Green Energy Ship Turns Heads Heading Out to Sea

Most of the large container ships and chemical tankers seen entering or leaving Charleston Harbor don’t wow you with their looks other than their sheer size. 

But on April 30 while at the beach on Sullivan’s Island I witnessed an exception: this stunning vessel steaming toward the open waters of the Atlantic Ocean. I love this photo for capturing the ship’s bold beauty and because we see St. Philip’s Church in the background, a Holy City landmark (one of 14 downtown churches in my book “Stories from the Underground: The Churchyards of Charleston").

See what I mean about turning heads? This gentleman stopped and stared, as did I. 

Stena Prosperous it says on the bow and on the port side in even larger print is Stena Proman. The former is the ship’s name and the latter the company that owns it.  

More lettering on the side spells IMOIIMeMAX. Let us try to determine what all this means! But first check out this photo of the tanker from Ships Monthly. 

Stena Prosperous is an oil and chemical products tanker built in 2022 at Guangzhou Shipyard in China.  It sails under the flag of Limassol, Cypress.

Stena Proman is a joint venture between Stena Bulk, a leading tanker operator, and Proman, a leader in natural gas-derived products and services. The two companies joined forces to build and operate a fleet of methanol-fueled tankers. 

Keep on Shipping--- Dock Workers Strike is Suspended

 

It was a wistful outing to Sullivan’s Island on Sunday, Sept. 29 amid news that at midnight Tuesday port dockworkers from Maine to Texas would go on strike. 

The strike did happen but the good news as I begin this post Thursday at 7 p.m. is that it was just announced that the strike is suspended and International Longshoremen Association union members will return to work tomorrow morning. The ILA represents 85,000 longshoremen in the U.S., eastern Canada, Puerto Rico and the Bahamans.

So these big container ships will soon again be loading and offloading precious cargo at Charleston’s several ports. 

Hopefully things will quickly settle down at grocery stores where many shoppers have been stocking up on food and supplies, fearing shortages a long strike could cause. Plus people and organizations have been buying water, food and other products to help those suffering from the wrath of Hurricane Helene. 

We were fortunate to only have lots of yard debris caused by Helene's winds in our area.

Right as we arrived on the beach just before noon two APL ships passed in the harbor. The Southampton entered the harbor…

The Best of the Beach Summer 2024

Now that Labor Day has come and gone, I’d like to share my favorite photos from several enjoyable Charleston area beach visits (with Alesia and a couple times with our son Joseph). 

From my comfortable beach chair I watch the world go by. On a hot summer day there’s nothing better! On Sullivan’s Island we usually set up near the old Sand Dunes Club at Station 17 or 18. 

I have called Sullivan’s Island the intersection of commerce and recreation. These photographs show you what I mean. 

Back at the Beach for Labor Day!

 We got off easy from Hurricane Idalia which at its worst on Wednesday-Thursday, Aug. 30-31 wasn't bad in our neighborhood. It was a tropical storm by the time it ripped through Florida and Georgia on into South Carolina. Some beautiful weather ensued in the following days so back to the beach we went. 

I ventured into the Atlantic with my GoPro Hero 8 and made a nice video and also took several photos. 

Ships and Shorebirds at Sullivan’s Island

I posted a few weeks ago about photographing Sandwich Terns for the first time. That was at Folly Beach. Well, Sunday at Sullivan’s Island I saw some more. 

This type of Tern certainly has two distinctive traits. The partially black head reminds me of a balding man. And the yellow tip on the bill is the mustard on the sandwich. That’s a memorable line I read in a guide somewhere. 

This smaller beach bird is a Sanderling,
a species of Sandpiper. 

Summer Beach Scenes

‘Tis the season- beach season that is! 

This post is dedicated to our recent visits to Sullivan’s Island. On Sunday, deep in the dog days of summer, the beach here was surprisingly sparse. But it was a good surprise, especially when we found a primo parking spot near the Station 17 path to the sand. 

The photo below I took as we were leaving the beach. 

Labor Day Sunday- The Beach (Where Else!)

 

Between playing tennis in the rain for a short time Saturday and today (Labor Day) getting soaked by rain while mowing the lawn, Sunday at Sullivan’s Island had perfect (dry!) weather. 

Parking was more difficult than usual but it was worth it to spend three or so hours soaking in the sun, swimming in the Atlantic Ocean, and enjoying the idyllic scenery. 

And of course, I took a bunch of photographs. Here’s what was going on at Sullivan’s Island in the Station 17 area. 

Sharks! Fishermen Land Two on Sullivan’s Island

 

We encountered rain and ominous dark clouds on the way to the beach on Sullivan’s Island Sunday. 

I thought we may have to turn around and return home. Sure glad we didn’t because not only did the clouds clear, but before we even set up our chairs in the sand we noticed a fisherman was having quite a battle reeling in whatever was on the end of his line. 

And what a catch he had! 

This guy seemed to be the leading the two fishers (fishermen). Maybe he runs an outdoor adventure outfit. 

He told me this shark is a Blacktip. Notice the black coloring below and around the dorsal fin and the black along the tail fin. 

Beach Season Has Begun!

 When May it be a good time to go to beach? It is the month of May and the time and weather have been right. Here is a collection of my photography from three recent visits to Sullivan’s Island. This included a Mother’s Day brunch at The Longboard restaurant, which was very good. 

In the background (above) is the iconic Sullivan's Island Lighthouse. 

“Lifer” Bird Adds to Beach Visit Discoveries

 

We did not see what we went to try to see but this Sullivan’s Island visit turned out to be a day of surprises. 

I did not realize I had photographed a new bird for me, a “lifer” as birders call such an encounter. This beach bird is called the Forster’s Tern. I did not notice the forked tail until I loaded my pix to my iPad. 

Pondering the Ships at Sea

 

Massive cargo ships daily enter and leave Charleston’s harbor near Sullivan’s Island. 

This beach is truly and literally the intersection of commerce and recreation. 

Charleston’s state-of-the-art ports are among the busiest in the nation. 

And tourism, especially the thousands of people who flock to the fine and family-friendly Atlantic Ocean beaches in the area, is another key to the region’s economy. 

Last Day of Spring- Summer is Here!

More beach scenes from the comfort of my chair set firmly in the sand at Station 17 on wonderful Sullivan’s Island, S.C. This was on Saturday, June 19, the last day of spring. Summer began officially the next day. 

Memorial Day 2021- Begins Summer and Our “New Normal”

 

We returned on Memorial Day to our favorite spot on the beach at Sullivan’s Island. It would be another memorable visit and a nice unofficial start to summer. 

And with great relief, things continue to return to some normalcy after nearly a year and a half under the deadly and disruptive COVID-19 pandemic. 

The Beach Is Fun- But There Are Rules

These guys came to Sullivan’s Island Sunday eager for a fun day on the beach and in the water. 

But bringing a cooler of beer was not the brightest idea. Nor was openly drinking beer while in the ocean. 

Not long after I took this photo, which I liked because of its composition with the Morris Island Lighthouse in the background, a patrolling Sullivan’s Island police officer stopped to talk to the men while they were still in the water and then wrote them up to the tune of a $260 fine.

Shrimp Boats Have a Busy Sunday

 During the spring and summer Sunday is not a day of rest for area shrimp professionals. We saw several shrimp trawlers last Sunday from our beach chairs on Sullivan’s Island. They were returning to their home docks from a hopefully fruitful day with their nets out in the ocean. 

The shrimp boats' distinctive profile is visible from miles away. When they are close enough I try to read their names via my camera’s zoom lens. And it’s neat to see the trawlers in relation to people on the beach. It’s the combination of recreation and commerce that is the heart, soul and economy of seaside cities like Charleston. 

Summer Saturday in February!

A Saturday outing to Sullivan’s Island turned out to be a very fun day. Winter? Not this day, more like a summer day based on the warm weather and busy beach activities seen in this photo. 

It has been a year now since the coronavirus crisis began worldwide. And what a long, stressful year it has been. You can tell in this photograph that people are so ready for things to get back to normal. 

There was plenty of activity on the water also. It was a perfect day for sailing and boating. 

Beach Butterflies!

 It was our first time back to Sullivan’s Island last weekend in several months since the ban on chairs, umbrellas and basically doing at the beach what we and others enjoy- sitting down and hanging out. 

My beach posts this summer have been from Edisto Beach, which did not have such restrictions. Since hearing that Sullivan’s had finally chilled we decided to make a visit. This after we enjoyed an excellent lunch at Obstinate Daughter, a really good restaurant on the island. And we wanted to check if our “secret” free parking spot was still available and still free. It was and is, so that was good too. 

Back to the Beach with Pandemic Precautions

A walk on the beach seemed like a good idea Sunday afternoon so that’s what we did yesterday. We weren’t sure what to expect weather-wise (overcast and possibly rain) or access-wise (knowing that restrictions are in effect).

The shrimp trawler Captain BTS coming into Charleston Harbor. That's St. Philip's Church on the left.

Cool Clouds and an Army Ship?

The clouds were the stars at the beach yesterday. They were big, white and puffy. The shapes were interesting too. These were taken from Sullivan's Island (where else!).

This formation looks like an anvil.

More Shipping News

Today was another nice day at the beach! Station 17 at Sullivan's Island has become our go-to spot. It's never crowded and has great views of the channel to Charleston, which today was busy with ships and other vessels coming and going.

This container ship, only partially loaded, was heading out to sea. It is the Japanese ship Meishan Bridge.