As if four cruise ships in port at once was not enough (yesterday, September 29), today, September 30, there were SIX cruise ships in port at the same time. That meant that two ships anchored in the lower harbour and sent its passengers ashore in lighters, and one had to tie up in the industrial section of the Ocean Terminals. There was other business in the port too, but that will be in a separate post, to be filed later today.
Some passengers were no doubt disappointed that many stores and businesses were closed today (as were schools and government facilities) because it was the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in Canada. However those passengers on the SH Vega, although berthed at Pier 27, did not have to contend with port workers loading rail cars and shifting freight - they had a holiday too.
Swan Hellenic Cruises' SH Vega 10,517 gt, built in 2022 by the Helsinki Shipyard in Finland, has only 76 cabins, including six suites for 152 passengers. Providing Luxury Polar Expedition Cruises to remote regions, it carries the usual array of Zodiacs and kayaks for shore excursions. Those were not needed today, but the Pier 27 berth might be considered remote territory, more accustomed to dealing with cargoes of steel rail, nickel sulfides, grain or wood pellets.
The two anchored ships included the Brilliant Lady which (to me) looked like a giant bug with larvae. Sorry for that unflattering opinion, but the Society for Aesthetic Responsibility (of which I may be the sole survivor) has deemed this ship "Sub Standard".
Even more bug like (but slightly more attractive) was the Zuiderdam.
A mid-morning arrival was the Norwegian Gem (I always want to type "Germ") which took the Pier 22 berth, joining the earlier arrival, the Vision of the Seas at Pier 20.
That left the Star Pride at Pier 23, with a front row seat for the landing stage at Pier 24 and the constant activity of the the shuttle tenders.
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