Tuesday, June 12, 2018

Early arrivals and Coast Guard Doings

 Early Arrival


The small Norwegian flag bulker Eidsvaag Sirius put in to Halifax last night and docked at pier 25. It was built in 2006 by the CSPL Shipyard in Decin, Czech Republic as the Marietje Benita for Dutch owners Danser Shipping CV, and managed by Wagenborgs. At that time it was classed as a general cargo ship, but was gearless, with open hatch design. The hatches were operated by a light gantry (or iron deck had as it is called on the Great Lakes.) It measures 2409 grt, 3200 dwt.

In 2009  Eidsvaag AS of Norway acquired the ships and it went to work for Skretting, a company that specializes in feed for fish farms. The ship was then equipped with an additional travelling gantry carrying a backhoe type crane for loading. It also received a small derrick, starboard side amidships, to handle the unloading hose.



Skretting has a Canadian operation, called Skretting Canada, based in Vancouver, and St.Andrews, NB.
Previously Skretting had the ship Eidsvaag Vinland (ex Vissersbank) a 1682 grt ship, built in 1994 working under Canadian flag, and managed by Norcon. It operated between Newfoundland, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.
However that ship's registration has been closed and as of March it has been sailing as Superior under Norwegian flag for Marrbulk Rederi AS.

Eidsvaag Sirius appears to be its replacement.




CCG Doings

CCGS Cape Roger appears to be undergoing in water refit at BIO. It is tied up at the seawall with its lifeboats removed. The SAR cutter is normally based in St.John's but has been working out of Halifax this spring. The ship was built by Ferguson Industries in Pictou in 1977 and has been based in St.John's ever since, but has worked seasonally from Halifax.


Just astern of the Cape Rodger I spotted a pair of new looking aluminum work boat / landing craft. As unregistered vessels they are difficult to trace, or to find out who built them.



Yesterday another Newfoundland based Coast Guard ship arrived, perhaps for the first time in Halifax. CCGS George R. Pearkes was built in 1986 by Versatile Pacific in North Vancouver as  a light icebreaker and buoy tender. It is powered by three Alco diesels of 8447 bhp that drive a pair of GE  electric motors giving 7,040 shp. In 1991 it was transferred with CCGS Martha L. Black to Quebec City, then in 2004 to Newfoundland.



The ship has apparently loaded a cargo of new or re-conditioned buoys, and one of the new workboats.

CCGS Sir William Alexander made a brief stop at Pier 9B to offload a buoy, before docking at BIO.



The 3m buoy known as the Smartatlantic Buoy is a meteorological. and oceanographic buoy normally moored off Herring Cove. It measures wind speed and direction, air temperature, relative humidity and dew point, barometric pressure, water temperature, current speed and direction, wave height, direction and period, and spectral information. It provides a continuous data feed and can communicate directly with ships. It appears to be in need of some maintenance, but should be back on station soon.
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