(Click on illustration(s) to enlarge)This first illustration is of a flier created by Mr. Peter Warren concerning some of the real problems of having at least one cruise ship terminal at Kaiser Point in the Outer L.A. Harbor.
This next illustration shows some of the ship lengths that have been found around the world.
The largest vessel ever built, the Knock Nevis no longer sails. The current largest ship, the Emma Maersk may one day call on Pier 400, but it hasn't been viewed in our harbor yet.
The next monster ship illustration is one of the two "Genesis Project" vessels. It is a bit shorter than the 1,300+foot long Emma Maersk, but it will welcome 5,400 passengers. Whether the two sister ships will ever call on the Port of L.A. is something only the future holds in store.
The next ship down is the Queen Mary II. It is a 'little' ocean liner by the newer standards and ONLY hold about 2,100-passengers.
The largest cruise ship, the Freedom of the Seas, with a 3,600+passenger load will probably become the fifth largest cruise ship after about 2012. Even the two new Disney sister ships will have about a 4,000 passenger capacity.
This illustration above is from Google Earth and it depicts an area of the Port of Long Beach which has over 3,600-feet of accessible length, about FOUR TIMES the length of the pier at Kaiser Point. This area is also very freeway-friendly and it looks like not too many folks would have to be transported across residential and business areas to arrive at that location.
This illustration is a guess-work idea of building a much longer pier at the end of the Santa Monica Freeway. What this illustration doesn't show is the small, curved breakwater area that could be placed in Santa Monica Bay to shield cruise ships that could call on a much larger area of wharf and pier than can be currently found in the L.A. Harbor area.
The idea with this post is to offer illustrations to ponder. Cruise ships that will be used to carry passengers out of ports in Florida, New York, Seattle, Vancouver B.C., and California ports are going to get larger whether we like it or not.
Having a great place for passengers and tourists to enjoy will be getting more difficult as the ships grow larger.
Welcoming a 4,000+passenger ship, or even two to the Outer Harbor, all having passengers needing transportation through San Pedro, probably without stops to enjoy San Pedro seems to create an attitude by the folks within the Port of L.A. that San Pedro, its businesses and residents don't really count, I feel. The Port wants the revenue created by more and larger cruise ships at the expense of the rest of OUR community.
Perhaps some folks will try and enlighten me as to why a new cruise ship terminal at Kaiser Point is better for San Pedrans, than what we already have.
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