James Bay hosted another maritime visitor this week, drawing the attention of many.
The Liberian-flagged bulk carrier SMOKE made an unexpected stop just off shore before altering her course across the South Atlantic.
Initial tracking reports indicated that the vessel was en route to St Helena with a reported ETA of approximately 10:00 AM. While her actual arrival time differed slightly from those early marine traffic forecasts, The vessel was spotted making steady progress toward the island, dropping anchor in James Bay at around 16:13. (June 2nd)
Measuring an impressive 289 meters in length and 45 meters in width, with a draught of 9.6 meters, the SMOKE is classified as a capesize bulk carrier, the largest class of cargo vessels, typically too large to transit the Panama or Suez canals.
The stopover naturally raised questions among the St Helena Online Community. According to reports published by South Atlantic Media Services Ltd in this week’s Sentinel news, the SMOKE arrived in the bay requesting assistance “to receive some spares.”
The vessel originally departed Singapore back in April, embarking on what was meant to be a long voyage to Point Lisas in Trinidad and Tobago. While the exact nature of the mechanical parts or where they were being procured was unknown, local “flying photographers” took advantage of her stay, and captured a bird’s-eye view of the iron giant sitting idly in the bay.
Data shows the vessel had diverted from her original destination in the Caribbean. Instead, she has picked up the pace, currently making a swift 12.8 knots as she heads north toward Guinea in West Africa, with a new estimated time of arrival of June 13th.
The sudden detour has sparked plenty of speculation. Because she is a Capsize bulk carrier designed specifically for heavy, dry raw materials, maritime experts note she is likely targeting one of Guinea’s two major primary export markets.
Guinea holds the world’s largest reserves of bauxite (the core ore used for aluminium production) and boasts some of the highest-grade iron ore on the planet especially with the massive, multi-billion-dollar Simandou project now actively online. While the country is also famous for exporting gold and diamonds, those high-value goods move via specialised security transport, meaning the SMOKE is almost certainly hunting for a massive haul of African ore.