Two for the South End

 

There were two late morning arrivals at the PSA Atlantic Hub today, October 24. Most container ships arrive earlier in the morning - often before sunrise, making picture taking difficult if not impossible. So today, despite backlighting, the ships were clearly visible.

First in line was the CMA CGM T. Roosevelt on the Ocean Alliance Asia-North America service USEC3, directly from Singapore - a 29 day voyage of 12,193.33 miles. 

One of six ships in the neo-Panamax A.Lincoln class it was delivered by Hyundai Heavy Industries in 2017. A 140,872 gt, 138,384 dwt ship it has a theoretical capacity of 14,855 TEU, which is also quoted as 14,414 depending on the source, and 1400 reefer plugs.

On its first trip in 2017 it was the largest ship to transit the Panama Canal and held that record until 2019. Its immense dimensions of 336m long (1202 ft) and 48m breadth (157 ft) can best be appreciated at close range when it is possible to count the number of boxes. (eighteen across and up to nine high). There is also a large lashing frame structure on the after deck to secure containers to secure containers in case of following seas.

 

As tugs swung the ship around to slide back in alongside Pier 41, the next ship was making its way in close behind to tie up at Pier 42. MSC Kilimanjaro IV is on the Med-Canada route from Sines, Portugal, bound for Montreal.

 Despite a retro-fitted exhaust gas scrubber, the ship was able to contribute some particulate matter to the pristine air of Halifax harbour.

Built in 2006 by the Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Group it comes in at 40,110 gt, 50,689 dwt with a capacity of 4253 TEU. It operated as the ZIM Livorno until 2017 (and was a regular caller in Halifax), then ran as the Livorno from 2017 to 2019. It carried the name X-Press Kilimanjaro from 2019 to 2024 when it received its current name. Oddly, Roman the numeral in MSC ship's names usually refers to the next largest 1,000 TEU capacity, and so this ship would normally have a V for 5,000 TEU. It is possible therefore that the 4253 TEU number is over stated.

 As the ship turned to back in to the berth, the exhaust gas scrubber tower could be seen aft of the regular funnel, with a large exposed pipe angling in to the original funnel casing.

The ship will offload some containers in Halifax to reduce draft. Record low water levels on the St.Lawrence River mean more business for Halifax as ships drop off cargo here before sailing to Montreal and then top up again outbound. Currently ship are restricted to 11 meters draft in the freshwater port of Montreal. This is well below optimal seagoing (salt water) draft for ships in the 5,000 to 6,000 TEU size. To take advantage of that capacity, and maximize efficiency, ships are making the calls in Halifax. This of course, inadvertently makes for an express service through Halifax, cutting off a day or more from the transit time to inland destinations, by moving the "extra" containers by rail. 

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