2017 Shipping Photography Retrospective

With the end of December rapidly approaching, it is time to look back on my favourite shipping images of 2017. This is a collection of subject matter that is either well framed, otherwise interesting, or sometimes both.

Big Lift's Happy River with HMBS BAHAMAS on board, presumably headed to Europe for refit.

CSL Tacoma. I usually try to fill the frame with my subject matter, but I love this wide angle shot of a seemingly small CSL Tacoma set against the Halifax skyline.

Tanker Crawford escorted by Atlantic Oak.

Budapest Bridge.

Budapest Bridge. Fog is my friend (sometimes). 

OOCL Kuala Lumpur. It is always nice when the ferry manages to duck behind a large moving ships, to allow for a different viewing angle.

Crystal Symphony. As always, I look for angles that eliminate shoreline in the background that interferes with the outline of the ship.

YM Express.

A member of the herring fleet tied up along the boardwalk on the Halifax waterfront.

2017 was the last year for the ACL G3 ships like Atlantic Conveyor, and they have now all gone to scrap. The rust trails from the windows in the superstructure show that maintenance was slipping at the end. Despite teething problems, the new G4 ships have now replaced them.

One of the aforementioned ACL G4 ships, Atlantic Star.

The herring fleet's Morning Star.

Sometimes the ferry gets very close and allows images such as this one of Acadian.

Wallenius Wilhelmsen's Liberty peaking out from behind George's Island, which really goes to illustrate the size of the modern auto carrier.

Queen Mary 2.

The Canada C3 icebreaker, Polar Prince. While I couldn't even get close enough for an unimpeded photo of the ship, my lucky brother managed to snag a berth on a 9-day leg of her travel through the Northwest Passage for Canada's 150th year. But I'm not bitter.

Grandeur of the Seas. While not what I would call beautiful, I will allow that she looks more balanced than some of the newer mega-ships that go by the "cruise ship" moniker these days.

Queen Mary 2.

Queen Mary 2.

Queen Mary 2 performing a sailpast of the Halifax waterfront upon her departure on August 10th.

A morning's ferry ride was well timed to catch the warmth of the rising sun lighting up the port side of YM Essence.

Serenade of the Seas.

The Atlantic Pilotage Authority procured two new (to them) pilot boats for the Port of Halifax, including Nova Pilot. I believe both were purchased in The Netherlands. I normally don't get to photograph the pilot boats at speed, but on this particular day I was lucky enough to be a passenger in the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic's rebuilt schooner Hebridee II.

Hapag Lloyd's Palena.

One of two remaining ferries servicing the Caribou, NS to Prince Edward Island run, Confederation.

Zim San Diego riding high.

Hapag Lloyd's Dalian Express.

Holland America Line's Rotterdam. October's rising sun frequently makes for an interesting background.

Rotterdam again. The rising sun is particularly interesting when it provides both a backdrop and lighting in the form of reflections from some of the new highrise buildings on the Halifax skyline.

Two of the larger cruise ships that visited Halifax, Regal Princess, and Mein Schiff 6.

The same two ships - I enjoy stacking ships in the same image. I think it makes them look bigger.

Guangzhou Highway. Auto carriers are large ships, but seen from a small boat, they look even bigger!

I grudgingly admit to admiring the lines of the Disney cruise ships, like Disney Magic shown here.

Malleco.

YM Movement.

Dockwise Forte.

Another ACL G4 ship, Atlantic Sail.

Atlantic Sail.

Torm Carina. It constantly amazes me how much you can get away with these days with the latest digital cameras in terms of hand held photography from a moving platform (harbour ferry) in low light conditions.

This photo of Trinity Sea is another example of this.

YM Essence and Trinity Sea.

That's it for 2017 - let's see what 2018 brings!