I say they convert it to the largest training ship ever made and let each of the state schools have two holds each, and all take the same training cruise at the same time.
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Dummy bridge and engine room in each hold, slaved to the real ones?
I’m skeptical of success to seize a foreign flagged vessel that results in forfeiture.
Not the first time seizures have happened but not usually to a company the size of MSC. That the crew appears to have been complicit does not bode well for MSC.
Personally not buying the story of how this happened - just might be deliberate smokescreen so as to not let their inside knowledge out. Really no way that a ship this size could be in an Open Sea Transfer Op this big - just operationally, the ship would have to come off the Load Program to slow and that would alert way too many based on the current story. Probably loaded IN containers ashore and then loaded on ship in Port. As to HOW the Feds “found” the exact containers when ship docked in Philadelphia???..then they say 2nd Mate had cocaine powder on his arms…after a Sea Voyage of days?? Again no way unless he was a personal “user” and that would have dubious connection to HOW Feds found the stuff. This was an Ongoing Operation they were watching for months or even years.
This I copied from the gCaptain article:
Several crew members have been arrested in connection to the drugs, which were allegedly loaded from small boats at sea.
What I don’t understand is how it is possible that 16.5 tons of drugs are loaded off small boats at sea without this being noticed by the bridge. First of all one would think you need a crane for this but there is to my knowledge no such crane. Then the next question is how this is then loaded in the containers. Furthermore the ship has to stop or sail at very low speed with small boats at the side. This can only be done when the bridge is involved.
It would be feasible that this was done when the ship was moored and thus the bridge unmanned. The way the Chinese crew in Swedish ports, on a tanker I sailed on, lowered crates with whiskey at the river side in a small boat. The watchman in his little cabin near the gangway had no clue. The first mate was made aware that something had happened when an envelope with a considerable amount of money was found on his desk. Sender unknown…
Personally something about this whole story doesn’t add up. Reportedly over 39,000 lbs of cocaine were found in 7 containers. I find it hard to believe this is something the crew could have handled themselves. I find it more likely the containers were loaded aboard with the drugs already inside.
Another question comes to mind. How were the said containers manifested? Were they partial loads or empties.
It isn’t just you. Nothing about the story we have been told adds up. If the ship is not forfeited the story falls apart even faster. Where are the master and chief mate in this story? Are they “dead men walking” or ???
I believe that some of the information comes from arrest documents but the part about the transfer at sea from boats came from statements made by crew that has been arrested.
The crew statements might be false. I haven’t seen where the authorities have verified the crew statements one way or the other.
This is from what might be a more credible source than some others:
Mystery of Who is Responsible as Container Ship Impounded after Huge Narcotics Find
This of course may all be a fantasy to disguise the real operation. The likelihood of 20 tonnes of cocaine in bags being transferred at sea does stretch the credibility somewhat. Those arrested talk of 30-40 minutes to transfer the narcotics. The haphazard stowage and lack of any reasonable attempt to disguise the drugs does however add some credibility to the story. If transfer at sea was in fact the case, it is hard to imagine anyone on the Gayane being unaware of what was happening.
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The MSC Gayane is owned by J.P. Morgan Asset Management and chartered to MSC
I think all the ships they operate are chartered.
That thing reads like a press release from MSC legal and marketing people.
This is what a press release looks like:
MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company is aware of reports of an incident at the Port of Philadelphia in which U.S. authorities made a seizure of illicit cargo. MSC takes this matter very seriously and is grateful to the authorities for identifying any suspected abuse of its services.
Unfortunately, shipping and logistics companies are from time to time affected by trafficking problems. MSC has a longstanding history of cooperating with U.S. federal law enforcement agencies to help disrupt illegal narcotics trafficking and works closely with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
MSC is committed to working with authorities and industry groups worldwide to improve the security of the international supply chain and ensure that illegal practices are dealt with promptly and thoroughly by the relevant authorities.
This a smooth talk statement, saying all the right things - purr purr, probably drawn up by the PR folks in defense of MSC, nothing wrong with them, committed to full cooperation etc.
What we used to call “rrrround sounds”
Cheers,
Earl
I’m curious about the ship’s future. A single 10k TEU ship for sale that’s instantly US flagged? Who would be interested? What run would it/could it do? How much will it sell for?
For instance, if Matson could get it for $50 million, would it be worth it to buy it then pay for the necessary crane upgrades in Honolulu to put this thing to work on the USWC to Hawaii run?
Any other ideas?
It’s not supposed to work that way:
the Article argues that the quiet transformation of U.S. bank holding companies into global commodity merchants effectively nullifies the foundational principle of separation of banking from commerce. It further argues that the currently existing statutory framework does not provide a sufficiently robust structure for the regulation and supervision of banking organizations’ extensive commercial operations in global commodity and energy markets.
Here is a link to the article:
The Merchants of Wall Street: Banking, Commerce, and Commodities
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Our corrupt politicians are well financed to make sure it works that way.
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Six or seven years ago I did some due diligence work for a private equity group looking to invest in a company to built a number of Handysized bulkers. My job specifically was to evaluate the shipyards in China they were planning to use. It was interesting work on several levels. In the past companies would have gone to banks for financial backing but as those funds dried up a number of private equity groups stepped up in their place. I wondered if companies knew the devil they were making a deal with. The company I worked for saw their fleet grow from 5 to 27 ships in 4 years. I have no doubt the private equity group expected a greater role in company management with the money they brought to the table.
Last night, ‘MSC Gayane’ left the Big Stone anchorage in the mouth of the Delaware Bay.
Now she is 160 NM offshore, AIS-destination is Rotterdam.
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