Wednesday, February 5, 2025

Back to the Future and other matters

 There were wintery conditions in Halifax today, February 5, with light dusts of snow. The temperature struggled to reach -10ºC [14º F], there was a biting wind at 26 kph [16 mph] with gusts to 35kph [21 mph] but it was mostly sunny and sea water temperature was still a balmy 1.7 ºC [35.1 ºF]. 

There were two auto carriers in port. The Traviata, which arrived yesterday at Autoport, moved over night to Pier 9C to off load RoRo cargo.

Traviata arriving yesterday, February 4.

 The ship was built in 2019 by Tianjin Xingang, to the HERO class design used by both Wallenius and Wilhelmsen. It must have beeen one of the last - or indeed the last - ship to use the old Wallenius colour scheme [see below]. It was not repainted in the Wallenius Wilhelmsen Ocean  teal/gray until 2024. [Despite a name begining with the letter "T" it is in fact a Wallenius ship, with an operatic name.]

The 73,358 gt, 23,889 dwt ship, has a capacity of 7656 RT43 autos, and mounts a 320 tonne SWL stern ramp. As with most modern autocarriers it has no side ramp.

 

Since its last call in Halifax December 16 the ship has followed the usual WWO route of New York, Brunswick, Charleston, Bremerhaven, Goteborg, Bremerhaven, Zeebrugge and Southampton and is now bound for New York again.

 The second autocarrier arrived today and docked directly at Autoport.


 The Future Way is a "ship of the future" in many ways, but has reverted back to the traditional Wallenius hull colours of white over green. In this case the green is also symbolic of its several environmentally sensitive features.

It was built by CIMC Raffles, Yantai in 2024 and features dual fuel engines, can sail fully loaded with no ballast water, has a shore power connector and can be converted to add battery power. It reduces fuel consumption by prop design, hull shape and aerodynamic features.

The bow shape and flush mounted cargo ventilation fans are some of the new features in the Sliepner concept of autocarriers developed by Wallenius Marine and naval architects Knud E. Hansen. The vessel's charterer, Volkswagen, has committed to reducing its carbon footprint.

The ship's recent movements are not entirely clear, (suggesting perhaps some military cargo) but it was in Halifax last on December 1 and has since called in Sparrows Point, Freeport, TX, Veracruz and Freeport again. It is not clear where the ship has been since that last Freeport call on December 20. Normally VW charters load in Bremerhaven.

Aside from some light snow in the air, there were other signs of winter. Oceanex Sanderling arrived from St.John's with a thin coat of frozen spray.

 

There was no sign of frozen spray (yet) on the bulk carrier Goodwyn Island. which arrrived last evening and sailed at noon time today.


Fully loaded with bauxite from Gladstone, Australia December 11, the ship sailed across the Indian Ocean,  passing Cape Town January 19 and Las Palmas January 24, and is now headed for  Pointe-Noire in Sept-Iles, QC. Its short stay here may have been to embark an ice advisor (they normally board off Sydney).

Built by Tsuneishi Zhoushan in 2018 it is a Supramax bulker of 35,684 gt, 63,906 dwt, and carries four 30 tonne cargo cranes and 20 tonne grabs (stowed to the starboard side of each crane base.) The ship has a bow "windshield" which has aerodynamic benefits while protecting the foredeck and number one hatch from seas.

The ship's loading port is in Queensland, on the northeast coast of Australia and a more direct route would have been via the Panama Canal, suggesting that the ship might have been re-directed from an original destination in Europe at some point en route. The Alumunerie Alouette in Sept-Iles is the largest aluminum smelter in the western hemisphere, and is powered by electricity from the Churchill Falls hydroelectricity facility.

There was also a haze of freezing spray on the container feeder AS Felicia arriving at PSA Fairview Cove for ZIM.

AS Felicia has been an on and off caller for ZIM's former CFX service since April 3, 2018. Built in 2006 by Zhejiang Ouhua Shipbuilding Co Ltd in Zhoushan, with tonnages of 15,375 grt, 18,291 dwt, it has a capacity of 1296 TEU, including 390 reefers, and has a pair of 45 tonne cranes. It was launched as Medocean but entered service as EWL Cribbean. In 2007 it became APL Managua and in 2014  Medocean and in 2015 AS Felicia. The ship has now joined the ZCX Colibri Express from the west coast of South America via Kingston, Jamaica, Miami, Philadelphia and New York. Quite a weather shock for ship and crew.

 The AS Felicia's call coincided with yesterday's ZCA transatlantic arrival ZIM Iberia which sailed at noon time today for New York. 

On arrival yesterday (in photo) it showed many Hapag-Lloyd boxes on deck. The slot arrangement between Hapag-Lloyd and ZIM has presumably survived the new Hapag-Lloyd + Maersk Gemini Cooperation.

The Zim Iberia acquired the name in 2022, but was built in 2009 by Jiangsu New Yangzijiang in Jiangyin. It was delivered as Rudolf Schepers and in 2017 became the Arkas Afrika then in 2018 Als Juno. The 40,541 gt, 50,300 dwt ship has a capacity of 4253 TEU including 698 reefers.  

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Monday, February 3, 2025

Conspiracy Theories

Recently there have been breaks in submarine cables both in Canada and in Europe. Conspiracy theories abound that the breaks are caused by malicious activity guided by Russia, but one thing is true - there is a Canadian link - odd though it might be.

Canadian Breaks

Disruptions due to cable breaks are more than just an inconvenience to 'phone users. These vital communication links can be critical for businesses and utilities as they transmit vast quantities of data and join networks that contain operating technologies that everyone uses.

Because the cables sit on the sea bottom or in trenches below the sea bottom, breaks are rarely caused by natural events such as storms. Earthquakes can sever cables but that would be a very rare event and could be traced by seismic records. The breaks are more often caused by fishing activity or dragging anchors, and they are usually accidental or the result of negligence.

On February 1 the Halifax-based cable ship IT Intrepid sailed to the Sydney, Nova Scotia area to repair breaks in two fibreoptic communications cables crossing the Cabot Strait between Cape Breton Island and the island of Newfoundland.

IT Intrepid in Halifax, January 4, 2025.

As reported here on January 15, 2025, IT International Telecom applied for a coasting license to use the Barbados registered IT Intrepid to make the repairs. It was not clear to me in the application if in fact the cables would be repaired by splicing in new sections or if an entirely new cable would be laid and covered in a new trench.

No cause has been given officially for the cable breaks, which in both cases were redundant cable - with a 100% back-up cable elsewhere. That may be why both breaks were not discovered immediately, but it does seem a little odd that there is no system alerting in the case of a break.

It also seems odd that both cables should be severed at about the same time, and in an area where there is very little bottom trawling type fishing activity. However I did note a ship in the area at the time reporting reporting that it was "not under commend."  It is conceivable that it was attempting to anchor and dragged its anchor through the cables. It must take considerable force to break a cable and one would think it would be noticeable even on a ship in emergency conditions. [That the particular ship's operators have a Russian connection is at least worthy of note.]

Baltic Breaks 

Another incident that severed a cable between Sweden and Latvia on January 26 has been declared a case of "defective equipment and seamanship" by the Swedish government, and not the result of state interference. The Latvian State Radio + Television (LVRTC) cable appears to bave been cut by the Navigation Maritime Bulgare ship Vezhen. The ship, which was en route from Ust Luga, Russia to Skagen, Denmark, was detained in Karlskrona but has now been cleared to sail. Photos show one fluke missing from the ship's port anchor.

The ship is a regular caller in Canadian waters and was built in 2022 to trade into the Great Lakes. The 20,848 gt, 32,196 dwt (21,158 dwt on the Great Lakes) bulk carrier came from the Jiangsu Newyangzi Shipbuilding yard in Jingjiang. It is equipped with three 35 tonne capacity cranes and 20 tonne grabs.

My best (and so far only) photo of the ship was taken August 4, 2024 as it emerged from the fog downbound on the St.LawrenceRiver off La Malbaie, QC.

In November 2024 the ship sailed from Imbituba, Brazil with a cargo of petcoke for Port Alfred, QC. It unloaded there from December 9 to 12 then headed to Montreal December 16 -19, Hamilton, ON, December 20-22, Côte Ste-Catherine, QC December 24-25 and set out from Montreal December 25 for Greenore, Eire. It offloaded there January 7-10 and arrived in Ust Luga January 22. (I suspect the ship was carrying corn or other grain from Hamilton.)

Oddly (and here's where the conspiracy theorists can have a field day), the ship passed through the Cabot Strait twice in late December at about the time of the (Canadian) cable breaks. The close ties between Russia and Bulgaria (they both use the Cyrillic alphabet) only add to the conspiracy theories.

Shipfax does not believe in conspiracy theories normally, but there is so much wierd stuff going on these days that even the most outlandish can seem to be in the realm of possibility. 

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Wednesday, January 29, 2025

A perennial post card from Halifax has the usual spaces for address and message on the reverse, but the image side is completely white or slightly grey with  "Welcome to Halifax - fog capital of the world" or a similar thought. (Halifax is not the fog capital of the world, although it could be a contender.)

Today, January 29, a similar card could be sent but with a greeting from the "White Out Capital". A heavy snow fall caused icy roads, fender benders, early school closings and a very likely drop off in retail activity. 

It was not to be a busy day in the harbour in any case, so port activity may only have been slowed a bit. There was only one arrival from sea, the ConRo ship Oceanex Sanderling on its weekly arrival from St.John's and only two scheduled departures: the container ship Ophelia (see yesterday's post) and the coastal tanker Algotitan.

A "through the fence" view of the Algotitan at pier 25 on January 28. Erosion of its anti-fouling hull paint looks unsightly, but is normal - particularly when the ship has been operating in ice.

 The Algotitan is a fairly recent addition to the Algoma Tankers fleet. It arrived in Halifax late in 2022 with the name Chantaco. After renaming and registration in Canada it sailed with its first cargo on January 30, 2023.

It has been a regular caller in Halifax carrying product for Imperial Oil, and its details were covered here on its last call January 8-10. After tank washing slops were discharged at Pier 9C it sailed for Montreal. It loaded in Sainte-Victoire-de-Sorel, QC, and returned to Halifax January 24. It off loaded some product at Imperial Oil then moved over to Pier 25, in ballast on January 26. (Sainte-Victoire is the location of the Kildare Service ULC facility, which stores and blends heavy fuels, marine fuels and liquid asphalt in addtion to crude oil.)

The Algotitan is due to sail this evening - still in ballast. Its destination, is Quebec City.

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Tuesday, January 28, 2025

Ophelia for ZIM

 ZIM's two year old ZIM Colibri Express (ZCX) service continues to use a variety of chartered tonnage. Since the service from the west coast of South America to the Caribbean and US East Coast US was announced February 1, 2023 it has expanded to Halifax and has been combined with a previous service called the Canada Feeder Express (CFX). Initially using six 1700 TEU ships, it has been marketed as a weekly premium line with fast transit tomes and large reefer capacity. It appears they are now able to maintain the service with five ships.

Today's (January 28) arrival made port just before a short heavy snow squall reduced visibility to zero.

 


The ship was built in 2018 by Guangzhou Wenchong and is rated 17,907 gt, 22,000 dwt. Its operators, Leonhardt + Blumberg of Hamburg, give its capacity as 1717 TEU with 362 reefer plugs, 202 of which are in the holds. On arrival today from New York it appeared to be carrying a good many reefers - but many of them would have to be empties.

The port rotation for the line is: Callao - Paita - Guayaquil - Panama Canal. - Kingston - Miami - Philadelphia - New York - Halifax - Kingston - Panama Canal. - Calla.

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Saturday, January 25, 2025

Morning Calypso - more cars

 Today's (January 25) auto carrier caller was more typical in terms of its route than yesterday's arrival. The Morning Calypso is on the usual Wallenius Wilhelmsen Ocean (WWO) run from North Europe to North America. Its last port was Southampton (January 15) from Zeebrugge (January 14), Bremerhaven (January 12), and Gothenburg (January 10) en route for New York. As a EUKOR ship it can be slotted in to the parent company (WWO) schedule as needed.

After off loading at Autoport this morning the ship moved to Pier 9C to discharge "high and heavy" and other RoRo cargo. As usual it headed to Bedford Basin and made a quick turn with the assistance of the Atlantic Larch (forward) and Atlantic Oak (aft) then returning to the Narrows and Pier 9C.

Built in 2013 by Imabari Zosen, Marugame, it is a 59,580 gt, 18,713 dwt ship with a capacity of 6200 CEU or 6142 RT43 size cars. I can't find a published figure for the capacity of its stern ramp, (but expect it is in the 250 tonne range) nor its small starboard side ramp. 

 

It is always a treat to have one of these moves in the afternoon as the ship transits both bridges and navigates the Narrows, in clear skies and bright sunshine, never mind the -5º C temperature.

Although the ship carries the EUKOR Car Carriers Inc banner, it appears to be chartered from Japanese owners. It is operated by Excel Marine, a Japanese company that manages some 135 ships for itself and others. The ship's movements over the past several months show a wide range of port calls starting from Japan and Indonesia in November 2024 via the Panama Canal to Spain and North Europe. After its US port calls it is likely to head back to the Pacific.

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Friday, January 24, 2025

Grand Champion auto carrier

 The auto carrier Grand Champion made a short half day stay at Autoport today, January 24. Its arrival time at the pilot station was 0530 hrs, and allowing for the usual hour and a half or so, it was likely secure alongside around 0700. Its departure order was for 1200 and the ship left quite promptly.

Most auto carriers on the Europe to North America run send a day or more in port, but this ship was not coming from Europe, one of a few recent arrivals from Asia via US east coast ports.

Shin Kurushima Dockyard Co Ltd built the Grand Champion at the Imabari shipyard in 2008. It is a 59,217 gt, 18,262 dwt Pure Car and Truck Carrier (PCTC) with a capacity of 6400 cars on nine decks accessed via a 150 tonne capacity RoRo ramp. It also has a small starboard side ramp. 

It also has an unusual spark arrestor cage around its funnel - a feature I don't recall seeing on any other ship, although smoke diverters were installed on some passenger ships to keep smuts off the open passenger decks.

Owner Cido Shipping is a Korean owned company operating from Hong Kong and Japan. Its current fleet consists of about 72 ships of all types, including 37 car carriers - several of which are more than twenty years old. The company made headlines last year when it ordered forty ships from Korean and Chinese shipyards. That number included twelve PCTCs. Most of Cido's PCTCs are on long term charter to the major auto carrier lines such as Grimaldi, MOL and ZIM. This ship was reported chartered to K-Line two years ago and was running from Asia to Europe via the Suez Canal. Most ships are still avoiding the Red Sea.

The Grand Champion sailed from Kanda, Japan December 17, Yokohama December 20, Kawasaki December 21-23, then sailed directly to Panama anchorage January 13 and Brunswick, GA for January 19-20. It seems that Japanese car manufacturers (who are enduring a major sales slump) have opted to bring cars via the Panama Canal instead off-loading at Pacific coast ports. This is a recent change and appears to be the result of fiercely competitive shipping lines offering bargain rates, but also a return to more normal water levels in Panama, which were delaying ships last summer. Ongoing diversions from the Red Sea and Suez Canal may also figure into the routing.

On sailing the ship gave Newark NJ as its destination.

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Thursday, January 23, 2025

ONE after ONE but not the news

 Two Ocean Network Express (ONE) ships were seen in Halifax today, January 23 - one sailing and one arriving, but that was hardly newsworthy.

The departing ship was the ONE Falcon on the westbound leg of the THE Alliance's EC5 service. Its last port was Colombo and it arrived in Halifax January 21. It is now en route to New York.

The arriving ship was the ONE Wren on the eastbound leg of the same service from Charleston. 

Both ships are products of the Japan Marine United Shipyard in Kure, Japan, and are sister ships of the JMU 14000 Class, signifying a nominal capacity of 14,000 TEU. The actual rating is14,096 TEU. Each ship has slightly different tonnage figures.

The ONE Falcon (above) was built in 2017 and rates 146,287 gt, 138,907 dwt.  It was originally named NYK Falcon and was renamed in 2020. It sailed under sunny skies around noon time.

The ONE Wren (above) arrived late in the afternoon in a light snow flurry. It was built in 2018 as NYK Wren, and was renamed in 2021 and comes in at 146,409 gt, 139,335 dwt.

The ONE ships are now regulars, and despite their size and brilliant magenta hull paint, they are becoming matter of fact in the Port of Halifax. They no longer attract the sort of attention they received when they began to call here - certainly not the front page of the local newspaper.

That place of prominence was given over today to a small pleasure craft aground on the rocky shore of Ferguson's Cove, opposite Mauger's Beach.

My own photos, not as dramatic, reveal no name or other identification. The Canadian Coast Guard was on site removing fuel and loose gear so I assume the vessel is abandoned.

For the past few weeks there has been an AIS signal from a pleasure craft in the same area, named Obelix but it is no longer showing - that may only be a coincidence.

Removal of the boat will present a challenge, due to shallow water and a steep shore.

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