Catching up

Due to weather for the last two days several ship arrivals and departures were delayed until pilotage operations resumed this morning. (See also yesterday's post.) 

The bulk carrier CSL Tacoma returning from Baltimore for another load of gypsum was the first arrival (The ship was here March 2-3 and loaded for Baltimore). Pictured in these posts countless times, it is a 43,691 gt, 71,552 dwt self-unloader, built in 2013 by Changxi Shipyard in Jiangyin, China.

As the CSL Tacoma made its way toward Gold Bond Gyspum CCGS Earl Grey departed the Bedford Institute for SAR patrol east, and possibly the Gulf of St.Lawrence. A large quantity of gas pipe is accumulating at Pier 9C prior to be shipped out at some point.

In the meantime things were busy at the southend container terminal operated by PSA Halifax as the Atlantic Gateway. ONE Grus arrived very early Sunday, March 10 and sailed at 0900 hrs ADT this morning March 12 once pilotage operations had resumed. As per new regulations instituted in January, the ship used two stern tethered escort tugs outbound.

As noted in the previous post, the ship is eastbound sailing via the Cape of Good Hope to avoid the Red Sea and is giving an ETA of April 15 for Singapore, with no intermediate stops.

Soon after, the next inbound also made for Pier 42. It is an unusual ship for the Ocean Alliance service and may have been added to the usual rotation of 15,000 TEU ships on the PSW3 + AWE3 rotation to make up for the extra long transit times due to the dangerous conditions in the Red Sea. The ship sailed from Colombo February 10.After passing Cape Town it called in Tanger Med  March 3-4. Zodiac Maritime ships have been targeted in the Red Sea, so they are staying well clear of the area.

 

The Erving was built by Hyundai Samho in 2011 for charter to Maersk as Maersk Erving. In 2011 it became CMA CGM Erving for another charter then in 2014 reverted to Maersk Erving. It became Erving in 2017 under Zodiac Maritime management. The 142,052 gt, 141,377 dwt ship has a capacity of 13,092 TEU including 1,000 reefers.

 

The next arrival was also an unusual one, and possibly also the result of re-routing. The Höegh Transporter dates from 1999 when it was delivered by Stocznia Gdynia in Poland. The 57,757 gt, 16,747 dwt (or 21,300 dwt) ship has a capacity of 6,500 CEU, and carries a 150 tonne SWL stern ramp.

Instead of arriving from the usual north Europe or Mediterranean ports, this ship is arriving originally from Masan, Korea (January 30) and Nagoya and Kawasaki, Japan (February 1-4) via the Panama Canal (February 27) then Kingston, Jamaica (February 29 - March 1), Jacksonville (March 4-6) and Dundalk (Baltimore) (March 8-9).

In January Höegh Autoliners announced a four year contract to deliver unnamed Asian-built Electric Vehicles (EVs) to Europe. If this is the first trip, it may also be delivering some vehicles to North America too, now that ships are avoiding the Red Sea.

Such is the demand for auto carriers these days, particularly in Asia, that even ships of this age are kept running. (Its next big survey is due no later than May 30.)

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Mid-week activity

With no bunkering facility available in Saint John, NB, tankers sometimes come to Halifax to top up their fuel tanks. After discharging a cargo of North Sea crude in Saint John, the Helga Spirit bunkered in Halifax today. The tanker is owned by Teekay Shipping, a Danish company in origin (T.K. were the initials of its founder Torben Karlshoej), but has operational functions spread around the world, including a core services centre in Vancouver. It is currently the world's largest operator of mid-size tankers with a fleet more than 100 ships.

Helga Spirit was built by Samsung,in Koje, SK in 2005. At 62,929 grt, 115,515 dwt, is is classed as a Large Range 2 or Suezmax ship. (However the latter designation my change as maximum Suez Canal dimensions have been increased with Canal widening.).

Teekay has also recently taken delivery of the third and last of its new shuttle tankers to serve the nine oil companies operating off Newfoundland. Dorset Spirit joins Beothuk Spirit and Norse Spirit delivered last year. Helga Spirit is headed for Whiffen Head, NL, where it will load some of that offshore Newfoundland crude for delivery to an eastern seaboard refinery. It is a frequent caller in Philadelphia, so that may be its ultimate destination.

A pier 9C more work was underway on Fundy Rose. After a week or more of seeming inactivity, workers appear to be concentrating on the emergency evacuation deployment system.

The ship is now scheduled to resume service between Digby, NS and Saint John, NB on April 27.

In the outer part of the harbour CCGS Earl Grey was assisting in training small boat handlers for summer inshore rescue craft. Crewed by students of the Canadian Coast Guard College, the boats respond to Search and Rescue calls in harbours throughout the region when recreational activity is at its peak.

As the supplier Lundtrom Tide arrives (see Tugfax) small craft work from CCGS Earl Grey. It is ideal for this kind of work due to its exceptionally low freeboard aft. It was built along supply vessel lines, but as this photo contrasts, those vessels have continued to evolve in  unforeseen ways.

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More product tankers and a return

Product tankers of the mid-range size continue to call in Halifax on a random basis - and there seems to be no end to the variety of operating companies. That variety however does not extend much to the ships themselves. Most come from a few shipyards in Korea, with occasional ships from other yards, but still built to much the same pattern.

Sunday's arrival at Imperial Oil berth 3 is among the most typical. Atlantic Crown came from the Hyundai Mipo yard in Ulsan in 2007. Its tonnages are quite typical of MR tankers - 29,266 grt, 47,128 dwt.

The ship is owned by Heroic Artemis Inc (sounds Greek) and managed by ST Shipping + Transport Pte of Singapore, with the ship registered in Hong Kong.

Today's arrival breaks the mold only slightly. The Malta flag Sea Halcyone is owned by Halcyone Maritime Co Ltd and managed by Sea World Management + Trading Ltd of Greece - part of the Laliotis Group. It's tonnage is typical: 28,553 grt, 47,087 dwt, but it was built, not in Korea, but by Onomichi Zosen, Onomichi Japan in 2001.

Its original name was Unique Sunshine for Leo Navigation Corp Ltd and had a variety of far east managers until 2013 when it was acquired and renamed by its current owners. As with most foreign flag tankers calling at Irving's Woodside terminal in recent months it arrived from Amsterdam (via the Ijmuiden sea locks).

Returning to port in the last week or so CCGS Earl Grey has resumed normal spring and early summer duties out of Halifax. It had been working in the northern Gulf of St.Lawrence and Strait of Belle Isle assisting ships in late season ice.

Its most recent trip was a Saturday departure and Sunday return for navaids maintenance and patrol.

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Clover Ace, CMA CGM Almaviva - big car boat, big box boat and other doings

The autocarrier Clover Ace arrived at Autoport this morning. Its 6400 car capacity puts it among the largest size of ships in the Mitsui OSK Line (MOL) fleet.

The already crammed Autoport will somehow find room for all the cars it is likely carrying.

Built in 2008 by Toyohashi Shipbuilding in Japan the 60,065 grt, 17,280 dwt ship flies the Liberian flag for Osaka Fleet Co Ltd.


Halterm also hosted a large ship this morning. CMA CGM Almaviva is one of the 8465 TEU ships on regular rotation on the Columbus Loop service.

It was built in 2011 by Samsung Shipbuilding and Heavy Industries in Koje, South Korea. Its tonnages are 96,817 grt, 109,000 dwt.

It appears to be carrying more boxes than it did on its last visit, December 12, 2015, confirming in my mind at least, an uptick in cargo volumes for the port.

It was a pretty quiet Saturday in the harbour with the only other ship of any size, the oft photographed Maersk Pembroke also at Halterm.

HMCS Shawinigan arrived from some sea time, make a sharpish turn to avoid George's Island.

This is the time of year that the naval reserves ramp up their activities and the Kingsyton class ships return to service.

And in Bedford Basin CCGS Earl Grey did some calibration trials in preparation for a return to service after a mid-life refurb.

As with most shipyard visits, Davie Quebec painted the ship's hull up to deck level. leaving the upper works for the crew to attend to as part of regular maintenance.

There are still some traces of Friday's snow fall, such as the roof of the Burnside water tank, but it is rapidly disappearing as daytime temperatures rise.

Long Weekend Roundup

Thanks to an interruption of internet service from March 23 to 28, I was unable to post my usual weekend round up until now. Here are the highlights on a better late than never basis:

The Atlantic RoRo Carriers ship Warnow Star made its first Halifax call on Good Friday March 25, no doubt discharging Its usual cargo of  depleted radioactive material. ARRCC ships usually make only a brief call of a few hours, but this time it remained over night and sailed on Saturday.

After leaving Fairview Cove Warnow Star lines up for the MacKay bridge on a windy morning.

The ship was built in 2010 by Zhejiang Ouhu Shipbuilding Co in Zhoushan, China and carries four 60 tonne cranes. It measures 22,863 grt, 33,150 dwt. It is a sister of Warnow Sun that was in port February 28-29, but for some reason is not listed on the Atlantic RoRo Carriers web site, nor does it appear to be owned by ARRC of Hoboken, NJ, but by Atlantic Ship Manangerment of Odessa, Ukraine.
As I mentioned before the Warnow name comes from Warnowerft yard in Warnemunde were ARCC's Astrakhan class RoRos were built.[see below for more Warnow.]


A rare visit of a bulk carrier took place on Saturday March 26. JS Missouri was on its way to Baie-Comeau and stopped in for bunkers.  The ship will be loading grain in Baie-Comeau and the crew was busy cleaning and airing the holds, so the ship arrived looking a bit like an accordion as the hatch covers were cracked open.

JS Missouri strides in to port with anchor ready to let go, and hatches ajar.

The 35,812 grt, 63,500 dwt bulker came from the Yangzhou Dayang shipyard in Yangzhou, China in 2013. It flies the Singapore flag for Greenship Bulk Manager Pte Ltd of the same port. Sister ship JS Sanaga called in Sheet Harbour March 15.


Also a rare sight these days is an Indian flagged ship. The tanker Swarna Mala is a typical handysize product tanker built by STX in Jinhae, South Korea. It was laid down for Greek owners as Zefiros,  but SCI purchased it "on the stocks" and it was launched and delivered as Swarna Mala.

The ship's typical handysize measurements are 29,993 grt, 51,196 dwt.

It has been a long time since the bicycle wheel funnel mark has been seen in this port.


The Shipping Corporation of India was once a frequent caller in the general cargo ship days, and operated its own cargo liner route under the Scindia label. The ships all had names begining with "Jala".
 

Jalamani was built in 1970 by VEB Warnowerft in Warnemunde, East Germany It carried one 60 ton jumbo derrick and sixteen 10 ton derricks on bi-pod masts. It measured  9556 grt, 13814 dwt and was broken up in Calcutta in October 1986. It is shown at what is now navy pier Bravo, but was then a National Harbours Board pier in the spring of 1971.


Back from mid-life refit at the Davie Quebec yard, CCGS Earl Grey was tied up at BIO on Easter Sunday.

Earl Grey joins Louis St-Laurent at BIO, filling up available pier space.

 

The Canadian Coast Guard is planning a major Search and Rescue exercise off Nova Scotia this week and CCGS Sir Wilfred Grenfell came in from Newfoundland to participate. There was no room at BIO so it tied up at pier 9A.

 Sir Wilfred Grenfell at pier 9A this afternoon.

The Newfoundland based Teleost was also in Halifax recently as was the Cape Roger.

Teleost sailed on Friday March 25.

Arriving Easter Sunday morning, Wilhelmsen's Talia proceeded directly to Autoport. However Autoport is so full of new cars that unloading took much longer than normal as each car had to be driven a much greater distance to a remote storage facility. Demand for cars is so high in Canada (with low interest rates and lengthy payment periods) that it is hard to keep up with demand.

CN which owns and operates Autoport and also provides the rail service to move the cars inland has had some weather challenges this winter, but it is more  the shear volume of imports that is stretching their ability to move the cars out.

Talia dates from 2006 when it was built by Gdynia Shipyard in Poland. Its capacity is listed as 6,658 cars in Lloyd's but 6500 on Wilhelmsen's site. Its gross tonnage is 57,692 and deadweight tonnage is 21,021.

Talia was finally able to sail Tuesday afternoon March 29 - surely a lengthy stay! It will be followed almost immediately by Manon with more of the same.

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CCGS Samuel Risley from the Lakes

The Canadian Coast Guard Atlantic region is down two ships, with CCGS Ann Harvey in repairs from a grounding in April and CCGS Earl Grey in mid-life refit in Quebec. CCGS Edward Cornwallis has been sent to Labrador for buoy work that would normally be done by the Ann Harvey, leaving Halifax short.
Therefore the Great Lakes based CCGS Samuel Risley has been sent in to assist and it arrived at the Bedford Institute CCG base today.

Tied up together with CCGS Louis S. St-Laurent and CCGS Hudson at BIO this evening. One hundred and thirty years represented in just three ships.

A type 1050 class vessel, it is ostensibly a sister ship of CCGS Earl Grey, but is different in many respects. While Earl Grey was built in Pictou, NS the Risley was built by Vito Steel Boat+Barge Construction Ltd in Delta, BC. Each ship has four main engines geared to twin controllable pitch props, and water jet thrusters fore and aft.While the Earl Grey has Deutz engines totaling 8836 bhp (which are being replaced in the current refit) the Risley has Wartsilas totaling 8644 bhp. Both ships are classed as light duty icebreakers, and the Risley is very busy in winter breaking ice and clearing ports in the United States and Canada as part of the joint efforts of the CCG and USCG.

Built in the style of  offshore supply ships, they have the working deck aft, with low freeboard .They also carry a 15 tonne SWL Liebherr deck crane for buoy work.

The Risley has spent most of its time in fresh water. Aside from its delivery trip in 1985 via Panama, Norfolk, VA and Pictou, NS it had one refit in salt water at Shelburne, NS in October/November 2004. It was initially based in Thunder Bay, ON but now calls Parry Sound, ON its home port. In winter it ranges from Port Colborne to Sault Ste.Marie for icebreaking work, and during the ice free part of the year, extends its range to Lake Superior..

At thirty years of age the ship is a juvenile compared to its dock mates at BIO this evening. Louis St. Laurent (which will be sailing soon for the north) was built in 1967 and  Hudson in 1963.

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Earl Grey anniversary

In this day and age a ship that lasts thirty years can claim a significant achievement. On February 8 CCGS Earl Grey will have reached its twenty-ninth birthday, leading into an eventful thirtieth year.

In January 1986, appropriately surrounded by ice, Earl Grey was fitting out at the Pictou Industries shipyard.

It was on February 8, 1986 at Pictou, NS that the ship was christened by Mrs Laura MacKay, mother of the then MP for Pictou, Elmer MacKay, and grandmother of future MP for the same riding, Pictou-Antigonish-Guysborough, Peter MacKay (current Minister of Justice and Attorney General). The ship was built by Pictou Industries Ltd, successors to Ferguson Industries Ltd, and the ceremony took place after the ship was in the water and well on its way to being completed.

By March, with the ice out of the harbour, the ship was nearly complete.

Instead of engines aft and a well deck forward with a derrick for handling buoys, the ship was built on supply boat lines, with engine nearly amidships, and a large crane mounted on its starboard quarter.

 In supply boat fashion, the ship has an aft facing control bridge,clear deck and low freeboard.

 Earl Grey and sister Samuel Risley were designated Type 1050 Medium Navaids Tenders-Light Icebreakers. It has 8,713 bhp from four Deutz diesels. [ Risley has 8,840 bhp from four Wartsilas.It was built by the Vito shipyard in Delta, BC, in 1985 and is based on the Great Lakes.]

 An attractive looking ship, despite the large crane, Earl Grey sails out of Halifax on one of its many trips. It is carrying a small landing craft athwartships on its stern.

Based seasonally in Charlottetown and home based in Halifax, Earl Grey travels widely in the region.

It is only when the ship is out of water that its icebreaking hull can be appreciated. It is seen here in the old Scotiadock at Halifax Shipyard.

Far from being ready for retirement the ship will enter a Vessel Life Extension refit in March to be completed by January 2016. Government documents indicate a maximum cost of $11,850,000. Work will include replacing its four Deutz main engine blocks with new Wartsila Deutz SBV9M682 blocks and numerous other upgrades to systems and accommodations throughout the ship.

Some additions have been made to the ship over the years, but it remains largely unchanged in appearance.

The ship has had a number of distinctions in its career. Among them assisting in fighting the fire on the container ship Kitano in Halifax harbour (see the fire monitors on the funnel top platform), assisting the Swiss Air recovery efforts and in raising the Irving Whale.

Next year, in time to celebrate its thirtieth birthday, the ship will be almost like new, and possibly able to make it to fifty.

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Canadian Coast Guard, more news as the NSPS continues to roll out

There was another announcement on Wednesday regarding shipbuilding as part of the massive replacement/ modernization of Canada's government fleet.

First it was the combatant (Halifax Shipyard) and non-combatant (Seaspan Shipyard) ships, announced last year as part of the NSPS (National Ship Procurement Strategy) both of which will inject major money into the economy for a long time to come. The government finally woke up to the fact that shipyard's are good for the economy, and became willing to build not just ships, but a whole shipbuilding industry. How that will work out in the long term remains to be seen, but it cannot be denied that we will get a whole bunch of new ships for the navy and Coast Guard, and a vastly upgraded shipbuilding industry. Whether it will pay back a return on the government's investment is a moot point, since it is so far beyond any one government's normal planning process. It is a kind of Keynesian attitude of leaving it to future generations to worry about.
Irving Shipbuilding's Halifax yard is a beehive of activity already, where it is expanding northward to build the bigger ships.

The research ship CCGS Alfred Needler is one of the ships to be replaced under the larger NSPS announcement. The new ship will be built in Vancouver.

Second was the announcement in February that $360 mn will be put into 18  Coast Guard ships to upgrade them and give then life extensions. This includes the four heavy icebreakers (Amundesn is already done now.  Because of engine failures last year it had a major rebuild at St.Catharines over the winter.)

CCGS Edward Cornwallis is one of the six multi-tasked vessels to get a life extension.

Six multi-tasked vessels, (3 based here), one medium endurance (based here) one science, two offshore patrol, two special navaids and two air cushions will also be upgraded over the next ten years - none too soon for some of them. There may be no NSPS restrictions on which yard can bid on this work.

CCGS Early Grey is the medium endurance ship that will get a life extension/upgrade.

Wednesday's announcement of $488 mn for Coast Guard small ships and craft, under 1,000 tonnes, which will not be built by Irving or Seaspan (that was also part of NSPS) will see 18 to 21 new boats added in the next seven years. These would not be good fits for the big yards anyway, and it was NSPS  strategy to give some boatbuilding yards and some smaller shipyards some needed business too.

Still to come are new tugs for the navy, both large and small. We are sure to get that announcement fairly soon as the summer spending continues.

 The navy will be replacing all its tugs (large and small) and its fireboats.

Meanwhile there are some puzzles. Such as CCGS Matthew which has not re-entered service this year after its winter layup. The survey ship has not been mentioned in any announcements, so presumably it is idled by lack of funds.Built in 1991 it is one of the newest ships in the CCG/DFO and and uniquely a hydrographic ship - it doesn't seem to perform any other function, and recent government cuts may be to blame.

A forlorn CCGS Matthew sits alongside BIO- not in service this summer. That is Halifax Traffic VTS station on the hill behind.

CCGS Louis S. St-Laurent - back home

1. CCGS Louis S. St-Laurent occupying most of the extended BIO pier this morning. 

CCGS Louis  S. St-Laurent returned to Halifax this morning in preparation for drydocking. The only drydock on the Atlantic coast that can berth the ship is the Novadock at Halifax Shipyard. In view of this, the wisdom of transferring the ship to the Newfoundland region is brought into question (again).
The ship's home was the Canadian Coast Guard base in Dartmouth. The lengthy process of decommissioning that base and moving all admin functions to a new building at the Bedford Institute site has largely been completed. An extension to the BIO pier was built too, but it was not large enough for the Louis at the same time as the rest of the DFO fleet, because the political decision had already been made to send the Louis to Argentia, NL, using specious cost reasoning. The added cost of housing the Louis in such a remote location would certainly have defrayed the cost of building a proper base for it in Halifax, and the nonsense of extra steaming time to the arctic is disproved every time the ship sails into Halifax for drydocking.
For today's arrival CCGS Earl Grey had to move to the old CCG base to make room! What did that move cost?

2. CCGS Earl Grey had to move from the BIO pier yesterday to make room for the Louis.

And what about the much touted replacement for the Louis? The yet to be built CCGS John G. Diefenbaker, (Vancouver Shipyards has the job to build it, but no contract yet) will presumably also require a base. Is it to be stuck out of the way in Argentia too, as a tribute to political whims? I'm not sure The Chief would have approved.
The Minister of Fisheries and Oceans from 2006 to 2008 made the decision to transfer the ship to his home province of Newfoundland. Now that he is Canadian ambassador to Ireland, and safely out of the political spotlight, perhaps it is time to review the decision, and bring the Louis back to Halifax where it belongs, and build a proper pier for it.

Earl Grey - back from dumping day

1. CCGS Earl Grey returns to base at BIO this morning.

CCGS Earl Grey returned to port this morning after standing by for dumping day. The start of the annual local lobster from Halifax round to the Bay of Fundy sees hundreds of boats putting to sea loaded with  traps, and some inevitably get into trouble and need assistance. The start of this year's season was delayed by a day because of high winds, so conditions were virtually ideal for this morning's start.
The Canadian Coast Guard's ships are all on standby and spotted in various locations for dumping day. Since all ships are multi-tasked for search and rescue, the buoy tenders are included.
Earl Grey was built in Pictou, NS in 1986 to a design by Robert Allen Ltd, and has been based in this region ever since. Built along supply ship lines and fitted with a heavy crane it was a departure from the standard CCG light icebreaker / buoy tender design. It will be interesting to see if replacement ships, which may be announced soon, will follow this pattern or revert to the more traditional look.
Earl Grey was named after Canada's governor general, 1904-1911, who was also the donor of the Grey Cup, awarded annually to the Canadian football championship team. This year marked the 100th anniversary game, although the cup was donated in 1909.
CCGS Edward Cornwallis was built in 1986 and has the traditional layout of accommodation aft and working deck amidships. It is performing similar standby duty off southwestern Nova Scotia today. It has the added capability of of helicopter deck and hangar.

2. CCGS Edward Cornwallis sails from BIO November 18, headed for the southwest.

At least two rescues were carried out in the southwest this morning-one by helicopter.