What Goes on in a Container Port?

Welcome aboard to the latest installment in my maritime video series! The latest video production is now live and ready to share. This one has been in the works for the past month and a half, (with some challenges posed by the weather along the way). Despite the occasional gloomy skies, I've managed to distill some sequences that showcase the bustling world of container terminal. In this video, I aimed to provide viewers with a comprehensive look at cargo operations, offering a glimpse into the intricate processes that keep our ports alive and thriving.

Time lapse video makes visible the otherwise VERRRYYYY SLOW and careful movements of these giant vessels as they arrive and depart, maneuvering through the turning basin with the assistance of powerful vessel-assist tugs. You'll also catch glimpses of the constant flow of over-the-road trucks entering and exiting the port, carrying inbound and outbound containers to their destinations.

The heart of the action lies within the port's container yard, where towering RTGs (rubber-tire gantry cranes) meticulously sort through stacks of containers, orchestrating a ballet of logistics that sorts and tracks each one of over a million containers that go through this port every year. Meanwhile, above the waterline, STS (ship-to-shore) cranes work in precise coordination with port tractors and stevedores below, precisely transferring cargo between ship and shore.

I'm awed by the sheer scale and complexity of these operations. And if you're able, I hope you'll check this out on your TV or a larger computer monitor--the immensity of all of this is kind of lost on a cell phone screen! I hope you'll enjoy watching as much as I've enjoyed filming and producing...

Featuring SSA Marine's terminal at the Port of Oakland in Oakland, California, on beautiful San Francisco Bay, the Marine Exchange of the San Francisco Bay Region, the Pacific Maritime Association, the San Francisco Bar Pilots, Saltchuk, A.P. Moller - Maersk, CMA CGM, APL - American President Lines, MSC - Mediterranean Shipping Company, and Yang Ming Marine Transport Corp.

St. Columba departs Port of Richmond

Here’s 90 seconds of video showing the fascinating slow-motion ballet between a ship’s pilot and tugboats to navigate out of the narrow inner harbor of the seaport in Richmond, California, on San Francisco Bay. The St. Columba was there to pick up a load of coke before sailing to Portland, Oregon.

On the radio calls, you can hear San Francisco Bar Pilot trainee G, Captain Lilly Gallo. She’s accompanied by Unit 34, Capt. Nicholas Deisher. And they’re assisted by AmNav vessel assist tugs Patricia Ann and Z-Three.

This all took place over about an hour. The time-lapse sequences are about 30x real-world speed.

The Port of Benicia

I spent a few hours yesterday on a hillside overlooking the Port of Benicia in Benica, California. It’s a fascinating seaport to me largely because of the diversity of operations in a relatively small amount of space. It has three types of terminals, and yesterday, the berths were full and it was in full operation, so was especially fascinating to watch. There was a tanker offloading to the Valero refinery, a bulk carrier loading or unloading what I believe to be Petroleum Coke, and an auto transport unloading cars at the Amports terminal.

Container ship cargo ops at Port of Oakland

time lapse video of container ship unloading

This is the container ship Aristomenis. At 1150’ and with a capacity of 9954 TEU, she’s classified as a Post Panamax ship (most ships are built in size categories built to the capacity of major lock systems, such as at the Panama Canal), and is here in California after loading up in Shanghai, China, about a month ago. She’s made previous stops at the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles, and now at the Port of Oakland. Actually, as I write this, she’s just getting underway again, bound for Kobe, Japan.

This video was all shot yesterday afternoon, as two container cranes worked the forward holds. Eventually I’d love to do a longer time-lapse something like this (only, way better) but this is my first go at it. Just about everything involving these giant vessels happens SO SLOWLY that unless you watch for a while, you can hardly see anything moving. Most of the footage in this video is sped up between 8x and 30x.

Aristomenis is managed by Hapag Lloyd, and here in port, is handled by Norton Lilly agent Kirill Roditi.

Huge 1200' container ship, ONE Ibis, departs California for Hong Kong

four AmNav tugboats assist the cargo ship ONE Ibis, leaving the Port of Oakland for China

I’ve been taking advantage of the seasonal slow-down in my architecture and design shoots to spend more time shooting at the many seaports here in the San Francisco Bay and Delta. Basically being a 9-year-old boy at heart, the biggest ships have a particular pull on me, so I watched the ship movements and set my alarm to get myself up and out early enough yesterday to make the hour and twenty minute drive to the Port of Oakland to catch this big beauty on her way out. It was a busy morning at the Port of Oakland—there were four big ship moves between about 3am and 10am. The first two were in the dark, and there are rules about (not) flying drones in the dark, so I skipped those (regretted that later—looked like it was a nice sunrise) but was here for this.

ONE (Ocean Network Express) was a merger of shipping lines NYK, MOL, and K-Line formed in 2016, and based in Japan. The distinctive magenta color of these ships’ hulls is a nod to the famous cherry blossoms of Japan, which are a national symbol of the country.

A ship of this size usually enlists the help of four harbor assist tugs—in this case, the AmNav Patricia Ann, Sandra Hugh, Z Three, and Jamie Renea.

On the bridge, San Francisco Bar Pilot unit 59, Captain William Benedict, is in charge. (Unit 59 switched with another pilot after the turning basin, but I didn’t catch the number).

Polar Enterprise arrives Richmond Long Wharf, Dec 1, 2023

Video of the Polar Enterprise tanker carrying Alaskan Crude Oil for Conoco Phillips.

Polar Enterprise, an 895-foot crude oil tanker managed by Conoco Phillips, arrives at Richmond Long Wharf, a Chevron refinery dock that can handle up to four tankers and/or barges at once. She’s inbound from a previous stop at the Port of Long Beach. After here, she’ll be retuning to Valdez to take on more crude for another West Coast delivery.

A larger tanker like this is a lot to handle. On the approach to San Francisco Bay, she’s taken on a San Francisco Bar Pilot, an expert in the local waterways. This ship is piloted by Unit 17, Captain Eric Weber. And to help maneuver, make tighter turns, stay within the shipping lanes, and maintain control at slower speeds inside the Bay, she’s assisted by three harbor assist tugs: Foss Maritime Alta June and Leisa Florence, and AmNav Maritime Patricia Ann.

Thanks to some fortunate social media connections, I’ve learned that this vessel’s masters are, I believe, Captain Chuck Rowland and Captain Roger Ross, who presumably tag-team, working weeks or months at a shift, trading off with one another. Ship work is demanding! I’ve heard also from Jake Merk, a 2nd Mate with Polar, and Chris Cochran, who’s in the engine room on this ship. Thanks, guys, it’s been fun hearing from you all, and knowing you like the video!

This video was entirely shot on a DJI Mavic 3 Pro drone.

New Optima - 65 miles down the Sacramento Deep Water Shipping Channel - Nov 28, 2023

Video covering a bulk carrier’s transit from an inland port toward sea

Okay… let me start by urging you to watch this LARGE and with sound on! This video was the product of a personal project assignment. I’ve been eager to head back up to the Port of Sacramento to photograph the harbor when it’s relatively full. There are times when there are no ships in port, but on November 28th, there were three, and one of them was scheduled to depart in the late morning. A ship leaving port creates an interesting flurry of activity, with dock lines being released, a pilot boarding the ship, and tugs assisting it off the dock and getting it turned into the channel pointed in the right direction. A handheld Marine VHF makes it even more interesting, as I can hear the calls between the ship, tugs, vessel traffic service, drawbridges, other vessels, etc. I’m quite self-aware that this makes me look sound like a crazy old man, hanging out at seaports with my cameras and my drone and my radio, but… 🤷‍♂️

This is a long, slow transit, in a narrow channel. It’s fascinating watching the whole journey, intermittently parking alongside various rural roads in the Sacramento River Delta (what a fascinating area to explore!), and watching for the cranes and superstructure of a giant cargo ship to drift across the landscape. Someone just passing through might do a double-take, not realizing that ships sail these waterways, and seeing one appearing to move across what looks like dry land from the road. It would appear surreal!

Starting at Sacramento, New Optima was boarded by San Francisco Bar Pilot Unit 20 (Captain Dan Larwood). He’ll be in charge as far as New York Point, off Pittsburg, CA, where a fresh pilot (Unit 36, Captain Maximilian Starnitzky). The Bar Pilots are specialists in the local waterways. And the Delta requires a lot of knowledge—navigating these incredibly narrow waterways, there’s very little room for error.

Right off the dock, New Optima is assisted by two tugs operated by Brusco Tug & Barge: Sharon Brusco and Mike Brusco Sr.

Along the way, she’ll pass under two drawbridges and on some trips in some areas, may encounter other ships going the other direction. The 65 miles covered here took nearly seven hours. I hope you’ll enjoy the trip!