A lightly loaded Vera D arrived for Melfli Lines and tied up at Halterm this afternoon. The ship is en route from Italy, Spain and Portugal for Cuba. This is its 15th trip for Melfi - Voyage #1 was November 24, 2014.

The 17,188 grt, 22, 513 dwt ship can carry 1519 TEU. It was built in 2004 on a hull by Daewoo Managalia, Romania, and completed by J.J.Seitas in Germany.  Launched as Pyxis it was renamed Maersk Veracruz on delivery to Peter Doehle Schiffahrts of Hamburg. It became Vera D in 2009.

Federal Oshima completed loading its cargo of wood pellets and sailed for Immingham, UK this evening.

Surely there is a way that such cargoes can be loaded without creating so much dust.

CCGS Sir Wilfred Grenfell left port for SAR exercises offshore. The Newfoundland based Search and Rescue vessel has been seconded to Halifax for the last several weeks.

Sir Wilfred Grenfell sails with the old Coast Guard base in the background where the idled Jones Tide is tied up.

 Built in 1985 by Marystown Shipyard, it was originally a supply boat, ordered on spec by the Newfoundland government to keep the shipyard afloat. In 1986 the government of Canada acquired it and converted the ship for SAR duties.

The new SAR ships will have helicopter capability. A CCG helo laded service techs on George's Island this morning. 

 

A replacement for the ship is among five SAR vessels to be built by Seaspan under the  National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy, but it it is several years off into the future, after Seaspan builds the Joint Support Ships for the navy, the Polar Icebreaker John G. Diefenbaker (to be renamed by the current government one expects-can you guess the new name?) and Ocean Research vessels.

Speaking of replacements there is still no word on how the navy plans to replace its Glen class tugs. Glenevis was going about its business in the harbour today, still in fine condition, but underpowered by today's standards.

 The new tugs will not be part of the NSPS program, and several Canadian yards have expressed interest in building the new boats.

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Fednav calling

Fednav ships were once common sights in Halifax, but they have become rare in recent years for a number of reasons. They rarely call here for bunkers anymore, so that ceretainly cut down on numbers.
They also used to bring in coils of steel tire cores for Nova Scotia's three Michelin tire plants. That cargo now comes in containers, rather than in bulk.
Despite being Canada's largest shipping company, all but a handful of its ships are foreign flagged, and they are on dedicated services, so we would rarely see any domestic calls.
On Friday morning Federal Oshima will be arriving at pier 28. The last record I have of it calling here was in 2004, and it then anchored in the harbour from August 27 to September 6, awaiting a cargo in another port.

1994 photo

Federal Oshimna was built in 1999 by Oshima Shipbuilding in Oshima, Japan. It is a bulk carrier of 20,659 grt, 36,563 dwt and carries three cranes, but no grabs. Its primary cargo is finished or semi-finished steel. However on this visit, since it is arriving from Montreal and tying up at pier 28 I assume it will be loading wood pellets.

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