Do ships get charged for anchoring?

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Giblets

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I ask because yesterday and the day before there was an oil tanker going backwards and forwards south of the Isle of Wight eventually going into Fawley last evening and now there is a vehicle carrier doing much the same south of the Nab Tower but not due to dock until midnight. :confused:
 
I believe they pay a great deal for docking, tens of thousands per hour - so not unnatural to arrive early, then drift around on the spot, killing time till they're due in port. Easier than dropping 150m of anchor & chain then hauling it all in again?
 
Giblets said:
I ask because yesterday and the day before there was an oil tanker going backwards and forwards south of the Isle of Wight eventually going into Fawley last evening and now there is a vehicle carrier doing much the same south of the Nab Tower but not due to dock until midnight. :confused:
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It depends where, but they often do and its not cheap. So depending on the situation ships will often either go backwards and forwards slowly or just stop and drift.
 
Depends on the relevant economics. Once they enter port limits they get hit for all sorts and anchoring takes time.

I was once on a ship in New York that was almost alongside and delayed putting her lines on for two minutes. If they hadn't waited, the owners would have been hit for a USD 5000 charge for stevedores as they charged by the clock hour.
 
If a merchant ship enters a compulsory pilotage area she will be obliged to take a pilot, unless exempt by virtue of her size or the presence on board of a pilotage exemption certificate holder. If she also crosses the port limits, which may or may not coincide with the compulsory pilotage limits, she will become liable for port dues.
 
dancrane said:
Easier than dropping 150m of anchor & chain then hauling it all in again?
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Easier for who? It's not as if somebody's winding this stuff up by hand.

The bosun and the deckhand or two who will go to the focsle to drop the hook are already being paid, so their time costs nothing. Running the windlass won't add any noticeable costs to the general operation of the ship.

Motoring up and down will cost money in fuel.

"Easier" doesn't come into it in commercial terms.

Pete
 
Commercial vessels anchoring in a port area incur a charge; for example anchoring north of a line draawn east of Brodick bay and a line drawn west of Lochranza incurs a charge as you are in Clydeport limits. South of that line you can do what you like for free.
 
I very much doubt whether anchoring will save any money if you are due to dock later in the day. You'll still be burning fuel to keep the ship supplied with power and I don't think big ship engines start with a simple turn of a key so it's easier to keep them ticking over for 12 hours than to stop and start them. So if you're not going to stop engines, then why drop anchor?
 
prv said:
Easier for who? It's not as if somebody's winding this stuff up by hand.

The bosun and the deckhand or two who will go to the focsle to drop the hook are already being paid, so their time costs nothing. Running the windlass won't add any noticeable costs to the general operation of the ship.

Motoring up and down will cost money in fuel.

"Easier" doesn't come into it in commercial terms.

Pete
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They are only already being paid if it happens inside their normal working hours, otherwise it is overtime, something greatly hated by most ship owners.
 
maxi77 said:
They are only already being paid if it happens inside their normal working hours, otherwise it is overtime, something greatly hated by most ship owners.
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If they are coming into a port area they are at manoeuvring anyway, so the hands are already standing by and racking up OT.

chrishelen said:
wouldnt it be better if the skipper timed his arrival to coincide with his docking time? cant be rocket science.
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In an ideal world yes, but berths may not be available due to cargo not arriving, cranes going diffy, customs/charterer/port police shenanigans, mechanical failure, weather delays etc. Sometimes it works like a well oiled machine, sometimes it disnae.
 
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lots of vessels anchoring between nab and iow tonite - full up? maybe forecast causing concerns - or they're looking for the large cod being landed off the nab
 
I now see that the vehicle carrier has dropped her hook about 15 miles due south of the Nab so well outside So'ton's port limits. (Chesapeake Bay in case anyone's interested.)

Edit: Cancel that, she's now showing as Underway again from Anchored/Moored
 
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Fantastic binoculars you must have, Giblets. Movements at the Nab anchorage, seen in detail from Surrey! Are you at the top of Leith Hill Tower? Like to try those glasses. ;)
 
chrishelen said:
wouldnt it be better if the skipper timed his arrival to coincide with his docking time? cant be rocket science.
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The engines on ships sometimes can not be run at low revs for long periods of time,so they have no choice but to arrive early.
 
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