What A Difference The Length Makes

We have had a busy day on the river today. I've observed the following boats today:

Nanticoke

Saginaw

Edwin H. Gott

American Courage

American Victory

H. Lee White

CSL Tadoussac

Mesabi Miner

As I saw the difference sized boats, I began to wonder how much more cargo do the 1,000 footers carry? Researching in my boat bible, Know Your Ships, I found that the Speer which is on its way here from Gary, Indiana, can carry 73,700 tons of cargo. Its sister ship from the same company, Arthur M. Anderson, is 237' shorter at 767' and can carry 25,300 tons of cargo. The Speer carrys almost 3 times as much cargo. Amazing!