TMSI Ltd back at full strength

 With the arrival today, June 20, of the Container / RoRo ship Nolhan Ava TMSI Ltd is back at full strength. The company operates a network of trucking, warehousing, intermodal and shipping that is based on the sea service from Halifax to St-Pierre et Miquelon and Argentia, Newfoundland.

 

The Canadian flag Nohana Ava is the vital link in the chain and it has been in refit in Setubal, Portugal since April. While the ship was away its place has been taken by the Norwegian flagged Silver Arctic a smaller ship, lacking RoRo capability. It was acquired for a short term charter, starting on its sailing from Halifax April 5. The Canadian goverment issued a coasting license, which was expected to run for six to eight weeks, but the refit has been much longer than originally anticipated, so the ship has been kept on until today.

Silver Arctic arrived this morning from St-Pierre, presumably for the last time and tied up at Pier 42. Although it is not a RoRo ship some RoRo type cargo was carried on container platforms. (The French islands import automobiles from France for instance.)

Nolhan Ava arrived mid-morning from Argentia, and tied up at Pier 41, at the RoRo ramp. Its normal sailing day is Friday, so it will presumably work the usual domestic (Canada to Canada) cargo as well as interchange cargo from international shipping lines that call in Halifax by sea or with intermodal cargo that arrives by train. TMSI has it own trucking operation that shuttles containers stuffed at its Halifax warehouse and from other locations in the region. It also moves containers between PSA Fairview Cove and PSA Halifax Atlantic Gateway.

Nolhana Ava (4758 gt, 4850 dwt) was built by Santieural Naval Constanta SA in Romania in 2000 to operate between Halifax and St-Pierre et Miquelon starting in 2001 under the name Shamrock. It was reassigned in 2004 due to financial issues with the owner. It then worked in the Caribbean until its return to Halifax in 2015 as Nolhanava (one word) for new owners SPMI. The ship went to China in 2016 for installation of a ceramic membrane exhaust gas scrubber system. It was brought into Canadian registry in 2018 as Nolhan Ava (two words) and Argentia was added to its route. 

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