Connector - gone south

 The offshore construction ship Connector sailed from Halifax today, January 4, after a lengthy stay in port. It is destined for Boston, presumably to be closer to the Vineyard Wind project.

The ship arrived in Halifax September 3 and aside from a brief Dynamic Positioning trial in Bedford Basin in November it has been idle ever since. Its details were given here December 23, 2024 when fleet mate Symphony shifted layup berths.

A year ago it was reported that the Connector would be working on the Hornsea 3 wind farm off the Yorkshore coast starting in January 2025. It would be laying sub-sea power transmission cables for the Danish company Ørsted. However it appears that the ship will be working for Ørsted on the Vineyard Wind project instead. Work on that project is resuming after a five month suspension after a wind vane collapsed. A large power substation will be established to send power ashore via a high capacity sub-sea cable.

As Connector sailed this morning the cable ship IT Intrepid moved from anchorage in Bedford Basin to Pier 9C - likely to refuel. In the background the ship Nord Logos awaits its next asssignment. The ship has been used to carry fibre optic cable, and its last port of call is recorded as Portsmouth (Newington) NH, site of the Sub Com cable factory.

 

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IT Infinity - another transformation

 The cable ship IT Infinity returned to Halifax today, January 3, after a major refit in Norway. The former offshore supplier is now a state of the art vessel, fitted with the systems and equipment to lay and repair subsea communication cable. 

 This is not the ship's first conversion, but is certainly the most extensive. Its construction started at the Aker Tulcea shipyard in Romania and was completed in 2008 by Vaard Brattvaag in Norway. Built to the Skipsteknisk ST-216L design of offshore supplier, it measured 4277 gt, 4867 dwt. It is powered by four Caterpillar main engines driving two CP azipods, and has two tunnel thrusters forward and a retractable thruster forward. It also had a large open working deck with numerous reefer points, and below deck tanks for brine, potable water, drill water, oils, drybulk and drilling mud. The two deck cranes had capacities 4 tonnes and 1.5 tonnes. Accommodation was provided for 28 persons plus a hospital berth. It is also Ice Rated to DNV 1B and equipped with navigational equipment for DP2 dynamic positioning.

It worked in the North Sea under the name Volstad Princess and in 2017 became the Standard Princess. It carried that name until 2021 when it was acquired by IT International Telecom and arrived in Halifax November 8, 2022.

IT International Telecom took the ship in hand at their Pier 9A marine base in Halifax and installed a variety of package and containerised work shops and other gear to equip the ship for undersea cable maintenance and repair.

 

Although based in Halifax, and registered in Barbados, the ship was widely deployed. IT International Telecom is independant of carriers and  provides planning, design, route survey and clearance and construction and maintenance of marine networks globally.

In February 2024 the Vard shipyard in Brattvaag, Norway was awarded the contract to refit the ship to a higher standard and to modernize existing systems. The work was completed with sea trials in November and the ship sailed from Rognan, Norway, December 18.

The list of improvements and upgrades is quite impressive, but includes new accommodations for 32, and new electrical and HVAC. It took 550 tonnes of new steel to construct the new cable stowage, two new drum engines, and facilities for fibreoptic cable resting and jointing. Housing is also provided for the MD3 cable plough system and the ROV and a 60 tonne capacity stern mounted gantry for deployment. There is also a large new structure on the stern, replacing the ramp shown in the earlier photo.

In order to make space at Pier 9A this morning the ship's fleet mate, the veteran IT Intrepid moved to anchorage in Bedford Basin.

A classic design, the ship was built by Swan Hunter, Wallsend UK in 1989 as the Sir Eric Sharp. It has the traditional sheaves on the bow but a slightly more modern profile than its predecessors. IT International Telecom renamed the ship in 2005, and it continues to provide valuable service.

 

The Lord Kelvin, built by Swan Hunter in 2016 was based in Halifax until 1966.

Oberon - takes the ribbon

 As a year round port Halifax rarely celebrates the first arrival of the year. (Such ports as Montreal and Quebec City historically celebrate first arrivals dating back to the days when they were blocked by ice for four or more months of the year. Now that there are ice classed ships, and icebreaking services, the first arrivals usually make port on January 1 and the significance is largely traditional.) 

If Halifax were to celebrate the first arrival of the year 2025 it would recognize the Large Car and Truck Carrier Oberon of Wallenius Wilhelmen Ocean which arrived at noon time and docked at Pier 9C to discharge RoRo cargo.

There were still traces of early fog as the ship made its way up the Narrows to turn in Bedford Basin, with the tugs Atlantic Cedar (forward) and Atlantic Fir (aft) tethered to inset hull bollards.

The ship was built in 2008 by Daewoo Shipbuilding + Marine Engineering in Okpo, South Korea. Registering 71,673 gt and 30,143 dwt, it has a capacity of 7620 RT43 autos. Five of its car decks are hoistable for oversize cargo and it has a 320 tonne capacity stern ramp. It also has a smaller starboard side ramp.

The ship was built for Wallenius Lines and was named for a mythical character, the "elf-king" in the Weber opera of the same name. It was delivered in traditional Wallenius green hull paint, as shown on November 30, 2016 when it tied up at Pier 27.

 Wallenius Lines was founded in 1934 by Olof Wallenius and based in Stockholm. It is now owned by Rederi AB Soya and is also an investor in RoRo shipping in the Baltic. Wilh. Wilhelmsen, dates from 1861 and is Norwegian. The two lines increasingly cooperated from 1999 and in 2017 formed Wallenius Wilhelmsen Ocean (WWO) to operate its shipping fleet. The ships then gradually adopted a common colour scheme. Wilhelmsen also has many other related activities such as logistics, third party crewing and ship management services and own or have interest in other auto carrier fleets such as EUKOR and American Roll-on Roll-off Carrier (ARC). WWO is the third largest auto carrier company after MOL and NYK and list a fleet of 53 ships directly owned, but sources now say they control about 160 ships.

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