ships, don't suck out near as much water, as the loaded ships. I would guess the loaded ships are having to use a lot more throttle to move along, than an empty ships.

When we were teenagers and early 20s, we saw this many times when we fished multiple areas along the channel. So knowing the props on those big ships suck that much water, through them, I won't get anywhere near one of those ships when they are moving. I really have no desire to get near a anchored ship either. As many barnacles as a typical ship has on it, then it's huge size, I can see it attracting fish that eat barnacles, which then attracts larger fish. I would still rather fish around anchored shrimp boats, or a rig.

I really have no desire to get anywhere near those large ships, when I am in a boat. When you are in a boat and have one pass by you and get get to see how massive they really are, it's very impressive. Then one night many years ago, we were running up the channel that goes between Port A. and Aransas Pass, back to Conn Brown Harbor. We had an incident that scared me more than most every crazy incident I have been through. We were running back towards A.P., then all of the lights, along A.P, Ingleside, even Corpus, just went black, we saw zero lights anywhere along the coast lines facing west. We could not figure it out, looking back towards Port A. we could see lights, but nothing back the other way. Then eventually we started hearing a noise, that sounded like rushing water, we could not figure out what the noise was. We thought there must have been a huge power outage along from Corpus to Rockport, but then we kept noticing this water rushing noise getting louder. We were in a 21 ft. Wellcraft, running along about 30 mph. Then I saw a sharp white line across the water ahead of us. We were all trying to figure out what was going on, then at the last minute, I looked up, very high in the sky and realized there was a dark black sharp line across the sky, then I saw some pipes sticking up. Then realized we were running straight at a empty oil barge. So the tug pushing that barge, was way back on the other end of the barge, so we could not hear the engines of the barge, we could not see the barge and they could not see us.
I made a very hard left turn, and slammed the throttle wide open, trying to get out from in front of the barge. We were only a few seconds from hitting that barge head on. We just barely cleared the barge. Then since that area of that channel is much narrower than the CC ship channel. By the time we got clear of the barge, with the boat at full throttle, we dang near ran it up on the bank. I had to make another very hard left, I think we still hit bottom, and it about threw us all out of the boat, since we hit as I was making a hard left turn.

After seeing many times how much water those ships suck out when under power, then almost hitting that empty barge head on. I stay way clear of ships and barges, when out on the water. Then my wife and her parents almost got run over by a ship, in the middle of the night, out in the Pacific, while they were in their sail boat. So she has a serious fear of large ships, while being out on the water.

Been in the ship channel at Port A wading several times when tankers come through. We decided to ride it out a few, once hanging on to the side of our boat. It got pretty dicey getting tossed around and trying to hang on to the boat, wasn't sure we were going to make it We don't try that anymore.

[ramrod]

I was there a two weeks ago and walked the jetti with my kids. They had tugs guiding everyof tanker through the channel. One tug on either side and one in the back with a lanyard acting as a brake. Buddy said he seen the same last weekend and that they are really messing up the ferry lines.

[Cullbuck]

I've seen a lot of tankers coming thru the PA jetties and have never seen a pilot boat or tug guiding or steering them.

Every single one that enters has a pilot that has boarded the ship and helps navigate through our ports.


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[Greenheadless]

I've seen a lot of tankers coming thru the PA jetties and have never seen a pilot boat or tug guiding or steering them.

The pilot boat delivers the channel pilot to the ship.