Fog Season

 With the arrival of spring comes fog. Although it is a major annoyance for photographers, it is only a minor hindrance to shipping, which carries on with due caution.

Today's (March 18) blanket of fog lifted in the afternoon, and despite off and on showers, it became possible to see some shipping.

Yesterday the tanker British Engineer arrived off Halifax and anchored for a time. The launch Eastcom appeared to have rendez-voused with the ship while at anchor - perhaps with a technician. Later in the evening the ship made its way to an anchorage in the main harbour, where it was shrouded in fog for the early part of the day today.

The ship made a gloomy sight if it was visible at all.

(In fact the camera saw more than the human eye in this case.)

 By mid-afternoon the fog had retreated and the ship became visible from the Halifax shore.

Passengers on the ferry Rita Joe got a very good look at the ship en route from Dartmouth to Halifax.

The Mid Range type tanker of 30,948 gt, 45,999 dwt was built in 2017 by Hyundai Mipo, and as with all British Petroleum Tankers it has superior accommodation and always looks smart with its traditional funnel marking. 

[Who first thought of painting what was essentially an exhaust pipe, in  company colours ?]

Fog lingered over the Halifax side of the harbour.

The British Engineer has a cargo of refined petroleum products from Amsterdam and will move alongside Irving Oil's Woodside terminal on departure of their tanker Acadian.

Meanwhile the Rossi A. Desgagnés (see yesterday's post) completed unloading at Imperial Oil and sailed for Saint John seemingly for another load.

At Pier 9C the early morning arrival of the Don Pasquale was also fog covered, but the ship became visible once it was alongside.

It was carrying a huge consignment of RoRos, with machinery from red, yellow and green manufacturers. The ship is expected to move to Autoport tomorrow to off load cars.

 The Don Pasquale was built by Daewoo Heavy Industries in Okpo in 1997 and in 2007 it was lengthened from 219.3 to 227.9 m by Hyundai Vinaship in Vietnam. The reworked ship now registers 67,141 gt, 28,142 dwt with a capacity of 7,194 cars.

At the southend, PSA Halifax Atlantic Gateway welcomed the "Ultra" size CMA CGM Amerigo Vespucci . Altough somewhat smaller than the largest container ships to call in Halifax, it was nevertheless an impressive sight as it made its way inbound with the assistance of three tugs.

 

 A group of wintering mallards were a tough audience and not easily impressed.

At 151,446 gt, 165,171 dwt, the ship is rated for 13,880 TEU including 800 reefers. Daewoo Shipbuidlng + Marine Engineering Co Ltd built the ship in 2010 at their Okpo yard.

At Pier 27 the Onego Deusto (see previous post) continued to unload rail - one piece at a time. The photo shows a large forklift carrying a single rail. A shore side crane removes the rails from the ship  (also one at a time) and a forklift moves the item to the carefully stacked stockpile. 

Foreground in the photo is a weigh scale for trucks that are bringing in material to fill the area at Pier 33-37. The pile of crushed stone to the right is for backfilling around the foundations for a new PSA  maintenance facility that will block this view.

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