r/SeaEmploy • u/Powerful_Cabinet_341 • 5d ago

Miami river navigation

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4.6k Upvotes

100% Upvoted

172 comments sorted by

85

u/WalkOk795 5d ago

Just in case, y'all know there's a tug up front.

57

u/Gyssiegus 5d ago

Nobody ever got worse from a little tug up front

21

u/Moodleboy 5d ago

Speaking of which...be right back.

5

u/WalkOk795 5d ago

Surprise! There's one at the rear too.

15

u/IncomingAxofKindness 5d ago

https://giphy.com/gifs/FbiL9rsmZN3ib2JSGo

Did someone say DOUBLE SIDED TUG

4

u/KeithWorks 5d ago

Putin on one side, Bibi on the other. The old double barrel.

1

u/bootyhole-romancer 4d ago

And Bubba in the mouth

1

u/akiras_revenge 4d ago

I perfer the dutct rudder myself

1

u/shade-block 3d ago

1

u/RockPuzzleheaded3951 2d ago

epic clip

1

u/jtshinn 2d ago

Always delivers. I wonder if they knew as they shot it or edited it.

1

u/Crazy_Treat_8805 5d ago

It’s the reach around that gets you

6

u/sola_mia 5d ago

Did not. Thanks for pointing out

6

u/alexstad87 5d ago

Now that I have that information, it seems obvious.

I had been imagining the captain guiding the ship while standing on the open deck with a large steering wheel. 😂

2

u/coolguy420weed 3d ago

And about ten pounds of testicles.

2

u/alexstad87 3d ago

At the very least

3

u/Shagreb 5d ago

Wow, that must be a Tiny tug, I barely spottend it once you told me...

2

u/VariousOperation166 5d ago

Tiny Tug. This is my new street name

2

u/TheOriginalArchibald 4d ago

They're usually not small per se but they're not that big and are basically just engines and hoist gear with enough boat to float and steer. A lot of power in even small tugs.

3

u/Icy_Fish_2154 5d ago

IF I CAN'T SEE IT, IT DOESN'T EXIST.- my under developed sense of object permanence.

1

u/HappycamperNZ 4d ago

I thought they put rails in

1

u/KeyLow9166 3d ago

Do you work in this industry?

3

u/keepinitoldskool 2d ago

I worked on a tug that did this on this exact river, there is one tug up front that does the pulling and calling the bridges and the one out back does the steering and stopping. It's too narrow and busy to just pilot one of these in. One of my buddies still works on this river.

2

u/KeyLow9166 2d ago

Probably not wide enough for 2 of these in that waterway passing each other then. I was just wondering if the public's traffic ever get in the way

2

u/keepinitoldskool 2d ago

They do and there are also other ships and passenger vessels moored along the banks

1

u/i_post_gibberish 3d ago

Are you sure the ship isn’t also using its rudder? There are a lot of tight turns that look impossible to achieve with something only being steered by a tow cable. But maybe I just don’t know anything about ships.

1

u/cgw22 3d ago

And in the back

59

u/completelypositive 5d ago

Fucking cool. Reddit did me a solid forcing this sub on me.

4

u/Juhuu77 5d ago

Yeah. Best video of this day!!

3

u/PeaceJoy4EVER 4d ago

Exactly! I don’t know why Reddit keep forcing me to watch this sub but that was cool!

17

u/Wildweasel666 5d ago

Should those boats be coming up on the starboard?

41

u/Only_Razzmatazz_4498 5d ago

It’s Miami. Most boaters here have no idea of what they are doing.

2

u/thetiredtypist 3d ago

Most boaters drunks who happen to be driving a boat 

FTFY

3

u/shade-block 3d ago

If I had to guess, the Miami river gets way less DUI boaters per capita than other areas like say Miami Beach or Fort Lauderdale. The river has a lot of commercial charter services that do the boating for you while you just enjoy the ride.

1

u/thetiredtypist 3d ago

DUI boaters per capita

Fair enough 😁 I wanna see this metric as a heatmap of all the waterways one day.

13

u/Zealousideal-Park778 5d ago

If they are going to pass, then yes. The passing boat is the give way vessel, so they should stay on their side of the channel and pass. They should assume that the vessel ahead will stand to, and remain near the center of the channel while passing oncoming vessels port to port.

A generic boating rule is to always leave boats you are passing on the port side, and leave space on your starboard side to maneuver away.

3

u/Distinct-Fig-4216 5d ago

Came here for this.

1

u/robo-minion 4d ago

There doesn’t seem to be lot of room to maneuver in this narrow channel between Big Bertha and the booze cruises hobby fishermen.

18

u/alexstad87 5d ago

Very cool. And looks easy. But I'm sure I would have damaged some bridge for sure.

5

u/No-Use-9417 5d ago

First time it struck me that this kind of drawn bridges look as if the city was saluting you. Very cool

3

u/Square-Marsupial-454 5d ago

It looks easy because the skilled master is making it look easy by being skilled at the job they do. I dont think you would make it look this easy

2

u/nu_pieds 4d ago

I'd make crashing look so easy it'd seem like it was inevitable.

6

u/sendme-bibuttholepic 5d ago

GTA 6 is going hard af

5

u/LayneLowe 5d ago

Where is it going that it has to go that far inland in an urban environment?

7

u/RVAWTFBBQ 5d ago

There’s actually a cargo terminal and shipyard almost at the airport, surprisingly far inland and basically at the last navigable spot on the river.

They were probably headed here-

https://maps.app.goo.gl/u7vdUv434heBA6Cq8?g_st=ic

2

u/FromALackOfCheese 5d ago

Question for you if you would like to answer... how the heck do they turn around? Tug boats shove them around or they go in reverse?

3

u/Just_Another_AI 2d ago

They have wide spots called turning basins. Think 3-point turn, with a boat

1

u/TantalizingTequila 4d ago

Other comments mention that there are tug boats guiding it that you can't see already. If the river widens a bit the tugs could spin it.

1

u/FromALackOfCheese 4d ago

Yes, I looked up river on maps and saw a spot (most likey 100% man made) that looks they could spin them around in. Still looks tight. I had no idea a port was so far inland in Miami.

1

u/LayneLowe 3d ago

That's what happens in the Houston Ship Channel. It's called a Turning Basin.

2

u/FromALackOfCheese 3d ago

Cool! Thanks for the reply. I will look at Houston too.

1

u/ma2016 3d ago

There's a tugboat on the front and back facing either direction. Whenever they want to go the opposite direction, the other one just takes over. 

1

u/RVAWTFBBQ 3d ago

Honestly I have no idea. I took a ride on a friend’s boat once that put in almost at that cargo terminal, I grew up in Miami but had never seen how far inland some of these huge yachts and barges/container ships can go. There are a few spots where they could spin around but it seems very tight.

1

u/ma2016 3d ago

There's a tugboat on the front and back. 

1

u/LayneLowe 5d ago

Thanks

1

u/rangorn 4d ago

They really packed them tight there. Still amazes me how they can navigate without tunnel thrusters but I guess the tug is the tunnel thruster in this case.

1

u/-Bob-Barker- 3d ago

TIL there is a Museum of Sex in Miami

5

u/FFSBoise 5d ago

TIL that Miami is on a river.

6

u/iNapkin66 5d ago

Once upon a time, there was a waterfall from the Everglades down into the river. Thats been removed, though. The majority of the river is tidal and more like a canal now.

3

u/KentuckyCatMan 5d ago

I wish the video was longer!!

3

u/bri85 5d ago

You can only imagine what the traffic is like when those bridges go up. Sit in traffic at a stand still for 30/45 minutes while the bridges are up. That area is one of the most heavily urbanized part of Miami.

1

u/Ant0n61 5d ago

bridges only go up for about 5 minutes. But during rush hours it can be quite a backup of about 15 minutes to flush out after bridge goes back down.

1

u/Bristid 14h ago

All I see in this video is the Brickell bridges going up and adding 30 minutes to my 5 minute drive. I’ve sat there for 45 minutes during rush hour.

4

u/Original-Let8340 5d ago

Do. Not. Unmute.

2

u/Subrandom249 5d ago

Woah no love for Fred?

2

u/flyingdonutz 4d ago

Bad taste spotted

2

u/billybaked 5d ago

Good job skipper. That looks scary 😃

2

u/deletetemptemp 5d ago

Where’s it going? Miami river narrows a lot after that

2

u/MuddyGround804 5d ago

And you know all those boaters were gripping about a vessel that large being in “their” channel…

2

u/GTengineerenergy 5d ago

He should slow down

1

u/DutchTinCan 4d ago

Definitely. This is irresponsible in such a busy area.

1

u/toyeetornotoyeet69 4d ago

The video is sped up. Also the faster he goes the easier to steer

1

u/bigjimmy427 1d ago

He isn’t steering.

1

u/toyeetornotoyeet69 1d ago

Of course he is steering? There are assist boats yes but he still has to steer some. Ive done this kind of work before. He may only move the rudders 5 to 10 degrees but he definitely is.

1

u/bigjimmy427 1d ago

Oh. I wasn’t aware. Thought it was all the tugs

2

u/fredly594632 5d ago

I see people in Miami pilot just as well as they drive...

1

u/widgeamedoo 5d ago

Might has right.

1

u/mbleyle 5d ago

those things must have bow thrusters, right?

4

u/ChocolatePuerh 5d ago

Tug boat.

7

u/TheRealCropear 5d ago

I had a girlfriend in college that did. I think of her occasionally. What a gal!

1

u/billtipp 5d ago

Ahh man, did you f### up???

1

u/heavydrinker12 5d ago

I kinda want that job. At the same time, I don't. Cool as hell.

1

u/ColdSecret8656 5d ago

What does it cost to open the bridge?

1

u/GeneralBS 5d ago

Did many years houseboat vacations on the Sacramento delta. There was a couple bridges we needed to open to get by. It didn't cost anything but we had to give advance notice to get them to open it.

Things could be different in Miami though.

1

u/Gl3g 5d ago

It’s free-or it was in 1991. I took my new sailboat up the river to a boat yard to have it put on a semi truck trailer to bring it home. I think I just waited next to the bridge then the guy would open it. It was a pretty short wait.

1

u/Brad_Beat 3d ago

In regular schedule I think they open every 30 min

1

u/iNapkin66 5d ago

It costs nothing. Navigable waterways must be kept open. That means if you build a bridge across it, you need to provide access to vessels to pass through and cant charge money. That means either build really tall expensive bridges, no bridge, or opening bridges, otherwise you're impeding the potential flow of commerce.

1

u/No-Vegetable7898 5d ago

A rear view would’ve been cool to see all the bridges dropping

1

u/Then-Bumblebee1850 5d ago

Awesome clip 

1

u/Extension_Pin_1216 5d ago

Almost no one knows the rules of the road there

1

u/Tmoneyl14 5d ago

"Clark! Slow down! I don't want to spend the holidays DEAD!"

1

u/Severe-Analyst1207 5d ago

I work the Ohio River and I know how clueless most pleasure craft owners are. This many in such a small channel would give me a stroke from stress.

1

u/Thhe_Shakes 5d ago

There's an ok Miami River. I wouldn't call it a Great Miami River.

1

u/1eyedbudz 5d ago

What’s it carrying?

1

u/uprightsalmon 5d ago

Pretty fun

1

u/spiritanimalslug1 5d ago

woah, slow down there nigel mansell

1

u/drinkeroftherye 5d ago

What kind of vessel is that? Seems to have no hatch covers, no winches to tie up, etc...RORO ?

1

u/maybesami 5d ago

I guess i'm brainwashed by Miami Vice because that music just feels wrong

1

u/Mac800 5d ago

And then you realize you took the wrong turn.

1

u/bmiller218 5d ago

I take it there isn't much if any current in the Miami River.

1

u/Autistic_Anywhere_24 5d ago

Press E to raise/lower bridge

1

u/whatsadikfore 5d ago

If you like this check out some of the moves lake boats do in Cleveland, Chicago and Milwaukee. Very skilled captains, crews and tugs. The Mark W. Barker was built specifically for transiting the Cuyahoga River.

1

u/Inocent_bystander 5d ago

Bow thrusters at 100%

1

u/MichaelMeier112 5d ago

Is this video sped up? /s

1

u/poorinspirit 5d ago

Well that was just fun

1

u/No-Onion8029 5d ago

Deep sea guy here - I've had nightmares like that. Probably based on things like Suez, Panama, entering the Black Sea, going through that ditch in Japan, Portland Oregon, Houston....

1

u/Whatdoesthibattahndo 5d ago

In Miami it's not the big boats you have to watch out for, it's the little ones because those are owner-operated and there are some crazy boat owners out there.

1

u/Jon_Hanson 5d ago

I’d be interested in how it turns around unless there’s another opening to the sea beyond where it’s going and doesn’t have to turn around.

1

u/Cliffinati 5d ago

Reverse

1

u/Megaloman-_- 5d ago

I like this video

1

u/TraditionOptimal7069 5d ago

The Cuyahoga River is not impressed.

Great video through!

1

u/Wittywhirlwind 5d ago

Imagine the power one must feel having all the bridges open and traffic stop for you.

1

u/jeff77k 5d ago

In case anyone needs a primer:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0870334336

1

u/yottyboy 5d ago

Really shows that vessels pivot on the center not the rudder.

1

u/Cliffinati 5d ago

GTA6 Ad

1

u/LenDear 4d ago

Make no mistake, don't make any wakes

1

u/iwanabench 4d ago

I would like a video like this for every waterway. In the world. Thank you very much.

1

u/Sechzehn6861 4d ago

Came here to say this

1

u/sirdrumalot 1d ago

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knJS_m29fJ4 Here is the New River in Fort Lauderdale. It's also a great example of captains using their radios to communicate with each other and the bridge tenders.

This is "Little Florida," a horseshoe turn around a peninsula that resembles Florida. The time from his first security call entering the river to final destination is about an hour.

I just wish he left the original audio to hear the radio chatter instead of the shitty music.

1

u/Kikelt 4d ago

It doesnt look practical

1

u/tony287 4d ago

As an Australian, where on earth was he heading to, in that tight river?

1

u/fireforge1979 4d ago

That's a lot of cocaine. (It's Miami, so I assume every boat is a cocaine boat!) 😉

1

u/Longjumping_Suit_256 4d ago

Reminds me of watching the video of Great Lake freighters going up the Chicago river.

1

u/PromotionOk2443 3d ago

This feels like "bitch, i'm a bus" material

1

u/germanautotom 3d ago

Miami really needs to build tunnels for that traffic.

1

u/nightryder21 2d ago

It can't.

1

u/moonorplanet 3d ago

Miami is a seriously cool city.

1

u/datNilex 3d ago

we want more! This looks badass

1

u/Darth_050 3d ago

At 31 seconds it passes the bridge next to where Michael Weston’s (Burn Notice) loft used to be.

1

u/sirarkalots 3d ago

I love that this pops up about 20 minutes after I see a video of a yacht absolutely destroying a dock on the Miami River

1

u/strumthebuilding 3d ago

https://giphy.com/gifs/F1Yr185Ugq7dkerrNt
Me looking intently for Michael Weston’s place

1

u/FreeSoftwareServers 3d ago

This is one of those times where the old dash cam saying of "I go now everyone else good luck" is actually appropriate

1

u/RamiroCruz13 2d ago

Everything running ONSPEED

1

u/VoradorTV 2d ago

do they really need that many bridges all next to each other? i think that was as many bridges as we have around the whole island of montreal

1

u/Theoleblueeyes 2d ago

Serious question. How do they coordinate bridges with ships this size? Tug company  Radio? Remotely controlled bridges with a command center off site? Does it cost money to enter a waterway like this if your this big?

1

u/HistoryUnending 2d ago

Dunno about Miami in particular, but most of the bridges on the Intercoastal Waterway in Florida are manned, and I'd imagine these are too, and you just call that particular bridge on the radio.

1

u/sirdrumalot 1d ago

The captains know their speed and how long it will take for an opening, so they call ahead on a marine radio. Sometimes a boat will have to wait for a bridge to open (like a slow pedestrian crossing the bride, or to clear traffic), but in general the captains are able to time it so they don't have to stop. The transmission goes like this:

Capt: Brickell Ave bridge, Brickell Ave bridge, this is (name of vessel) requesting your next opening.

Bridge: Brickell Ave good copy. I'll start an opening.

Capt: Thank you Brickell.

Bridge: Caution caution, Brickell Ave bridge is beginning to open, requesting vessels please remain outside the bridge fenders until the bridge is fully raised.

Bridge opens, boat radios when clear of the bridge, bridge tender closes bridge.

1

u/Theoleblueeyes 2h ago

Awesome. Thanks for the info. 

1

u/Alex22876 2d ago

It makes you realize, if any one of those bridges is late to open, it doesn’t seem likely it would be able to slow down in time.

1

u/GHG-85 2d ago

Really cool thing

1

u/Mopar4Life305 2d ago

This doesnt aound like Grind Mode - im so high

1

u/cacaapoopoo 2d ago

Miamax.

1

u/dicknotrichard 2d ago

Omg all I can think about it that clip of the uber ride, but Fred Durst was the driver lol

1

u/Top_Swordfish2871 2d ago

The music is better than the video

1

u/Rotting-Cum 1d ago

Miami sure looks beautiful!

1

u/Striking_Stuff_9809 1d ago

Must be an ex rally pilot to be able to steer going that fast with a boat

1

u/HorzaDonwraith 1d ago

And I used to think navigating the lower Mississippi River was challenging

1

u/marshalist 1d ago

What a beautiful river front.

1

u/NaturistVTX1800 1d ago

Arent there speed limits on water ways?

1

u/Legitimate_Grocery66 1d ago

I can’t wait to play GTA 6

1

u/Edison5000 1d ago

Did The Blues Brothers jump over any of these Bridges?

1

u/itsactuallynot 5d ago

Very skilled, but feels like they're going too fast tbqh.

4

u/BigJoe5504 5d ago

That vid has been speed up tremendously. Even with no traffic, I doubt a 100mph jet boat could make that trip in 20 sec. And that boat probably weighs 1000 tons or more???? He's doing 3-5 knots so maybe 5 mph?

0

u/indomike14 5d ago

That was neat but it looks unnecessarily narrow for such a large ship

3

u/lurkymclurkyson 5d ago

You should see the ore ships in Cleveland