Photographing container ship: Lynchpin in the global supply chain

A year later last month, a year after a year, container ship Dal, on the night of March 26, 2024, tragically stuck the Francis Scott Bridge in Baltimore, making shock and headlines around the world. As a result of the horrific disaster, six construction workers died that night, damage to the vessel and its containers, and closing the port, disrupted the eastern coast shipping for later months. It was the most deadly bridge collapse in the United States over a decade.

This tragedy was one of the series of high-profile events related to container ships over the years-including congestion and delays, which affords global ports during the Kovid-19 epidemic, said the dwellers to blocking the canal by the Magships given in 2021, and the flying in 2023 said-said. Videos and photos of large -scale container ships symbolize the global economy in news broadcasts including print and digital media. Recently, the controversial and unstable tariff policy of the Trump administration has focused on the delicate and unavoidable role of the world economy that containers serve as lynchpins in the global supply chain.

I like to travel, and in 2010, I decided to see the world in a unique way: riding on a container ship. I wanted to know more about the international shipping system that makes our 21st century economy possible and is far behind that we all depend on – yet very little we know about. Actually, about 90 percent of us purchased was at some point sent by the sea. Nevertheless, the world of cargo ships and ports is removed from websites and store shelves where we find products we want. Also, at that time, I was looking for a travel experience that was informative and transformative and who gave me enough time to meditate and reflect. I wanted something that was the farthest thing from my familiar sites and the general routine living in New York City. Cargo travel seemed to check all boxes.

A container is concentrated around the safety of the life cargo and its sephers. These are working – not cruise ships – in which passengers take a backseat for captains, officers and primary missions of the crew; At the same time, this privileged convenience point allows travelers to get an up-close and rare approach to how these notable ships operate. Cargo travel requires flexibility, patience and a curious and independent spirit. Therefore, passengers have to find ways to entertain themselves: for example, reading, writing, watching movies, exercising in gym room, searching the deck of the ship, visiting the ship’s bridge or engine room and talking to the crew and officials.

There is a feeling of freedom and adventure that comes from the discovery of the world, away from the grid, in such a way that most people will never experience. Looking at the horizon, one appears to be beauty, strength, and infinite of the sea. It is not difficult to feel a sense of relationship and fear with countless mariners who provoke the seas throughout the history. At the same time, one is a new appreciation for about 1.9 million men and women who are sailing worldwide today – usually for several months at a time – which help in the shadow of the global economy, the backbone of our mutual world.

Using a travel agency specialized in cargo travel, I boarded the container ship Hanjin Yantian, about 1,000 feet long in 2010. (Hanjin shipping, owner of the original company and vessel, Hanjin Shipping, announced bankruptcy in 2017. States. From Okland, it left for Seattle – and then the Aleutian Islands in the Northern Pacific and the north of Japan, through water to South Korea, before reaching South Korea’s Busan, where I was disintegrated in my footsteps where I was destroyed. After a few busy days docked, Yantian continued his route to various ports in East Asia, eventually distributing and loading goods before returning to the US to start a loop.

I was bent. It was excited for those 10 days that a trip was not enough. I pierced to stay in the sea again, and in 2017, I was lucky to get the opportunity. This time, I traveled on CMA CGM Andromeda for 24 days, which is 1,193 feet long, which is just one longer than the height of the Eiffel Tower. I booked the route on the Classic Europe-to-Asia route with French shipping company CMA CGM. Andromeda departed before repeating the route in the reverse, from northern France to the Mediterranea Sea, through the Suez Canal and the Red Sea, across the Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean, to the ports in East Asia. I boarded the vessel in Malta Freeport, one of the busiest in Europe, and from there Andromeda made a scheduled port call in Beirut, Lebanon; Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; Jebel Ali, United Arab Emirates; And Port Keylong, Malaysia where I disintegrated. Only in Beirut and Jebel Ali were my fellow passengers and I was able to leave the vessel and container port. After cleaning the passport control at the ports, we had about 12 hours to detect Lebanese Rajdhani and Dubai, while the crew worked by bus to load and unload the containers.

Given the images I took during my first container ship trip in 2010, I was reminded how much I had increased as a photographer. After taking photography as a serious hobby only a few years ago, there was a lot that I still did not understand well, such as exposure settings do the best in different situations, their impact on the depth of the area, and the importance of underexposing to preserve the highlights. At the same time, photographing from a moving ship leads to new and unfamiliar challenges, which forced me to adapt to a dynamic and ever changing environment. I was using Nikon D80, my first interchangeable-lens camera and Nikon product, which I enjoyed very much, inspired me to remain a Nikon owner till date.

I remember when I stepped from Yentian in Busan after traveling for 10 days, I was a little disappointed, because I finally started feeling comfortably on the ship. For example, I was ready to learn many sailors, and I finally knew my way around the cavenus vessel. As a result of my 2010 sailing experience, when I went to Andromeda after seven years, I had a better understanding of what to expect, who predicted life more – and thus, made my journey very easy.

During my 24 days in Andromeda, I was one of the five passengers. We all boarded the vessel in Malta, but I was the first to Dissabark. Others continued their journey in East Asia, finally landed in Busan. It was a protocol that we eat breakfast, lunch and dinner at the scheduled time each day. As guests, it was customary for us to eat with captains and officials. The crew ate in a separate dining room. Apart from our food, our time was our own – ever except for safety and fire drills. Despite this, my fellow travelers and I committed to meet once a day to watch a film in the passenger entertainment room. There was no internet signal in the sea, so any film or show we saw were on DVD or were already downloaded.

Riding on both Yentian and Andromeda, the CFERs organized a barbecue on the deck of the ships. It was clear that the crew and officials actually enjoyed this break from the Daily Peace. I learned from the crew – all of which were Filipinos – this barbecue is a popular method for those who are a popular way to work on a ship, relax, relax and do a little fun. On both my trips, the All-Filipino crew (captains and officers were Europeans, from Germany, Croatia, Montenegro and Serbia, for example) also found joy in organizing karaoke games, which were out after their innings ended.

For decades, Filipino has dominated the labor force of the global shipping industry. The Philippino Marmen can earn at least 10 times what they can do at home, so a career in the sea is attractive despite being away from family and home from home. Barbecue and Karaoke play nights, therefore, keeps them connected to the Filipino culture and traditions and participate to maintain the souls of the crew.

There has been a lot in the shipping industry since 2017. One of the casualties of the epidemic is that major shipping companies – with some exceptions – stopped allowing passengers to pass. In recent years, with increasing global instability with so many high-profile events, there is little encouragement for ship owners to take additional liability of passengers. The consensus between cargo travel agencies is that it is unlikely that shipping companies will reverse their policy for the future. This is sad and unfortunate. I sign up for another container ship trip in the heartbeat.

Inspired by passengers the industry, and feeling indifferent about its time in the sea, I wanted to share my perspective into a low-understanding world of commercial shipping, especially at this influence point for industry and global economy. Cargo trip is an attractive, life-long experience for courageous-and for photographers, it is a rich experience with a world scene that most people will never see, yet in which our lives are intimately connected.

Duane Bailey-Castro is a New York City-based photographer who specializes in urban landscape and travel photography. His long -term project is documenting the Harlem River bridges in New York City. To see their more work, please see His Instagram page And Website,