Welcome


We'll periodically post images of vessels that drift past our perch on the Bosphorous. If you are a new arrival, the Bosphorous is the waterway (straits) that divides Europe from Asia and cuts right through the middle of Istanbul. You could swim from Europe to Asia (or vice versa) in about 30 minutes - if you could survive the boat traffic and/or the pollution.

The blog's perch is about half way up (or down) the Bosphorous - not the city's most supreme view. Yet, it's not too high, not too low - good enough to afford a decent view. Then again, anything better in terms of view will cost you upward of a million. Dollars. No... more. Much more. This view is free.

The aim here is to provide regular images and - where possible - further details regarding boat traffic between the Black Sea, the Marmara and points beyond.

It's not CIA - although they used to maintain a prominent viewing location (and probably still do) - The transit through the Bosphorous is Russia's traditional outlet to the world's oceans - most other Russian outlets ice over in the winter. But, there is no hidden blog agenda, no intent to spy. This is just our view and publicly available data related to those views: Boats on the Water. Passing by. Happened to catch them ....

Friday, January 19, 2018

MSC Don Giovanni











Name: MSC Don Giovanni
Heading: South/Marmara
Type: Container
Flag: Panama
Date: 19 Jan 2018
Weather: pleasant winter evening

Summer Wind












Name: Summer Wind
Heading: South/Marmara
Type: Carrier
Flag: Liberia
Date: 19 Jan 2018
Weather: unseasonably warm winter evening

Tuesday, January 9, 2018

sovetskaya rodina



Another bleak day - in fact, it was drizzle almost all day (you want to thank [someone/something] for decent visibility.

the first shot (of Sovestkaya Rodina) is typical of today's visibility: drizzle


Name: Sovetskaya Rodina
 Heading: South/Marmara
Type: Cargo
Flag: Russia
Date: 08 Jan 2018
Weather: cold winter evening

Friday, January 5, 2018

Jilda







In the back - Anda, moving slower

Name: Jilda
Heading: North/Black Sea
Type: Cargo
Flag: Panama
Date: 05 Jan 2018
Weather: cold winter evening
~ 2,000 tons

Monday, January 1, 2018

Mekhanik Yuzvovich











Such a great example of vessel registration: who - in Palau - would ever name their vessel Mekhanik anything? Clearly not a Palau-ian ship, but they've paid the registration fee and that's all that matters ... We're thinking North Korean embargo and such ....

Incidentally, we've seen other <Mekhanik> family vessels before ...



Name: Mekhanik Yuzvovich
Heading: North/Black Sea
Type: Cargo
Flag: Palau
Date: 01 Jan 2018
Weather: warm winter evening
~ 5,000 tons

Lucy J






Nice lighting for a change.
Our first post for the new year - nothing special, but nice and clean.


Name: Lucy J
Heading: North/Black Sea
Type: Cargo
Flag: Panama
Date: 02 Jan 2018
Weather: warm winter evening