Kentucky Highway - no repeat

Atlantic Larch and Atlantic Willow have met Kentucky Highway at Middle Ground and are positioned to turn the ship at Ives Knoll for Eastern Passage.

 

When Kentucky Highway arrived today for Autoport, there was probably no one aboard who remembers the visit of April 11, 1993. It was a bright sunny Sunday but the wind began to pick up and just about an hour before departure time, the ship began to part its lines. At that time the Autoport facility consisted of a number of moored barges connected to shore by a ramp. The extra stress from the slewing ship caused the ramp to come adrift. The master called for tugs - which had to come from Halifax, but they got there in time get things straightened out and loading resumed (The ship was loading export Chev sport trucks) . The tugs remained alongside and departure was delayed only a short time.
Kentucky Highway is one of the older autocarriers, built by Imabari Shipbuilding in Marugame, Japan in 1987. It measures 50,320 grt. Although still owned by Taiyo NK, it switched from Japanese to Panamanian flag in 2010.

 Kentucky Highway moored at Autoport, earlier in the day of April 11, 1993.

The Autoport landing has been completely rebuilt since 1993 and is much more secure, with fixed dolphins and gangways. However the ship still relies on head lines leading to a mooring buoy, necessitating the use of a line boat, now usually Dominion Diving's Roseway. In the 1993 photo it is their boat Big Steel that was doing the linework. In those days they used to leave the boat at Autoport while the ship was alongside. Now however, security requirements make it much more convenient for the boat to come and go each time, since no one from the boat actually lands on the pier.

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