Viking Destiny and Oborishte

The auto carrier Viking Destiny arrived this morning in calm and clear conditions. This is very different from its first scheduled arrival March 7 when it was held off the port for two days due to weather. It finally entered March 9 and sailed later the same day.

The ship was built for Gram Car Cariers in 2017 by Jiangsu Jinling and has a capacity of 6700 CEU, measuring 62,105 grt, 18,500 dwt. Gram is a Norwegian company, with offices in Singapore, and about 22 ships time chartered to other carriers. The ships are managed by OSM Ship Management, another Norwegian company. Many of Gram's executives once worked for Hoegh, a major Norwegian car carrier owner.

On sailing this afternoon, its blue hull was much more visible in direct sunlight.

A ship that arrived Monday sailed this afternoon after topping off a cargo of grain. Oborishte flying the flag of Malta, operates for Navigation Maritime Bulgare, but does not have the usual putty coloured superstructure of state owned Bulgarian ships.

It was built in 2010 by Wuhu Xinlian and is optimized for the St.Lawrence Seaway at 662' loa x 77'04" breadth (the maximum allowed width) and 20,491 grt, 29,720 dwt. It carries three 30 tonne cranes.
The original German owners named the ship Luebbert under Intersee management. That was changed in 2014 when Marconsult became managers,  becoming Marbioko. The ship came under NMB management in 2106 and took its present name (that of a Bulgarian village). All three owners were single ship companies using the ship's name, so may in fact have been one in the same.

The ship's departure today marks the end of a lengthy odyssey in Canadian waters. It arrived in the Sorel anchorages below Montreal on April 21. It was placed in detention there for two days until deficiencies identified by Port State Control were rectified.

It was not until April 28-29 that it passed upbound through the St.Lawrence Seaway. Its destination was Oshawa, ON, but the ship went to the Port Weller anchorages in western Lake Ontario and remained there until May 14, when it finally reached Oshawa to unload. It then returned to the Port Weller anchorages May 18 where it languished until June 11 when it moved to nearby Hamilton to load. Once that was completed it sailed June 14,  passed down the Seaway directly for Halifax arriving June 18.



Two months is a long time in shipping terms, and cannot have been a profitable experience.

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