Monday, October 1, 2018

M/V Stephen L


This boat delivered a load of stuff to the Shell cracker under construction at Monaca, Pa., and it was heading back down the river Sunday, Sept. 30, when I saw it. It looked so odd from a distance that I knew I had to find the next decent shooting spot downriver to get a few images, which I did.



Compared to the boats we usually see on the Ohio, this is an odd one. The long stretch from the living quarters to the tow knees, the backwards-facing pilothouse windows, the smokestacks beside the the pilothouse ... everything about this boat screams the common expression, you're not from around here, are you? (This is not always a friendly question, by the way).

For the record, the Stephen L is owned by Triple S Towing of Morgan City, Louisiana. It was built in 2008. It's 66 feet long and 26 feet wide. It drafts 8 feet.