CSL Flexvik sails

 The CSL Flexvik sailed this morning (October 19) from its berth at Pier 9C after more than nine months alongside. It first went to Bedford Basin and with the assistance of the tugs Atlantic Willow and Atlantic Bear turned about then put out to sea. (The ship is too large to turn in the Narrows.)

The ship ran aground September 14, 2022 in Long Pond, Newfoundland incurring serious rudder and propellor damage. In October 2022 it was towed to Méchins, QC by the tugs Atlantic Fir and Atlantic Larch, where it was surveyed, then secured for a long distance tow. The Italian tug Kamarina was sent from Europe to tow the ship to Portugal for repairs, but the tow was diverted to Halifax and arrived here January 3, 2023. The tow was not resumed and the tug headed back to Europe on February 15. By mid-March the ship had been sold to CSL Europe, a subsidiary of Canada Steamship Lines and in September the new name CSL Flexvik appeared on the ship's bow, and repairs got underway.

CSL Flexvik was built in 2012 by Taizhou Sanfu Ship Engineering Co as the Raba for Polska Zegluga Morska (known as Polsteam) and was sold in 2021 and renamed Ale by Oslo Venture Pte Ltd. It is a 13,579 gt, 17,074 dwt general cargo / bulker with three 30 tonne SWL cranes. It was built for the Great Lakes grain trade, and in 2022 made one trip to the Lakehead in May 2022. Then in August it had completed a ten year survey and refit, so was in prime condition when it went ground. In fact the hull paint is still so pristine that the bulkhead location markings are still clearly legible.

 With no drydocking facilities available for merchant ships in Halifax, it took considerable ingenuity to carry out the repairs with the ship still in the water. A cofferdam was installed under the ship's stern allowing for the tail shaft to be removed and replaced, including propellor blades on the controllable pitch hub. The rudder was also removed, repaired and reinstalled. Much of the work was conducted by divers.

The CSL Flexvik is headed for Sydney, NS according to the ship's AIS location signal. It is not clear to me what cargo it might load there, as Sydney is usually an importer. 

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