I tried to take a picture of the ship loading. Since it loads at night the ship has bright lights which shine down from the super structure and light up the dock. I used my iphone to take this picture and I can tell what it is showing but maybe I better describe it since it is a little blurry. I can’t wait until the new iphone comes out this summer with the better camera.

M/V "Pacific Seal" with super structure lights loading on pier 10

Just below the lights you can see our two twenty foot reefers. They are filled with cold and frozen cargo like chicken and produce. Lost in the darkness below that to the left is the ship’s large steel ramp. Cargo is rolled on using mules (to pull the containers) and fork lifts for all the loose cargo. We always load concrete block first as a base (you can’t see it in the photo as the general cargo is behind the containers and covered with a tarp). Next voyage I will take a picture showing the staging of the general cargo before our night loading.

M/V "Pacific Seal" waiting at the Fajardo commercial pier.

The M/V “Pacific Seal” is waiting at the Fajardo commercial pier for Homeland Security to finish its lengthy inspection process. Fajardo is on the eastern end of Puerto Rico much closer to the British Virgin islands than San Juan. When we load cargo in Fajardo it saves considerable fuel and time for our Tortola customers.

M/V "Sky Seal" loading in Fajardo

Many of the merchandise that is sold in the British Virgin Islands shops are loaded here on the ship. You can see pallets being prepared on the sidewalk in front of Customs. When the ship is loading in Fajardo our trucks, forklifts and stevedores take over the small area near the only commercial pier. Groceries, frozen meat and other perishables arrive later in the evening so that they aren’t out in the sun while we shrink wrap them on pallets and load the fresh produce and frozen foods in our reefer containers.

M/V "Island Seal" & M/V "Sky Seal" anchored

Star Shipping’s home port is Tortola, British Virgin Islands. All the vessels can be safely anchored in the owner’s marina at East End.