Tramp Steamers

[Woodtroll]

I don't think so. For a while the morning news would report on the criminals being released from prison by Governor Nuisance for one weak reason or another, and a percentage of those criminals seemingly couldn't wait to commit another crime so they could get arrested and go back to prison. So now they don't mention anything about the releases, just the arrests. No, the people running this state are about as sharp as a crate of bowling balls.

And then, I could be wrong about the "maybe they're beginning to learn" part. And California is hardly the only state with a revolving door criminal policy, to be fair.

 

[Tiki Tom]

Pretty incredible…
A centuries old shipwreck has mysteriously washed ashore on the Newfoundland coast. And, judging by the photo, it appears to be relatively intact. Perhaps one of those legendary ghost ships has finally beached itself.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/jan/29/shipwreck-canada-newfoundland-cape-ray

 

[Tiki Tom]

“Abandon ship!” Seems to have a new meaning. Over 2000 sailors and 150 ships were abandoned last year. Pretty crazy. Truly a horrific story. Everyone claims it’s not their jurisdiction, I guess.

https://apnews.com/article/abandone...wages-oceans-83ad0a42debbaf67c18373393fcea753

 

[Tiki Tom]

When I was a young man, I had no idea that this was even an option.

 

[Tiki Tom]

Remember the days when freighters of uncertain origin, under often changing flags would run illicit cargos all over the world for a quick buck?

Well, those days are NOW.

https://www.icij.org/news/2025/03/russias-ghost-ships-haunt-libya/

 

[Tiki Tom]

Piracy update, by the numbers.
On average, two attacks per week.
Cruise ship in Philippines tells passengers to turn off lights and stay off decks as they pass through pirate infested waters. In a separate instance, elsewhere, passengers threw chairs at pirates as they tried to board.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/cruises/piracy-threat-cruise-ships/

Wild stuff, indeed.

 

[Tiki Tom]

Yikes. Tanker fully loaded with liquified gas is ablaze in the gulf of Aden. Crew has abandoned ship. Vessel could blow.

https://apnews.com/article/yemen-ship-gulf-of-aden-houthis-25543875a66516c99ec937952542972f

 

[Tiki Tom]

Another great story about the Russian ghost fleet.

https://maritime-executive.com/arti...-was-carrying-nuclear-submarine-reactor-parts

it appears that, last year, a mysterious Russian freighter, the “Ursa Major” —-long suspected of being an arms smuggler—-, sank in the straights of Gibraltar. Now the Spanish press is reporting that she had been carrying nuclear reactor parts to North Korea and the sinking was most likely not an accident.

Tramp freighters with illicit cargoes sneaking between obscure ports. Nefarious covert operations and spies. We are living in a second golden age of smuggling and pirates. But these captains are not dashing romantic rogues, they are simply maritime criminals.

 

[Zombie_61]

When I was a young man, I had no idea that this was even an option.

When I was growing up my Dad worked for Pan Pacific Fisheries Cannery on Terminal Island, California. As I grew older and realized I was going to have to find a job to support myself after high school, I asked him about the cannery, the boats they used, other facilities on Terminal Island, and so on, to see what careers might be available to me. He was a little evasive with his answers, and eventually told me that trying to find a job there wouldn't be a good idea. He said he didn't think the cannery or any of the other local businesses would be there much longer, and, sure enough, today that whole area is owned and supervised by the Port of Los Angeles.

What he didn't tell me was that, at the time I was asking about careers there in the late-1970s, Pan Pacific Fisheries, as an entity, was owned and operated by the west coast faction of "The Mob". They were still in charge of that area when Dad retired in the mid-1980s, but were soon run out while the local government could "legally" confiscate those properties and such to create the modern version of the Port of Los Angeles. Looking back, I'm glad he steered me towards more honest careers, but I'm quite sure I'd have made more money working in a career that was less legal.

 

[Tiki Tom]

Happy new year!
A nautical game of cat and mouse…

https://www.euronews.com/2025/12/31/crew-paints-russian-flag-on-iran-linked-tanker-pursued-by-us

 

[Tiki Tom]

Oil flotilla sails from Venezuela despite U.S. Blockade.

https://www.reuters.com/world/ameri...-dark-mode-tankertrackerscom-says-2026-01-05/

Quote from article: “All the departed vessels identified are under sanctions and most are now sailing on the high seas without any known flag or current ship safety documentation in place, shipping data showed. “

 

[Tiki Tom]

Good article, published September 2026.
Talks about hopping a freighter as a passenger.

Quote: “Cargo ships have carried passengers for centuries, but the golden age of freighter travel was the first half of the 20th century, before long-distance air services became commonplace. The romance and adventure of traveling by tramp steamers and banana boats was popularized by movies like “The Long Voyage Home” (1940) with John Wayne and “China Seas” (1935) with Clark Gable and Jean Harlow.”

https://www.cnn.com/travel/cargo-ship-tourism-voyages

The industry has not yet recovered from Covid.

 

[Zombie_61]

...The industry has not yet recovered from Covid.

The world has not yet recovered from CNN.

 

[Tiki Tom]

A bad day for the pirates…

https://www.trtafrika.com/english/article/22c09aeb0083

Four boats used by the pirates destroyed, 14 pirates killed.

 

[Tiki Tom]

More lawlessness and intrigue on the high seas.

The French Navy seized a suspected shadow fleet tanker on Monday in the Indian Ocean, marking the fifth interception this year. The seized tanker, DF Peak, is sanctioned by the U.S., Canada, European Union, Switzerland, U.K. and Ukraine. Previously operating under the name of Kaliningrad and owned by a Russian company, DF Peak is now under the ownership of Hong Kong Ding Feng Shipping and flies a Benin flag.

https://news.usni.org/2026/10/13/french-navy-seizes-suspected-shadow-fleet-tanker-in-indian-ocean

The international game of cat-and-mouse continues.