Shipfax

Cougar Ace

2012-01-31T20:42:00.012-04:00

1. Cougar Ace sails at dusk.

2. Alongside at Autoport this morning.
The auto carrier Cougar Ace arrived on one of its infrequent visits to Halifax. The ship achieved notoriety in 2006 when it was nearly lost off the Aleutian Islands. It was en route Japan to the west coast of North America and during ballast transfer operations the ship lost stability and listed to 60 degrees. The Air National Guard and USCG was able to air lift the 23 crew to safety and tugs took the vessel to more sheltered waters where it was eventually righted. It was then towed to California and unloaded. There were 4,703 Mazdas on board, all of which were then scrapped (a $117 mn loss to Mazda.) The ship was rebuilt and returned to service.
The salvage story in itself makes interesting reading CAUTION SOME ADULT LANGUAGE: http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/magazine/16-03/ff_seacowboys?currentPage=all
The ship was built in Japan in 2003 and has a capacity of 5,542 autos.
The evolution of pure car carriers is an interesting one. These floating garages were at one time built on conventional cargo ship hulls, usually obsolete passenger cargo ships displaced by the container revolution. If you think the present ones are ugly, some of those originals were no beauties either.
There was then an interim phase during which purpose built car carriers still looked a lot like ships, but as time went by they began to maximize available space, reaching today's appearance [see also yesterday's posting.] At one time car makers such as Volkswagen and Nissan had their own ships, but now the common carriers have taken over, and all brands may be carried on the same ship.

3. The first generation of purpose built autocarriers, such as Savonita , built in 1971, and lengthened in 1976, looked a bit more like ships than the present day variety. They were relatively small, 5,536 gross tons in this case, but were soon replaced by larger ships. Savonita was broken up in Kaohsiung in 1987.

4. Some of the first dedicated car carriers were rebuilt cargo passenger ships. Hual Akarita started life as the handsome passenger cargo ship Amazon, (later Akaroa) built by Harland & Wolff in 1959 for the Royal Mail Lines. Rendered obsolete by air travel and containers, it was rebuilt as an autocarrier in 1972. The engines and accommodation were left amidships but the bridge was hoisted up and moved forward on top of the car garage. It was mercifully put out of its misery in Kaohsiung in 1981.

This is what she looked like before conversion:

http://www.shipsnostalgia.com/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/58278/title/akaroa/cat/520

http://www.shipsnostalgia.com/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/143177/title/amazon/cat/520
Amazing transformation.

Tortugas shows the flag.

2012-01-30T18:39:00.011-04:00

1. Tortugas has slowed to allow the tug Atlantic Willow to make up. The ship still carries the traditional Wilhelmsen black funnel with two blue stripes, and painted on the bow is the company flag, a blue W on a white ground with blue outline.

2. Tortugas has been joined by the tug Atlantic Larch (forward) and is preparing to make the turn around Ives Knoll for Eastern Passage.

The Pure Car and Truck Carrier Tortugas arrived late this afternoon on the regular Bremerhaven, Zeebrugge, Southampton, Halifax run with another load of new cars for Autoport. The British registered ship is owned by the Wilhelmsen half of Wallenius Wilhelmsen Lines and was built in 2006. At 61,321 gross tons, it is a big ship, but with a capacity of 6,354 cars, but it is not the biggest of its type (the biggest can carry 7,500.) In a tradition dating back to the early 29th century Wilhelmsen ships' names start with the letter "T". As one might expect there have been repetitions of the name and this is at least the fourth ship of the name in the fleet. The first was built in 1923 and lost in World War II.
The Wilhelmsen company dates back to 1861 when it was founded in Tönsberg, Norway. It is not surprising that they have had many connections to Canada. These include at least a dozen sailing ships built in Canada in the mid 1800s. Two of their ships were wrecked in Nova Scotia, Heimdal on Sable Island in 1910 and even closer to home, Salerno wrecked on Litchfield Shoal at the entrance to Halifax Harbour in 1905.
No such fate awaits Tortugas I am sure, and she is scheduled to sail this evening for New York, Brunswick, GA and Charleston, SC before heading back across the Atlantic.
The 1967 photo below shows a typical Wilhelmsen ship of the 1960s. Tema was built in 1960 at Helsingör as Brookville for A.F.Klaeveness & Co of Oslo (also still operating, with ships in the CSL pool.) It was a general cargo ship of 5,430 gross tons with a speed of 12 knots and could carry 12 passengers. Wilhelmsen owned it from 1963-1971 and it was broken up in 1985.

3. The tug Foundation Victor has just berthed Tema at pier 26. Freezing spray has formed in the pattern of the ship's bow wave. In the 1960s, when grain was a major export commodity in Halifax, the grain galleries extended to the end of pier 26 and pier 23.

Spruceglen underway

2012-01-28T22:35:00.005-04:00

1 and 2 the ship's new red paint brightens up considerably in direct sunlight.

Spruceglen went to anchor in Bedford Basin yesterday, in a cold move. The tug Atlantic Willow stood by until the ship fired up her main engine. (Ships are required to have the use of their engines while at anchor.)

After spending a stormy night she got underway late this afternoon, and carried out a compass swing, with the tug Gulf Spray standing by to take the adjustor off. (The same tug had been providing a regular shuttle service to the ship during its time at anchor.)

By late afternoon, just as the sun was about to go down, the ship made for the Narrows and headed to sea.

The Port of Quebec website shows her arriving there January 30. I wonder how her new paint will look after she passes through some ice en route?

Spruceglen - finally out of drydock

2012-01-27T19:28:00.003-04:00

After a postponement yesterday (in bright sunny weather) Spruceglen emerged from the Novadock floating drydock today- in snow.

The ship went to anchor in Bedford Basin, where its engines were started up and with the major low pressure zone working its way over Halifax, with high winds, snow/freezing rain/rain (your choice) it will remain at anchor until tomorrow. Perhaps the sun will be shining when it sails.

Rederi AB Transatlantic - end of another era.

2012-01-24T22:25:00.008-04:00

1. In August 2011 TransWood approaches Pointe-au-Pic, QC to load paper.

2. The same ship as FinnWood in 2007, with side door open, loading at Pointe-au-Pic.

3. Same place, different ship. Ingrid Gorthon loads from forklifts, through two side doors.

4. As built, Ingrid Gorthon was a bulk carrier. After a hard winter she is tied up in Halifax, in March 1984 to load newsprint rolls using travelling cranes.

With the arrival January 25 of Transwood in Terneuzen, Netherlands another chapter in shipping history draws to a close. There is one tantalizing remnant remaining, but that can’t be for long.
The story starts with the founding of the Gorthon family of shipping companies, in the early days of the 20th century (either 1915 or 1921 depending on your sources.) The Swedish company had many iterations over the years and many owning entities, but its ships bore the Gorthon family name starting in 1924. They developed a specialization in carrying forest products and in the 1930s they began carrying woodpulp and pulpwood for Bowaters in the UK. It was not until after World War II that they began to be seen in Canada, as they built specialized ships for carrying newsprint. Regular callers to many eastern Canada ports, the ships often called in Halifax for bunkers and repairs, particularly in winter. Their distinctive white painted hulls set them apart as quite unique.
The subsequent history of Gorthons is far too convoluted for retelling here, but effective March 2005 Gorthon Lines AB was dissolved as part of a takeover by B&N Nordsjofrakt AB becoming Rederi AB TransAtlantic [RABT].
Since then RABT has gradually disposed of the Gorthon ships, chartering them back for periods of time, before they went off for scrap or other charters. Their new ships were either renamed or named with the prefix "Trans" with one exception. That is Ingrid Gorthon which, at least for the time being still works for RABT.
There are also some other stray Gorthon ships around, but they no longer have a connection with the succeeding owners, and have merely kept their names.
The North American paper business has been in long term decline and in 2011, after several years of poor returns on their transatlantic services, RABT decided to concentrate in other areas, such as European coastal routes, and offshore/icebreaking.
For now they will keep two ships on the North America/South America services, the TransFighter and the venerable Ingrid Gorthon. TransWood, which arrives in Terneuzen January 25, and TransPine will be assigned to European operations.
RABT has its own informative web site, complete with shipping schedules, and corporate history. See www.rabt.se/en/

Ingrid Gorthon was built way back in 1977 as a 10,358 gross tons/ 14,229 deadweight tonnes bulk carrier to Lloyd’s ice class 1A. Its two travelling cranes of 30 tonnes capacity were fitted to load newsprint in rolls.But the ship had large hatches for other bulk cargoes. It was built by Korea Shipbuilding & Engineering Co in Busan. In 1990 it was rebuilt as by Blohm & Voss , Hamburg as a side loader, with two doors and a conveyor/ elevator system for pallets or newsprint rolls. It now measures 12,750 gross tons/ 14,298 deadweight tonnes. Recent photos show that the ship has been repainted with a rusty red coloured hull.
It was sold by RABT in 2006, reflagged to Cyprus and chartered back by RABT.

TransWood was built in 2002 by Stoc. Gdynia in Poland as a RoRo/side loader, Finnwood. In 2006 it was lengthened 23m by Blohm & Voss. It measures 20,851 gross tons and 18,855 deadweight. It flies the Swedish flag, and acquired its present name in 2008.
TransFighter and Transpine are sister ships to TransWood.

The two remaining ships on North American service will shuttle up and down the east coast with paper southbound and recycling paper north bound, with one remaining Gorthon ship hanging in for a few more years - reminder of a once substantial and distinctive fleet.

Svendborg - former Halifax visitor in distress

2012-01-24T19:43:00.004-04:00

1. Svendborg sailing form Halifax 2010-07-23 en route St-Pierre.

The German owned, Gibraltar flagged Svendborg issued a distress call on January 23 while on a voyage from Ipswich, England to Georgetown, Guyana.

The ship was a weekly caller in Halifax during July 2010 when it operated the shuttle service to St-Pierre et Miquelon. It replaced Dutch Runner on that service and in turn was replaced by Fusion, the present incumbent, in August 2010.

The ship is a small one of 2,462 gross tons/ 3,450 deadweifght, with a 185 TEU capacity and two 25 tonne cranes. It was built in 1993 and has had nine differtent names in its career so far.

The position of the distress call was given as 23-39.1N x 39-39.1W, which is roughly mid-Atlantic, 1,500 miles from Africa and 2,000 miles from South America, and maybe 750 miles northwest of the Cape Verde Islands. A very desolate spot when you need help.

I will post more details as they become known.

Private Robertson VC

2012-01-22T18:55:00.003-04:00

The first of the new offshore patrol vessels has rolled out at Halifax Shipyard. This is the second time the ship has been outdoors-the first was for painting. This time however it appears to be rolled out in preparation for eventual launching.

CCGS Private Robertson VC is the first of the Hero class and as stated before the first of the series was to be Caporal Kaeble VC, but the names were switched for political reasons.

Spruceglen going red, CSL Spirit getting in the spirit

2012-01-19T19:34:00.007-04:00

CSL's Spruceglen is indeed going red. While in drydock at Halifax Shipyard, the bulker is being repainted in CSL red, the present hull colour for CSL's domestic fleet. I was not sure this would happen since she may be back in operation by the end of the month, but after a good hull cleaning the aluminum coloured primer was going on the other day, and today I see red.
This ship is one of several ships acquired by CSL and Algoma to fill the void left by older ships going for scrap and the delivery of newer ships building in China.
It now turns out of course that they have found work for gearless bulk carriers, despite very poor remuneration in the bulk trades (the Baltic Dry Index is in the doldrums.)
Although they are not lavishing large sums on these ships, they may now keep them going longer than I originally thought.
1. Today - I see red.

2. January 17, primer going on.

CSL Spirit is also getting in the act by acquiring the Canadian version of the CSL funnel marking. The traditional black/white/red horizontal strips are now only worn by the CSL International fleet. With CSL Spirit joining the domestic fleet it has now had the black and white stripes sloped down the after side of the funnel. Whether it will get the red hull too is another matter.

3. January 13, in transition. The domestic funnel colour scheme is on the side, with the remnants of the international (and traditional) scheme on the aft face. The crew has started to paint the aft face all black.

Cruisin' for a bruisin'

2012-01-15T21:14:00.007-04:00

1. MSC Poesia arriving Halifax 2011-10-10.

The cruise ship industry is in for a serious bruising over the coming days as more information comes to light about the sinking of the Costa Concordia in Italy on January 13.

Coupled with the recent grounding of MSC Poesia in Freeport, Bahamas (where there were no deaths or serious injuries) in fourteen feet of water, there will have to be some serious introspection about passenger safety.

[MSC Poesia's first visit to Halifax: http://shipfax.blogspot.com/2010/09/poetry-in-motion.html ]

What have we really learned since the sinking of the Titanic (100 years ago), Empress of Ireland (1914), Lusitania (1915), Andrea Doria (1956) and countless others?

1. When ships sink they do not do so on an even keel - if they list to port or starboard to any significant degree, half the lifeboats will not launch at all, and the others will be too far from the ship's side or the ship will roll over on them.

2. If the ship sinks by the bow or stern most of the lifeboats will be useless.

3. Ships are built to withstand flooding of some compartments, but they are never built to withstand long rips in the side of the hull. There is more reserve buoyancy in modern ships, but a big ship at any significant speed, cannot stop quickly, and is thus likely to rip out a lot of its length.

4. Lifeboat drills are never sufficient to prepare passengers for safe evacuation. In the panic of an emergency many things will go wrong (see above) many people will not know what to do. Crew members, even if highly trained (and not all are), will be severely hampered. Language issues will exacerbate the problem.

5. More than a thousand died in the Empress of Ireland and 1,500 from Titanic. More lifeboats were added, davits were changed to gravity type. Even so 1,198 died in the Lusitania, because they could not use most of the lifeboats, due to the ship's trim.

Improvements have been made continuously, and loss of life in those numbers has not occurred in many years, on well found, first class ships. Navigational aids such as radar and satellite navigation, radio and telephone have improved both safety and communication. Personal flotation devices are also vastly superior. Lifeboats themselves are more durable and fire and weather resistant. But that is no reason for complacency.

The issues are still the same: lifeboats and human error. Most accidents are now caused by human error, and when a serious accident occurs, those in danger must rely on lifeboats or take the chance of staying aboard until rescued by others. This last option is often the best, but who really knows that at the time? Jumping overboard is rarely a wise option.

What is the solution?

We will hear many suggestions in the coming weeks-some crazy, some sensible, but one thing is certain, the cruise lines will be under the microscope. Ship designers too, but in reality it is the international safety standards organizations that should be dealing with this on a world scale.

Onego Chinook- engine failure

2012-01-15T19:30:00.007-04:00

1. Anchors brought home, the ship has lost power and is drifting astern.

2. The re-start off Africville park was fairly dramatic.

3. Underway towards the Narrows and into bright low sunshine.

As Onego Chinook got underway from Bedford Basin anchorage this morning, she had a main engine failure. Fortunately this did not occur in the Narrows, but still it was a bit closer to shore than desirable. After drifting around (and mostly astern) for several minutes, there was a spectacular restart - with lots of black smoke- and the ship got underway again.Her subsequent trip to pier 27 seems to have gone ahead without incident and the ship tied up ready to start unloading rails on Monday morning.

The very low sun was not terribly conducive to good photography and it was a cold and breezy morning (minus 15 C and 20 knots.) The deck crew remained in position in case they had to drop anchor - they must have been colder than me!

The recent incident with sister MCP Troodos and many other ships on the St.Lawrence River in the past month, where they have had cooling water problems, may have been the cause of today's incident. In which case it points out that many ships sailing our waters in winter time are not properly prepared to do so. Ice crystalizes in the ship's cooling water intake and the engine shuts down due to overheating. It is only a matter of time before one of these ships gets into real trouble. Interestingly Onego Chinook and MCP Troodos have two main engines, which should provide redundancy in most situations. However a common cooling water system - or an unsuitable one for freezing conditions- will shut down both engines.

Coming and Going, Big and Little

2012-01-12T19:49:00.015-04:00

It was a day for arrivals and departures of all sizes in Halifax. With bad weather on the way later this afternoon, most ships would be happier to be in port, but several also left-good luck to them.
The bulker Onego Chinook sailed in to an anchorage in Bedford Basin. I expect she has a cargo of rails destined for pier 27, which is currently occupied by Amurborg, working the same cargo. Interestingly Onego Chinook is a sister to MCP Troodos still at anchor following some repairs. Onego Chinook is one of seven sister ships working for Onego, but managed by Interships. She was built with two 40 tonne cranes, whereas MCP Troodos was built as MCP Alstertal, a gearless ship, and had the larger 80 tonne cranes installed only last year, and operates for Interships/Hartmann directly.
Onego Chinook flies the flag of Cyprus and is5338 gross tons/ 7709 deadweight. It is operated out of Onego's New York office.

OOCL Shanghai arrived just as the snow started and tied up at Fairview Cove. A post-Panamax type of 66,289 gross tons, it carries 5,762 TEUs and is owned by ER Schiffs of Germany, flies the German flag and was built in 1999.

Nirint Hollandia unloaded her cargo of Cuban nickel ore and scurried off to sea again. She is very lightly loaded and will have an uncomfortable night at sea I expect. Built in 2007 it is owned by JW & PJ Danser (hence the "D" monogram on the bow) of the Netherlands and is managed by Wagenborg. It is a general cargo ship of 8999 gross tons and 12,000 deadweight.

The big tanker Mattea moved from her repair berth at pier 25-26 to an anchorage in Bedford Basin. This move was probably a precaution due to the high winds in the forecast. She will very likely be moving back to the pier once the system goes through. She is a Canadian flag, Hibernia shuttle tanker of 76,216 gross tons, 126,360 deadweight.

Also departing was the bulker Delos Ranger. This 31,1340 gross/ 54,057 deadweight ship built in 2008 flies the Bahamas flag and loaded gypsum. This is the first time she has ever been in Halifax and is a departure from the normal conveyor type self-unloaders we usually see. It is owned by Lagoon Shipholding Ltd and is managed by Enterprise Shipping & Trading of Athens.

And the grain carrier African Gardenia sailed with a load of food aid grain. She is a sister to several ships that specialize in carrying food aid grains. Built way back in 1981 she is a bulk carrier of 6498 gross and 9101 deadweight. Owned by a single ship company part of Elmira Shipping & Trading of Athens, she flies the Liberian flag.

Amurborg

2012-01-10T10:12:00.006-04:00

1. Amurborg passes Saudi Abha at pier 30 as it arrives this morning.

2. A snow flurry competes with the sun as the ship turns in toward pier 27.

The Wagenborg ship Amurborg arrived this morning at pier 27. The large Wagenborg fleet speciliazes in carrying forest products, but their ships can carry a variety of cargoes, such as today's load of rails for CN.

Amurborg is an ice class 1A ship of 11,855 gross tons and 17,323 deadweight, built in 2011.

MCP Troodos in for repairs

2012-01-08T09:39:00.008-04:00

1. Repairs complete, MCP Troodos went to anchor this afternoon.

2. MCP Troodos ghosts into Halifax January 7 in the the fog.

3. A fuel truck has just finished bunkering at pier 27, and Imperial Oil's flare stack puts on a show early this morning.

4. As seen from across the pier, MCP Troodos awaits completion of repairs this morning.

The general cargo ship MCP Troodos arrived yesterday and tied up at pier 27 for repairs. There was welding work going on under the port quarter, which is not visible in the shadows of the photos. The ship was en route from the St.Lawrence River, and diverted to Halifax for the work. While here it also took advantage of the opportunity to take on fuel.

Built by Shandong Huangchi in China in 2007, it is a ship of 5,272 gross tons, 7,602 deadweight, and carries two 80 tonne cranes that can work in tandem for lifts of 160 tonnes.

It is owned by the German Oetker company, but operated by Intership Navigation Co of Cyprus. See more on their web site at: http://www.intership-cyprus.com/mcp-class

Louis S. St-Laurent on the move (amended)

2012-01-04T20:45:00.007-04:00

1. Louis doing donuts in the Basin at noon time today.

2. Yesterday they tried out the bubbler system. Soon after they lowered the lifeboat.

Once dubbed "the Hotel" because it remained in port for so long without moving, that is no longer the case with CCGS Louis S. St-Laurent. The rush to get the ship back in service for the Gulf icebreaking season after her centre prop repairs, saw the ship doing dockside trials yesterday and sea trials today.

After several loops around the Bedford Basin this morning to see if all was well and get all systems warmed up, the ship put out to sea for more trials. It now appears to be anchored for the night offshore.

Amendment: After going out to sea, the ship headed off to Newfoundland. It is scheduled for an alongside refit from January 26 to March 8. This would seem to preclude much icebreaking this winter.

Spruceglen to drydock

2012-01-03T12:24:00.013-04:00

1. Spruceglen is clear of pier 25-26, and the tugs have started to turn it northbound.

2. Lining up for the Novadock with the tug Atlantic Hemlock on the bow. The ship has pumped out most of its water ballast, and is sitting very high in the water. Its steering nozzle and prop are visible.

3. Almost in position, the ship fills the length of the drydock.

4. In its original colours, and with its original name, the ship is tied up at pier 25-26 in 1986. The grain leg was needed to unload the ship, which has no unloading gear.

The bulker Spruceglen made a cold move this morning to the Novadock at Halifax Shipyard. Although there were some crew members on the ship, it did not use its own engines - the tugs Atlantic Hemlock and Atlantic Larch did all the work.

The ship has a long history with Halifax. It was built by Govan Shipbuilders in Scotland and was launched without ceremony January 28, 1983. However there was a formal naming ceremony April 15 of the same year, and the ship's sponsor was Mrs Ann Day, the wife of Sir Graham Day. He is a Nova Scotian, knighted by the Queen for his role in the reorganization of the British shipbuilding industry.

The ship was built as Selkirk Settler named for the Scots immigrants to Prince Edward Island, Southern Ontario and Manitoba, arranged by Lord Selkirk in the early 1800s. The settlements were deemed to be failures in his lifetime, but the enterprises brought hundreds hardworking highlanders to Canada.

The ship went to work for its first owners, Misener Transportation of St.Catharines, ON, in the Great Lakes and North Atlantic grain trade. It and its two sisters were among the first ocean going ships built to maximum Seaway size to fly the Canadian flag.

In 1991 the ship was sold to Fednav and renamed Federal St.Louis but was soon resold to Japanese owners, placed under the Philippine flag and renamed Federal Fraser. It was chartered back to Fednav for ten years, and changed owners several times, and was reflagged to Hong Kong and later Panama.

In 2002 the ship was renamed Fraser when Fednav bought the ship back in order to sell it to Canada Steamship Lines, where it acquired the name Spruceglen.

(Fednav and CSL had a long standing relationship, under which Fednav assisted Paul Martin in buying and expanding CSL.)

The ship also returned to the Canadian flag, but continued with some international work, generally on the east coast of North America, and working on the Great Lakes.

It was a frequent caller in Halifax in its early days, while carrying grain, and in its CSL days, usually for bunkers or repairs.

The ship still carries the black hull paint which used to denote ships of the international fleet, and gearless bulkers in the domestic fleet. Most of the gearless CSL bulkers now have red hulls, and this may be the year for the change. We will keep watching the Novadock.

The ship measures 730'-1" long x 75'9" wide (the maximum allowable Seaway size when it was built) and has an ocean deadweight tonnage of 36,281 tonnes (at 32'-8" draft) or Seaway deadweight of 26,291 tonnes (at 26'-6" draft). It is powered by a 10,880 bhp Sulzer engine driving a controllable pitch prop in a steering nozzle. It also has a powerful bow thruster.

This is a well built ship, with a long lived slow speed engine, and can be expected to give many more years of service.

Quiet Day

2012-01-01T20:01:00.005-04:00

1. Cranes up - no work for the holiday.

New Years Day is a "no work" day in the port of Halifax, but unusually this year, there was a ship tied up and ready for the end of the holiday.

Thailand Express (ex OOCL Seattle) arrived yesterday at Fairview Cove and is poised and ready for the resumption of work. Two ships are also anchored off the port. One, the autocarrier Pegasus Highway, was due to tie up at Autoport at 6 pm but as of 9 pm was still at anchor. The other, OOCL Shanghai, will wait until Thailand Express sails.

The work holidays for the port are dictated by the collective agreement between the labour unions and the Halifax Employers Association. Read more on their new web site:

http://halifaxemployers.com/

Although New Year's Day is not currently displayed, here are the rules for Christmas:

"No work to be performed from 12h00 (noon) on December 24 until 18h00 on boxing Day (Dec. 26), except that on Boxing Day ship work and coincident related terminal work may commence at 08h00 or 13h00 and shall be paid at double the rates shown for Holidays, to a maximum of six (6) times the basic wage rate in the appended wage schedules of the collective agreement. In addition, emergency work and lines may be performed during the no work period and the rates of pay shall be double the rates for Holidays, to a maximum of six (6) times the basic wage rate."

Rio de Janeiro Express debut

2011-12-28T10:24:00.005-04:00

First time caller Rio de Janeiro Express tied up at Cerescorp's Fairview Cove container terminal this morning. Slightly smaller than the usual Hapag-Lloyd ships we see, it is rated at 4250TEU with 400 reefer plugs. Built in 2007 by Samsung HI, it measures 39,941 gross tons and 50,500 deadweight. [The usual H-L's are 4864 TEU and about 33m longer]

One interesting aspect of the ship is that this is the first H-L ship to call that is part of the Seaspan Corp fleet. Built up since 2001 by the Washington marine group of Vancouver, Seaspan Corp and its operating arm Seaspan Ship Management Ltd, now have 65 ships in their stable, all long term, fixed-rate time chartered to the major container lines.

Seaspan Corp has an interesting web site, with an interactive position map of all their ships. Go to:http://www.seaspancorp.com/index.php

The name Seaspan is better known as the operators of the largest west coast Canadian tug fleet, and the Vancouver and Victoria shipyards. However since its acquisition by the Washington family, the name has been co-opted to other branches of the far flung shipping/ shipbuilding/ transportation empire.

Christmas Wishes

2011-12-24T22:08:00.004-04:00

Bluenose II Tall Ships 2009

CCGS Louis S. St-Laurent, Novadock to BIO

2011-12-22T17:23:00.018-04:00

CCGS Louis S. St-Laurent left the Novadock today, in control of two tugs, and moved to the Bedford Institute of Oceanography (BIO). The ship had to cut short its summer research work in the western arctic with a loose prop nut. The situation was detected about September 19, and the ship went to anchor off Cambridge Bay to attempt on site repairs. These were not possible, and the ship headed back through the Northwest Passage on two props, arriving Halifax November 9. It entered the Novadock the next day and has been there ever since. Last year there was a shaft bearing issue, and as might be expected of a ship its age, these problems may continue until a replacement arrives in 2017. (That replacement, to be named CCGS John G. Diefenbaker will be built by Seaspan in British Columbia under the new shipbuilding procurement program.)
1. Louis S. St-Laurent clear of the Novadock at noon time today, and headed for BIO.

2. Louis shows the shape needed to make way in the arctic.

But if you think we have problems, they are nothing compared to the US Coast Guard. They have only one operational polar class icebreaker, USCG Healy, which was working on the joint venture mission with Louis S. St-Laurent in September. It also had to return home. Both the USCG's other polar icebreakers are out of service. USCG Polar Sea had an engine melt-down in 2010 and will be decommissioned by the end of this year. Its sister Polar Star is in a life extension refit and will not be back in service until 2013. It will also cannibalize parts from its sister to complete the refit, meaning that Polar Sea will never be refitted.

3. USCG Polar Star in Halifax. She had to go east about to reach her Seattle base in 1988 due to heavy ice in the western arctic. The ship is powered with 6 diesel/electric units and 3 gas turbines. In gas turbine mode she develops 60,000 shp continuous, 75,000 demand shaft horsepower.

The USCG also has responsibilities in the antarctic, but Healy is not powerful enough to go there, so the USCG is in a pickle. They have apparently chartered the sister ship to CCGS Terry Fox, the Vladimir Ignatyuk for the arctic, but it is a light displacement ship and doesn't have the weight to battle through thick ice, so it won't be heading south.

4. USCG Healy in Halifax on her maiden voyage. Built in New Orleans, she took the northern route to reach Seattle. She can produce 30,000 shp with her 4 x diesel/ 4 x alternator/ 2 x electric motor system. That's good for 4.5 feet of ice continuous.

Even the Russians are having to spend big money to keep their fleet in service. As one commentator said, it's a great time to be in the icebreaker repair business. Halifax Shipyard has certainly been in the forefront of keeping Louis S. St-Laurent in service since it went into service in 1969 (built by Canadian Vickers in Montreal.) The multi-year mid-life refit project (1987-1993) saw the ship get a new bow, and a new propulsion system. Its original 3 steam turbine/9 generator*/ 3 electric motor system developed 27,000*shaft horsepower. The new system of 5 diesels/ 3 generators/ 3 electric motors gives something in the same range.
[* corrected after initial posting-see Comments. 110% = 29,700 shp]

Addendum: It is difficult to get the right info on power for icebreakers, as "Installed Horsepower" is often used, i.e. the total of all the bhps of the engines-but this is not the delivered horsepower at the shafts. Some sources do not distinguish between ihp and shp, but there is a loss, particularly in diesel-electrics or steamturbine-electrics , which should be accounted for. As with tugs, all horsepower ratings should be taken with a grain of salt.

Basin Doings

2011-12-20T19:42:00.008-04:00

1. CSL Spirit, now a Canadian ship, has turned around in the Bedford Basin and is heading south toward Pier 9A. Her unloading boom has been slewed to the port rail to free up deck space.

2. Algoscotia in the Narrows, northbound in ballast, heads for an anchorage in Bedford Basin.

3. The lobster boat Oralee has checked its traps in the Basin and is tailed by hundreds of gulls waiting for a few morsels of old bait.

4. One wind surfer off the Bedford Institute dock (with Bedford Magazine in the background) tempts fate.

What little action there was today was mostly in the Bedford Basin. The newly Canadianized CSL Spirit arrived and went into the Basin to turn around before coming back alongside Pier 9A. This is now favourite spot for refits and repairs, since it doesn't tie up the south end piers, which see more commercial activity. [see also: http://shipfax.blogspot.com/2011/11/csl-spirit-soon-to-be-canadian.html ]

Algoscotia however had been at Pier 33 for repairs since December 14, but moved to the Basin this afternoon to anchor.

Also noted in Bedford Basin: one lobster boat, and one wind surfer. The stiff wind and below zero C temperatures didn't seem to bother either of them.

Sunset for the Sanderling?

2011-12-17T21:56:00.003-04:00

1. Oceanex Sanderling arrives at sunset this evening.

An announcement appearing in a recent edition of Marinelog may mean that a replacement for the Oceanex Sanderling is on the way.

An unidentified Canadian owner has booked an order for a Con Ro (Container RoRo) ship with the Flensburger yard in Germany.

Read the details here:

http://www.marinelog.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1680:2011dec00143&catid=1:latest-news&Itemid=107

I can think of only one Canadian shipowner that would need a ship such as this, and it is Oceanex. The aging Oceanex Sanderling is still soldiering on, despite an advanced age, and has provided sterling service over the years, but its time must surely be coming soon.

Built in 1977 (!) by Sasebo Heavy Industries in Japan, it served the now defunct DDG Hansa as Ravenfels until 1980, then became Essen briefly for a Hapag-Lloyd subsidiary. In 1981 it was renamed Kongsfjord by S.E.A.L RoRo, a Norwegian American Line service in East Africa/ Indian Ocean. That only lasted until 1983 when it went to Amasis Rederei of Germany (Heyon-Janssen) as Onno.

It was under the latter name when it made its first appearance in Halifax as a substitute on the ACL Line service on April 12, 1987.

Later the same year Atlantic Searoute Ltd bought the ship and it became ASL Sanderling and a Halifax regular. It entered service January 10, 1988, running Halifax / Newfoundland, which it has done pretty much continuously ever since, aside from refits. Most recently those have been December 2008-March 2009 in England and January- February 2011 in Gibraltar.

It was renamed in Oceanex Sanderling in 2008, although Oceanex had succeeded ASL in 1991.

No delivery date was given for the new ship, and Oceanex has not made an announcement, but it would be at least a year if not more for a sophisticated ship such as this to be delivered.

Port Activity

2011-12-13T15:16:00.011-04:00

After many quiet days in the port with mostly the regular container ships coming and going, there was a spike in activity today with three arrivals of note.
The heavy lift ship Daniella arrived to load boilers at Pier 9A. The ship was here in April when it loaded a power generation unit for Albany, NY. It was built in 1989 as Stellaprima but gave up that name in 1991 when a new Stellaprima was built.
It carries a 400 tonne crane and a 250 tonne crane and is operated by Jumboships of the Netherlands.

The Maltese flag tanker Sakaraya followed along soon after, tying up at pier 9. It has a cargo for Wilson's Fuels. An underground pipeline (newly refurbished) connects Pier 9 to tanks along Barrington Street. Built in 2008 in Turkey, it sails for Chemfleet of Istanbul. However its full width bridge, indicates a more northern trade, and its last port was Frederikstad, Denmark.

Third in was Reecon Emre, also Maltese flagged and owned in Turkey. The ship is under German management and is sailing for Nirint Line. It will unload a cargo of nickel sulfite at Pier 31. It was built in 2007, and can carry general cargoes, bulk cargoes and containers.

GSF Grand Banks - big rig and a semi too

2011-12-11T19:34:00.005-04:00

1. Safely alongside at Woodside, shore cranes are mobilizing to start repair and refit work.

2. The tug/suppliers have completed the tow and are taking a breather at pier 27.

Not all rigs and semis are trucks!

GSF Grand Banks is certainly a big (drilling) rig and a semi-submersible too. It has been working on the West White Rose field off Newfoundland for Husky Oil. On November 24 it was water injecting at well E18-11 when the supplier Maersk Detector made contact with the rig and tore a 5m hole in one leg. Fortunately for all involved, the hole was in a ballast tank and was isolated easily. Also the supply boat was not seriously damaged. No one had to be evacuated from the rig, and the work could be suspended without any serious consequences to the environment.

The incident does point out that the offshore is a dangerous place, and despite all the hi-tech marvel;s, such as Dynamic Positioning, accidents do happen.

The rig was scheduled for maintenance in January, and this date was moved ahead, and it arrived in Halifax today in tow of Atlantic Hawk and Maersk Chancellor. It was tied up at the Woodside dock in Dartmouth where repairs and refit will take place.

The rig is a semi-submersible, of the Aker H-3.2 type, which is a second generation rig (meaning essentially that the column legs sit on ship-shaped pontoon hulls). It was built by Saint John Shipbuilding and Drydock in 1984 as Bowdrill 3 , but was actually completed in Halifax. This was long before Irving Shipbuilding owned the Halifax Shipyard, and it meant moving a workforce to Halifax to complete the rig, where the tide range is much more favourable. The rig can work in 1,500ft of water and can drill to 25,000 ft.

The rig was renamed Glomar Grand Banks when it was sold by Husky Bow Valley to Global Marine Drilling, and under that name was in Halifax in 2002 for refit.

It was renamed GSF Grand Banks after Global Marine and Santa Fe merged in 2001, becoming the world's second largest drilling contractor. In 2007 Transocean (which had already taken over Sedco and Forex) and was already the world's largest marine driller merged with GSF forming an even larger world's largest!

The two anchor handling supply tugs that towed the rig in are Atlantic Hawk, built at Halifax Shipyards, and operated by Atlantic Towing and Maersk Chancellor, operated by Maersk Supply Service Canada Ltd. Each tug generate 14,400 bhp. When working, the rig is anchored in position with eight huge anchors (set and recovered by the tugs) and is semi-submerged to 72 feet draft. When towing it is pumped up to 36 feet draft and can use its thrusters to assist in moving or to 23 feet draft. At the shallowest draft, the thrusters are no longer functional. When alongside for repairs it is generally at the shallow draft, and anchored to the shore.

Pier 9C-Pier 9D

2011-12-07T11:10:00.007-04:00

1. The dredge Cranemaster lifts a bucket load of muck from the Narrows.

Work has started on the new seawall at pier 9 D. It is interesting that work has started this week, which marks the 94th anniversary of the Halifax Explosion, which was caused by the collision of two ships in the Narrows, a few hundred yards away.

The Halifax Port Authority has informed local residents that the work will be going on 24/7, and will involve dredging and construction of concrete cribs by slip forming.

It is all part of a $75 mn upgrade of the Richmond Terminals area, known as pier 9, 9A, 9B, 9C and 9D. Some of these pier faces date back 100 years according to the Port.

Once the home of a sugar refinery, a Dosco coal pier, a cement import terminal, the Volvo car assembly plant and Encana's supply base for offshore exploration, Richmond Terminals has been underutilized in recent years. The drilling mud storage tanks operated by MI-Swaco are still operational, and there is activity in several of the sheds, including Marener Industries' boat building operation and International Telecom.

Work to reinforce the faces of the existing concrete piers was completed this fall. The structure was being undermined, and it was a major job to pin the faces back and drive new sheet piles and build new cope walls. Work is also well advanced on rebuilding the internal roadway system within the terminal area. There have also been improvements to the sheds.

The Pier 9C extension (as the Port calls it) is really the installation of whole new pier face to the Pier 9D area, which up until now has just been fill. The work will allow ships to tie up there for break bulk and RoRo cargo, and the Port hopes to attract processing, transloading and distribution operations for export.

One would be free to wonder why, with low utilization of the deep water terminals, this work is needed. It seems to me that there are other plans for the deepwater terminals, and we just haven't heard what they might be - yet.

Use of this area would also remove truck activity from downtown streets - a real plus when it comes to large items such as windmill blades (but that is import work) or utility poles (for export.)

Today's activity involves the dredge Cranemaster, tug Swellmaster and mud scow HD8, operated by Harbour Development Ltd. They are forming a level base and removing loose material, so that a gravel mat can be installed. The new cribs will sit on that base to form the new cope wall. Filling behind the new wall will proceed once the area is tight.

It will be interesting to watch the progress of this work in the Narrows.

USCG Thunder Bay-off to the Lakes

2011-12-01T15:49:00.004-04:00

The diminutive US Coast Guard icebreaker Thunder Bay sailed a few minutes ago for the Great Lakes. The ship will spend the winter there breaking ice to extend the navigation season in Lakes Erie, St.Clair, Huron and Michigan and the St.Clair and Detroit Rivers. Since there are no locks in that region to freeze up, ships can keep running well into the New Year and beyond, given effective icebreaking.

The Bay class of miniature ice breakers are capable despite their size. At only 140' long, 2,500 hp on one prop, they can run continuously through 20" of ice and can break ice 8 ft thick by ramming. Of course Great Lakes ice is new ice - multi-year ice exists only in the arctic- but even so that is decent performance, and enough to keep ships moving.

The USCG and CCG co-operate in icebreaking in the Great Lakes region and it is not unheard of for these USCG boats to go into Canadian harbours and conversely for CCG boats to break into US waters.

Thunder Bay was launched in 1984 and commissioned in 1985. Its pennant number is WGTB 108, which indicates that the USCG classes it as a tug boat. As with the CCG, boats are multi-tasked, but towing is not this one's primary job. In summer it is based in Rockland, ME but does travel farther afield as warranted.

Provo Wallis homage

2011-11-29T18:14:00.016-04:00

1. CCGS Provo Wallis alongside the Dartmouth Coast Guard base in 1976. Even at that early date the lower bridge windows were covered from inside.

2. Anchored in the Northwest Arm of Halifax harbour setting out summer buoys. The crew are using the landing craft/workboat to get to some really shallow spots. The boat is worked from a big gantry davit.

3. Post refit, the ship shows its form on the cradle at Dartmouth Marine Slips. The icebreaking bow is normally not visible. The draft is also relatively modest.

4. An early morning run up the Narrows in Halifax. Note the workboat has new davits, the hull is 20 ft longer and the derrick system is new. Also the lower bridge windoes are gone. They added rub rails for the work boat post-refit.

4. Healing over at the Coast Guard base, Provo Wallis loads a freshly painted summer buoy.

5. Part of the refit work included installing a fast rescue boat on the starboard side.

The government of Canada, through its Crown Assets Distribution agency has just listed for the sale the former CCGS Provo Wallis.

Built in 1969 by Marine Industries Ltd, in Tracy, QC, (Hull No.387) it was a navigation aids tender with light icebreaking capability. At 189-5" long and 1313 gross tons, and relatively shallow draft of 12'-6", it was able to service small ports, bays and rivers in Atlantic Canada, and was based in Halifax.

Provo Wallis was a fine vessel, and in 1990 it was dispatched to Marystown, NF where it was lengthened by about 20ft. At the same time it received a new derrick system, rated at 20 tonnes and other modernisations. One feature that it lost in the refit, was most of the low level bridge windows. This second tier of windows at deck level of the wheelhouse had been covered from within, almost from the time the ship was new, but now they were plated over. Only the windows at the extreme outer edges of the bridge remained.

The ship was now classed as a Medium Endurance Multi-Tasked Vessel. It would respond to Search & Rescue calls, conduct patrols, protect the environment and whatever other tasks could be fitted in.

The ship went into cold layup at the Dartmouth Coast Guard base in May 2003, but was taken out of mothballs in March 2006 and sent to St.John's for a refit. On its return in May it left for the west coast where it was to replace sister ship cover for CCGS Sir Wilfrid Laurier while it was in a major refit. At the time it was said that Provo Wallis would be coming back to the east coast when the Laurier returned to service.

Sister ship Bartlett (MIL Hull No. 388) had been based in St.John's and Parry Sound, ON but had been on the west coast for several years, and was retired in 2006 at about the time the Wallis got to Pat Bay, Altough its propulsion controls were upgraded by Halifax Shipyards in 1988, it had not been lengthened and still had its original derrick system.

It came as a surprise to me when Bartlett was chosen for a life extension refit at Allied Shipbuilders in Vancouver. Starting in July 2009 and ending in September 2010, the $21.9mn project was intended to extend the ship's life for 10 years. Both ships still have their original twin Mirrlees-Blackstone 6 cyl engines, producing 2,100 bhp total and driving twin screws, giving 11 knots.

When Bartlett returned to service Provo Wallis was decommissioned and renamed 2011-02 and is up for sale. The reserve price is $400,000.

Details of the ship and its equipment can be found at: http://www.crownassets.pwgsc.gc.ca/mn-eng.cfm?snc=wfsav&sc=enc-bid&scn=83112&lcn=227175&lct=L&srchtype=&lci=&str=1&ltnf=1&frmsr=1&sf=ferm-clos

OOCL New York - a light load

2011-11-27T23:19:00.006-04:00

1. The tug Atlantic Oak swings the stern of OOCL New York to line up for the Narrows. Anchored quietly in the Bedford Basin is the Torm Pacific, which arrived a week ago.

Things are pretty quiet in the Big Harbour these days. Aside from the regularly scheduled ships, there isn't a lot of interesting activity. Even the big container liners are coming and going in a few hours, and look lightly loaded.

OOCL New York is a perfect example. It arrived early this this morning and when it left at 1530 there was a lot of boot topping showing, so it wasn't very heavily loaded. Not a good sign.

The post-Panamax ship of 66,289 gross tons, built as E.R. Hong Kong, is owned by the Ernst Russ company of Hamburg and flies the German flag. Built in 1999 it has a capacity of 5762 TEU. From the look of it, most of those TEUs were empty today or carrying goose down.

It has been calling in Halifax for OOCL since January 28, 2006.

Lichtenstein

2011-11-25T17:09:00.004-04:00

The landlocked tax haven and collectible postage stamp state of Lichtenstein seems an odd name for a Greek owned tanker, built and managed in South Korea, but such is the strange world of ship ownership.

Lichtenstein the ship was built in 2009 by the Tongyuong Shipyard in South Korea, and is managed by DL Shipping of Busan. It is owned by Lichtenstein Shipping Co, which gives its address as the same as DL. However it is reported that the owner is Top Ships of Athens, Greece. That it is registered in Panama does give some clue that not too many taxes are paid to Greece!

Of 30,006 gross tons and 44,999 deadweight tonnes at summer draft, it is on the large side for a chemical/oil products tanker. Judging by the number of manifolds however, it would certainly be able to carry a wide variety of cargoes at the same time.

It arrived yesterday, and is to move this evening to Imperial Oil dock #5. That dock is usually used for crude oil.

Eidsvaag Vinland makes first call in home port

2011-11-24T15:34:00.006-04:00

Lots of ships are registered in ports that they may never visit, particularly flag of convenience ships. Canadian ships usually do see their ports of registry from time to time, but in the case of Eidsvaag Vinland there would normally be no reason for it to call in Halifax.

The ship is a bulk fish feed carrier, and shuttles from St.Andrews, NB to fish farms in Newfoundland.

Its visit to Halifax is likely due to weather. An intense storm passed over the area yesterday, just after the ship's arrival at pier 23.

Built in 1994 in Holland as Visserbank the ship was registered in Halifax June 28 of this year, but took its new name in May while in refit in Tallin, Estonia. It is operated for Skrettling Canada Inc, of Vancouver, BC, a company with Norwegian roots in the fish farm industry.

Since its Netherlands days, when it plied the coastal and inland waterways of Europe, it has been fitted with a travelling crane. The crane is used to load and dispense its cargo directly into fish pens. Its original equipment consisted only of a travelling gantry to lift hatches, and had no cargo handling gear. Its mast can be folded flat to decrease air draft, but its high hatch coamings give it good cubic capacity. Of a relatively modest 1,682 gross tons, its deadweight tonnage is a respectable 2,503 tonnes, all in one large hold.

If the ship continues to go about its regular business, we are unlikely to see it in Halifax very often.

For the record Eidsvaag AS is a Norwegian shipping company specializing in fish feed ships. (It has a fleet of a dozen or so.) It is the ship's owner, and has a contract with Skrettling to provide ships in various parts of the world. Here is the translated web site for Eidsvaag: http://translate.google.ca/translate?hl=en&sl=no&u=http://www.eidsvaag-rederi.no/&ei=DKLOTvrrKcnY0QHZ8skm&sa=X&oi=translate&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCAQ7gEwAA&prev=/search%3Fq%3Deidsvaag%26hl%3Den%26biw%3D1372%26bih%3D810%26prmd%3Dimvns

Skrettling is the planet's largest fish feed company, and here is Skrettling North America's site: http://www.skretting.ca/

Torm Pacific: big bulker to the Basin

2011-11-20T19:05:00.005-04:00

1. In the Narrows the Torm Pacific makes an impressive sight. As with most modern bulkers, her two forward hatches are raised and the deck is canted to provide more protection to vulnerable hatch covers in high seas.

2. Just clear of the MacKay bridge the ship heads into to a little chop caused by blustery winds. The north shore of the Basin in partially obscured by salt spray blown in from sea.

The bulk carrier Torm Pacific arrived this afternoon and headed up into the Basin to anchor. The trim looking ship is a Panamax bulker of the Torm Line fleet. Torm is a Danish firm with a long history see: http://www.torm.com/wps/wcm/connect/public+content/public

but the ship itself is all Japanese. Built in 2009 by Oshima Shipbuilding in Saiki, Japan it is owned by the Mitsuishi Ore Transport Co of Tokyo and is chartered to Torm.

Its tonnages are: 40,017 gross and 77,171 deadweight.

The ship was recently in Trois-Rivierès and Bécancour, QC discharging a load of ore.

It is due alongside on Monday, but no pier has not been assigned on the Halifax Port Authority's web site, nor is she listed on the Halifax Employer's Association web site as loading any cargo. That leaves me to conclude that she must be here for repairs.

CSL Spirit: soon to be Canadian

2011-11-19T21:37:00.010-04:00

1. CSL Spirit in Halifax in 2003.
Word on the street has it that the bulker CSL Spirit will soon*[see update below] be reflagged to Canada and fleet- mate Atlantic Superior will be going foreign.

CSL International operates CSL Spirit under the Bahamas flag and CSL Group's Canada Steamship Lines operates the domestic Canadian flag fleet.

CSL Spirit arrived in Halifax this evening for bunkers, but too late for a picture. However she has been in port many times and is no stranger to Halifax.

Launched in 2000 at Jiangnan Shipyard in China, she entered service in 2001 and was the first of three sister ships in the CSL International pool. The other two are Sheila Ann and Sophie Oldendorff. The are self-unloaders, with enclosed articulating booms and have a deadweight of just over 70,000 tonnes. They are Panamax vessels and have worked in various parts of the world over the years carrying stone, coal, ore and gypsum.

In her new role as a Canadian ship CSL Spirit will be put to work in Sept-Iles bay on shuttle service, running iron ore from the Pointe Noire pier to large ships anchored in the bay. The pier will be extended to take larger ships, but in the meantime they must anchor off and take their loads by shuttle. CSL Spirit has an unloading rate of 6,000 tonnes per hour for ore, thus speeding up the process slightly from the current pace that Atlantic Superior is able to work. Her unloading rate is about 5,500 tph. But as a much smaller ship at 36,800 deadweight, she has to make more trips.

The shuttle process requires constant tug attendance to move the shuttle vessel back and forth alongside the larger ship, and Groupe Océan has two tugs based in Sept-Iles for this work, André H. (ex Point Valiant (i), ex Foundation Valiant) and one of their new tugs, currently Ocean Yvan Desgagnés. They also do other docking work in the port, which is Canada's largest for tonnage.

Word also has it that Atlantic Superior will be coming to Halifax Shipyard for steel work this winter before reflagging.

CSL Group has a comprehensive web site and within it you can find spec sheets for CSL Spirit and Atlantic Superior(more on the latter ship when it arrives in Halifax.)

Web Site:http://www.csl.ca/

Spec Sheets: http://www.cslint.com/pdf_specs/SP-CSLSpirit.pdf

http://cslcan.ca/fleet_specs_pdf/spec_sheet_Atlantic_Superior.pdf

* Update the ship was reflagged Canadian on November 18, 2011, and registered in the port of Quebec.

Bowater Mersey Paper Co

2011-11-17T22:39:00.009-04:00

1. Corner Brook arrived in Halifax in tow of Jim Kilabuk after another main engine breakdown, 2003-01-24. The side ports and elevator housings are on this side of the ship.

2. Sister Humber Arm sails from Halifax after bunkering on a voyage from Richmond, VA to Corner Brook 2002-11-02. The ship also carried a crane for general cargo and stores.

3. Still in Bowater colours, but with Gorthon funnel mark, Humber Arm arrives in Halifax with rudder damage 1994-02-12. She spent 5 days in drydock for repairs.

One of the major employers on the south shore of Nova Scotia has been the Bowater Mersey Paper Co. Now threatening to close unless it receives concessions from workers (who have narrowly voted to accept a new agreement), the NS Power Corp, the Province of Nova Scotia, the Municipality of Queens County and perhaps others, the mills future is still in doubt.

The original mill was built by the Mersey Paper Co, which was founded by the Nova Scotia entrepreneur Izaak Walton Killam. It is located at Brooklyn, NS, which is on the shores of Liverpool harbour which is fed by the Mersey River.

In 1956 I.W.Killam's estate sold the mill to Bowaters. The company was then renamed Bowaters Mersey Paper Co Ltd in 1959.

In 1930 Mersey Paper founded Mersey Shipping Co Ltd, it was renamed Markland Shipping Co Ltd in 1937 and carried pulp wood and paper products for Mersey Paper and others. In 1959 this line became The Bowater Steamship Co of Canada Ltd. The three remaining Markland ships were transferred to UK registry giving Bowater a fleet of 11 ships, of which four were newsprint carriers.

As the primary supplier to the Washington Post newspaper, a 49% interest in the mill is held by the newspaper, and the mill is run as a joint venture.

When Abitibi bought the Bowater interests and formed AbitibiBowater, and since November 7 when they again changed their name to Resolute Forest Products/ Produits forestiers Résolu, the mill in Liverpool has retained its Bowater Mersey name. It still ships product by sea, but no longer on its own ships.

Markland had a number notable ships, including Vineland and Liverpool Packet (both lost in World War II) Markland, Liverpool Rover, Liverpool Loyalsit a second Liverpool Packet and a second Vineland and Markland.

Bowaters too had a significant fleet, and the last of those has just recently been sent to the scrap yard.

In 1976 Bowater had two ships built in Germany as specialised newsprint carriers. Corner Brook and Humber Arm were built by Schichau-Unterweser in Bremerhaven. Surprisingly they were both lengthened the next year, ending up with a gross tonnage of 7,587 and deadweight of 7,650. Using side doors and elevators, they were able to load paper and pallets using forklifts from dock side. The ships were built primarily to serve Bowaters' Corner Brook mill. A previous Corner Brook and three other Bowater ships from Newfoundland were lost in World War II.

Bowater eventually sold the ships to the old Gorthon Lines and the ships were seen all over eastern Canada as common carriers for any paper producers. They often called in Halifax for bunkers.

Although built to navigate in ice they were very prone to rudder damage, and engine/gearbox problems. Every year one or the other was in trouble and towed into Halifax or another port for repairs.

In 2004 Humber Arm arrived in Setubal, Spain with irreparable crankcase damage and was sold for scrap to Turkey. In deference to its Newfoundland connection it was renamed Umber Arm for delivery to the scrap yard.

Corner Brook had more incidents of damage and fires than Humber Arm, culminating in an engine room fire 700 mi west of the UK, March 23, 2005. The fire was extinguished by CO2, and the was towed to Falmouth by Fairplay XI. Gorthon decided to "divest" the ship and it was sold to Turkish owners and renamed Merve-A. It went through at least one other owner before arriving in Aliaga, Turkey September 5, 2011 for breaking up.

Old Ship: Island Joiner

2011-11-17T17:58:00.005-04:00

1. Island Joiner tied up at Sackville Landing, shows a significant hull shear when viewed from aft.

2. The minimal wheelhouse and accommodation block allows for two traffic lanes on deck.

The retired ferry Island Joiner dropped in to Halifax today on its way from Lewisporte, Newfoundland to Florida.

Built in 1973 as Fivia for service in the Faroe Islands, the ship was acquired by the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador in 1983 and operated by the Department of Works, Services and Transportation. It served in Green Bay linking Long Island and Pilley's Island until June of this year when a new ferry was delivered to the area and the services rationalized.

The small ship, measuring only 147 gross tons, has a capacity of 8 cars and 40 passengers (or 93 according to Lloyd's Register.) Plagued by mechanical problems in recent years, it was finally eventually removed from service June 2 and decommissioned at Lewisporte. It was sold for the grand sum of $17,777 plus HST on August 9, to a buyer listed only as a private individual.

The ship is fitted with bow and stern doors and has a narrow house on the starboard side. The one person I spoke to (who had an American accent, and the mandatory Harley Davidson tee shirt) allowed as how the accommodations were "rough".

The entire condition of the boat is rough, and it has a large fuel tank strapped down on deck to supplement the minimal capacity required for it ferry run.

Still flying the Canadian and Newfoundland flags, its registry was nevertheless closed September 21. It has probably been enrolled somewhere as a yacht to avoid too much scrutiny by inspectors.

Once in Florida it will likely be going on to Haiti or some other Caribbean destination where it will soon vanish from sight. That event will be unlikely to sadden too many residents of Pilley Island who have been fed up with the ferry service for years, and would like a $26 mn causeway instead. However they have now been stuck with another venerable ferry Sound of Islay, which will be running to the island unless it is needed elsewhere to cover a breakdown. Then the new ferry Hazel MacIsaac will add the island to its other Green Bay runs.

New Ship: Abdala

2011-11-17T17:41:00.003-04:00

Despite its Panamanian flag and Greek listed ownership and management, the bulk carrier Abdala is proudly owned by the people of Cuba, according to press reports that I have found.

Built in Shangai under an agreement between the Cuban and Chinese governments the ship was delivered August 19, 2011 and arrived in Havana October 28 with its first cargo: bagged rice.

The ship is fitted with four cranes of 35 tonne capacity, and it fitted to carry all manner of bulk cargo such as grain, concentrates and timber.

Websites indicate it is owned by Sunnyside Bulk Carriers Inc c/o Nordstrand Maritime & Trading of Piraeus. It measures 22,414 gross tons and 34,938 deadweight tonnes. It is the first in an undisclosed number of ships to built under the agreement.

Abdala arrived this afternoon for bunkers and will be sailing again early this evening. It appears to be in ballast.

USG pulls the plug

2011-11-15T19:47:00.020-04:00

USG Corp (United States Gypsum ) (and indirectly through USG Canada Mining and CGC (Canadian Gypsum Co)) has announced that its Fundy Gypsum Co operation is to be closed permanently. The quarries at Wentworth and Miller's Creek, just north of Windsor, NS and the storage and port facilities at Hantsport, just to the west of Windsor were once a mainstay to the local economy. The operation has been inactive for most of this year, due to the sluggish US construction industry, the destination for most of its product, and only a skeleton maintenance staff have been kept on. No gypsum has been shipped in months.
This is a sad end to a unique operation which used an abundant local mineral (there is lots of gypsum left in the ground, but synthetic gypsum and the economy have left the industry devastated.) The mine and port were joined by a railroad, the Windsor & Hantsport, a short line that was once part of Canadian Pacific's Dominion and Atlantic Railway (DAR.) Fundy Gypsum was the line's only customer recently and it has also been shut down.
The port of Hantsport, once a booming shipbuilding centre in the age of sail, is home to a huge warehouse and modern shiploader which have been idled since the last ship was loaded earlier this year. The tug Spanish Mist which was owned by CGC, was sold in the spring to the Magdelan Islands.
The other Hantsport Industry CKF (Canadian Keyes Fibre) now uses recycled paper as the main component of its paper products, and no longer brings in pulpwood or wood pulp by water to its mill as it once did.
Gypsum Transportation, the shipping arm of USG, and prior to that Fundy Gypsum itself were operators of many notable ships over the years, usually with the prefix "Gypsum" but sometimes commemorating important personages, and since World War II all self-unloaders.
Its most recent fleet upgrade saw two new self-unloaders, Gypsum Centennial built in 2001 and Gyspum Integrity built in 2008. Ostensibly sister ships, they could carry 42,000 tonnes, and unload gypsum at a rate of 3,000 tonnes per hour. These ships have now found work in other bulk trades.
Hantsport posed an interesting challenge due to its tidal range in excess of 50 feet - the largest of any commercial port in the world. Ships had to arrive in port on a rising tide (the wharf dried out at low tide) and sail on the high tide or risk being stranded. Loading time was 3 1/2 to 4 hours, and the ship had to sail no matter how much cargo had been taken on. The new ship loaders could load in excess of 10,000 tonnes per hour each. These were amongst the fastest loaders on earth when commissioned in 2004.
Gypsum Centennial loaded January 2, 2011 in 4 hours and six minutes, but loaded to less than capacity because of the lack of demand at the other end. At that time it was reported that there might be one or two more shiploads left in the warehouse.
At its peak the port saw up to a dozen ships a month and exported 2 mn tonnes of gypsum a year. The material went to such ports as Boston, Stoney Point, NY, Norfolk, Baltimore, Savannah and Tampa. Several of those plants have now been shuttered. USG still operate a mine in Cape Breton and ships through Little Narrows, NS, which is a seasonal port on the Bras d'Or Lakes. Some of its product goes to Quebec and Ontario for use in cement manufacturing, but even that trade is threatened.
Some member of the Gypsum fleet:
1. Gypsum Empress and sisters Gypsum Countess, Gypsum Duchess were of the second generation of self-unloaders built after Word War II. Built between 1956 and 1960 in France and Germany, they were 10,000 deadweight ton steam ships. They had small general cargo holds forward, and self unloading gear conveyors recessed in the house aft. The photo was taken in Halifax when winter ice closed both Hantsport and Little Narrows.

2. Gypsum King commemorated J.B.King the guiding force behind gypsum operations from the 1890s to 1924. The ship was built in Collingwood ON in 1975 and was a 12,272 deadweight tonne steam turbine ship. It could unload at 1800 tons per hour using a retractable shuttle conveyor. It is shown here in Halifax going into drydock.

4. Gypsum Baron was also built in Collingwood in 1976. It is shown leaving Halifax in winter after loading at competitor National Gypsum's dock. On the rare occasions when Hantsport was blocked by heavy ice, Fundy Gypsum arranged for these loads. Spray has frozen to the ship's side.

4. A.V.Kastner approaches to old loaders at Hantsport on a rising tide. The tug Spanish Mist
has just turned the ship to face outbound and is nudging it to the dock while it stems the tide. The ship was built in 1987 and was 19,075 deadweight tonnes. It was sold in 2010 to Dubai, where it is trading as Silica II (no doubt named for an abundant material in the United Arab Emirates.)

5. A.V.Kastner in the new Gypsum Transportation colour scheme leaves the new dock with less than a full load. Cargo quantities were based on available loading time and demands by the processing plants and limited stockpile capacity. There was no time to secure hatches before the ship had to leave the dock with the falling tide. Its unusual self-unloader works over the stern and can slew to port or starboard.
6. Gypsum Centennial at the new loader. The two spouts will keep loading until the last possible second. Each spout can swing on an arc and reach half the ship's hatches. The ship was built in Korea in 2001, and measured in at 47,950 deadweight. This was the ship's first visit to Hantsport. It was the first ship in the world to be fitted with the new Wartsila/Sulzer common rail fuel injection system. The engines were therefore supposed to be smokeless-you be the judge:7. Gypsum Centennial looks like a more conventional self-unloader. With sister Gypsum Integrity, built in Brazil in 2008 to the same specification, these ships are now trading overseas.
.

Deck crew gets a shower

2011-11-14T21:23:00.006-04:00

The Greek tanker Serifopoulo arrived this morning and anchored in the harbour. When a berth became free about noon time the ship got set to move in to Imperial Oil. While heaving anchor the ship's crew ran a deck hydrant to wash the chain and provide a little free lubrication (and spark prevention) as it was brought aboard.

With the stiff breeze most of the water was blown down onto the deck crew of the tug making up alongside. One of the many joys of a tugboat man!

Serifopoulo was built in 1995 and measures 28,507 gross tons and 46,700 deadweight tonnes. It is operated by the family owned Eletson Corp noted for their well kept fleet of 23 tankers and four gas carriers, all sailing under the Greek flag, and named for Greek islands.

Algobay sailed in ballast after completion of repairs

2011-11-13T21:08:00.005-04:00

After unloading its grain cargo Algobay remained in port for completion of repairs. There was a plate fracture up forward under some rubbing strakes - a particularly sensitive area for a ship that frequents the St.Lawrence Seaway locks. As ships approach the locks, they have as little as 1 foot clearance on each side, and cannot "drive straight in."Instead they come up along the approach wall, place the shoulder of the ship (where the hull straightens out from the bow) against the approach wall, and slide along into the lock.

The shoulder area receives considerable wear and tear over the course of a season, but is usually well reinforced.

With the work completed, despite terrible weather on November 11, the ship sailed November 12.

Clipper Legend becomes Harbour Legend (UPDATE)

2011-11-12T22:00:00.005-04:00

1. Clipper Legend at anchor November 5.

The Bahamas flag tanker Clipper Legend has been renamed Harbour Legend while tied up in Halifax at pier 9c.

The ship arrived November 4, sat around at anchor for time, worked cargo at Imperial Oil , then sailed on November 9, but only went as far as the outer anchorages. It returned to port November 10 and sat out yesterday's storm at pier 9.

Its new name indicates to me that it will go into the harbour bunkering trade, and my guess is at Panama, but it is only a guess.

UPDATE:The ship sailed Sunday evening, November 13, giving New York as its destination.

Overseas Mykonos

2011-11-12T21:52:00.003-04:00

Another chemical/oil products tanker awaits its turn at anchorage early this morning. Overseas Mykonos is owned by the Overseas Shipping Group, managed out of its Piraeus offices and registered in the Marshall Islands.

It was built by the Hyundai Mipo Dockyard in South Korea and delivered in February of 2010. It measures 29,433 gross ton and 51,711 deadweight tonnes.

The Good Old Days?

2011-11-11T19:17:00.038-04:00

The one month period between October 17, 1991 and November 17, 1991 was an incredibly busy and exciting one in Halifax harbour. It was certainly exceptional, if not unique. Since it is unlikely that another month will ever equal it - here it is in a nutshell:
1. The last day of the cruise season, October 17: Europa sailed along with Crystal Harmony, Golden Odyssey and Renaissance Three. No sooner had the ships left than a T-33 training aircraft crashed into the sea, close to shore on the eastern side of the harbour entrance. A total of 16 ships and boats responded to the tragedy, but both persons on board were presumed dead. 2. October 18 Avis Faith was finally able sail, It had arrived September 12 with a broken down generator and many other deficiencies. Part of its cargo (including containers of Cuban rum) were shipped on to Montreal by rail.3. Also able to sail on October 18 was Leros Sun. It had been towed into Halifax by the Irving Cedar on October 5 after main engine failure. Drawing only 12 feet of water (its loaded draft is 50 feet) it dwarfed the freight shed at pier 33-34.

4. The SD14 type cargo ship Advance, which arrived on October 15 was found to need many repairs, and was held up until November 18 when it was allowed to sail. Even then, all might not have been well with her main engine!

5. October 28 the small cargo ship Dimar B requested entry into Halifax with engine trouble. The ship was promptly seized by authorities and sent to a remote navy pier. Its crew was detained and implicated in yesterday's haul of 7 tonnes of hashish on a dump truck near Chester, NS. The ship was eventually determined to be the mother ship and its captain the head of a drug ring. He was extradited to Scotland for trial.

6. On October 30 Zara sent a Mayday message from 500 km south of Sable Island in hurricane conditions. The ship was taking on water and its main engine had failed. CCG and civilian ships headed to its aid. Eventually the ship was able to restart its engine and arrived in Halifax October 31 at reduced speed, escorted by CCGS Alert.

7. Eishin Maru No.78 arrived in Halifax October 31 after a harrowing experience. Normally among the most seaworthy of vessels, this tuna longliner was struck by a very high wave 160 km south of Sable Island, during the same hurricane conditions. The wave broke two wheelhouse windows, flooded the bridge and knocked out electronics, steering and engine controls.

8. The only English speaker, and only female among 22 persons on board, a Canadian fisheries observer acted as salvage master, interpreter and radio operator. Once the crew were able to restart the engine, but using emergency manual steering and without throttle control, the boat made it into Halifax under escort of CCGS Edward Cornwallis and the supply vessel Triumph Sea.

In case these conditions sound familiar this was The Perfect Storm in which the US fishing vessel Andrea Gail was lost October 29. Numerous other vessels were hit by the storm, and several others limped into Halifax over the following days. The following are only some:

9. USNS Wyman a weather and research ship arrived November 2 and spend five days putting itself back together. It took both Point Vim and Point Vigour to get her alongside.

10. The Dutch owned reefer Casablanca had storm damage already when it issued a Mayday November 7, 330 km SE of Halifax due to an engine room fire. The crew sealed off the engine room and pumped in CO2, eventually extinguishing the fire. She remained powerless however and the tug Irving Elm towed her into Halifax, arriving November 7. Repairs took until mid-December.

11. The tug Irving Hemlock had the dredge Shovelmaster and two dump scows in tow off Halifax en route from Sheet Harbour to Liverpool November 11 when the scows went adrift. The tug brought the dredge into Halifax and another tug, Irving Elm went out in very poor conditions to look for the scows, but did not find them. Later in the week two smaller tugs found the scows and beached them for later recovery.

12. The Cuban controlled Albonica sailed November 17 after a week in port for repairs.

13. Bahia Cienfuegos (another Cuban) tied up November 14 for repairs. Her list was only one of several issues that took until November 17 to sort out. She sailed for Montreal after spare parts arrived. A crew member also defected.

14. Another Cuban controlled ship, Gulf Wave, was the first to arrive, on November 9. It remained in port until November 15 undergoing repairs.

15. Canadian ships had their problems too. HMCS Algonquin was handed over the to the RCN with known deficiencies after TRUMP (TRibal Upgrade and Maintenance Program) which had lasted over four years, starting at Davie, Lauzon, but completed in Halifax. On November 15, during inclining trials at HMC Dockyard, the ship healed over to 25 degrees (5 degrees beyond the intended 20 degrees) and was only prevented from capsizing by the dock she was tied to and some hastily arranged pumps. Salt water damage was extensive. One cruise engine will have to be removed and rebuilt. (A new cruise engine will be installed from stock and the damaged one will be rebuilt and returned to stock.) There was also damage to wiring and systems totalling about $1mn.

16. The lovely old steam powered Gypsy Countess (ex Gypsum Countess) was making for Halifax under reduced speed in severe weather when she lost all power November 16. The tug Point Halifax towed the ship into Halifax November 17. The ship is fully loaded with gypsum and is bound from Little Narrows, NS to the US. It eventually sailed Janaury 31, 1992.

17. One of the strangest ships to call in Halifax in some time was Fermont built in 1944 in England as an emergency cargo ship for the Normandy invasions, and expected to be expendable. After many years of service on the St.Lawrence River, its current owner got into trouble in Quebec for trying to go to sea with cargo, and no certification or clearance. After some jail time he "registered" the ship in Tennessee as a pleasure craft, and left Halifax November 11 in ballast. After hopscotching down the coast via Lunenburg and Shelburne, he set out November 15 into the teeth of a gale to cross the Gulf of Maine. On November 17 she washed up on Seal Island off Nova Scotia's southwest tip lacking the power to keep clear of the coast. Her crew abandoned the ship and rapidly "faded into the woodwork" never to be seen again.

The CCG recovered the ship's fuel by pumping it into rubber bladders, then ferrying them to the mainland by helicopter. The ship was then left to break up (which it did.)

A typical month? By no means, but it it was not as unusual as you might think. Things are pretty quiet in Halifax nowadays by comparison.

The Good Old Days?

Maybe.

Algobay with grain

2011-11-07T20:13:00.002-04:00

The bulker Algobay arrived this morning with a load of grain. from Thunder Bay. This is the ship that was rebuilt in China two years ago, using most of the 1978 afterbody. That rebuild included new engines, and new self-unloading gear.

The ship's first call in Halifax since the rebuilding was in September 2010 when it loaded gypsum. It will return to Halifax again this month with a load of corn which it will load in Hamilton, ON in about two weeks time.

For more on the ship see:

http://shipfax.blogspot.com/2010/09/algobay-returns.html

http://shipfax.blogspot.com/2010/09/algobay-again.html

Nirint Hollandia glides in to port

2011-11-06T19:57:00.002-04:00

The Dutch flagged general cargo ship Nirint Hollandia glides in to pier 31 this afternoon. Tomorrow morning it will start to discharge its cargo from Cuba. The ship was built in 2007 - the hull at Okean shipyard in the Ukraine, and was completed by the Damen Shipyard in the Netherlands. Damen specializes in this type of two stage construction with yards in Romania and Poland also building hulls for completion in Holland.

The ship carries two 80 tonne cargo handling cranes and can accommodate a wide variety of bulk, breakbulk and containerised cargo. Its container capacity is 686 TEU. It measures 8999 gross tons and 12,000 deadweight (approx.)

As advertised on the ship's sides, its operators have a website, which is worth a visit at : http://www.nirint.com/

More tanker activity

2011-11-06T19:04:00.008-04:00

1. Algosea moves down the harbour toward Imperial Oil.

2. The handsome Histria Tiger awaits a berth at Imperial Oil.

3. Clipper Legend also waits at anchor for its turn.

The Imperial Oil refinery continues to be busy with a variety of chemical and product tankers shuttling in and out of berths to unload and load.

Today's activity included Algosea moving from anchor in Bedford Basin to the oil dock this afternoon. On the way is passed two tankers at anchor awaiting berths: Histria Tiger and Clipper Legend.

Algosea was built in 1998 at Alabama Shipyards in Mobile for Danish owners, Danneborg. It traded internationally for them until 2005 when Algoma Tankers acquired the ship and modified it for Canadian service. It is an ice class, double hulled vessel with phenolic epoxy coated tanks. It measures 11,290 gross tons and 16,775 deadweight.

Histria Tiger is owned in Romania, but registered in Liberia and is a chemical and oil products tanker measuring 25,864 gross tons and 40,416 deadweight. The ship was built in 2008. Romanian ships are very rare in Halifax, but the country has developed a shipbuilding industry, with major yards in Constanta and Galati. This ship was built at the former yard. [Istria refers to the first Greek colony in what is now Romania.]

Clipper Legend is sister to Clipper Lancer which was in earlier in the week. Measuring 6522 gross and 10,048 deadweight it is a chemical tanker, registered in the Bahamas, and owned by the Danish group Nordic Tankers. It was built in 2004 by the Yardimci Tersanesi A.S. in Tuzla, Turkey.

I will not make jokes about subs, I will not.....

2011-11-05T21:25:00.008-03:00

Canada's unfortunate experience with submarines recently makes one wonder about the choice of a new play structure adjacent to the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. Nonetheless it looks like it will be a lot of fun.

More shiny and modern looking (I will not make jokes....) than the previous structure, the old one had a real charm as it was built as a wooden boat in frame with lots of ways to play on it. It eventually wore out and succumbed to the safety police, and had to be replaced. (No ironies intended-I will not make jokes...)

BBC Fuji takes on boiler modules

2011-11-05T21:01:00.005-03:00

1. BBC Fuji at pier 30 loads a stem generator module.

2. One of the ship's cranes makes easy work of a generator module weighing 100 tonnes or so.

The general cargo ship BBC Fuji spent the day loading steam generator modules from Innovative Steam Technologies (ISI) of Cambridge, ON. The four modules arrived by rail and some component parts by truck over the last few weeks.

The ship is very new, and was delivered in June by Xingang Shipyard in China to Briese Schiff's GmbH of Germany. This company, known also as BBC Chartering, has a modern fleet of more than one hundred ships, many of them equipped with heavy lifting gear. BBC Fuji's cranes can each lift an astounding 350 tonnes. The ship measures 8255 gross tons, 9266 deadweight, and is a versatile vessel, capable of carrying a variety of cargoes including paper, timber, bulk grain, 660 TEU of containers or heavy lift and oversize.

ISI has exported their "Once Through " steam generators all over the world.

Preserver Part Two

2011-11-05T20:10:00.007-03:00

1. Novadock is positioned in one of the narrowest parts of the harbour.

2. Ouch#1 including gash, with a navy buoy in the foreground, signaling shallow water.

2. Ouch#2 (near the south end of the Novadock)

Yesterday's incident with HMCS Preserver seems not to have produced too much panic at Halifax Shipyard. I didn't detect any activity on the outside wall of the Novadock this morning, where the damage was quite evident. It included two mangled companionways and a gash in the side wall of the dock. It is possible that these will not effect the operation of the dock. Work was apparently continuing within the dock setting up blocks for CCGS Louis S. St-Laurent.

Meanwhile Preserver was alongside at HMC Dockyard with a nasty looking set-in to her sprayrail forward. I expect that some of this damage extends to frames below the weather deck, and that repairs will be time consuming and expensive!

The ship was under full naval control at the time of the incident, but was still undergoing post refit engineering trials. Speculation on the cause is no doubt the topic of conversation in may pubs, but I have no particular insights.

I do make the following observations:

1. Turning a ship that size in the Narrows seems needless. Lots of other ships go the Basin to turn. Some ships turn north of the Novadock, but they use a lot more powerful tugs when doing so.

2. Turning was necessary because the Force Defence Booms prevent turning in the lower harbour. These expensive (and not fully utilized) booms were set in the water to protect naval vessels from attack. They also whacked a huge chunk off available space in the approaches to the Narrows, where some ships (maybe even Preserver) could have been turned by tugs.

Preserver allides with dock

2011-11-04T17:36:00.005-03:00

1. HMCS Preserver January 3, 1971. The bow mounted gun was removed due to its exposed location.

HMCS Preserver "bumped" her pier when she arrived from sea early this afternoon. I have no details, but the CBC reports that there is visible damage. Divers were called to the site almost immediately after the event.

Preserver is just out of refit and has only been fully operational for a few weeks. OUCH!

[Allision = contact with a fixed object]

Update: the incident occurred as the ship was turning in the harbour, and what it struck was the Halifax Shipyard's Novadock, smashing a companion way and punching a hole in the side of the floating drydock. This is most unfortuinate as the shipyard was preparing the dock for Monday's arrival of CCGS Louis S.St-Laurent for emergency repairs to its centreline prop/shaft.

The Novadock is registered as a vessel, but is permanently moored, and therefore is a fixed object. I will stick with the term allision.

Nova Scotia wrecks

2011-11-03T21:54:00.004-03:00

Word that the last of the contaminants have been removed from the wreck of the Miner on Scaterie Island is a bit of a relief to those concerned about the environment. However the wreck has now been left to deteriorate over the winter and it is hard to imagine what its situation may be by spring.

This ship is not the first to be wrecked on Nova Scotia coasts. The numbers in fact are in the hundreds, and most were left much as this one has been. Unofficial scavengers usually picked the ship clean of course, and the hulls were left to be torn apart by the seas.

One such wreck was the small cargo ship Hulda. It was driven ashore close to Peggy's Cove on a ballast voyage from Jacksonville, FL to Mahone Bay, NS on May 26, 1971. After all that was salvageable was removed from the ship, the remaining fuel on board was burned off October 23, 1971.

The ship was built as the Heemskerk in 1955 by NV Scheeps v/n de Groot & v. Vliet in Slikkerveer, Netherlands, and measured 499 gross tons. It was 183 feet long and consisted of a single hold with engines and accommodation aft. In 1979 it was sold by the original owners, Hollandsche Zeerederij of Rotterdam (J. Vermaas' Scheepv. Bedr. NV, managers) to Hilcur Shipping of Georgetown, Cayman Islands. They renamed the ship Hulda and were owners at the time of the loss.

Windy Day

2011-10-30T17:45:00.006-03:00

1. Coriolis II heads up into northeasterly this afternoon.

High winds, rain and a storm surge disrupted normal activity in the port today.

Early this morning Atlantic Compass arrived on schedule, but due to the wind took the tugs Atlantic Willow and Atlantic Hemlock to berth at Fairview Cove. In normal conditions the ACL ships don't need tugs.

The mid-morning arrival of OOCL Antwerp was scrubbed and the ship headed out to sea to ride out the storm.

Meanwhile in port the tanker Algonova headed to anchorage in Bedford Basin, where it joined Clipper Lancer. The tug/barge Penn No.6 and Penn No.120 remain at anchor in the lower harbour.

The only other movement was the research/survey vessel Coriolis II that returned to port yesterday after breaking off survey work for the Hibernia cable project. At first it tied up at pier 27, but it was too rough there and so it went out to the anchorages where it steamed up and down for several hours until coming in to pier 25 late this afternoon. With high winds forecast all night and another storm surge around midnight the ship may leave the dock again tonight.

The storm surge resulted in waves breaking over the piers and the pilot boat dock was almost awash when I went by about 1 pm.

Busy times at Imperial Oil

2011-10-29T19:38:00.008-03:00

Busy tanker traffic:
1. Sichem Beijing waiting at anchor yesterday.

2.Overseas Shirley sailing late this sfternoon with escort tug Atlantic Oak.

3. Tanker barge Penn No.120 with tug Penn No.6 waiting for better weather to the south.

4. Clipper Lancer anchored deep in Bedford Basin, also waiting for weather.

The three oil docks at the Imperoyal refinery of Imperial Oil have been busy the last several days, with ships coming and going.

This afternoon the Canadian crude tanker Overseas Shirley sailed for Baytonne, NJ. Although she appeared to be in ballast she still had the tug Atlantic Oak on a stern line escort outbound. At 62,385 gross, 112,056 deadweight, built in 2001, she is a sizable tanker.

Shortly before her departure the chemical tanker Sichem Beijing sailed after an overnight stay at the dock. Registered in Singapore, she is 8537 gross, 13,068 deadweight, built in 2007.

She had to wait at anchor for a day before she could get in to the dock.

Her place had been occupied by the US flag barge Penn No.120, which along with the tug Penn No.6 has gone out to anchor pending an improvement in weather along the US east coast. As a wire tow tug (as opposed to an articulated tug/barge) she will only go sea when conditions are favourable. [see also Tugfax]

Awaiting the departure of Sichem Beijing and possibly an improvement in weather after tomorrows predicted high wins, the small Bahamas flag chemical tanker Clipper Lancer found an anchorage spot way up north in Bedford Basin. This tanker measures only 6522 gross, 9971 deadweight. Built in 2006 she has less than one tenth the carrying capacity of the Overseas Shirley.

The remaining space at the Esso docks has been taken up by domestic coastal tankers.

ex CCGS Alert to the breakers

2011-10-27T11:28:00.011-03:00

1. Alert tied up at Purdy's Wharf for a refit in 1976.

2. Intransition from her original white over red colour scheme, Alert returns from a patrol in 1984.

3. In the full SAR livery, Alert passes George's Island outbound in 1990.

3. With a navy grey hull Alert sails on her last mission in 1995.

I have received word that the former CCGS Alert arrived at Aliaga, Turkey on October 23 to be broken up.

Completed in 1969 by Davie Shipbuilding & Repair in Lauzon, QC, the Alert was a specialized search and rescue (SAR) vessel. Davie was the low bidder at $6.2 mn, beating out Marine Industries Ltd, Canadian Vickers and Port Weller Dry Dock. The ship was powered with four Fairbanks Morse 12 cylinder engines driving two screws with controllable pitch props. She was also equipped with thrusters and a landing pad and hangar for a helicopter. Her gross tonnage was given as 1752.

Based in Dartmouth, the Alert figured in numerous rescues in her 25 year career with the CCG.She was laid up in 1994 but the in same year was then chartered to the RCN for reserves training and given a grey hull.

In February 1995 she was put back in service for one month to substitute for the CCGS Mary Hichens for SAR and Fisheries Patrol work. She was then laid up again on June 13, 1995.

In 1996 she was renamed 1996-01 prior to sale and was berthed in HMC Dockyard until March 1997.

She was sold and left Halifax in tow of the tug Arctic Sun for Newfoundland on March 7, 1997. She was to be converted for use as an offshore standby vessel, and renamed Ocean Alert. Her new owners were careless about advising Lloyd's, but she remained in Canadian registry until 2000 when she was transferred to "a Commonwealth port".

She migrated to the Panama flag and eventually Sierra Leone, with owners listed as OVH Inc, but she was working for Odyssey Marine Exploration of Tampa FL. These publicly listed treasure hunters have been in the news lately for finding significant shipwrecks.

Ocean Alert's sphere of activity appears to have been in the Mediterranean in the last three or four years. She was fitted with a stern gantry and deck house aft, increasing her gross tonnage to 1455, and she was used in survey and diving operations.

CCGS Alert was not the first vessel in Canadian government service to carry this name. A previous Alert was built in 1856 by HMDockyard, Pembroke for the Royal Navy. A wooden barque, it was rebuilt in 1874 for the Sir George Nares arctic expedition. In 1884 it was on loan to the United States Navy and was instrumental in the rescue of the Greely Expedition.

In 1885 it was loaned by RN to the Minister of Mines and Fisheries of Canada and sailed from Halifax May 27 to explore and chart parts of Hudson Bay, in part to look at the possibility of building a port to serve a rail line from Winnipeg. It broke its stemplate off Resolution Island, but was able to complete the mission returning to Halifax October 18.

From 1887 to 1894 it served as a lighthouse supply vessel in the Gulf and on the Labrador coast, but was then laid up unfit. In 1885 it was sold for scrap. It was hulked then burned out for its fastenings at Beauport Beach, adjacent to Quebec City.

Panelling from its cabins was used to finish a summer house at Cap-à-l'Aigle, QC, fittingly called "The Alert." Unfortunately that building burned to the ground. One of the only remnants of the ship is therefore its wheel, which resides at the Coast Guard base in Quebec City.

Edward Cornwallis - part ii

2011-10-27T09:43:00.005-03:00

1. The first CCGS Edward Cornwallis at the Dartmouth base, loaded with buoys, 1985-10-09.

2. CCGS Edward Cornwallis (ii) fitting out at the Marine Industries Ltd shipyard in Sorel, QC. The impractical red funnel cap was soon repainted in black.

Since I normally don't get many comments on my blog, I guess I was taken aback somewhat by any response at all to this item.

My thoughts were on the Residential Schools Truth and Reconciliation hearings going on in Halifax, at this time. What messages are we sending when we don't acknowledge that we are are the inheritors of our history? What is our responsibility for past mistakes?

It is not sufficient to say that we didn't make the mistakes. It is our responsibility to acknowledge them, and to make up for them if we can. One way to do that is to rebalance. My suggestion that the ship be renamed would in no way ignore 263 years of history. Instead it would be a way of acknowledging grievances and signalling an intent to do better in the future.

Edward Cornwallis was an historical figure-his contributions won't go away, nor will the attitude of the colonial authorities to the native populations. But what can happen is the we can acknowledge what we have learned from history.

Revisionist? I don't think so. I am not suggesting rewriting history, but redressing an imbalance that has gone on for too long.

A glance at the Canadian Coast Guard's ship naming policy, for example, will show that self-serving partisan politics is responsible for naming our most important ships. Ignoring other historical figures will not help to redress the balance.

http://www.ccg-gcc.gc.ca/e0013696

Cruise Finale

2011-10-27T09:20:00.004-03:00

The cruise ship season ends today with the arrival of Jewel of the Seas. The Bahamas flagged vessel operated by Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd of Miami was built in 2004 and has a capacity of 2,000 passengers.

This year's season unfolded about as expected, with few no shows due to weather or other reasons. Until final figures are in it will not be known if passenger counts lived up to expectations. On the whole my guess is that numbers might have been down a bit.

Edward Cornwallis - time for a change

2011-10-25T22:30:00.008-03:00

1. CCGS Edward Cornwallis (i) was built in 1949 for the Department of Transport, and joined the CCG when it was founded 49 years ago. It was a steamer and served with distinction until its replacement came along. It was eventually broken up in 1993.
[I took this photo on Coast Guard Day 1975, from the bridge of CCGS Alert. CCGS Louis S. St-Laurent and Labrador are on the left.]

2. CCGS Edward Cornwallis (ii) was built in 1986 and has also served well. The City its namesake founded has changed with the times, and it is now time for a change. She is seen here leaving port October 24.

The founder of Halifax was one Edward Cornwallis, governor of Nova Scotia from 1749 to 1752. He has a river, a military base, at least one street, a park and many other places named for him, not to mention two ships. A Lieutenant-Colonel in the British Army he was later appointed governor of Gibraltar where he died. His brief time in Nova Scotia was marked by his terrible treatment of the indigenous population, and as a result he has now been discredited by many, and there is a move afoot to have his name removed from these commemorations.

This should also include the current CCGS Edward Cornwallis a navaids tender and light icebreaker, based in Halifax. It was built in 1986 and replaced a steam driven vessel of the same name built in 1949.

Both ships have served with distinction, but it is now time to make a change. There are many distinguished indigenous Canadian individuals who would be quite deserving of such an honour.

Next year marks the 50th anniversary of the Canadian Coast Guard - a good time to do the right thing.

Activity at Ultramar

2011-10-24T20:01:00.003-03:00

The Ultramar dock in Eastern Passage is usually a quiet spot. Since the Ultramar refinery was shut down and the facility relegated to storage it rarely sees a tanker. The present visitor moved to Ultramar after a visit to Imperial Oil.

Sanmar Stanza flies the flag of India and carries its name on the bow in English and in Indian script.

Built in 1999 as Freja Spring by Onomichi ZKK in Japan, the ship measures 28,546 gross tons and 47,110 deadweight. It assumed its current name earlier this year. An oil products carrier, it also has facilities to handle molasses and caustic soda.

My records indicate that it arrived off Halifax March 25, 2004 to embark an ice adviser, but did not enter port. At that time it also has some technicians ferried out on the launch Halmar.

Atlantic Erie on a shuttle run

2011-10-22T20:04:00.003-03:00

Word has reached my ear that both Atlantic Erie and Atlantic Huron are shuttling between Lower Cove and Bull Arm, Newfoundland.

Lower Cove is an aggregate/ limestone /dolomite quarry port. In 2010 it shipped 2 million tonnes of material! It is set to exceed 2.4 million tonnes this year. It is located on the Port au Port peninsula on the west coast of Newfoundland.

Bull Arm is on the eastern side of the province, and is where the Hibernia gravity base was built, among other things.

Atlantic Erie was in Halifax today for bunkers and sailed for Lower Cove.

Big Day

2011-10-19T09:28:00.009-03:00

So today was the big day for the Federal Government's $35 billion shipbuilding announcement. The announcement came just after 5 pm Halifax time (ADT).

At first it was reported that the announcement would be made following the close of the stock markets - not sure why this should be - oh, yes, Seaspan is a publicly traded corporation. Irving Shipbuilding is privately owned, and Davie is, well, under creditor protection. Davie's new parents Daewoo and Upper Lakes Group are not publicly traded as far as I can determine, and the yard is under creditor protection until the end of October.
In a very dry pronouncement the bureaucrat tasked with reporting on the selection process finally got to the point:
Irving Shipbuilding (Halifax Shipyard) gets the plum contract, the construction of the combat vessels- namely 3 destroyers, 12 frigates and 3 arctic patrol vessels.
Seaspan (Vancouver Shipyard) gets the non-combat portion of the work, namely two support ships (with an option for third) a polar icebreaker, a hydrographic survey ship, etc.,
Davie Quebec is out of the running, but eligible for other contracts for the Coast Guard, fisheries, etc., from which the other two yards are excluded.
This is wonderful news for Halifax of course, and seems to be the most reasonable one too- and apparently free from political interference.

By coincidence the Icelandic patrol vessel that visited Halifax over night left early this afternoon.
The Canadian three ship arctic patrol vessels will look very similar, and they are expected to be the first ships to be built by Halifax.
Although they will be even larger, they will be of a similar configuration to Thor.
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Thor makes first port call

2011-10-18T13:28:00.005-03:00

1. A lone Sea King helicopter flies in the distnace as Thor ties up at pier 27.

The brand new Icelandic Coast Guard offshore patrol vessel Thor made its first visit to Halifax today. In fact this is one of the ship's first port calls anywhere.

Just completed by the ASMAR yard in Chile, the ship has been a long time in coming. Laid down in 2007, it was launched in 2008. While fitting out in drydock at the shipyard in February 2010, it was struck by the tsunami following a major earthquake and was seriously damaged. At that time the ship was only three months from delivery, but damage was so severe that it has taken more than a year to effect repairs and complete the ship. The tsunami swept the ship off its support blocks, tossing it over on its side at a 30 degree angle and submerging its engine room.

The ship is a revolutionary one. Built to the Rolls Royce /Ulstein UT512L design, it is a larger version of a Norwegian Coast Guard vessel, but with more capabilities.

First it is a 10,730 bhp tug [Canadian Coast Guard take note.] It is strengthened for navigation in ice, it carries a helicopter landing platform and is armed. It is also equipped with a wide range of search and rescue and pollution control equipment. At 93.6m long and 4,000 tons displacement, it is a very big ship indeed, and should be able to operate in all but the most extreme conditions.

As an object lesson, a small nation like Iceland can justify a ship like this. Canada should too.

For more on Iceland's Coast Guard (called the LHG) see: http://www.lhg.is/media/LHG80/Landhelgisgasla_Islands_enska2_.pdf

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October 22
Note on Comment: My "note to CCG" comment above follows the recommendation of the Department of Transport that a minumum 10,000 bhp rescue / escort tug was needed in Placentia Bay, and it should be provided by the government. Also that the British Coast Guard, French, Dutch, German, Spanish government, etc., rescue tugs in Europe have proved thier worth countless times (despite Britain's intent to cost cut them into oblivion) and the total lack of any such vessels on Canada's east coast. If the current Coast Guard's ineptitude in towing cannot be corrected, then the work should be contracted out, as it is in Britain and France, to private operators who do know how.

Tight fit at pier 23

2011-10-18T09:15:00.007-03:00

It is the peak of the cruise season with four ships in port today. The smallest ship is Regatta, and she must be wedged in to pier 23. With Crown Princess already tied up at pier 22 and its bow hanging out over the end of the pier, Regatta took a pair of tugs to help her in.

Explorer of the Seas is arriving for pier 20, and Jewel of the Seas is tied up at pier 31.

Mahanadi Spirit makes way for the navy

2011-10-17T19:12:00.004-03:00

The oil products tanker Mahanadi Spirit moved off the dock at Imperial Oil for a few hours today to allow a Canadian navy ship to refuel. Naval vessels have priority at the oil dock, but only use the privilege when needed.

Mahanadi Spirit was built in 2000 and flies the Bahamas flag. It is owned and operated by Teekay Shipping from its Houston offices. Teekay is better known in Halifax for its crude oil tankers, but it also operates a fleet of smaller product tankers too.
The ship is named for a river in west central India, which empties into the Bay of Bengal.
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Nirint Canada and Atlantic Hemlock

2011-10-11T23:28:00.003-03:00

1. The tug Atlantic Hemlock rounds up under the stern of Nirint Canada to assist the ship into pier 31.

The container/cargo ship Nirint Canada arrived this afternoon from Cuba to unload at pier 31. The ship is a regular caller, and its owners have a very nice website, as advertised on the sides of the ship.

The tug Atlantic Hemlock is a "new" to Halifax - see Tugfax for more.

Vengeance sails and we are still here

2011-10-10T17:17:00.005-03:00

HMS Vengeance departed this afternoon after a week's visit to Halifax. The Vanguard class strategic missile submarine was reported to be carrying warheads. Its capacity is 16 Trident D5 missiles, each one capable of carrying 12 warheads. All that nuclear firepower, coupled with the boat's own nuclear propulsion system, had some worried about the consequences of an accident. They stated that an accident could result in Hailfax being evacuated forever.

Fortunately no such accident occurred, and we are still here.

As with all nuclear subs, the boat tied up at Jetty November Alpha (Shearwater) but this may have been the first time that an RN sub has visited. Numerous US nuclear subs have called over the years, all without incident.

Laid down in 1993, launched in 1998 and commissioned in 1999 the sub is the last of four vessels in the class, and in addition to the missiles also carries torpedoes. It displaces 15,908 tons submerged, and can achieve 25 knots underwater.

Update: HMS Vigilant was in Halifax in 2008.

Private Robertson VC, First Hero rolls out at Halifax Shipyard

2011-10-08T20:28:00.006-03:00

Update and Correction: The Mininster of Defense, Peter MacKay MP from Pictou County participated in a naming ceremony at Halifax Shipyard on November 10, in which the first ship of the Hero series was named CCGS Pvt. Robertson, VC after a war hero from Pictou County. The first ship, was to have been named Cpl. Kaeble, VC according to earlier government press releases, but things can change!

The first of the new Hero class mid-shore patrol boats was rolled out at Halifax Shipyard today. The 43m vessel, to be named CCGS Caporal Kaeble VC [see above] will be in service early next year. Built to a modified Damen design, it is the first of nine such vessels to be assigned to the Coast Guard and RCMP.

All the boats in the series will be named for Canadians who have died in service to their country. This one for a World War I hero who died near Arras in 1918, and received a posthumous Victoria Cross, the highest military honour.

More on Cpl. Kaeble can be found here: http://shipfax.blogspot.com/2010/11/halifax-shipyard-under-construction.html or in various government publications:

http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/media/back-fiche/2010/hq-ac54a-eng.htm

USNS Wright

2011-10-07T19:18:00.007-03:00

The US Navy Ready Reserve Force vessel Wright arrived this afternoon and tied up at HMC Dockyard. The ship has been working off Halifax for the last several weeks, usually anchored off Hartlen's Point, east of the normal deep water anchorages.

The ship has an interesting history, and for that reason is a unique reminder of the pre-container era.

Originally launched in 1969 by Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula. LA, the ship was built to US Maritime Administration class C5-S-78. Although nominally a container ship, it was in fact among the last of the hydrids-built to general cargo ship lines, but fitted to carry containers too. It was powered by a huge 30,000 shp geared steam turbine plant capable of driving the ship at 25 knots. That would have been a sight worth seeing! Built for Moore-McCormack Lines, it was named Mormacsun, but saw little or no service for that line, which was in survival mode, selling off many of its ships. Mormacsun was turned back over too MarAd in 1970.

MarAd placed it in the hands of American Export Lines, then Farrell Lines to operate as Young American until 1986 when it was sent to Todd Galveston Shipyard for conversion into its present form.

It emerged as USNS Wright T-AVB3, an aviation logistics support vessel, but also as a RoRo container ship for military cargoes. It is fitted with helicopter landing and servicing facilities, but can also accommodate 300 troops and equipment if needed. According to Janes it is keep in ready reserve (5 days activation) in Baltimore. It also reportedly provides support for US Marines helicopters.

It may be in the latter role that it has been working off Halifax, because there has been a a lot of helicopter activity in recent weeks from the nearby Shearwater base.

As one of the last of its breed of high speed US merchant ships of the 1950s and 1960s it is a remarkable artifact. It must be one of the few remaining examples of ships built just before fully cellular container ships took over.

Miner a Goner

2011-10-06T22:57:00.004-03:00

The premier of Nova Scotia needs advice. He is quoted on news reports that he is getting involved in the grounded laker Miner on Scatarie Island, and is consulting the Irvings.

Let's get some facts on the table:

1. The ship's owners and the towing company are responsible, and their salvage/wreck removal plan must be approved by the federal government. This wreck is and always will be subject to federal responsibility and oversight.
Granted the feds are doing a lousy job of communication on this one - more later, but it is "their baby."

2. I have no idea why the Premier would be talking to the Irvings! With all due respect they are not salvors. They are shipbuilding and tug operators, they have naval architects and marine engineers, but that does not make them experienced salvagers. That is a specialised activity, and membership in the International Salvage Union would be one of the first requirements to be considered a salvor.
Their own barge Irving Sealion sat on the bottom 30 years until the Feds hired Donjon to haul it up and give it back to them. Don't ask about the Scotiadock II.

3. Mammoet, the salvors engaged by the ship's interests, raised the Kursk (the most difficult wreck removal in history!) and have salvaged scores of ships-including cutting up in place - the Preem should look at their website.

4. Perhaps he is reacting out of frustration over the feds lack of proper communication on this. If so I sympathize. Despite urgings over many years the feds have refused to create the SOSREP (Secretary Of States's REPrepresentative) that the UK has. This person can mobilize all departments in the case of a marine emergency. One of the first things he usually does is establish a communications centre to ensure that the populous knows what is going on. It cuts out a lot of misinformation and speculation, and cuts the legs out from under a lot of misinformed politicians and reporters.
SOSPREP also creates a command centre where reps of all departments that might be involved - Coast Guard, Fisheries, environment, provincial, municipal, military - you name it, are brought together and communicate between themselves to get whatever job done.
SOSPREP can move mountains when necessary.
The Feds need to get their act together on this one.
If the Premier will take my advice he should pressure the feds to set up the command and communication structure that is needed in this and similar cases.

Finally
5. This is not a major shipwreck. Yes it's a big ship, but there are no huge hazards involved. Yes there is significant ballast sludge to get out, and they better do that PDQ, but from CBC photos today, there is little doubt that the ship will never leave the shore in one piece.
What needs to be done is to get the wreck removal plan publicized to reassure everyone that as little damage will be done to the environment as possible. And yes it may not be until next spring that the wreck can be removed. Look up New Carissa sometime and see how long that one took.

There will be worse shipwrecks in Nova Scotia waters (there have been several over the years) and what better opportunity is there for the feds to do this one right so that there will be some skills and policies in effect for the next one.

Regatta, inaugural call.

2011-10-06T19:43:00.007-03:00

1. A few hardy souls take in the view from their balconies as Regatta sails on a windy and cool afternoon.

Of the five (count 'em five) cruise ships in port today, the smallest was Regatta. It was the only one making its first call in Halifax. It is the last ship of the season to make an inaugural call, so we will only be seeing the old familiar faces from now on.

Regatta was built in 1998 at Chantier de l'Atlantique in St-Nazaire, France as R-2 for the ill fated Renaissance cruise line. Laid up for a time when Renaissance failed in 2001, the ship was re-entered service as Regatta for Oceania Cruises. The ship is registered in the Marshal Islands and measures 30,277 gross tons. It was refurbished earlier this year and now has a capacity of 684 passengers with 400 crew to cater to their needs.

Nice web site at: http://www.oceaniacruises.com/ships/regatta/default.aspx

Coriolis II visits Halifax for the first time

2011-10-05T20:28:00.003-03:00

The research ship Coriolis II arrived in Halifax this week for the first time. It originally tied up at pier 27, but was noted today in Bedford Basin, where it was trying to establish an anchorage position in high winds. It may have given up on that option and decided to keep station using its engines, because it had no anchor down when I saw it last about 16:30 hrs.

The ship was built by Versatile Pacific Shipyard in Victoria, BC in 1990 as one of two 500 class Coast Guard cutters. Originally named CCG 501 it was to be a dedicated Search & Rescue vessel. In 1992 it was renamed John Jacobsen and its sister CCG 500 became Gordon Reid.

There were serious stability issues with the vessels, as I understand it, because the superstructures were built of steel instead of aluminum as originally designed. Gordon Reid was rebuilt in 2001 and John Jacobsen was renamed 2000-03 in the year 2000 and put up for sale.

It was subsequently sold to the Université de Québec à Rimouski and rebuilt in British Columbia as an oceanographic research vessel before arriving in Rimouski in July 2002. Total cost of acquisition rebuild and conversion was reported at the time to be $10 mn.

Since its arrival on this side of Canada, the ship has carried out a variety of programs on the St.Lawrence River and Gulf, but to my knowledge has never ventured out to the coast before. Now operated by a consortium of five institutions, you can see more on the web page: http://reformar.ca/spip.php?article8

A nice looking vessel, originally of Robert Allen design, the ship has accommodation for 24 persons.

Halifax Parking Lot

2011-10-05T19:54:00.010-03:00

Halifax Harbour looked like a parking lot this afternoon as the first nor'easter of the autumn season bore down on Atlantic Canada, sending ships scurrying for cover.
At least one ship cancelled its visit to Halifax - the cruise ship MSC Poesia, but the ships that did arrive opted not to tie up due to the strong winds.
1. AFL New England, Seaconger, Algosea and Canada Express anchored in the Basin. Unfazed by rough conditions the tug Roseway and a stores barge have cleared Seaconger and are headed back to Dartmouth Cove.

2. Seaconger arrives for bunkers. The German owned/built and registered tanker dates from 2005 and measures 21,329 gross tons, 32,200 deadweight.

3. Canada Express was the OOCL Dubai until last year when Hapag-Lloyd took over the charter and gave the post-panamax ship a Hapag name.

In the Basin, in no particular order, were Canada Express and AFL New England, both destined for the Fairview Cove container terminal. With seas washing over the pier face at high tide, it was thought wise to hold off.

The tanker Seaconger is in for bunkers, but will have to wait until things calm down. Algosea is also at anchor after loading at Imperial Oil for a coastal trip.

At the head of the line is the interesting survey ship Coriolis II on what is probably her first visit to Halifax- see following post.

Meanwhile in the lower harbour Algoscotia and Fusion occupy two of the anchorages, and the cruise ship Maasdam is in port for the night. Another cruise ship, Seabourn Sojourn, opted to stay in for a second night.

Tomorrow will see the delayed arrival of two autocarriers. Both Manon and Grand Pioneer were orginally due today.

Odd ship at National Gypsum

2011-10-02T19:37:00.005-03:00

Heron ex Heron Arrow-01, Trinta-92, Strinda -85, is seen here loading at National Gyspum (in the rain) today.

Built way back in 1975, the ship is an "open hatch" type cargo ship with two 25 tonne travelling gantries. Built to handle forest products, her holds are built as large square boxes the same size as the hatches to ease cargo handling. The gantries can thus reach all corners of the holds, which are thus narrower than the ship itself. There is dead space between the sides of the ship and the "walls" of the holds making the ship effectively double walled.

The gantries are fitted with hinged outriggers, which swing out over the ship's side to allow the gantry trolleys to pick up or land cargo on the pier.

It is unusual to see such ships carry a bulk cargo like gypsum, but the owners, SMT Ship Management & Transport of Limasssol, Cyprus have, over the years, run a strange assortment of ships through Halifax for gypsum. Included were several former container/bulkers of Belgian origin retroffited as hybrid self-unloaders.

Presumably clamshell buckets are now fitted to the Heron's gantries to permit self-discharging directly to the dock.

The ship is due to sail sometime after midnight tonight.

For a better photo see Capt' Ken or AIS Live.

Storm Chaser?

2011-10-01T22:58:00.005-03:00

The research ship Hudson sailed this afternoon in deteriorating weather. With Hurricane Ophelia churning up the Atlantic, it might be imagined that this will not be the most comfortable of trips. If she retraces her most recent survey string she will go right out in to the storm's path.

This wonderful ship, built in 1963, is still in active service for the Department of Fisheries & Oceans / Canadian Coast Guard. Her replacement will be built as part of the new government shipbuilding program, which will unfold over the next few weeks and months.

Basin biggie, Maersk disappointed, QM2 draws crowds

2011-10-01T19:51:00.009-03:00

Three ships - nothing in common - except their flag state (the country in which they are registered) and the countries in which they operate have a bearing on their activities.

Basin Biggie
The tanker New Conquest spent 24 hours anchored in Bedford Basin to allow another crude tanker, Overseas Shirley, to unload. There's lots of container ship traffic in and out of the Basin, but it's interesting to see a tanker for a change, since these ships are hard to photograph when they arrive at Imperial Oil.
New Conquest is one of six identical tankers managed by Expedo Ship Management, with offices in Mississauga, ON. See www.expedo.com for more. The 41,994 gross, 73,917 deadweight ship is a Marshall Island flagged crude oil tanker, but arrived empty and is still in ballast as far as I can tell. It was built in 2006. Expedo takes advantage of Canadian government policies that encourage ship operators to have their offices in Canada, even if their ships are flagged elsewhere. Teekay Shipping is the biggest and best known of these.
Overseas Shirley is a Canadian flagged ship operated by OSG Overseas Ship Management (Canada) Ltd. I measures 62,385 gross and 112,056 deadweight, built in 2001. OSG is a major US based operator, but they flagged the ship to Canada so that it can carry cargo between Canadian ports.

Maersk Disappointed
Maersk Penang arrived this morning, with fog obscuring its bridge from view. Maersk recently applied to the Canadian Transportation Agency to carry empty containers from Montreal to Halifax on its ships. Citing the high cost of railing or trucking empties to Halifax, they sought a coasting license to use their non-Canadian ships. Both Algoma Central Marine and McKeil Marine raised objections, and the Agency denied the application, stating that Canadian ships were available for the work.
Maersk Penang was built in 1998 as P&O Nedlloyd Jakarta, and is registered in the Netherlands. It can carry 2890 TEU including 400 reefers.

Queen Mary 2 - not the marryin' kind
Queen Mary 2 appears set to assume the mantle of her illustrious predecessor Queen Elizabeth 2. Crowds saw the ship off today despite inclement weather, just as they always did for QE2.
Cunard is reported to be considering the reflagging of some or all its ships to Bermuda so that captains can perform marriages. The masters of ships flagged in the UK are forbidden to conduct such rites, which are apparently quite lucrative, and for which there is a steady demand.

Halterm and Fairview - changes coming

2011-09-29T18:46:00.007-03:00

Work on the Halterm pier extension reached a milestone this week when McNally Construction drove the last pile. Much work is yet to be done to meet the April 2012 completion date, but progress is certainly visible. The new concrete deck structure now extends about one third of the way out to the end.
1. McNally's Canadian Argosy works on the end of the pier extension 2011-09-28.

2.McNally fleet tied up for the weekend 2011-09-25. One of the original Halterm cranes is on the left.

As we last heard in June, Halterm was seeking prices to add two new super post panamax cranes. Not a peep has been heard since, so perhaps they have had second thoughts after losing two lines and one half of another line's calls. To add new cranes they will almost certainly decommission the two oldest cranes that date from the 1970 opening of the pier (such as the one shown). Halterm is operated by Macquarie.

Meanwhile at Fairview Cove work has started on dismantling one of the oldest cranes on that pier. There are currently six cranes at Fairview Cove, 3 of 40 tonne and three of 60 tonne (or 65 tonne depending on who you believe.) No announcement has been made on replacements for these old cranes, but I find it hard to believe that this busy pier could get by with fewer cranes for very long. Fairview Cove is operated by Cerescorp.

3. One of the small 40 tonne cranes has been removed from the pier face and is being dismantled. The two remaining small cranes work the Ludwigshafen Express this afternoon.

4. All three super post panamax cranes work on the OOCL New York this afternoon.

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Bitu Sea

2011-09-27T18:19:00.005-03:00

1. Bitu Sea is accompanied by the tug Atlantic Oak as it arrives at sunrise this morning.

2. Algoma Dartmouth transfers bunker fuel to Bitu Sea. (See Armchair Captain's photo from one of the buildings in the background.)

A ship that lives up to its name, arrived today to take bunkers on a trip to Brazil.

Bitu Sea is a specially built asphalt and bitumen tanker. Its cargo tanks and piping are heated to keep the cargo liquid, and thus the ship carries a large heating plant as well as the usual array of engines, generators and pumps.

Built in 2007, the ship is owned and registered in Singapore. Agents for this visit to Halifax were Kent Line.

Check Armchair captain for another photo of this ship.

Large Cruise Ship Day

2011-09-25T20:12:00.008-03:00

As some Maritimers say, it was a large day (meaning beautiful, sunny and warm.)
It was also a large day for the Port of Halifax, with four cruise ships in port and about 10,000 extra people on the streets of town (passengers and crews included.)
Some of the ships were large too, but the interesting thing was that of the four, three were on their inaugural visits to Halifax.
1. Seabourn Sojourn, built in 2010, with a modest capacity of 450 passengers, arriving for the first time in Halifax this afternoon. It will stay in port over night.

2. Silver Whisper, built in 2001, backs out in to the stream and is dwarfed by the two big ships. Built in 2001 it is the smallest ship today, with a capacity of 382.

3. The one they all came out to see, Cunard's Queen Elizaberth is just a year old and claims a passsenger capacity of 2,092. It measures 90,901 gross tons.

4. Although it was built in 2007, Emerald Princess is also making its first call in Halifax. At 113,561 gross tons, it was the largest ship in port today. It sailed at dusk, making an impressive sight.

Note about errors

2011-09-25T20:10:00.002-03:00

If you detect an error in my text - please send in a comment. I will rewrite the text, or acknoweldge the error ASAP, and publish your comment. Believe me, I do want this blog to be authoritative, that is why it is a Blog, so you can comment!

Traffic in the Narrows

2011-09-24T11:26:00.008-03:00

1. Grand Manan Adventure has just cleared the Novadock and is heading to Bedford Basin for trials.

2. Off pier 9 (almost exactly where the Mont Blanc and Imo collided in 1917, and which resulted in the Halifax Explosion) she passes the outbound AFL New England.

Ships don't often meet in the Narrows, but if the ships are relatively small a meet off the site of the 1917 explosion is certainly doable.

Grand Manan Adventure left the Novadock floating drydock Friday afternoon for Bedford Basin and trials as AFL New England sailed from Fairview Cove for sea, and the meet was timed to allow the ships to pass safely.

The stubby Adventure spent two hours in the Basin, and trials must have gone well. At about 6 pm she could be seen idling off the shipyard as workers returned to the yard on a bright orange RHIB. The ship then sailed for her home port to resume service.

AFL New England is on her weekly round to Boston and Portsmouth. The line reports that cargo is building. However a report in the local paper stated that she loads at Fairview Cove and Halterm. To my knowledge she has never yet called at Halterm. If boxes come from that terminal, they must be trucked to Fairview Cove. [See comment - she called once while I was away]

[TEXT CORRECTED - SEE COMMENTS]

Storied Laker piles up on Scatarie Island

2011-09-23T21:34:00.009-03:00

1. As built, Maplecliffe Hall was a seaway max, gearless bulk carrier. Its distinctive wheelhouse forward was typical of lakers. Photo entering St.Lambert Lock, upbound.

2. Canadian Miner at Quebec City, not far from where it was assembled, upbound with a cargo of iron ore.

Among the parade of old lakers going to scrap in recent years, few found much notice except among aficionados. Yes they were old, had interesting careers, but they were generally towed successfully to Turkey. A few broke loose of their towing tugs, but were soon reconnected and met their appointed fate in the scrap yards in Aliaga.

Now one reluctant old grande dame has taken an unfortunate turn and run ashore in a Provincial Wildlife Management Area in Cape Breton.

Scatarie Island, one of those desolate places that pokes out into the ocean has seen its share of wrecks over the centuries, but has never seen a ship this big on its shores. It remains to be seen how long it will be there.

Efforts to refloat the ship at high tide tonight may determine its eventual fate.

That makes this ship stand out from the others is that it the last of the line in several respects.

It was built for the Hall Corporation (Halco) once a prominent name in the Canadian Great Lakes shipping business. In fact it is the last surviving Halco laker, and its passing marks the end of an era. [NOTE: from received comment there is one other Halco laker left: Mapleglen ex Montcliffe Hall- my mistake!]

The ship was built in two sections. The after end was built in 1965 in Montreal at the now defunct Canadian Vickers Shipyard. Only one more laker was ever built at that yard.

The bow section (including wheelhouse) was built at the George T. Davie & Sons yard (little Davie) in Lauzon, QC, which at the time was also owned by Canadian Vickers, and is also now defunct.

The two hull sections were joined in the Champlain Dry Dock (owned by the Federal Government) in Lauzon.

On completion in April 1966 the ship was named Maplecliffe Hall, following the "-cliffe Hall" naming style of Halco.

With the failure of Halco in 1988, the ship was sold to Canada Steamship Lines and renamed Lemoyne, the second ship to carry that name for CSL. The ship was operated under the Great Lakes Bulk Carriers consortium, but that was wound up in 1994, when CSL sold its gearless bulkers to concentrate on self-unloaders.
At that time the ship passed to its third owners, Upper Lakes Shipping (ULS Corp) and received the new name Canadian Miner. It operated in the Seaway Bulk Carriers consortium until December 2008 when it was laid up in Toronto.

Earlier this year Upper Lakes sold most of its ships to Algoma Central Corp, but this ship was not included in the deal, as it was intended to send it for scrap.

On August 20 the ship was towed out of Toronto and down the Seaway to Montreal. There it was picked up by the Greek tug Hellas and set out for Aliaga on September 16. On Monday September 19 it ran into the tail end of a storm and its tow line parted. Unable to reconnect due to sea conditions and high winds, the ship drifted into a cove on Scatarie Island.

It is hoped that the ship is not severely damaged, and that it can be towed off and repaired for the continuation of its trip.

The ship's Canadian registration was closed on June 11, 2011, and its name was altered to Miner for the transatlantic trip. [Sentence removed] CORRECTION: The ship is apparently now owned by the scrappers and they are responsible for the salvage.

More news to follow.

The Shape of Things to Come

2011-09-21T18:40:00.010-03:00

At 6:15 this evening:
1. Algoma Mariner rounds the end of the jetty to come alongside.

2. The ship glides intpo pier 26 using its thruster and main engine to stop on the mark.

3. An odd shaped transition plate may be a hint at the ship's interesting history.

With both of Canada's major merchant fleet operators in the building mode - and both in China- expect to see more brand new Chinese-built Canadian ships over the next few years. CSL (Canada Steamship Lines) and Algoma Central Corp have both ordered new Seawaymax sized ships to take advantage of the forgiveness on import tarifs, and to replace aged tonnage.

Today's arrival marks the first new ship to be built in China, but it is a "one off" and not part of the larger order of new vessels. Indeed Algoma Mariner is, at least in part, the result of an accident, rather than a plan, but it is nonetheless an important moment.

Algoma had originally planned to build a new forebody for two of its ships, Algobay and Algoport. The new forebody was grafted to the existing stern of Algobay in China, where the stern was also refurbished, including installation of a new main engine. It was redelivered in December 2009 and entered service in the spring of 2010 (its first call in Halifax was to load gypsum, September 11, 2010.)

Things did not go as planned with Algoport. The ship sank in tow en route to China September 6, 2009. With the new forebody under construction, it was decided to build a new stern section to attach to it. That ship became Algoma Mariner built by Chengxi Shipyard in Kiangyin, Jiangsu, China and delivered in June of this year. After its inaugural trip to the Great Lakes in August, it has carried iron ore, coal and grain.

As a side bar to the above, the ship was originally to have been called Canadian Mariner because it was to be delivered to Upper Lakes Shipping. ULS and Algoma were partners in Seaway Marine Transport, a company that operated the ships of both fleets. The rebuilt ship was to be assigned to ULS.

However during construction Algoma Central bought the ships of Upper Lakes Group, and is integrating them into the Algoma fleet. This ship never sailed as Canadian Mariner, and was delivered under its present name.

For more on the new shipbuilding programs see:

CSL's ships to be called the Trillium class:

http://cslcan.ca/trillium/what.html

Algoma's new ships, to be called the Equinox class:
http://www.marinedelivers.com/sites/default/files/documents/Final%20Equinox%20Brochure-%20single%20page%20layout,%20July,%202011.pdf

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End of the Line

2011-09-20T19:30:00.005-03:00

1. Chiswick Bridge makes for pier 41 this morning.

Following the August 11 announcement, today's arrivial of Chiswick Bridge was the last call for the ships of the Green Alliance in Halifax.

Composed of K-Line (Kawasaki Kishen Kaisha), Hanjin, Yang Ming, Cosco and Mitsui OSK Line, the Green Alliance represents some of the most influential of the far eastern shipping lines. (Mitsui OSK joined last year, and prior to that the consortium was called the CKYH Alliance.) The loss of this line is a major blow to the Port of Halifax and Halterm container terminal. Coupled with the loss of one of Zim's legs, there will be a noticeable downturn in traffic at the southend pier.

As the first North American call for the Green Alliance, Halifax was certainly well positioned to take advantage of the trade coming from the far east via the Suez and Mediterranean. Nevertheless, the line has decided to skip Halifax and go directly to New York.

Will the traffic be picked up by other lines? That is the big question at this point, but the jury is still out. Canadain Tire was a major customer, but they can be served out of New York if the line keeps their traffic. The mid-west US traffic can go either way, so it is a worry.

The Green Alliance was served exclusively by ships of the K-Line, and Chiswick Bridge is typical of the post-Panamax ships on the run. Built in 2001 it measures 68,687 gross tons and is rated at 5610 TEU.

After today the only post Panamax ships calling in Halifax will be OOCL, and they use Fairview Cove. Halterm's pier extension and new cranes were aimed specifically at post Panamax ships, so it may be a while before this investmenet pays off.

A Ten?

2011-09-19T09:53:00.006-03:00

In Greek mythology, Afrodite was the goddess of love and beauty. Therefore she would presumably rate as a "ten", just as her Roman counterpart Venus. The chemical/oil products tanker Afrodite would probably not score a "ten" in the beauty department, but because she is operated by Tsakos Energy Navigation [NYSE] she gets to carry TEN on her sides.

The ice class, double hulled tanker is owned in Greece and registered in the Bahamas. A Handymax ship, she measures 30,053 gross tons and 53,082 deadweight, and was built in 2005. Recent charters include delivering a year's supply of JP-8 fuel to the US base in Thule, Greenland in July for the US Military Sealift Command. The northerly base is only ice free from mid-June to mid-September, and must take on most of its yearly needs in that short time.

Trading on the spot market, the ship is en route from the Caribbean, and apparently has no cargo for Halifax. She is due to sail from anchorage this afternoon.

Blade Runner

2011-09-18T20:39:00.010-03:00

A major windmill project in Amherst, NS is the destination for another load of windmill blades. The first load arrived August 13 on SE Veridian [see Armchair Captain http://armchaircaptn.blogspot.com/2011/08/todays-traffic.html]
Today's load arrived on fleetmate SE Potentia a Singapore registered vessel of 9627 gross tons, built in 2009. This time there were not as many blades on deck, but no doubt the hold is full.
1. The tug Atlantic Larch approaches SE Potentia in the Middle Ground to help the ship back in to pier 31. This will allow the blades to be removed without being blocked by the ship's cranes.2. The problem with wind turbines (and sailing yachts too) - what happens when there is no wind?

Expeditions and Cruises

2011-09-18T19:37:00.005-03:00

Mixed in among the numerous large cruise ships visiting Halifax each fall are several small, specialist cruisers, offering a variety of unique experience or "off the beaten track" cruises. These range from the fairly utilitarian to the height of luxury, and today's arrivals highlight these differences.
1. Akademik Ioffe and its sister ship Akademik Sergey Vavilov are considered to be among the finest of the expedition class vessels, for their ability to go into the highest latitudes (both Arctic and Antarctic) and for the scientific and exploration facilities provided. Accommodations may be somewhat spartan compared to hi-luxe ships, but they nevertheless have proven very popular over the years. The Vavilov works out of Spitsbergen in the eastern arctic, and Ioffe works in the Canadian arctic.
This year, as in past years, Akademik Ioffe received a coasting license for a cruise from Resolute to Kugluktuk and a return cruise from Kugluktuk to Iqaluit starting August 3. These cruises took the ship deep into what is known as the Northwest Passage.
Built in Finland in 1989, Akademik Ioffe is ice capable, stabilized, and designed for quiet running. It was built as a research ship, with passenger work an afterthought, and thus does not have the appearance of a typical cruise ship.

2. By contrast Le Boréal looks every inch the luxury cruise ship that it is. As mentioned in the post below it goes to out of the way ports that larger ships do not visit, and it is equipped with small boats for expedition type experiences. However it provides all the luxuries too.

Storm stayed

2011-09-17T12:00:00.006-03:00

1 and 2 Pangaea flies the flag of Brazil, where it was built.

3. Nestled in next to Sackville, the Fundy Navigator takes a rest. A ramp is normally mounted on the ship's bluff bow, and a large reel houses nets for fish pens.

A pair of visitors at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic dock last night provided quite a contrast.

The 35m research sailing vessel Pangaea was on the north side of the dock, after completing a Northwest Passage. Sailing from Vancouver in June, it made it through the notorious Arctic route, which has become largely ice free at times in recent summers. Built of aluminum, in Brazil, the yacht can accommodate 30. It left new York September 10, 2008 and on a four year expedition, funded in part by Mercedes Benz. Sailor/ecologist Mike Horn is the brains behind the journey. I will not refer you to specific websites, because I think they may be corrupted, but there are several references to him and the trip on the web.

By contrast the utilitarian Fundy Navigator was tied up on the south side of the same pier. Featuring a huge open deck forward and a net reel, the vessel is used in fish farming. It is also equipped with a bow ramp, which during this trip was lashed down on deck. Once stormy conditions from the passing Hurricane Maria eased up, the ship sailed. It was built in 2003, measures 142 gross tons and is owned by Cold Ocean Salmon Inc of Black's Harbour, NB.

Dardanella

2011-09-15T13:53:00.002-03:00

Too foggy today for a picture, so we will reach back into last week's files for the luxury yacht Dardanella. Built in 1998 in the Netherlands, and having a major refit in 2006-2007, this trawler/expedition type vessel measures 121 feet by 27 feet, and is all aluminum. Two Cat engines give it power to cruise comfortably.

It is presently en route to Boston.

Le Boréal will be back

2011-09-14T21:59:00.005-03:00

1. The vintage tug Gulf Spray and barge remove garbage from Le Boréal at pier 23 this afternoon.

I only had one chance for a photo of this one, and somehow managed to cut off part of the bow. Oh well, it will be back again twice on Boston/Montreal and Montreal/Boston cruises later this month.

The impressive Le Boréal is billed as a luxury mega-yacht by Cie Ponant SA of Marseilles, France. It has only 132 cabins (and 134 crew) and carries only 224 to 264 passengers. Built in 2010 by Fincantieri's Ancona yard in Italy (which is threatened to be closed due to lack of orders) the ship provides a superb cruising experience. It arrived today from France via the Strait of Belle Isle and St-Pierre et Miquelon.

On its next series of tours mentioned above, it will stop in numerous smaller ports such as Percé and Tadoussac, which are not usually visited by the larger ships.

I'll try for a better picture the next time.

In the meantime have a look at the website: http://en.ponant.com/Our-ships/Le-Boreal

Ruby-T at pier 9

2011-09-14T11:04:00.002-03:00

The Turkish owned, Maltese flagged Ruby-T arrived at pier 9 last evening. The chemical/oil products tanker is in ballast and is fresh from a trip to the Great Lakes (the ship was in Hamilton, ON then stopped in Montreal.) She certainly shows evidence of that visit - see the scratches and scars on the hull.

The ship is due to sail later today.

A pair of good looking ships

2011-09-14T08:49:00.009-03:00

1. Arcadia - modern ship, respecting tradition. Arriving this morning with Theodore Too providing a welcoming escort.

2. HMCS Iroquois idles for a PAX transfer this morning. Sleek and powerful.

3. Iroquois makes a fast getaway after refueling Monday, September 12.

My preference is for traditional looking ships. Today's arrival of Arcadia and HMCS Iroquois remind me that there are still some good looking ships around.

P&O Cruises (part of Carnival) operates the 2005 built Arcadia. It successfully combines some modern touches with traditional P&O features, and resists the current trend of extraneous painted motifs on the hull.

Of course HMCS Iroquois cannot be beat for determined good looks. Despite her great age, and many refits, the ship's hull has maintained a crisp appearance of speed, even when standing still. The ship's motto "Relentless in Chase" seems most fitting. See its web site at: www.navy.forces.gc.ca/iroquois

Grand Manan(a) Adventure?

2011-09-13T20:08:00.005-03:00

The brand new ferry Grand Manan Adventure arrived in Halifax today for warranty repairs. Launched in December 2010 by the Eastern Shipbuilding Group in Panama City, Florida, the 6580 gross tons vessel was to be delivered in May 2011. However overheating during builder's trials delayed delivery (hence the manana.) The ship arrived in Grand Manan on July 26, but still had to undergo owners trials, storing and certification. (more manana)

She finally made her first trip August 11, but on August 15 she had to be withdrawn from service for three days when both her bow thrusters failed during a docking. (mananas again)

She entered the Novadock floating dock on arrival today, and is expected to be in for a week (she is to be out of service for 10 days including travel time to and from Halifax.) Press releases indicate that one of the bow thrusters is to be repaired under warranty, but there will doubtless be other work to do.

The new ship is rated for 82 autos, 10 tractor trailers, 380 passengers and crew, and can travel at 14 knots.

The vessel she is replacing, Grand Manan V, is covering the Black's Harbour/ Grand Manan route in the interim. The "V" is now designated as the backup and summer season supplement.

September 11

2011-09-11T15:22:00.003-03:00

September 11, 2001 started out as a normal day in the port of Halifax. Soon after the arrival of four cruise ships came the news of tragic events in New York. The four cruise ships in port that day, Norwegian Sea, Amsterdam, Victoria and Crown Princess carried many US passengers. The port increased security at dockside, and many shore excursions were cancelled. Also there were changes in routine aboard the ships, and with special memorial services in place of entertainment.

Halifax International Airport was coping with 40 foreign aircraft, and their passengers, who were stranded here for several days due to the closing of US air space, however all the cruise ships resumed their usual itineraries, three of them heading for Sydney, Norwegian Sea returning to a permanently changed New York.

On September 12, 2011, Crown Princess returns to Halifax.

Malmnes makes a move

2011-09-11T15:01:00.004-03:00

1. Malmnes lies at anchor in Bedford Basin, with Bedford Magazine in the background.

The small self-unloading bulker Malmnes finally made a move this morning after a lengthy repair session at Pier 9A. The Norwegian flagged vessel arrived July 28 and during the last 6 weeks had a major overhaul, which included removal and reinstallation of the unloading boom.

A frequent caller in Halifax for bunkers and repairs, she was also in port for repairs in March.

The ship usually carries crushed stone out of Cape Porcupine, but has been known to carry some other cargoes, such as a load of wood pellets in 2005, and china clay in 2007.

The ship is now anchored in the long term anchorages in Bedford Basin, awaiting the next assignment.

See comment below: Malmnes may well be a victim of the problems at the New Page paper mill in Point Tupper (Port Hawksbury) The mill and its parent company in the US have received creditor protection fom the courts. Citing high power costs, and a depressed world market for fine coated paper, the Point Tupper mill will continue to operate for a time in hopes of finding a buyer. As the major industry in the area, there is grave concern about the future of the mill. The many creditors (which may include the owners of the Malmnes) may have a hard time collecting on their bills if no buyer is found and the mill closes.

Fulmar flies in again

2011-09-09T09:58:00.002-03:00

The French naval patrol vessel Fulmar arrived this morning and tied up at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. The former trawler is assigned to St-Pierre et Miquelon and makes yearly courtesy calls to Halifax.

Last year's July 10, 2010 visit [see http://shipfax.blogspot.com/2010/07/close-calls-in-harbour.html] was somewhat lacking in the courtesy department, when the vessel sailed without a pilot (perhaps on the basis of unofficial advice from someone in the Canadian navy.) I am sure there will be no repeat of that incident this time round.

Salt for grain for gypsum

2011-09-08T12:48:00.007-03:00

1. Salarium completes unloading a grain cargo at pier 26, September 7.

2. Loaded to Seaway draft with gypsum, the ship sails out through the Narrows this morning.

3. Rust streaks around the ship's unloading gear show the damage caused by salt. The Mines Seleine logo has been superimposed on the CSL funnel.

The CSL self-unloader Salarium brought in a load of grain this week, and unloaded at pier 26. Last evening it moved to National Gypsum and sailed this morning for Côte Ste-Catherine, QC. Due to St.Lawrence Seaway draft restrictions of just over 26 feet, this was not a full load for the ship.

Salarium was built in 1980 as Nanticoke, even though its intended name was to be Gleneagles, a traditional CSL one. It was named instead for the new steel mill at Nanticoke, ON, which the ship would service. Built in Collingwood, ON, it is similar to other ships of its type, able to make coastal ocean voyages, but is smaller in tonnage than the Atlantic Erie and Atlantic Superior and Atlantic Huron.

In 2009 it was placed on a long term charter to Mines Seleines (part of Windsor Salt) to carry salt from the Magdalen Islands to Great Lakes and east coast ports, and renamed Salarium. It replaced Algoma's Saunière, which had finally succumbed to the ravages of salt exposure and has since been scrapped. The charter does not preclude the ship from carrying other cargoes, if it can keep up with the demand for salt.

As an older ship, with the prospect of severe service ahead, and the impossibility of protecting it from its salty cargoes, it is fair to wonder how long the ship can be expected to last. It is certainly a pretty hard looking case now.

Harbour activity comes and goes as usual

2011-07-29T19:25:00.003-03:00

Harbour traffic will continue to come and go during the month of August, but most of it will not be observed by Shipfax! Vacation ship watching will take me away from Halifax and my computer, but I will be back in September.

Oakland Express strides into Halifax this afternoon - on schedule - no vacation for ships!

HMS Dauntless - ship of the future?

2011-07-28T15:32:00.003-03:00

The Royal Navy destroyer HMS Dauntless DDGHM 33 was commissioned in June 2010 after a lengthy build and trials process.

It arrived this morning and may be the ship of the future in the sense that its components were built in two different shipyards and assembled in a third. This was a change in procedure by the British government to allow more competition between shipyards, and to keep more than one yard busy building warships.

That future will not be the RCN's however. Canada is taking a different approach as we have seen recently, where it will concentrate all shipbuilding activity for combat vessels in one yard.

Friendship

2011-07-28T15:15:00.003-03:00

The Maltese flag general cargo ships Friendship lies at anchor in Bedford Basin awaiting orders. The ship discharged a cargo of nickel sulfides from Cuba for Nirint Lines, but apparently was chartered in for that load only, since it was not carrying any other cargo for Nirint.

Built in 2007, the ship measures 4,258 gross tons and 6,105 deadweight.

It is a Greek owned vessel, managed by Aenaon Shipping Ltd, and carries their 'alpha' symbol on its funnel.

Super Yacht

2011-07-28T15:01:00.003-03:00

The term SuperYacht seems to be bandied about a great deal these days, but perhaps Silver Shalis deserves the title. At 174 feet long and capable of 20 knots, it is certainly big and relatively fast-but of course not the biggest nor the fastest (that is a moving target.)

Not having been invited aboard just yet, I can't comment on the interior appointments, but there are several descriptions on the web which suggest that it is in keeping with the aspirations of the owners.

Built by Delta Yachts in Seattle in 2010, the boat is painted in what is called "duck's egg blue."The yacht is docked at Sackville Landing, with the former HMCS Sackville wearing a vaguely similar North Atlantic camouflage. It is certainly apparent that the blue colour, whatever it is, on Silver Shalis was not chosen to conceal it from view.

Scotia Dock II takes a trip

2011-07-25T15:08:00.010-03:00

The floating drydock Scotia Dock II took a short trip today, with three Atlantic Towing tugs providing the motive power.
1. Tugs move the floating dock out of pier 6-7 into the stream.

2. A forlorn looking main deck, shows little sign of activity since it was raised a year ago.

3. Once turned, the tugs are now sliding it back into position alongside the large Novadock.

The Scotia Dock II floating drydock was built in 1964 by Canadian Vickers Ltd for use in their shipyard in Montreal, and was named General Georges P. Vanier.

That yard was eventually closed, and in 1998 the dock was sold to Irving Shipbuilding Inc and towed to Halifax. It replaced a previous floating drydock, named Scotiadock, built in 1933 as Prins Hendrik Dok No.4 in Rotterdam, and acquired and rebuilt by the shipyard in 1979.

Scotia Dock II lead an uneventful life up until May 8, 2011 when it sank in position while attempting to raise the tug Stevns Breaker for delivery inspection.

The tug was not harmed, but the same could not be said for Scotia Dock II. Whether in the initial sinking, or in the raising process, which took a month, there was considerable structural and water damage to the dock, which meant that it was no longer usable.

Since the dock was raised in June 2010 it has been sitting at pier 6-7.

In this morning's trip the tugs turned the dock end for end and moved it back to its customary position alongside the large Panamax drydock Novadock. Perhaps this means that the dock will be repaired and put back into service.

La Have Addendum

2011-07-25T15:01:00.005-03:00

Thanks to an alert reader, I am able to update the previous post.
The former cable ferry La Have II, retired last year, has a new life in Shelburne. A sectional scow is spudded down off Shelburne Ship Repair shipyard building pedestals for the marine railway. La Have II is used to ferry materials out to the construction project, this time powered by the Dominion Diving tug Roseway.
The chief advantage of La Have II is its shallow draft and loading ramps, which allow trucks to drive right aboard from the beach or a simple shore ramp.

1. The multi-section scow is spudded down off the slip, with a steel pedestal on deck.

2. La Have II is tied up alongside, with what appears to be a gravel truck on deck.

.

Ferry Trip

2011-07-23T21:32:00.007-03:00

1. The one year old Brady E. Himmelman approaches the La Have landing this afternoon. The elevated wheelhouse gives the operator a much better view over the raised ramps.

2. La Have II at La Have October 24, 2001.

3. The articulated tug Valerie H. pushing A. La Have strikes out for La Have August 15, 1970. The hydraulic lines for the ramps are slung from a davit, to give the tug operator control. The operator may in fact be Capt. Himmelman. The tug will swing round on its double bowline at each landing, without having to resecure.

One of the many well kept secrets of Nova Scotia is the highway ferry system. There are seven routes in all, three using self-propelled ferries and four using cable ferries.

See: http://www.gov.ns.ca/tran/hottopics/ferries.asp

The one I have used the most over the years is the La Have River cable ferry, operating between La Have and East La Have.

A new cable ferry was placed on the route last year. Brady E. Himmelman was named for the long time operator of the service (from 1948-1983). It is a 170 gross ton vessel, built by A.F.Theriault & Son Ltd of Meteghan River, NS, and christened July 29, 2010 by Capt. Himmelman's wife Ramona.

Today was my first trip on the new vessel and it is quite splendid. We whistled across at 5 knots and made a perfect landing.

The new ferry replaced La Have II, a slightly smaller cable ferry (12 cars versus 14 for the new boat.) La Have II was a step up however from the tug/raft combination Valerie H./ A. La Have. The tug was a wooden vessel built in 1962 in La Have and powered by a 130hp Cat. It was owned by Capt. Himmelman. The barge was named A.La Have and it was built in the same year at Meteghan, and measured 51 gross tons.

Eventually the service was taken over by what is now grandly called the Minister of Transportation & Infrastructure Renewal.

More on Davie Canada

2011-07-22T10:06:00.007-03:00

It transpires that the purchase of Davie Yards Inc is more complicated than originally assumed. It may be some time before even the federal government can figure out what has actually happened.
The Monitor's web site for the yard has been unusually reticent in recent months. If you want a long read see their site at:
http://www.deloitte.com/view/en_CA/ca/specialsections/insolvencyandrestructuringproceedings/davie-yards-inc/index.htm
particularly the order issued yesterday:http://www.deloitte.com/assets/Dcom-Canada/Local%20Assets/Documents/Insolvencies/Davie-Yard/ca_fr_insolv_Davie_OrderAuthSellAllAsset&VestingOrderExt_072111.pdf

What we do know from that order and press reports at this point:
The Federal Court (which controls the creditor protection of the yard) has accepted a $26.7 million proposal from 7731299 Canada Inc (some part of Upper Lakes Group) to purchase substantially all the assets of the yard. From this sum of money would come payment to the secured creditors ($26mn to the Province of Quebec) and the costs of administering the insolvency. Upper Lakes Group, which owns Seaway Industrial & Marine shipyard in Port Weller (St.Catharines, ON) sold its fleet of Great Lakes ships earlier this summer, so presumably has some cash for this deal.
The deal includes all the land of the yard and the three unfinished offshore vessels at the yard, and the yards debts. I see no mention of the untendered ferries, but I might have missed it.
The yard was previously valued at $6mn to $7mn, but with a potential $10mn environmental cleanup bill.
Also the deal does not include resolution of the dispute with Ocean Hotels, the company that ordered the three ships. They have paid $110mn, some of which may not have gone into the actual building of the ships. That deal has to be reached at some point, but will not hold up the sale as I read the court documents.
The court has given until July 29 to close the deal - so it technically may not be final until then.
Seaway was one of the short listed bidders for the national shipbuilding program, and so was Davie, but Davie was not solvent and could not bid.
Seaway had joined forces with SNC-Lavelin an engineering and project management firm with global reach, and Daewoo, a Korean industrial giant to put in a bid anyway, knowing full well that they could not build some of the ships in their yard. It seems likely that they had in mind partnerning with someone all along. They may even have assumed it would be Davie - who knows.
Last week Fincantieri pulled out of negotiations for the Davie yard. It would be interesting to know why, because $26.7 million is chump change for them. I think they only wanted the combat ships, and realized they couldn't put in a bid in time, so quit.
In any event the Seaway/ SNC-Lavelin/ Daewoo group swooped in. Seaway bought the yard, and the group presumably amended their bid at the last minute.
On the surface this would seem to give the bid a tremendous boost, particularly if they only want to build the non combat ships.
As I state in my latest rant only time will tell what happens, but keep watching the Davie insolvency web site for the latest reports-they will make interesting reading.