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Whale of a ship carries cars to Belgium
By adamg on Sat, 10/25/2014 - 1:47pm
Adam Castiglioni watched this Leviathan move out of the harbor and wondered what it could possibly be carrying.
Cambridge Cyclist points us to this page, where we learn it's the Bess, outbound to Zeebrugge, Belgium, carrying vehicles.
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Comments
That Site Has An Interesting Real-Time Map ...
... in case you've been looking for something to waste time on the Internet with.
Its a car carrier - empty
It docks over in Charlestown at the Boston Autoport just below the Tobin. Its probably empty - Sitting too high in the water to be carrying. Returning home.
This.
This.
Surely Adam does not think the US is exporting cars to Europe?
Plenty of Jeeps in Europe
But typically Europeans could not afford to drive gas guzzlers from America. Its like $9 a gallon over there and they are taxed by engine size.
Ford and GM both have their own European divisions. Chrysler is now Italian but I have seen quite a few PT cruisers and a few smaller models on the streets of Dublin. Not sure if they are made here or the UK.
Most Europeans don't understand American cars. Most everyone there drives standard and they hate all the bells and whistles of American cars. Alarms for seatbelts, alarms for leaving lights on, alarms for leaving a window open when locking a vehicle. It drives them nuts.
when I was in Amsterdam in 2011
I saw one or two full-sized American pickups on the street, one Dodge Ram and one Ford F150 or something. They look out of place there in a way that you can't imagine. There was also an odd sprinkling of American Jeeps and minivans on the street as well.
Tradespeople typically use something like a Ford Transit or a Renault Espace. If they need large or bulky building materials, that gets delivered to the jobsite. The whole thing of "I need a pickup that'll haul a 4x8ft (or equivalent European size) sheet of plywood/drywall" doesn't exist there.
There's a certain segment of people in Western Europe who are fascinated with this pop-culture image of America and Americans, and big pickup trucks is part of that image. I guess these were people like that, and they had money to burn. I can't imagine trying to park a pickup in Amsterdam. I'd probably put the thing into a canal. They parallel park right up against the canals and there's not even a curb there. If your skills are deficient in any way, into the drink you go.
FWIW, lots of gas-guzzlers that are sold with a gasoline engine in North America have a diesel option in Europe.
Used heavy trucks to Africa
Used heavy trucks to Africa and South America.......
Think about it
Where's the nearest auto manufacturing plant closest to Charlestown? The only thing we are exporting to Europe in these RoRo's is fresh American air.
Stopped In Rhode Island Yesterday, Came Through Cape Cod Canal
It only stayed in port for about eight hours.
that is a seriously ugly ship
that is a seriously ugly ship
nice lines..
...same harbor where Donald McKay designed/built clipperships..,is that him rolling in his grave?
nice lines..
...same harbor where Donald McKay designed/built clipperships..,is that him rolling in his grave?
Probably cars *from* Europe
, based on the stop in Rhode Island.
They also export used autos
They also export used autos purchased at auction to foreign ports. One such auction is held weekly in Braintree and there are others all around.
Ports Of Call All Around The World - What A Great Cruise!
From her photo album, it appears the Bess doesn't ferry cars merely from one particular place to another, but rather is more like a floating parking garage that transports vehicles (new and/or perhaps used) to many different places across the globe.
Europe, America, Japan, Africa, Australia ... the Cape Cod Canal, and the Panama Canal. She certainly gets around! If I were ever to go on a "pleasure cruise", passage on the Bess sounds like it might be a fun and interesting voyage!
Are those Pontiacs in Germany?