CCGS Hudson - more problems and other CCG challenges

 The hydrogrpahic / oceanographic research ship CCGS Hudson is in the news again. The Department of Fisheries and Oceans has cancelled some research programs and is scrambling to find a ship to carry out some other work because the Hudson is unserviceable.

According to a CBC News report, the ship experienced a propulsion motor fault as it arrived in St.John's on November 5. The ship was able to tie up, but has been idled ever since as the Department endeavours to determine what to do. The ship was due to enter refit starting in January for at least three months.

Propulsion motors are not "off the shelf" items, and if this damaged one cannot be repaired, it is questionable how the ship can be returned to service any time soon.

The Hudson has had a distinguished career since taking to the water in 1963, but has become very expensive to maintain. The CBC reports refit and repair costs exceeding $33 million in the last nine years. A replacement ship, to be built by Seaspan in Vancouver, is not due until 2024 at the earliest.

When built, the ship had a white hull and buff funnel, the traditional livery of government survey ships.

 
 Built to icebreaker specs, the ship has a diesel electric propulsion system. Power is provided by four V-16 Alco / Dominion Engineering Works diesel engines, each 2,168 bhp, driving four generators of 1500 kW, 600 volts DC, connected to two electric motors each 3750 shp. This is a similar system to other Canadian icebreakers.

Hudson had a "generator failure" in May. Whether this was a propulsion generator or auxiliary generator is not clear, but it was repaired. 

 Other Challenges

Trouble seems to be following CCG ships recently as CCGS Pierre Radisson (built in 1978) had an engine room fire December 15 near Quebec City. The crew extinguished the fire and the ship returned to port, but there is no news on how soon it will be able to resume service. It also has an Alco propulsion system using six diesel engines to drive six generators and two electric motors.

Fleet mate Amundsen (also 1978) is in a long term Vessel Life Extension refit in St.Catharines, ON, in the former Port Weller drydock, so the CCG may also be short of icebreaking capability this winter. 

Fortunately the so-called "interim icebreakers"  Jean Goodwill and Molly Kool are expected to be fully operational again this winter. Vincent Massey was to be delivered in 2021 but there is still no sign of it emerging from the Davie yard.

 The  CCG's "newest" vessel the Mangystau 2 has passed Gibraltar en route from the Caspian Sea and is due in Sorel-Tracy, QC, December 30. The shallow draft icebreaking tug / supplier, built in 2010, bought for $45.2 million from Atlantic Towing Ltd (as intermediaries), will be assigned to the Great Lakes to cover for CCGS Samuel Risley and CCGS Griffon as they have refits and life extensions over the next few years. Mangystau 2 must be refitted to Canadian standards - not to mention getting a new name - which will not happen soon. Tenders for the work will be issued sometime in 2022.

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Viking Invasion - updated

The three Norwegian icebreaking tug/suppliers purchased by the Canadian government arrived in Quebec today. They sailed in company up the St.Lawrence this morning, in and out of fog for much of the way.

Thor Viking upbound on the St.Lawrence this morning, found a clear patch off my place.

The lead vessel, Balder Viking was barely visible from my vantage points, with only its mast top showing. The second, Vidar Viking revealed itself somewhat, while passing between Ile-aux-Coudres and St-Joseph-de-la-Rive.

and the third, Thor Viking did show itself again as it passed through billowing fog,

Thor Viking  has a container on deck, probably carrying spares and other gear.

On August 10, the Canadian government announced that it had purchased the the three sister vessels from the ailing Norwegian company Viking Supply Ships AS and had awarded a $610mn contract* to Davie Quebec to refit the boats for service with the Canadian Coast Guard, thus protecting 200 jobs at their Levis, QC shipyard.

The 13,440kW vessels, built in 2000-2001 are classed as Ice-10/ARC 7, Icebreaker, Anchor Handling Tug Suppliers and are intended to fill the large gap in the CCG's icebreaking capability until new ships are built. The current aging fleet is scheduled for mid-life refits in turn, reducing the CCG's arctic and St.Lawrence capabilities.

The Viking ships left Landskrona, Sweden on the day of the government announcement. In the same announcement Ottawa revealed that it will permit Davie to bid on future Coast Guard and RCN contracts, even though it is not included in the national shipbuilding strategy program.

Quebec is in the early stages of a provincial election where the sitting Liberals are fighting an uphill battle. The federal Liberals, in power in Ottawa, may get more credit for making this deal happen, but it will be interesting to see how the arrival plays out in the press, if not the voter's minds.

As for the national shipbuilding program, one of the two designated shipyards, Seaspan, is supposed to build the CCGS Louis S. St-Laurent replacement, but neither it nor Irving Shipbuilding (Halifax Shipyard)  have the capability of building needed Coast Guard icebreaker replacements unless they interrupt their navy and other government work, or add capacity. When Davie has the capability immediately available, it seems entirely reasonable that they should be eligible for the work.

It does bring into question what use the navy's Arctic Offshore Patrol vessels will be. Halifax Shipyard is building the half dozen of these vessels that the previous federal government decided it needed to protect arctic sovereignty (seasonally). Pundits claim the ships are too light for icebreaking and to heavy for patrol work, so it seems unlikely that they will be of much help to the CCG except in case of emergency.

Emergencies do happen. The grounding of the research / cruise ship Akademik Ioffe last week in the high arctic, required the evacuation of passengers, their luggage and non-essential crew. Fortunately conditions were not dire, the ship was not in peril and CCGS Pierre Radisson was near enough to be of assistance. That may not always be the case unless the CCG can increase its presence.

Update:
The fog cleared by the time the trio arrived off Quebec City later in the day August 27 where they conducted a "sail past"  off the Coast Guard Agency. CCG helo(s) filmed the arrival and there was considerable French language media coverage.

Meanwhile at the same CCG dock the heavy icebreaker CCGS Des Groseilliers and the light icebreaker CCGS Martha L. Black are in the midst of Vessel Life Extensions (VLE) underlining the need for fleet upgrades. Also the heavy icebreaker CCGS Terry Fox sailed from the Port Weller Dry Dock in St.Catharines, ON (it was downbound August 28). 

* The $610 mn contract with Davie includes the approximate $353.5 mn purchase price of the ships. One ship will be available for winter 2018-2019 and the other two for summer 2019.

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CCGS Pierre Radisson - Quebec Report #6

CCGS Pierre Radisson has been conducting engine trials off my place since Friday. Ranging between Gros Cap-à-l'Aigle and Cap-aux-Oies, the ship has spent most of its time anchored off the Kamouraska Islands, in the south channel, directly across the river from my front door.

About 3 miles off Gros Cap-à-l'Aigle on Friday, the ship began its trials.

The ship is conducting propulsion trials, which seem to be related to a major Vessel Life Extension project (VLE) announced August 10, 2016. Verreault Navigation of Les Méchins was awarded an $8.6 mn contract for the majority of the work, which included hull re-coating, steel work, reconditioning the flight deck and hangar, and replacement of the windows. At about the same time Canadian Maritime Engineering was awarded a contract to replace the steering system.


ABB received a separate $3 mn contract to provide new hardware and software including eight new drives in the power distribution system. All this follows a 2011 project that replaced its six main engines and 3 generators.

 Last year I caught the Pierre Radisson heading for refit at flank speed.

The ship was decommissioned for the Verreault project, with the crew due to return to the ship in January 2017, with the shipyard work to be completed by January 31. The ABB contract was to be complete and commissioned by June 2017, but that my be what they are working on now.

The ship is propelled by six MLW- Alco (Fairbanks-Morse) diesel engines of 2,950 hp powering six General Electric Canada AC alternators which in turn drive two GEC DC shaft motors producing 6800 hp at 100% = 13,600 shp at the two propellers.

Built by Versatile Pacific Shipyards Ltd in Vancouver, CCGS Pierre Radisson was delivered to the CCG in June 1978 and conducted its trials and delivery voyage by the Northwest Passage. It is based in Quebec City. It is the lead ship of the Type 1200, Arctic Ice Class 3 Medium/River Icebreaker.

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Persenk, and other cripples (update and photo added)

It is that time of year again when ships seem to run into trouble. Ice is the worst enemy, but mechanical failures of varies sorts also seem to be more prevalent.
Arriving over night the Bulgarian bulk carrier Persenk anchored in the harbour to take on bunkers, but also for an inspection of its propeller by divers.

Built in Varna, Bulgaria by Bulyard Shipbuilding Industry in 1998, the 10,220 grt, 13,902 dwt bulker flies the Maltese flag, but sails for Navigation Maritime Bulgare, the state owed shipping company of Bulgaria. Vessel tracking indicates the ship was off the east end of Anticosti Island in heavy ice, so may have bent a blade there.
Reports have also reached me that CCGS Pierre Radisson was struck by a ship in the same area, damaging her flight deck right aft.

Meanwhile anchored offshore, the self-unloading bulker Rt. Hon. Paul E. Martin arrived last night under escort of the tug Atlantic Fir. The ship was in the Strait of Canso when it experienced a crankshaft problem, and had been lying at Mulgrave since late February. It is now headed to Shelburne for repairs.

The ship was delivered by Chengxi Shipyard in Jiangyin, China in September 2012. Measuring 43,691 grt, 71,406 dwt, it is a Panamax bulker of the new Trillium class, built for CSL.

Rt. Hon. Paul E. Martin rolling in swells at the anchorage off Chebucto Head this afternoon. Gales and freezing spray warnings have been issued for this afternoon and evening.

 

 

At about 1930 Sunday evening the ship got underway for Shelburne, giving an ETA of 0800 Monday morning. This time the tug Atlantic Larch is escorting. 

Then off Newfoundland another bulker lost power and drifted aground at Rose Blanche. John I flying the Panama flag, is Turkish owned and measures 24,606 grt, 42,263 dwt. It was economically renamed in 2012 from its previous name John F, and prior to that it carried the name Sarych, except fore the year 1994 when it was called Sarrah. It was built in 1991 by Hyundai Heavy Industry in Ulsan, South Korea. The tug Ryan Leet out of Mulgrave has been dispatched, and CCGS Earl Grey is standing by after a couple of failed attempts to attach a tow line.
It will be much more difficult to salvage the ship now, since all 23 Syrian crew members were evacuated, and there is no one aboard to take up a tow line.
My previous rants about the need for a rescue tug in the Cabot Strait at this time of year fell on deaf ears. Maybe this year's experiences will heat up the debate again.

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