Sunday Round up

 After postponing its arrival yesterday, the Ultra size container ship CMA CGM Lapérouse arrived today (October 16) at PSA Halifax's Atlantic Hub. 

Built in 2010 by Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering Co Ltd in Okpo, South Korea, it is a 151,446 gt, 165,422 dwt vessel with a capacity of 13,880 TEU, including 800 reefers.

The ship is named for the famed French naval officer and explorer of the South Pacific Jean-François de Galaup, comte de Lapérouse. He vanished and was presumed killed in the Solomon Islands in 1788. It is perhaps less well known that Lapérouse had a Canada and even a Nova Scotia connection. In 1757 and 1758 he was on supply ships from France to Louisbourg and in 1759 was wounded in the Battle of Quiberon Bay (in Brittany) taken prisoner by the British and exchanged for the release of emprisoned British. It was this battle, two months after the fall of Quebec, that gave Britain naval supremacy and prevented France from invading England.

In 1782 he captured Prince of Wales and York forts in Hudson Bay. His disappearance in 1788 while retracing Captain's Cook's South Pacific trips was one of the great enduring mysteries in French exploration history- rivalling that of Franklin in British history. Expeditions in 1826, 1964, 2005 and 2008 finally determined that he was shipwrecked on Vanikoro Island but the actual location of his death (likely at the hands of the local population, but possibly from starvation) will likely never be known.[Pardon this lengthy diversion, but I have been fascinated by the Lapérouse since childhood.]

Frustrated by awkward photo angles of the ship Iberian Bulker at Pier 28, (see previous posts) I was finally able to get an underway view as it sailed just at dusk this evening. It gave the River Tyne as destination for its cargo of wood pellets.

The ship's lights were on, including illumination over the pilot ladder, just below number four crane. Earlier in the afternoon I was able to get a good view of the Lauritzen funnel mark - a very distinctive design of long standing.

The Danish firm of J.Lauritzen traces its origins to 1884 when Ditlev Lauritzen started a shipping company to carry timber for his father's lumber and building supply business. Ditlev was still a minor at the time, so the company was incorporated under the name of his father Jøhan. Since then the company has been involved in arctic shipping, fishing, refrigerated cargo, bulk cargo, tankers (including LNG), passenger ferries (DFDS) and many others. It is still privately held by a family foundation.

Also sailing today was the tanker Algoterra. After unloading product at Imperial oil, it moved this morning to Pier 9C where it refueled from trucks.

Once topped up, the ship headed out into Bedford Basin, turned round, then made for sea, giving Sept-Iles, QC as it next port of call. 

The ship shows lots of "lock rash" from frequent St.Lawrence Seaway trips. Its orange hull paint is gradually becoming shabby. As mentioned in some previous posts the ship was built in 2010 by Jiangnan, Shanghai as the 11,889 gt, 16,512 dwt Louise Knutsen. It carried the name Louise K for a time in 2019 when  it was sold to Algoma Tankers, and before it was renamed Algoterra. ("Terra" for Terra Nova aka Newfoundland)

The orange hull paint is the Knudsen Product Tanker company colour and is likely to last to the next scheduled drydocking.

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