Algoma Dartmouth - sold to Greece [#3 of 3 posts for November 5]

 The bunkering tanker Algoma Dartmouth has been sold and has taken up its new career as a pollution cleanup vessel in Piraueus, Greece. Its Canadian registration was closed on September 14 and it was re-registered in Greece as Aktea II OSRV.

 

The Algoma Dartmouth eventually kept a pair of Yokohama type fenders permanently rigged on the starboard side.

The small tanker was initially ordered by the Clipper Wonsild Group from the Tukter Shipyard in Tuzla, Turkey. Construction began in 2005, but the ship was not delivered until 2007 after Yardimci Shipyard took over the build and completed the ship as Clipper Bardolino. Classed as a chemical and product tanker it measured 2999 gt, 3569 dwt.

In 2008 it was sold and renamed Samistal Due (possibly repossessed) and under Turkish flag, carried that name only briefly until acquired by Algoma Tankers. The ship was stationed in Halifax harbour for bunkering work and renamed Algoma Dartmouth.

 

The ship arrived in Halifax as Samistal Due.

Imperial Oil provided the bunkering service with fuel from their Dartmouth refinery, and had previously operated their own tanker Imperial Dartmouth. When Imperial Oil sold their tanker fleet to Algoma Tankers, they kept the bunkering service and the Imperial Dartmouth for a time, but sold it in 2006. It still operated in Halifax, but was owned by Northern Transportation, renamed NT Dartmouth under charter to Imperial Oil. However that contract ended in 2009. The ship was eventaully sold south.

In 2009, when Algoma Tankers brought the Algoma Dartmouth into service it was also on charter to Imperial Oil, but in 2013 Imperial closed the Dartmouth refinery, thus reducing the ready availability of heavy fuel and marine diesel oil. In 2014 Sterling Fuels, a subsidiary of the Miller/ McAsphalt companies took over as charterer. Sterling operates bunkering services on the Great Lakes from its base in Windsor, ON. However it is a long supply line to Halifax harbour, so they accessed fuel from a variety of sources in Canada and the US.

 At the end of the cruise season in November 2018, Algoma Dartmouth was transferred to Saint John, NB, with the charter being transferred to Irving Oil. Cruise ships were a major source of business for bunkers, and most of the ships that called in Halifax also called in Saint John. With a refinery at hand there was also a ready supply of fuels. However the off season (that is between November and May) saw very little business, and the operation was marginal. However when COVID 19 struck the cruise business dried up completely and the Algoma Dartmouth was moved Sydport in Sydney, NS and laid up.

As with most ship sales there was little publicity, and so the newly renamed Aktea II OSRV quietly slipped port on October 1, 2021 - escaping my notice altogether. Thanks are due to an alert reader of these posts who detected the sale from reading a financial report from Algoma Central. The ship arrived in Ceuta, Spain October 16 (likely for bunkers) and Piraeus October 22, where it remains today.

The new owners, called Polrom Oil Maritime Co, also operate a smaller and older tanker called Aktea OSRV which is an Oil Spill Recovery Vessel. So we know what OSRV stands for. Aktea is the name of a goddess from Greek mythology, and associated with the shoreline.

The ship will apparenrtly be used to vacuum up spilled oil in and around Piraeus, but may travel farther afield if needed.

Left without a bunkering tanker, Halifax nevertheless offers bunkering by trucks from Irving Oil. Ships must now tie up at a berth instead of taking their fuel while at anchor. This seems to have reduced the number of bunker calls considerably.

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Algoma Dartmouth - return engagement

 The bunkering tanker Algoma Dartmouth arrived at Imperial Oil dock #3 in Dartmouth in the wee hours of the this morning November 18. It is the first time the tanker has been back in its namesake port for just over two years. 

The ship was built in Tuzla, Turkey  in 2007 as Clipper Bardolino, but was renamed Samistal Due in 2008. Algoma Tankers chartered the ship in 2009 and stationed it in Halifax as a bunkering tanker, with fuel supplied by Imperial Oil. When legislation regarding import duties was changed in 2010, Algoma purchased the ship outright. 

Imperial closed its Imperoyal refinery in 2013, reducing its facility on the Dartmouth side of the harbour to tank storage for the local market. In 2014. Algoma began to source ships bunker fuel from Sterling Fuels, part of the McAsphalt / Miller group. However that agreement expired late in 2018. At that point Algoma reached an agreement to move the tanker to Saint John, NB and to source fuel from Irving Oil. 

Algoma Dartmouth sailed from Halifax November 8, 2018 and had not returned until today. During that two year period the port of Halifax has been without a re-fueling afloat capability (except for the Royal Canadian Navy and even that is rarely used, as ships must move to the tanker Astrerix at its berth.). Ships now must come alongside commercial piers to refuel from trucks or dock at Irving Oil's Woodside terminal. It is also believed that Imperial Oil no longer not stocks marine grade fuels in Dartmouth, and its docks were not set up for refueling. Only Irving Oil fuel is available by truck.

Algoma Dartmouth found some work in Saint John, but with the cancellation of the cruise ship season this year business was much reduced.  On November 3, 2020 the ship sailed from Saint John for Sydney, NS, arriving there November 5, for what was thought to be a winter layup.

Now its arrival to load fuel cargo, apparently for Sydney, NS suggests that a new arrangement has been made to keep the ship operating as a shuttle.

The lack of refueling afloat by means of bunkering tanker has apparently not hurt the prospects of the ports of Halifax or Saint John. Most large container shipping lines, with regular routes, contract well in advance for fuel and use such mega ports as Singapore, Rotterdam, Gibraltar or New York, close to competing refineries, to refuel. Large tankers have immense fule capacigties and other ships seldom run low or run out of fuel these days, and shipowners can plan well in advance for their fuel requirements.

When Algoma Dartmouth left here in 2018,  I did several posts on the subject of bunkering in Halifax. See: November 7, 2018

November 9, 2018

Trivia: 

Bunkering tankers are called "barges" even though they may be self-propelled. This is a carryover from the days when the fuel (oil, but before that coal) was delivered to ships by non-propelled barges. In fact Halifax used barges until the mid 1970s. One such barge was I.O.Ltd. No.6. See more: here

Seen here at Dartmouth Marine Slips it served Saint John for many years until transferred back to Halifax. It was moved around by tug. [Full marks if you identified CCGS John A. MacDonald in the background.]

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Bunkering Update - AMENDED

Much has changed in the ship re-fueling business, not only in the types of fuel now required by international law, but by how fuel is delivered to ships in Halifax.

Since late 2018 ships wishing to refuel in Halifax must tie up alongside at Irving Oil in Woodside, or Wilson's Fuel at Pier 9, where fuel can be delivered to the ship by pipeline. Ships can also tie up at commercial piers where fuel is delivered by trucks. There is no longer the option to receive fuel while at anchor. The last bunkering tanker to serve Halifax, the Algoma Dartmouth now works in Saint John, NB where it can access a supply of fuel directly from the Irving Oil refinery.

There are no oil refineries in Halifax anymore, and all ships' fuel that is available here must first come from another port. Irving Oil has contracted to supply fuel to the Royal Canadian Navy. The RCN's hired supply / tanker Asterix is alongside at Irving Oil this morning.

I covered the history of fuel bunkering in Halifax in two previous posts, which require a little updating.

http://shipfax.blogspot.com/2013/11/bunkering-in-halifax.html

http://shipfax.blogspot.com/2018/11/bunkering-in-halifax-another-chapter.html

The tanker barge Halfueler was shown again in a post yesterday Tuesday after I recently discovered another photo in my negative file. As recounted in the 2013 post, the ship was acquired by Marine Industries Ltd when it purchased the Foundation Company tugs.  MIL had a large dredging contract on the St.Lawrence and renamed the tanker MIL Fueler with the intention of using it to refuel dredges. The general consensus is that they never used it and it was broken up in Louiseville, QC in 1978.

Fifty years ago, with Halfueler out of service,  Imperial Oil decided to take over the bunkering business in Halifax again. They ordered a specially designed vessel from Collingwood Shipyard. In the meantime they assigned one of their ancient tankers to Halifax. Imperial Cornwall was a steam tanker, built in 1930 as Acadialite and renamed in 1947.  Although it had crossed the Atlantic from its builders, Furness Shipbuilding, Haverton Hill-on-Tees, it was really a canal boat normally confined to the Great Lakes.

Imperial Cornwall passing the Graving Dock gate at Halifax Shipyard, en route to Nova Scotia Power's Tuft's Cove generating station. Although built to burn coal or oil the new plant only burned oil until it was converted to gas. Imperial Oil ran a steady shuttle from its Dartmouth refinery to the plant and another plant at the foot of Morris Street in Halifax. 

Now boasting three chimneys, the Tuft's Cove pant was built with only one. The enclosed and ramped conveyor, was to load coal, but was never used and later removed.
In this photo the tug Foundation Vim berths Atlantic Fury at pier 9C in 1970. The ship had apparently met up with some hard object.

Imperial Dartmouth was delivered late in 1970 and served until 2006 when it was sold to Northern Transportation. Renamed NT Dartmouth it worked under contract to Imperial Oil Ltd until July 2009.

The vessel was laid up in Newfoundland until 2012 when it was renamed Dartmouth under the Honduran flag. New owners Atlantic Pacific International were to operate the ship under the Caribbean Petroleum Services SA banner. In 2012 they renamed the ship Emporio under Panama flag. Last reported en route to Aruba in 2013, its current whereabouts are not traceable on the internet.

Replacement vessel Algoma Dartmouth began work in Halifax in 2009 and was transferred to Saint John, NB in 2018 without change of name. It still operates there.

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Bunkering in Halifax -another chapter

With the sailing on November 8, 2018 of Algoma Dartmouth for Saint John, NB to start a new bunkering operation in that port for Irving Oil, Halifax is without the services of a such a vessel for the first time.

It is probably impossible to say exactly when bunkering services were first introduced in Halifax, but it was likely early in the age of steam when ships arrived to take on coal as fuel. Coaling took place alongside, but also at anchor and barges or self-propelled vessels took coal out to the ships. That service lasted until the 1960s when oil became the fuel of choice.

During World War I Imperial Oil established a refinery on the eastern side of the harbour in the South Woodside area which came to be known as Imperoyal. The refinery produced fuel for many uses, including ship's fuel and was critical to the war effort, particularly in World War II.

Imperial Oil operated its own fleet of tankers and tank barges and used some of them to refuel ships in the harbour. In the early days of this century Imperial sold off its tanker fleet, including eventually the bunkering tanker Imperial Dartmouth. It was sold to Northern Transportation Co Ltd and operated in Halifax as NT Dartmouth from 2006 to 2009.

When NTCL took over Imperial Dartmouth and renamed it, they repainted the ship green. However in its last few months in Halifax, from May 2009 it was painted red.

In 2009 Algoma Tankers acquired the Turkish built bunkering tanker Samistal Due and renamed it  Algoma Dartmouth. Built in 2007 by Yardimci Gemi Insa SA of Tuzla, it was to be called Crescent Bardolino, but was delivered as Clipper Bardolino and carried that name until 2008 when it was sold by Clipper Wonsild Tankers (UK) Ltd to Samistal Shipping Ltd of Turkey.

It was reported at the time that Algoma and Imperial Oil had a three year agreement. As of August 1, 2009 Algoma operated the tanker with a coasting license as a charter, but under the Canadian flag as a "non-duty paid" vessel until July 31, 2010. However by January 2010 Algoma had purchased the ship.

On the same day as the previous photo, Samistal Due was tied up at pier 25 being prepared to take up its duties. It was registered in Canada, the next day, July 21, 2009, under its new name.

Specially built as a bunkering and chemical tanker with heated tanks to carry heavy fuel, and twin screws for close quarters work, it measured 2999 grt, 3569 dwt. 

In September 2013 Imperial Oil shut down the refinery, eliminating a local source of bunker C, the heavy fuel oil used by many ships. In January 2014 Sterling Fuels of Windsor, ON, part of the McAsphalt / Miller group of companies took over the charter. Sterling provides bunkering facilities in Hamilton, Windsor and Sarnia, ON and McAsphalt has an asphalt depot in Eastern Passage, and supplemented these facilities to store heated heavy oil for marine fuel.

They apparently maintained a source of diesel fuel with Imperial Oil, which continued to store and distribute refined product from its Imperoyal location. However they have also found fuel in Point Tupper, the United States and even from Irving Oil in Dartmouth.

My post of November 29, 2013 was made before the contract with Sterling Fuel had been announced, and gives an overview of bunkering in Halifax up until then: http://shipfax.blogspot.com/2013/11/bunkering-in-halifax.html

Interestingly the last refueling conducted by Algoma Dartmouth appears to have been on Oceanex Sanderling on October 31, 2018, just as it was in 2013 before the Sterling charter.

Now just weeks short of five years later we are in the dark as to the future of bunkering by barge or ship. Several companies do provide marine fuels in Halifax by truck, but that requires ships to tie up at a pier.

 

In this 2014 photo the Algoma Dartmouth had moved its fenders to the port side but they would usually be on the starboard side.

Since 2009 Algoma Dartmouth has been a fixture in Halifax harbour and perhaps it was taken for granted that it would be here indefinitely.

 

A typical scene, with Algoma Dartmouth alongside and refueling a tanker.

Times change, ships change.

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Finale 2

Finale 2
It has been revealed by Halifax Shipping News that Algoma Tankers and Sterling Fuels, part of the McAsphalt / Miller Group, have not renewed their contract for the tanker Algoma Dartmouth. The deal, signed in January 2014, saw Sterling take over harbour fueling from Imperial Oil using the Algoma tanker.

Algoma Dartmouth coming alongside Hamburg for refueling at pier 23.

Sterling has a bunkering tanker operation in Hamilton, ON and fuel depots in Windsor and Sarnia, ON. It also provides fuel by truck in those regions and in Halifax and that seems likely to continue. However not all ships that refuel here would be willing to pay for berthage and tugs in order to take fuel from trucks. Many of the ships are too large or too deeply laden to berth at Halifax piers. By my estimation about 30 ships took bunkers at anchor since January 1, 2018.

It is particularly awkward for cruise ships, where not all berths are set up for truck access. Fueling by tanker from the water side, also eliminates any cross traffic with passengers.

It is understood that Algoma Dartmouth will be moving to Saint John, NB, where it will work for Irving Oil. It will then be able to refuel many of the passenger ships that would have taken fuel in Halifax. It would also provide fuel for ships that had to come from Saint John to Halifax just to take fuel.

Other companies, including Irving Oil, provide bunker fuel in Halifax, and thus compete with Sterling. Irving Oil uses trucks and its Woodside marine terminal to deliver bunkering fuel, but likely only diesel fuel, not heavy fuel.

Wilson's Fuels has a pipeline to pier 9 from its storage tanks on Barrington Street and has been refueling the support ships that BP has been chartering for its oil exploration work. The pipeline is also used to bring in fuel, most recently from Come-by-Chance, NL, which would not include heavy fuel oil, but refined product.

Occasionally trucks from Quebec show up to fuel ships, likely from the Valero refinery in Lévis. However since the trucks are not marked for Valero, there is no way to be certain where the fuel comes from. Similarly the local tank truck operators Seaboard also deliver ship fuel, again anonymously.

Algoma Dartmouth has hardly been busy since it arrived here, sometimes sitting idle for many days  at a time. Recently I have noted the coaster Nolhan Ava - berthed at pier 36 - less than 100 feet away from Algoma Dartmouth is now taking fuel from a McAsphalt tanker truck. Other users include the Canadian Coast Guard and some naval ships. Other Canadian navy ships appear to be refueling at Irving Oil Woodside these days, so cruise ships have been the main customers this fall. With that season now ended, there will be a major drop off in business.

As a "full service port" Halifax has benefited from the waterside delivery of fuel, without the service it seems like another, albeit small, factor in making Halifax less attractive to shipping.

No announcement has been made by Imperial Oil or Sterling on whether they plan to acquire another tanker. My thinking is that if they had such plans something would have been said by now. However, their web site, at least as of today, continues to show Algoma Dartmouth and advertise fueling by tanker and by truck.

Since the takeover by Sterling the Algoma Dartmouth has been sourcing fuel from several locations. At first it was making trips to Point Tupper, NS to load fuel there and even made a trip to New York /New Jersey in early 2014.

Recently however Sterling gets its MDO (Marine Diesel Oil) from Imperial Oil at its terminal in Dartmouth. Imperial imports most if its refined product from Europe. Heavy fuel comes from Sterling's parent company McAsphalt, and is loaded at their dock in Eastern Passage. That material is mostly produced by Irving Oil at their Saint John refinery.

Since January 1, 2018 Algoma Dartmouth has refueled about 112 ships. Of those 44 have been cruise ships. The slowest month this year was February with only four calls for bunkers. September saw 24 and October had 26 refuelings. Of these 18 were cruise ships for each month. The average is one refueling every three days from January 1 until the end of October 31.

All of the cruise ships, 44 refuelings in all, with several ships refueling more than once, took bunkers while alongside.

My unofficial analysis indicates that the next largest source of work, after cruise ships, is from:
- ships sailing to or from Quebec ports such as Sept Iles, La Baie (Port Alfred) and the St.Lawrence River ports (about 19 ships), all taking bunkers while at anchor.
- tankers form a large part of the business with more than 25 vessels served, a few of which have already called in Saint John or are destined for Saint John. Others are St.Lawrence related and are included in the number above. Again all these were while the ships were anchored.
- container ships account for a small part of the work, with only four serviced, and these were relatively small spot charter ships.  Oceanex Sanderling has been served, but may also be refueling from trucks.
- miscellaneous ships in the breakdown include three CSL bulkers, and two cable ships.
It should be noted that these numbers are only approximate and are based on my own personal observations and records which are not exhaustive.

Larger shipping companies, particularly the container lines, working fixed routes, have long term fuel contracts with suppliers and usually take on fuel on pre-arranged schedules. Ships that are more or less tramping (no fixed routes) or are spot chartered, are more likely to need fuel before or after transatlantic trips. Halifax is well positioned for that business, but apparently there is not enough of it to justify the expense of a full time bunkering tanker. I reckon only about a dozen of the calls since January would fall into that category (aside from cruise ships).

It will also be interesting to see how operations in Saint John work out, since many of the ships calling there are anchored in an open roadstead, and conditions may make it difficult to service them.

Although Saint John has about half or less the number of cruise ships calls that Halifax does, they are almost all the same ships. So many of those that customarily bunker in Halifax could presumably do so in Saint John. Those that only call in Halifax could probably make do with truck delivery, depending on their berth.

It would seem that the basis for this move is that Algoma Tankers needed to find more work for its vessel, since it was sitting idle too much. Irving Oil perhaps felt that selling its heavy fuel directly to a user would be better business. However with new regulations regarding fuels, Marine Diesel Oil must be used by more and more ships. That could be another reason for the move, since Imperial must import all that fuel from abroad, whereas Irving has the capability to produce it locally (at least until the recent fire.)

 With fenders permanently deployed on the ship's starboard side, it returns from a bunkering assignment.

When Algoma Dartmouth (perhaps to be renamed?) sails, I will provide a potted history of bunkering in Halifax. It is currently at pier 9B undergoing some modifications for its new job. Due to its age (built in 2007) it must also be due for a drydocking. The last one was in January 2012 so perhaps this will be done at Shelburne en route to Saint John.

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Sunday arrivals - through thick and thin

The long awaited arrival of the semi-submersible barge for Halifax Shipyard finally took place this morning. Boabarge 37 arrived in tow of the tug Boa Bison (see Tugfax). It was originally expected on April 17 but the tow met with some extremely heavy weather and was battling head winds for many days. However once clear of the bad weather it made good time (for a tow).

In drizzly gray weather, the pilots disembark from the tug Boa Bison to board the Boabarge 37 for its inbound passage to Halifax Shipyard.

The barge has been hired to float out the Arctic Offshore Patrol Ships (AOPS) from their building berth at Halifax Shipyard. Last week the shipyard made application for coasting licenses to use the Norwegian flagged barge in Canadian waters. They explained in the application that each AOPS will be moved onto the barge using Self Propelled Modular Transporters (SPMTs) with 232 axle lines and six power packs. The ship plus its temporary cradles and the SPMTs will weigh 7,129.5 tonnes. Once aboard the barge, the SPMTs will move off leaving the ship on its cradles. The barge will then be moved by tugs to Bedford Basin where the it will be submerged and the ship floated off. The first float off for AOPS #1 Harry DeWolf will take place in September.

Harbour tugs Atlantic Willow and Atlantic Oak take charge of the barge in the Narrows, and dock it a Pier 6

 

In the meantime the barge will also be used to transport modules from the Woodside fabrication shop to the shipyard. These modules are components for the next ships in the production line, and will weigh from 13 tonnes to 60 tonnes.

After several days without tanker activity Imperial Oil has now received two tankers in two days.
Yesterday (in even thicker fog and heavier rain) Conti Agulhas arrived from Port Neches, TX and tied up at dock #4.

 Conti Agulhas sports a spotless red hull.

A Handyszie tanker of 23,403 grt, 37,606 dwt it was built by Hyundai Mipo, Ulsan in 2008. Owners CONTI Group of Munich (but with operations in Hamburg), registered the ship in Liberia.

This afternoon, in bright sunshine, a slightly larger ship, of the the Mid-Range class, High Voyager, arrived at number 3 dock from Paldiski, Estonia.

Tugs push High Voyager alongside at number 3 dock.

Also built by Hyundai Mipo, Ulsan, but in 2014, it comes in at 29,935 grt, 45,999 dwt and flies the Maltese flag for d'Amico Tankers DAC of Italy.

There were some developments at Pier 9B where yesterday's arrival, Nore, while still flying the flag of Malta, is now nameless, in anticipation of a good painting day - perhaps as early as tomorrow - to apply its new name and port of registry.

Making a 180 turn and facing south, the Algoma Dartmouth was bunkering the tug Boa Bison. The Halifax based tanker is virtually indistinguishable, except for hull colour, from the ex Nore.

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Bunkering tanker Nore at Pier 9B

The Malta flag bunkering tanker Nore arrived (in dense fog) at pier 9B today. A sister ship to the Halifax bunkering tanker Algoma Dartmouth and the Come-by-Chance tanker North Atlantic Kairos  it has apparently been acquired by Canadian owners.

 

By late afternoon the fog had cleared and rain stopped enough to get a "through the fence" look at Nore at Pier 9B. (That is Atlantic Condor at Pier 9C in the background.)

[ The only potential buyer for such a vessel that I can image is indeed North Atlantic Refining Ltd (NARL), owners of the Come-by-Chance refinery and a growing retail operation in Newfoundland and Labrador, now with 53 gas stations and 14 Orangestore locations. From its origins in 1973 the refinery has had five owners, with the latest taking over in September of last year. The new owners, Silver Range Partners LLC of New York acquired the business from Harvest Energy a subsidiary of the Korean National Oil Corp. NARL under Silver Range ownership is marketing its low sulphur products more widely, and its tanker North Atlantic Kairos was here twice in March with product for Wilson's Fuels. Although nominally a bunkering tanker, the ship can carry a a variety off fuels and is more than capable of short sea voyages.] 

The above was a wild guess, and apparently quite wrong.  Certainly no other east coast operator would be in the market for such a vessel, but I had forgotten that Canada also has a west coast! Word has reached me that it will be going to British Columbia -the first Canadian flag coastal tanker there in many years- and will be named AC AQUARIUS for as yet unidentified owners.

(Another Newfoundland operator, Coastal Shipping, part of the Woodward Group, has acquired tow tankers recently Icdas-09 and Icdas-11 are 13,097 grt, 19,984 dwt are ice class Turkish built by Icdas, Biga in 2010 and 2011 respectively. No new names have been announced yet. Coastal has rarely renamed their tankers after acquiring them from European owners, but perhaps they will make an exception in this case and chose some northern Canadian names that reflect the areas they will serve.)



Nore was built in 2007 in Tuzla, Turkey, with construction started by Dearsan Gemi and completed by Yardimci Gemi Insa SA. It measures 2999 grt and 3569 dwt. Built as Samistal, it was renamed CT Wexford in 2008 and from 2011 flew the Russian flag as RN Taurus. Early this year it was renamed Nore for Arsland Nore Ltd under Turkish management. [That the first three NOR appear in this name and in NARL can't be a coincidence.]  

Nore followed a similar trajectory to North Atlantic Kairos sailing from Tuzla, bunkering in Ceuta and arriving at Pier 9B. North Atlantic Kairos arrived as CT Wicklow (launched 2008 as Clipper Boca, 2985 grt, 3669 dwt) June 16, 2016 and was soon renamed and reflagged to Canada. I expect the same to happen with Nore.

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A very quiet day

It was an unusually quiet day in Halifax for a Saturday. The usual Maersk ship, this week it was the Maersk Penang, arrived and sailed without fanfare. The ferry Fundy Rose sailed for sea trials and will return tonight.
At Autoport Don Carlos finished cargo work (after a day at pier 31 also) and sailed.

The tug Mister Joe arrived from Saint John (via way ports) with the dump scow  S11 en route to Point Tupper. It will wait out some more weather for a few days before continuing its trip. And at the Bedford Institute Imperial Dartmouth bunkered CCGS Hudson - another sign that the refit must be nearing completion.

Meanwhile off the end of Pier B (berth 31) the scowl that has been working all this week was still hard at it. (A close examination will show three men operating the drill.)

This work is to take core samples from the harbour bottom, usually in advance of dredging or major marine construction. Although no plans have been announced there continues to be speculation that the Port's master plan does not involve moving the Halterm container pier after all, but to expand it dramatically by filling the cambers between some of the deep water piers.
(In the background of the photo above, the yellow objects are rail cars (car racks) waiting their turn at Autoport. They are now highly visible because little trace remains of the Imperial Oil refinery, which has been scrapped and demolished to grade level.

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Got 'em (all) - (oops) better late than never

 I intended to post this on October 14, but it somehow got stuck in my "drafts" file. Here it is late. 
 
It isn't often that I get the chance to capture every arrival and departure on a given day, but the combination of excellent weather, and a free Saturday made it possible.

First in was the Norwegian Jade. This is the first time I have seen this ship, built in 2006 as Pride of Hawai'i for Norwegian Cruise Lines' ill-fated American venture. After the line had huge losses, it was reassigned to Europe in 2008 and renamed, but apparently kept much of its Hawaiian themed décor. Until March of this year that is, when it was given an intensive three week refit and re-do.

By this time the sun was fully up (and directly in line with arrivals), so I skipped the next arrival, hoping to get it later on departure. Fritz Reuter (see below) tied up at pier 42.

The CCGS Sir Wilfred Grenfell left the Coast Guard base at BIO at 0800 for exercises offshore with Zodiacs.

Stationed in Newfoundland, the ship has been in these parts for a month or so replacing CCGS Earl Grey for the time being.

Built in 1985 in Marystown, NL as a supply ship on spec for the Newfoundland government, the MoT purchased and converted in 1987 for search and rescue work. It was removed from service and de-stored in a cost cutting purge in 2013, but was re-activated. It had a major refit this spring so should be in service for several years to come.

While in Dartmouth I noted the bunkering tanker Algoma Dartmouth tied up at the Irving Oil Woodside terminal. This may be a first.

When Algoma took over harbour bunkering, the fuel supplier was the Imperial Oil refinery. When the refinery shut down  Stirling Fuels (part of  Miller/ McAsphalt Industries) secured the fuel provision contract. At various times the ship has gone to Point Tupper to load at NuStar's tank storage, or has received fuel brought from Central Canada aboard McAsphalt's own tug/barge.
Since Stirling is not a refiner in its own right, I guess they can buy fuel wherever they want, so perhaps this time they have sourced in from Irving Oil.
Algoma Dartmouth can carry diesel or heavy fuel oil as needed.

 Next in was the small cargo / container ship Hollandia working for Nirint Shipping. It arrived with nickel cargo from Cuba and has been a regular caller since 2014.

 

It was built in 2007 by the Damen Okean Mykolayiv, Ukraine shipyard and finished by Damen Hoogezand, Foxhol, Netherlands. Launched as Trinitas it was renamed Nirint Hollandia on delivery. It measures 8,999 grt, 12,000 dwt and carries two 80 tonne cranes. It was renamed in 2012.

The largest arrival of the day was the impressive CMA CGM Thames. With is split superstructure it looks much bigger than its container capacity would suggest. At 95,263 grt, 113,900 dwt, that capacity is reported to be 9365 TEU, including 1458 reefers.

Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Company built the ship in 2015.

At one point late in the afternoon all four Halterm cranes were alongside the ship, but only three were actually working. The southernmost crane (near the bow) was moved out of the way of the departing Friz Reuter - see below.

There was one more arrival, this morning, the cruise ship Seabourn Quest following on the heels of CMA CGM Thames.

 The ship is on a return visit to Halifax.

Seen from a slightly better angle leaving pier 23 on October 10.

Noted for its luxury cruises to Antarctica for only 450 passengers, Seabourn has the smallest cruise ships in any major fleet.
It was completed in 2011 by the T.Mariotti shipyard in Genoa, on a hull built by Viktor Lenac in Rijeka and measures 32,346 grt. It has many amenities but also has a number of Zodiacs garaged in the hull for passenger excursions.

By late afternoon Fritz Reuter was ready to sail.
 

The ship had arrived in the morning and tied up at Pier 42 and used two of Halterm's cranes.
The 1732 TEU (including 379 reefers) ship is on its 32nd trip for Melfi Lines. Starting in 2013 the ship has been a regular caller every five weeks on Melfi's Europe via Halifax to Cuba service.
The 18,480 grt, 23,732 dwt ship dates from 2006 when it was launched as Maruba Zonda by Guangzhou Wenchong Shipyard Co Ltd. It assumed its current name on delivery a few months later.


As soon as Fritz Reuter was off the berth the next ship berthed (its bow is just visible in the photo above). EM Kea is on its regular visit as part of the Maersk / CMA CGM transatlantic service. So as not to block the channel for the outbound Reuter, the ship made an unusual turn to port to come alongside. Usually ships are turned to starboard and back in. However with two tugs alongside, and a bit less wind than earlier, it was the best move to make.

It was not all commercial activity in the port today. Late season sail races for small craft took place in very stiff breezes this morning.

Although there have been above normal temperatures recently, this morning's air temperatures were in the single digits, and barely scraped above 10C when the races started. Water temperature on the other hand exceeded 15C!

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Changing Seasons

Now that is autumn-at least officially-the days are shorter, but we are still getting June like weather, with lots of sun and warm temperatures. Occasional fog and rain make it unpleasant for cruise ship visitors, but the old adage goes - if you if don't like the weather just wait an hour.


On Thursday however it was more like eight hours, but the weather changed dramatically from morning to evening.
Veendam  's passengers were treated to a genuine Halifax pea-souper when they arrived for 0900.

By late afternoon however the fog had gone, the skies were beginning to clear and the sun was blazing through at a low angle.


The Halifax side of the harbour was in shade as the bunkering tanker Algoma Dartmouth returned to her berth.

However the sun was still catching the tanker Hector N as it prepared to get underway after bunkering. The ferry Viola Desmond returning from Woodside was just entering the shadow from the Halifax side.

It was a good time to test a new pocket camera, which explains the low resolution of the photos.

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Weeked Catch-Up

The port seems to have caught up after the many delays caused by Monday's and  Thursday's heavy snow falls and high winds. Almost every ship was effected, and at one time up to five ships were anchored in Bedford Basin awaiting berths.
Shipfax's mobility was hampered too, so it was not until Saturday that I was able to catch up, thereby missing most of the intense activity.

One of the many container ships that was delayed was NYK Constellation. It was initially due on Tuesday February 14, but put off its arrival until Thursday and even then anchored in Bedford Basin until Friday morning. With Fairview Cove running flat out it was not until Saturday morning that it was able to sail. While I normally avoid wide angle lens photos, the only spot to get a fair picture (without wading into hip deep snow) demanded the 28mm setting.

The lens makes the ship look much large than it s 55,534 grt, 65,000 dwt. Hyundai Mipo, Ulsan built the ship in 2007 and it carries a modest 4922 TEU, including 330 reefers.

 
One ship that apparently did not experience a delay was Hafnia Malacca. It arrived at the Irving Woodside terminal on Thursday  and sailed Saturday morning for Saint John.

 
Built in 2015 by Hyundai Mipo, the 24,120 grt, 39,067 dwt ship is on the small size of Mid Range tankers in the Hafnia Handy Pool Management fleet, operating out of  Singapore for the Danish Hafnia company.

Not photographed, was Saturday's arrival of UASC Umm Qasr the first ship on Columbus Loop service in two weeks. The line has reduced winter sailings and is changing partners in the service effective in April. UASC (United Arab Shipping) has been bought out by HAPAG-Lloyd, and although this ship is only a charter to USAC, this may be its last call here as H-L will not be a partner in the service with CMA CGM.

On Sunday temperatures  soared into the plus 7C range, but there was still a heavy snow cover, reflecting a bright sun. George's Island looked spectacular - like a populated iceberg (it is neither).

There was quite a traffic jam in the lower harbour as California Highway arrived but stood by east of George's Island until the Autoport berth was clear. It has little time to work since the next ship, Mignon is due tomorrow. An autocarrier of 59,447 grt, 18,644 dwt, it was built in 2010 by Imabari Zosen in Marugame. It flies the Panama flag for Taiyo Nippon Kisen of Kobe and operates for K-line.

With two tugs on its port side, the ships sits waiting for its berth.

California Highway had been anchored offshore since Friday waiting for Autoport to clear its backlog of shipping. Starting on Monday, the Metis Leader was due, but had to wait Tuesday, it was followed by Oregon Highway on Wednesday, Boheme on Friday, leaving no time for Oceanex Sanderling to load.

Oceanex Sanderling outbound from Eastern Passage to sea.

Its normal departure time is Friday evening, but it had to wait until Saturday evening to get into Autoport, and finally sailed late this afternoon, clearing the way for Oceanex Sanderling.

Not long after, Califronia Highway and its two tugs sailed in toward Autoport.

Outbound for St.John's the ship catches some late day sun.

Also today the Cyprus flag Maccoa arrived for bunkers. Owned by Navarone SA of Athens, it is operated by Daphne Shipping Agency LLC of  Odessa, Ukraine and employs exclusively Ukrainian masters officers and crews. 

Algoma Dartmouth clears Maccoa after bunkering.

The diminutive tankers carries its fenders permanently to save time while coming alongside ships.

Maccoa dates from 2009 when it was built by Shandong Weihai Shipyard in Weihai China. A bulk carrier of 19,814 grt, 30,898 dwt, it carries three 30 tonne crane. It is one of about forty ships operating for Canadian Forest Navigation (CANFORNAV) of Montreal that are frequent Great Lakes and St.Lawrence River callers. The ship is giving Ilheus, Brazil as its next port of call.

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