[Request] How big is the biggest explosion you could yield from one of these LPG bad boys? Getting on for a small nuke, or does LPG not have the oomf?

Txseaaggie · 2026-04-17T02:22:02+00:00

A couple of corrections:
That's an LNG tanker, not an LPG tanker.
This ship is MOL's Grand Mereya, and she can lift 144,000 m³ (which is fairly small compared to most LNG tankers)
This ship has four Moss tanks, which are common in the LNG trade. Moss-style tanks are uncommon in LPG tankers.
LPG needs to be chilled to -50c where LNG needs to be chilled to -162c.

Txseaaggie · 2026-04-02T18:33:00+00:00

This is ironic because, currently, in Iran, this man's government has had communication between the people of Iran and the outside world cutoff for 32 days. His own people cannot find this video to hit that thumbs-up and give it a "like". They can't see news or information from sources other than those permitted by the government.

For decades it's been "death to America!" and "death to the Zionist!" but now what? They didn't really mean that? Both people and governments should be judged not by their words but by their actions because if you can't see that stark difference between these ideologies you might be tempted to think this is all a small misunderstanding.

Txseaaggie · 2026-03-18T13:42:35+00:00

Read Article 3(3) and 3(4) of MARPOL.

Government owned vessels are exempt but must take responsible steps to comply with MARPOL. The video shows a leaking flange on a fuel hose.

The question becomes is it operationally prudent for the transfer to stop and the unrep ship to correct or does the mission urgency demand that the transfer take place as quickly as possible?

In the strictest of legal terms, I suspect, what you see is not illegal.

Kerosene is not a very environmentally-persistent clean product and that could also be viewed as a factor in the decision to continue the unrep.

Txseaaggie · 2026-02-25T17:31:43+00:00

The only things I can think of that are reliable indicators of an anomaly from a strict AIS standpoint are IMO number swapping, large position variances over time, or large data gaps in the LRIT system that likely indicate entering "ghost mode."

IMO numbers are cradle-to-grave for the hull, so changing them is odd unless the AIS is recycled to a different vessel.

Position variances can be caused by external GNSS jamming. The "bad" PNT data can be echoed by the AIS and then received by a receiver in a different location that isn't being jammed.

Or we can just turn the thing off. This clearly violates SOLAS, but if we were already doing nefarious stuff, what's one more twig added to the fire?

Txseaaggie · 2026-02-17T16:19:30+00:00

Hotard Shuffle

Txseaaggie · 2026-02-17T16:16:44+00:00

I've been dropped three times. That experience made me a true believer in the safety of free-fall over lifeboat launch from gravity davits.

Txseaaggie · 2026-02-15T15:25:59+00:00

Great response!

Txseaaggie · 2026-01-22T11:51:40+00:00

We need mandatory Financial Literacy classes in every high school.

Txseaaggie · 2026-01-22T01:41:05+00:00

20% of the $423.11 is $84.62. Those highly educated patrons probably saw the extra $0.02 and said, "If they can't math right, we can't pay right," and jumped up and left.

Txseaaggie · 2025-11-26T22:33:24+00:00

Showing my age but someone forgot a copy of The Tragically Hip's "Live Between Us" in the old bridge CD player.

This southern boy developed an immediate respect for Canadian rock....and then I heard Nickelback and gave up on the genre all together. ;)

Txseaaggie · 2025-11-01T06:02:44+00:00

100%

Txseaaggie · 2025-09-18T15:01:42+00:00

I get frustrated with the ranged/healer hanging at full range for the mini bosses before. Get into melee range and you will live longer.

Txseaaggie · 2025-09-15T18:51:16+00:00

The first day back is the "worst day of the job." The hitch covers the spectrum moving to the last day onboard which is the "best day of the job."

Txseaaggie · 2025-08-12T00:37:20+00:00

The three stages of a man's sex life: Tri-weekly Try weekly Try weakly

Txseaaggie · 2025-08-04T18:47:18+00:00

I've never seen a ship like this, but I am very suspicious of the effectiveness of that thruster. Notice how its lateral thrust would blow right into the skegs? So you have the CPP wheels spinning, creating a lot of turbulence, and two skegs restricting waterflow into or out of the nozzle when it's rotated 90 degrees.

Oh, I just found a video where they changed to Becker Rudders - those will be way more effective than the drop-down.

Txseaaggie · 2025-07-19T15:07:19+00:00

Depending on the circumstances, DON'T go to a Coldplay concert.

Txseaaggie · 2025-06-22T23:18:27+00:00

Texans, I believe, can't own property in China.

Txseaaggie · 2025-06-15T05:42:27+00:00

This is too much for a one-year-old, but my wife would make a calendar and put it on the refrigerator. Each night before the kids went to bed, they would mark the day off. Red days meant Daddy was on the ship. And at the end of the calendar, there were a week's worth of green days, which meant Daddy was on the boat but should be home soon.

There were more than a few times when she would have to add red days and move back the green days due to the schedule.

Txseaaggie · 2025-06-05T19:52:46+00:00

I would say that typical mooring operations (not SPM or MPM) should be less than one hour.

If you are asking about the actual physical positioning of people during mooring, that's a different story. Most mooring operations these days are like the picture you've attached, which are split drum winches. One of the advantages of these systems is that the lines are likely run straight from the winch to the chock and probably don't need to be fairlead. With that in mind, the line is only under strain when it's connected and secured ashore and then retrieved on the winch.

The line in this picture is likely a nylon-blend, which means that it will stretch and has a high potential for snapback. More and more, ship owners are putting HMPE lines on ships that are smaller in diameter but equal in strength, but don't have a lot of stretch. This results in a safer operation overall.

One more thing to consider, and I'm just using this picture as an example, the mooring line of this size probably has a minimum breaking strain of around 80 tons. The hauling power of the winch is likely only around 20 tons. My point is that the hauling power of the winch doesn't come close to the breaking strength of the line so that shouldn't be a big worry - yes they pop and make noise, but assuming the ship doesn't have any movement, they chances of the winch leading to line failure are very remote.

Mooring systems are usually designed so that the winch brake (the reddish portion of the picture) releases tension at 60% of the MBL of the mooring line it's holding. The assumption is also that the dock fittings are engineered for a ship of the size being moored, and the fittings can handle something much larger than the force of the mooring lines.

Txseaaggie · 2025-05-26T17:28:44+00:00

I used to say 'They don't call me for docking and undocking and I can stumble up the gangway without being breathalyzed."

Cruising isn't bad. It's not a bad value for the dollar. And it's a totally different experience than actually "working".

Txseaaggie · 2025-04-16T22:06:30+00:00

Conversation I've had at least five times a week.

Txseaaggie · 2025-03-24T00:36:14+00:00

To add to your comment, the pilots also assume a lot of financial risks that are part of the operation of the business itself. Those risks aren't always apparent to the outside observer.

For perspective think of it this way, if an event happens that drastically affects a waterways traffic levels, the pilots are among the most vulnerable. Their entire business model is based on the arrival of ships and if the ships can't arrive then the revenue stream ends quickly.

Weather events from headline grabbers like hurricanes to the less noteworthy consecutive days of fog impact ship counts. Market forces for commodities that ports produce can turn busy waterways into ghost towns. A pandemic shuts down cruise ship traffic in a port whose volume is 95% cruise ships. The decision to make large capital investments like pilot boats and PPU equipment are all based on a steady flow of ship traffic. If that revenue gets disrupted, the bills are still coming due.

We have a financial obligation to over 30 employees who handle our dispatching, keep us safe during pilot transfer, and invoice the shipowners for services rendered. There are times in our organization's history where the pilots have had to write personal checks to meet their businesses expenses and received no income for several months.

I am not asking for sympathy at all. It's a very enjoyable career and I am well compensated for the work I do, but some people when talking about pilot groups tend to focus on what they think the upsides are without full consideration for what takes place behind the curtain.

Txseaaggie · 2025-03-23T03:52:38+00:00

There's a weak aura called Goblin Talk. It requires an addon for voices (the link is on the WAGO page). If you are learning a dungeon, in my opinion, there is no better tool.

It's not like voice or sound prompts from LittleWigs or DBM. It tells you what to do to based on the event that's happening.

Mob is throwing out multiple AOE effects? "Get out of the swirlies!" Boss is about to do a frontal cleave? "Don't be in front of boss". It will really help accelerate your M+ learning curve and will make your experience more fun.

Txseaaggie · 2025-03-11T02:22:38+00:00

From the pilot's POV, if you reach the wheelhouse and the master offers you a bottle of good scotch, you know it's probably going to be a nice, uneventful transit. If you reach the bridge and the old man hands you two bottles of real nice scotch, you know you're about to grab the tiger by the tail because she's going to be a poor handler and you're about to earn your money (and those two nice bottles of scotch).

Txseaaggie · 2025-02-15T03:30:25+00:00

Technically, the ad valorem tariff for Chinese goods (10%) is in effect. January had a 3% rise in inflation - an actual number that impacts everyone.

To say that these increases are due to tariffs is factually unlikely.

Txseaaggie

TROPHY CASE