MSC boxes begin to move

 The great stacks of MSC containers began to diminish somewhat today, November 30, as two ships started to load boxes that were stranded in Halifax during the Montreal port workers strike. The federal government has presumably now issued coasting licenses to the foreign flag ships MSC Baltic III and MSC Sagitta III that will allow them to move the containers from Halifax to Montreal (see previous posts).

MSC Baltic III arrived off Halifax November 21 and entered port this morning, tying up at PSA Fairview Cove.

Fleetmate MSC Sagitta III which had been idle at Fairview Cove since November 19 and may have begun loading last night, moved this morning to PSA Atlantic Gateway.

This photo shows the MSC Sagitta III on a prior visit June 29, 2024:

 

MSC Baltic III dates from 2003 when it was built by Aker MTW in Wismar as Nordbaltic. It was renamed on delivery as CMA CGM Romania. In 2008 it became Nordbaltic again until 2011 when it was economically renamed Baltic but only until 2012. It then took the name Niledutch Gemsbok but reverted to Nordbaltic again in 2015. That lasted until 2021 when it took its present name. The Roman number III in the name indicates MSC's size category. Built to Wismar's MTW 2500 class, various sources rate its actual capacity as 2478 TEU, although some say 2526 TEU. It also has 400 reefer plugs: 300 above deck and 100 below deck. It carries three cranes.

There was a better view of the ship when it was last here October 12:

The ship is normally assigned to the Canada Gulf Bridge service out of Montreal for Freeport, Bahamas and Mexican ports and return via Saint John, NB. It would usually not call in Halifax.

Each ship was expected to make three calls in Halifax between November 24 and December 31 to move the backlogged boxes. Now with nearly a week's delay in issuing the coasting licenses, there may have to be an adjustment in the ship's schedules, such as dropping one or more  port calls in Mexico, or "feedering" Mexico cargo from/to Freeport. 

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