The data visualization above represents the worlds 10 largest container shipping companies by TEU capacity. We created this chart using IBM’s Many Eye’s project which we enjoy using since it gives us a clear, easy to understand and interactive picture of numeric data. Plus it looks pretty cool.
Want to know which company has the largest number of ships or the highest percentage of the overall market? If so then click on the picture above for the interactive version.
For those who prefer more traditional data:
| Company |
TEU capacity |
Market Share |
Number of ships |
| A.P. Moller-Maersk Group |
1,665,272 |
18.2% |
549 |
| Mediterranean Shipping Company S.A. |
865,890 |
8.6% |
299 |
| CMA CGM |
507,954 |
5.6% |
256 |
| Evergreen Marine Corporation |
477,911 |
5.2% |
153 |
| Hapag-Lloyd |
412,344 |
4.5% |
140 |
| China Shipping Container Lines |
346,493 |
3.8% |
111 |
| American President Lines |
331,437 |
3.6% |
99 |
| Hanjin-Senator |
328,794 |
3.6% |
145 |
| COSCO |
322,326 |
3.5% |
118 |
| NYK Line |
302,213 |
3.3% |
105 |
(Source: 2006 BRS Report)
This time the Cosco Busan’s departure is not a drill and we made sure to get video evidence of the fact!
The San Francisco Chronicle tells us;
The U.S. Coast Guard said temporary repairs to the 900-foot Cosco Busan had been completed and that the vessel and the crew were cleared to sail. The ship passed under the Golden Gate Bridge around 11:30 a.m.
Meanwhile, Caltrans officials announced that repairs on the Bay Bridge fender that the ship hit and shattered also have been completed.
The Coast Guard had been concerned about the Cosco Busan’s seaworthiness and the crew’s training in bridge management. The agency also wanted to ensure that U.S. legal interests would be protected, because several lawsuits have been filed against the ship’s owner, Regal Stone Ltd. of Hong Kong, as well as its insurer and the man piloting the ship when the accident happened, John Cota.
Regal Stone has posted a bond for the ship’s $79.5 million value with the federal government. The agreement on the security bond does not limit how much the government can seek in damages from the spill.
The ship also has a $300 million insurance policy, which is a requirement under California law, said Steve Edinger, assistant chief of the Department of Fish and Game’s law enforcement division.
“The Cosco Busan has left, and everything we needed from the vessel for our investigation we did obtain,” said Edinger, whose agency oversaw the cleanup efforts. “We are progressing the way we would normally expect in (any) oil spill.” Continue Reading…
(Coast Guard video by District Eleven Public Affairs)
http://cgvi.uscg.mil/media/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=205346&g2_serialNumber=2 [0:46m]:
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Sea-Fever.org points us to Popular Mechanic’s feature “This Is My Job. World’s Coolest Professions“. This month’s feature; Captain Andy Merrill, master of Matson’s M/V Manulani. They write;
From sailing to surfing to piloting 32,000-ton container ships, Andy Merrill has always felt at home on the ocean. Today, the 42-year-old clocks 70-day shifts as captain of Matson Navigation’s MV Manulani—navigating the hauler to some of the busiest ports in the world. Shanghai, for instance, docked 55,000 vessels last year. “It’s like they’re lining up elephants out there,” he says. Continue Reading…
Also be sure to check out Maston’s M/V Manulani Multimedia page where you can find the following video and more.
So the gCaptain team has been exceptionally busy in the last few weeks and we have the Cosco Busan partially to thank. In addition to the server traffic and time spent researching the incident we were motivated by the events to embark on some new projects. You already now the good news, the successful launch of a new maritime podcast! Unfortunately, however, we also had a time consuming failure.
A little history…. Shortly after the ship allided with San Francisco’s Bay Bridge we pointed you to the amazing website BoatingSF.com. Run by Michael Slater, a former Adobe Engineer, the site uses AIS vessel tracking data taken from VHF radio antennas Michael has erected near the bay and uses this to plot ships to a live interactive map embedded on his site (LINK). The post that day, however, displayed recorded data showing the track of the Cosco Busan during her short voyage. The display was impressive and attracted a considerable amount of attention.
At this point of the story we had just finished reading an amazing article written for Geo: Magazine by John Astad, our friend from Vesseltrax. The subject of the article was Shore-Side Maritime Applications of Google Earth and discussed his ability to visualize 3d images of ships running the Houston Ship Channel. Even cooler was the ability to fly around a vessel as she moved about the bay… in real time! (LINK) So I contacted Michael and asked if he would send the data file to John for 3d conversion!
The stars seemed to be aligning until we discovered a problem (read about it here) that resulted in John not being able to convert the data for use in his program. Discouraged? Yes but in stepped a gCaptain reader who we can’t thank enough. He transposed the timestamps from regional AIS beacons and helped us create a ShipPlotter version (Disclaimer here and ShipPlotter results here) of the events. Not quite accurate but close enough for our next team to start work…
Jakota “is engaged in the development and sale of solutions aimed at the commercial sector and public services, as well as the field of research and science. We supply solutions for tracking, fleet management, positioning and security- and alarm systems.” Translated; they make the best 3d ship graphing websites on the planet. They also provide amazing tools for tracking fleets of ships that are visually stunning, effective and well thought out.
You ask, how did we find Jakota? We asked our friends in silicon valley to search for a company that provides AIS vessel tracking systems that first, have visually attractive solutions, second use the latest tools of web 2.0. The overwhelming response was “Check out Digital-Seas.com“.
Fast forward through the time changes, international calling codes and German accents… we finally got in touch with Lars Krueger, one of the nicest and most professional person we have met. Lars took a programmer off his job to work on our project full time… the results were stunning but the harder we work the more faulty data we found.
The bottom line… we worked hard, had fun, met some amazing people and built relationships for the future. The final result is not 100% accurate and was compressed to meat BoatingSF’s needs but still looks amazing (you should see the original!!) We also started on a new project, global AIS and vessel tracking… but that’s for another post. In the meantime, if your a marine superintendent Lars is a person you need to know. If you’re a mariner interested in tracking ships so you don’t have to spend days in sitting in the union hall… Digital-Seas is the website you will know.
Many thanks to all who helped and stay tuned for more on the amazing people and products we met while working on this project. For a preview visit these amazing sites;
Enough discussion… to see the Cosco Busan’s Track CLICK HERE
Note: The source of our problem was the USCG’s reluctance to release the official AIS data files. If you wish to see the amazing visualizations of Digital Seas… in full size… with accurate data… call your congressman and ask for the file to be released to the public.
A harrowing weather story from the Pacific Northwest. Washington State Department of Ecology’s Website tells us;
The Kauai, a 720-foot container ship operated by Matson Lines, was sailing near Cape Flattery when it was smashed by a large ocean swell. The waves broke out the wheelhouse windows, damaged electronic systems and knocked out the ship’s primary steering system.
The Crowley Maritime-operated Gladiator met the container ship at the mouth of the Strait of Juan de Fuca and escorted her into Port Angeles. There, the Gladiator’s crew handed the ship off to another tug so the Gladiator could return to keep watch at Neah Bay. The Kauai is currently heading to Seattle for repairs.
“We dodged a bullet with today’s assist,” said Dale Jensen, manager in charge of Ecology’s Spills program. “With the incredibly stormy weather here on land, one can only imagine how tough the conditions are at sea.”
He said, “Having the rescue tug stationed at Neah Bay during the winter means we can assist ships in distress and prevent catastrophic damage to our valuable marine resources.”
The state has contracted to station a rescue tug at Neah Bay since spring of 1999. The tug has stood by or assisted 34 ships that were disabled or had reduced maneuvering or propulsion capability while transporting oil and other cargo along the coast and through the Strait of Juan de Fuca. The actions helped ensure the ships didn’t drift onto rocks and spill oil.
A gCaptain reader forwarded the following National Public Radio appearance by our friend Kelly Sweeney, author of the book “From the Bridge, Authentic Modern Sea Stories
“.
Captain Kelly brings up some excellent point so be sure you get your pen ready, you’ll want to take notes.
NPR Show Notes:
A congressional hearing into the cause of the San Francisco Bay oil spill begins today at the Presidio in San Francisco. We’ll talk to a ship captain who says that kind of spill could happen in Puget Sound too.
Guests:
Captain Kelly Sweeney is a Master Mariner, the highest Captain’s license the Coast Guard issues to commercial mariners. He has captained commercial vessels through San Francisco Bay and Puget Sound and writes a column for Professional Mariner. He is based on Whidbey Island.
A vessel found in 700 AD, several centuries before the Vikings ruled Norway, 
the Oseberg ship from approximately 800 AD and the knarr from around year 1000 AD all have one thing in common; their rounded bows were the inspiration for Ulstein’s latest design, the x-bow container ship.
This design is not new, launched last year the Bourbon Orca was the first vessel launched with Ulstein’s revolutionary bow design. Now the company is set to incorporate this design into a new class of short-sea shipping vessels. A company press release: Read the rest of this entry »
Coast Guard Photo By CWO Scott Epeprson
I thought I would list a few podcasts, interviews and audio files that relate to the Cosco Busan Incident and the resultant oil spill in San Francisco Bay. If you find any more of interest please leave a comment with link below.
Our first file (click on the player below) is a very informative hour long discussion I heard on the radio earlier today. It is from KQED’s Forum and is nationaly syndicated by NPR. (Direct Link)
With a criminal probe now launched by the U.S. attorney in San Francisco into Wednesday’s crash of the container ship Cosco Busan, Forum looks at whether oil spills are preventable.
Host: Michael Krasny
Guests:
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Debbie Hersman, board member of the National Transportation Safety Board |
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Paul Rogers, resources and environment writer with the San Jose Mercury News and managing editor of QUEST, KQED’s weekly science and environment program |
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Rear Admiral Craig Bone, the U.S. Coast Guard’s top official in California; and George Miller, Democratic congressman from California’s Seventh District. |
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Robert Bea, professor of civil engineering at the University of California at Berkeley |
First is the audio file from the US Coast Guard Commandant , Admiral Thad Allen’s meeting with the San Francisco Chronicle. (Direct Link)
Coast Guard talks with Chronicle
Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Thad Allen and Rear Adm. Craig Bone spoke to The Chronicle Monday morning about the oil spill and the Coast Guard’s response time to the incident. Here’s what they had to say:
KQED Forum - Cosco Busan Oil Spill:
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Coast Guard talks with Chronicle:
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The San Francisco Chronicle has published the Pilot’s Report on the Cosco Busan Incident. Here are the parts of interest to mariners;
Meadows said problems also cropped up in “bridge management,” the communication between the pilot, who had years of experience on the bay, and the ship’s officers, who had never navigated the bay in the Cosco Busan. All were supposed to work together and exchange information on how to successfully navigate the harbor.
“While some information was exchanged, perhaps it could be said it wasn’t a full transfer of information. It was enough for the pilot to work with the master and get the ship ready for sea,” Meadows said.
We have previously reported on bridge management also know as Bridge Team Management or BRM.
gCaptain’s BRM related articles;
The article continues;
The Cosco Busan’s radar “conked out” twice - first before departure and again as the ship was near the lighthouse on Yerba Buena Island.
Cota was forced to rely on an electronic chart display, showing the track of the vessel and its speed, plus charts of San Francisco Bay. Meadows said the pilot told him he was “not familiar” with the electronic system on the Cosco Busan. “They are all different,” Meadows said.
Cota asked Mao Cai Sun, the captain of the Cosco Busan, to point on the display to the center of the bridge span between the Delta and Echo towers on the western side of the Bay Bridge.
“The master pointed that out,” Meadows said. “In fact, several times during the trip. That’s what the pilot was heading for.”
…
“The pilot had to go along with what the master indicated on the electronic chart display was the center of the span,” Meadows said. “That turned out to be the tower instead.”
We have received email asking; Should the vessel have left without a working radar? and Did the second radar work? …unfortunately those are questions we can’t answer. You will have to wait until the NTSB investigation report is complete.
Read the full SF Chronicle article HERE.
Related Maritime Blog Posts;
I have been amazed lately by the number of errors in both media reports and political commentary related to the the container ship Cosco Busan that allided with San Francisco’s Bay Bridge. We first reported on the confusion between the words allision and collision but that debate is mostly semantic. The errors have grown as the debate has reached a national audience.
The most troubling mistake is reports that infer or flatly state the vessel is a tanker. This mistake has been made numerous times as can be seen by doing a simple google news search for the incorrect term but most seriously in USA Today’s, America’s most widely distributed newspaper, headline (page A6 of November 12th’s edition): “Coast Guard: Tanker crew tested for substances.”
The media is not the only “informed” party making this mistake. The San Francisco Chronicle reports on a statement by San Francisc’s mayor:
Newsom saw the disaster as an even larger statement on the weakness of America’s dependence on oil.
“We can do better than large oil tankers coming in and out of the bay of San Francisco, and move to a more energy independent future,” he said at Crissy Field. “We’ll continue to have these kinds of disasters inevitably if we continue to have more tankers come in and out to feed our addiction.”
So for those in the media or with a passing interest here is a picture of an Oil Tanker and the Cosco Busan:
The major difference between the two is: a tanker transports liquids and a container ship transports containers filled with solids (i.e. toys, home furnishings, industrial supplies…). So before the flood of emails arrive… if the ship that hit the San Francisco Bay Bridge was not transporting any liquids why did it have 58,000 gallons aboard? The answer is… for the same reason your car carries 24 gallons of gasoline.
The fuel spilled in the bay was all to be used by the ship’s enormous engines during the long transit back to China. Had this ship been an oil tanker the spill could have been as large as the one caused by the oil tanker Exxon Valdez… then again probably not since the oil in those ships are now required to be protected by a double hull.
