Next to Pier 12, on what is called Pier 3, sits the former Pennsylvania Central Railroad grain elevator. Today, its ground floors have been converted to a marine repair shop, where topside maintenance work is done on the Vane fleet. At the head of Pier 3, grain silos have been demolished, giving a stunning view of the nearby Seagirt Marine Terminal. Its huge blue container-cranes are poised like giant insects on the quay, awaiting the next ship that docks below. On this day the Seagirt Marine Terminal is unloading blue metal boxes from two majestic container ships.
Cranes dump the aggregate into a barge that awaits beside.
At the cargoship's stern, the Vane Brothers water barge VB-1 maneuvers to supply fresh water. While much traffic runs among all three piers, Pier 11 remains ascendant. On the dock, a forklift loads totes filled with lubricating oil onto the launch Willkate . The motor tanker Duff awaits nearby. Farther down the pier, the USNS Comfort sits at berth, unmistakably huge.