Clear Sailing

 After two days of intense fog (and the melting off of about 10 cm of snow left over from Christmas), today, December 31, there was a clear view of harbour activity.

Yesterday's arrival, the Coastal Shipping Ltd tanker Kitikmeot W., moved off Imperial Oil's number 3 dock and anchored in the lower harbour. This will be a short term position and I expect the ship will move again early in the New Year. 

It appears to have offloaded most, if not all of its cargo, so it will be interesting to see where it is headed next. Some of its fleet mates trade internationally over the winter. (Sister ship Kivalliq W. is in the Gulf of St. Lawrence en route to Rotterdam. Another sister, Qikiqtaaluk W. sailed from Halifax December 27 and arrived in St.John's December 29. Another sister ship Tuvaq W. currently in St.John's has been reflagged to the Marsall Islands.) This ship has been reflagged to Marshall Islands most years for about five to six months - usually December / January to May/June.

So far at least, the Canadian port of registry, St.John's, has not been painted over but there is a light blue space available for Majuro when the time comes.

Kitikmeot W, was built in 2010 by Icdas in Biga, Turkey and measures 13,097 grt, 19,983 dwt. It sailed as Icdas-09 until acquired by Coastal Shipping in 2108. It is rated Ice Class 1A by DNV. Halifax was its first port in Canada when it arrived May 8, 2018. [see my post from that date]

 It has since operated on Coastal's usual routes to the Woodward Group's home port of Goose Bay, NL, its operational base of Lewisporte, NL and many far north outposts with only seasonal access by sea. It has sourced petroleum products in several ports, mostly from Imperial Oil facilities.

On its current voyage the ship loaded in Sarnia, ON, December 21 to 23, having entered the St.Lawrence Seaway from Montreal on December 16 and exiting again December 26.

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