Weather Watch

 With another bout of bad weather on the way some ships are taking precautions. 

Yesterday's move (see March 22 post) of the tanker CB Pacific from Irving Oil's Woodside terminal to an anchorage in Bedford Basin was perhaps a bit early as the high winds are not due until tonight (March 23-24). 

Once at anchor it was easier to see the ship's "windshield" installed over the foredeck to protect deck fittings and to streamline the ship.

Some ships have been built with this feature (and I think this is one) but some owners are retrofitting ships with shields , particularly container ships, to protect deck cargo from boarding seas, but also tankers that have exposed piping on deck.

The coastal tanker Algoscotia arrived this afternoon from Sydney and tied up at Imperial Oil, but it has scheduled a move to anchor over night. Imperial's dock number 3 consists of a jetty and dolphins and mooring buoys. Although it has been upgraded recently, ships do not remain alongside in bad weather. 

Also planning to move is the bulker Algoma Vision. It will be leaving the Gold Bond Gypsum dock for an anchorage in Bedford Basin. (See yesterday's post).

Loading operations are still underway at Pier 9C for BBC Topaz (see previous posts) which is taking on a cargo of pipe. Lifting of the cargo would certainly be curtailed in high winds. Crew members were renewing hatch seals today with Algoma Vision in the background.

 So far unfazed by weather the MOL Experience made its way in to PSA Fairview Cove late this afternoon.

Built by Hyundai, Ulsan in 2007, it is a 54,098 gt, 62,953 dwt ship with a capacity of 4803 TEU including 330 reefers. It carried the name APL Experience from 2008 to 2010. The ship is expected to sail during the night, perhaps before the weather worsens.

The ship operates on THE Alliance's AL5 service for partner Ocean Network Express (ONE) the Japanese container line consortium. The number of Hapag-Lloyd and UASC containers on deck is evidence of how important a partner Hapag-Lloyd is in THE Alliance. When Hapag-Lloyd and Maersk's new Gemini Cooperation comes into effect in February 2025, Hapag-Lloyd will leave THE Alliance. The remining partners HMM (former Hyundai Merchant Marine) Yang Ming and ONE will certainly have a major adjustment to make.

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