Ever wonder why ships are anchored at English Bay?
A common reason for ships to anchor is due to delays because of the weather.
For example, bulk vessels carrying grain are the most commonly found ships anchored at English Bay. When it rains, grain cannot be loaded on to ships because it will expand, therefore there is often a delay as these vessels wait until the rain subsides before docking at a terminal.
Container and cruise ships are among the least common vessels to anchor at English Bay.
Their cargo is not affected as much by the weather, therefore they arrive and leave quickly. For example, cruise ships are on tight deadlines as passengers need to disembark and embark at specific times to follow an itinerary.
Vessels that anchor in Burrard Inlet versus English Bay are often receiving a service for the vessel, such as bunker fuel.
- An anchor is a device normally made of metal, that is used to connect a vessel to the bed of a body of water to prevent the vessel from drifting due to wind or current. The vessel is attached to the anchor by the rode, which is made with a chain, cable, mooring line (or a combination).
- An anchorage is a location where a ship anchors (to prevent the vessel from moving), such as the 16 anchorages the Port has located at English Bay.
* The Port rarely exports automobiles, instead we use RoRo’s (automobile carriers) to export breakbulk cargo versus sending these ships back empty.