Rare day in Halifax

It is a rare day in Halifax when there are no arrivals and departures. Aside from the 0330 hrs departure of Zim Qingdao there were no scheduled arrivals or departures.
That did not meann that there was no activity.
This morning the tug Atlantic Larch sailed and headed south- likely for Shelburne and refit. Its place will be taken by Atlantic Fir. Atlantic Teak is also in port, but is likely just passing through. [For a closeup of Atlantic Larch see yesterday's Tugfax.]

Yesterday there was a forest of tugs at the IEL dock. From left to right: Atlantic Fir, Oak, Willow, Larch and Teak.

While Larch was outbound, it passed the tug Sandra Mary towing the crane barge Canadian Argosy inbound from Digby via Yarmouth and Shelburne. The barge will eventually be heading for Cape Breton, but will be at pier 9 in Halifax for several days due to weather.

 Canadian Argosy was built in 1978 by Collingwood Shipyard for the former Pitts International Company. Through a series of mergers and takeovers, it is now owned by McNally Construction of Hamilton, ON.

The tug Sandra Mary was built by Russel Brothers in Owen Sound, ON in 1962 as Flo Cooper also for Pitts. It has carried its present name since 2000.

  The barge is using its spuds to secure it to the harbour bottom, and as a result is has taken on a bit of a list.

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Halifax Dodges Sandy

The destructive force of Hurricane/Tropical Depression Sandy bypassed to the west of Halifax, with only high winds and rain felt in the port. At high tide this morning there did not appear to be any significant storm surge, although there will certainly have been minor damage to some wharves due to waves.
Several ship arrivals were delayed, and some ships remained in port.

1. Work on the Richmond Terminal extension continued unabated. Water was just lapping the top of the new caissons, but filling operations were not delayed. The tug Whitby works with the dredge Canadian Argosy at the old "knuckle" of Pier 9C as breakers remove the old pier face and remove old fill material.

The cruise ship Norwegian Dawn remained in port all night and sailed this morning and Kobe Express also sailed this morning at first light, without incident.

2. Chebucto Pilot kicks up some spray inbound after working outbounds and an inbound. The outbounds had remained in port overnight. 

3. By the time the autocarrier Turandot was inbound, the highest gusts had abated but there was still a stiff easterly  wind and some waves in the harbour.

Western Nova Scotia received much heavier winds , heavier rain and higher seas, and the Saint John-Digby ferry service was cancelled for the day.

That sinking feeling

Workers from McNally Construction completed forming and pouring the first crib for the Pier 9C extension yesterday, and today moved the crib into position. It will gradually sink into place this evening as air is expelled from its flotation chambers. Mooring points on shore and on the barges Canadian Argosy and Derrick No.3 will ensure that the crib remains in position while it slowly settles into place.

By early evening the crib was settled on the bottom and the crew packed up for the night.