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Dontleave t1_j6iugdr wrote

It’s a vehicle carrier (new cars) coming from Davisville RI

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nobbyv t1_j6jg1wy wrote

I didn't realize Boston could handle these ROROs. All the cars I've bought have been taken off in Davisville and then shipped via carrier to me up in NH. Thought Davisville covered basically all of NE.

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BigHmmEnergy t1_j6jqpao wrote

They offload in Charleston. You can see the massive parking lot on google maps [here] https://maps.app.goo.gl/2tjVkNNHAZ2ndWc9A?g_st=i Dropped pin)

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ahecht t1_j6jtlwe wrote

Seems like a bad idea to store new cars next to a giant salt pile, but what do I know.

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CapeAnnimal t1_j6kudrw wrote

Salt pile is in Chelsea

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BostonUrbEx t1_j6l2lby wrote

The one in Chelsea is there year round, and there is a second one at the Moran Terminal in Charlestown during the winter.

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CapeAnnimal t1_j6l75ie wrote

Oh there you go, thanks for straightening me out. I worked at Chelsea high, sometimes the kids would play in the salt piles on the way to school, come in all crusted with salt.

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dyslexda t1_j6lcy59 wrote

That area is the size of Kendall Square, and it's a parking lot for storing offloaded cars? Some prime /r/fuckcars material there.

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TheSausageFattener t1_j6kcbvm wrote

Any idea why they would run it from Quonset to Charlestown like that? It seems like a lot of effort to take the ship into the bay, then take it back out and sail it up to Boston. Ive always been under the impression these are usually transatlantic haulers.

Is there no more efficient way to do it? Theyve got rail freight.

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RufusTCuthbert t1_j6kez3a wrote

Essentially this is more efficient. But also the rail infrastructure to Moran Terminal in Charlestown, which is aka Boston Autoport, is in poor shape and not been used in many years. It also snakes it’s way through a highly congested area (both streets and rail) and would be a very slow and disruptive way to ship that many cars, using various freight railroads, routes, etc.

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BostonUrbEx t1_j6l3az5 wrote

Most of the cargo is loaded on in Japan. In Davisville and Boston they unload. Most of these auto ships that call on Boston seem to only sail east. Japan -> Panama Canal -> Carribbean and East Coast -> Davisville -> Cape Cod Canal -> Boston -> Suez Canal -> Japan. I'm not sure why the ships that call on Boston always seem to go the same direction. There's also a bunch of destinations, but I noticed they always unload in Davisville before unloading in Boston.

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ibleedblue t1_j6mjjyf wrote

Google ocean currents and you’ll see that it’s more efficient to travel east along the Gulf Stream to the Mediterranean than it is to travel back south to the Panama Canal.

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Rindan t1_j6kqlua wrote

Shipping by water is hilariously cheaper than anything else. Money is always worth "a lot of effort".

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PHOTO500 t1_j6kk56a wrote

Somewhere a Russian oligarch is on his yacht reading OP’s headline and laughing his ass off.

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mini4x t1_j6kndx7 wrote

This is a Japanese built and owned ship, somehow fagged to Panama, bringing Japanese built cars to the US.

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gronkspike25 t1_j6kxdgp wrote

The flag is of convenience. It’s significantly cheaper for the company.

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mini4x t1_j6kxoof wrote

Ahh, the Minnesota loop hole of the ocean?

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BostonUrbEx t1_j6l3wvb wrote

And almost entirely staffed by Philippinos for some reason, too. And not unique to these ships. Lots of Philippinos on cruise ships working behind the scenes. Never could figure out why.

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mini4x t1_j6l49jl wrote

Pretty easy - one of the poorest countries in the world so they will work dirt cheap. I met a bunch of Filipino workers on Wake Island ages ago, they were some of the nicest guys too.

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Rindan t1_j6kr0w5 wrote

I don't get it. Why would a Russian oligarch find it funny that a big cargo ship moved cars between two American states via the cheapest means possible?

I think Russian oligarchs probably have some more serious stuff to worry about - like finding a way to keep ingratiating themselves with Putin so they don't accidentally fall out a window with three gun shots in the back of their head.

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