Holmes Harbor is sheltering a couple of unusual visitors today, two massive container ships.

The 944-foot Hanjin Yantian and the 869-foot Conti Basel arrived in the area late Sunday, and are presently swinging on their anchors. Like many other container ships in Puget Sound, they are in a holding pattern as they wait to unload their cargo in Seattle and Tacoma, two of nearly 30 ports on the West Coast that were closed this past weekend due to stalled contract negotiations between shippers and a longshoremen’s union.

Both vessels were directed to Holmes Harbor by the U.S. Coast Guard, Sector Seattle Vessel Traffic Service, because moorages around Puget Sound were largely full, according to Alan Calvert, a watch supervisor with the organization.

“Right now they are full, nearly filled, or booked for the next couple weeks,” Calvert said.

Longshoremen returned to work today, but the backlog of containers, which Calvert said are “stacked up about as high as you can see,” along with the cargo of awaiting ships, such as the Hanjin and Conti Basel, will take time to unload.

“It could take awhile to clear this up,” he said.

The two boats’ arrival did not go unnoticed; many South Whidbey residents called the Coast Guard and television news stations worried the ships were lost or having some unknown problems. Others didn’t notice them until after it got dark, and their lights kept some guessing.

“The only thing I could think of was that they were aircraft carriers,” said Tom Coupe, of Greenbank.

Coupe and his wife, Mary Coupe, said they marveled at the light show until morning when the sun revealed the vessels weren’t warships at all, but container ships that were part of Seattle’s backlog.

On the other side of the harbor, the ships arrival was announced by an unknown screeching sound.

“It was the strangest scraping noise,” said John Cannon, a Beverly Beach resident. “It sounded almost like a railroad.”

Again, the morning brought answers and Cannon now believes it was the sound of the ships dropping their massive anchors.

The experience was a first all around. The Coupes have lived in Greenbank for more than 50 years, and these are the first container ships in Holmes Harbor that they can remember.

“It was pretty interesting,” Mary Coupe said. “We’ve never seen this before.”

Calvert confirmed that Holmes Harbor is an official anchorage and has been since World War II, though it’s rarely put to use. He’s been with Vessel Traffic Service for 20 years and this is the first time it’s happened under his watch, he said.

In all, the greater Seattle area — Whidbey included — has anchorage for 27 large container ships. Another six spots are available in Bellingham, he said.

Holmes Harbor has space for three, and it’s possible that the extra spot will be taken up soon. Calvert couldn’t say how long the Hanjin Yantian and Conti Basel will be here, possibly a week or more, but even if they leave additional boats may take their place.

“They’ll be coming in from most everywhere,” he said, as other ports along the West Coast are also backed up from the weekend’s closure.

Information about ships can be viewed at www.vesselfinder.com, a free website that tracks shipping and vessels. Based on the website, the Hanjin was built in 2005, has a gross tonnage of 82,794 and is bound for Seattle. Similarly, the Conti Basel was built in 2003, has gross tonnage of 65,918 and its last port of call was Shanghai, China. It’s also destined for Seattle.

Both ships are sailing under the German flag.