As a regular early morning ferry from Magnetic Island approached the Townsville breakwater , the vessel slowed , veered away slightly . Soon after it was announced a ship was leaving port and no entry was allowed . So there the ferry was - as idle as a pointed ship upon a painted ocean, on a fine day for fishing , on a very high tide.
Slowly being nudged away from its berth by two tugs was the above Marshall Islands registered tanker Flagship Sage . A much travelled passenger standing on the rear deck of the wallowing ferry remarked that Hong Kong would not close down to all other shipping and fishing boats just because one vessel was leaving port .
Alongside was an obvious livestock carrier , the Panama registered Dareen , below , capable of carrying 8000 cattle , one of four such vessels operated by Livestock Shipping Services (LSS) on a regular basis in the Australian trade.
The other carriers on the run are Ghena ( 85,000 sheep or 18,000 cattle and 16,000 sheep ) , Bader lll (110,000 sheep or 75,000 sheep and 10,000 cattle ) and Maysora ( 110,000 sheep or 12,000 cattle ).
The other carriers on the run are Ghena ( 85,000 sheep or 18,000 cattle and 16,000 sheep ) , Bader lll (110,000 sheep or 75,000 sheep and 10,000 cattle ) and Maysora ( 110,000 sheep or 12,000 cattle ).
LSS states it is one of the largest live export companies in the southern hemisphere which operates from all states of Australia to Egypt, Israel, Palestine , Jordan , Kuwait , United Arab Emirates , Libya, Russia , Kazakhstan and Turkey .
Could be an interesting story here, but the port city of Townsville seems to have exported all shipping reporters long ago . Just along from Dareen was a bulk carrier which could make a ripper of a yarn for any adventurous member of the local press gang. It is the oddly named cargo ship Laconic , below.
According to the dictionary , the adjective laconic , derived from Greek , means using few words , concise . And it seems Laconian applied to warlike Spartans, noted for brief and pithy statements before they jabbed you with a long spear called a Dory , or hacked you with a short sword . There is a statue of King Leonidas l , clad in armour, brandishing such a sword , who led the Spartan army at the Battle of Thermopylae .
According to the dictionary , the adjective laconic , derived from Greek , means using few words , concise . And it seems Laconian applied to warlike Spartans, noted for brief and pithy statements before they jabbed you with a long spear called a Dory , or hacked you with a short sword . There is a statue of King Leonidas l , clad in armour, brandishing such a sword , who led the Spartan army at the Battle of Thermopylae .
And shiver me timbers , the good ship Laconic sails under a Greek flag . Any brave local scribe with an understanding of English prepared to actually venture down to the waterfront and board the Laconic might find it is crewed by Greek wrestlers, grunting weight lifters and terse marathon runners .
Another vessel with a catchy name- Zenith Explorer, a bulk carrier - also attracted attention because it seemed to be actually flying the Australian flag , a rarity on Australian coastal vessels , but it seems to be registered in Panama . All this shipping activity in port under a relentless sun and not a drop to drink , or in print - except for this nautically minded blog .
While lolling about on the wallowing ferry , our waterfront roundsman took this art deco snap of the vessel's stern . The 11.30 am ferry from Townsville to Magnetic Island seemed to lose propulsion near the island and slowly made its way into the safe harbour , no announcement . It is all happening on the waterfront . NEXT :Another exclusive S(h)ipping Reporter's post about Townsville and Australia's shame .
