Return of the Ferbec and the Algo grain ship

 A regular "spring" event in the port of Halifax is the return of ships that have been flagged out for overseas work during the winter, or have arrived from the Great Lakes after the winter shutdown. Today there are ships in port for both reasons.

Ferbec

At noon time it was the Canada Steamship Lines bulk carrier Ferbec flying the Barbados flag. I have related the story of the ship, and a previous vessel of the same name, in some detail here  . Since arriving in Canada in 2017 the ship has avoided winter conditions by reflagging and trading in foreign waters, with an international crew. Each spring it returns, usually to Halifax, to be reflagged and "re-crewed" with a Canadian crew, before resuming its usual trade. During the past winter it worked for a time in Columbia and Brazil, but in late March it went to Tuzla, Turkey for refit. (At 20 years of age, there was likely a major survey and along list of renewals.) That long list of work may explain why the ship is nearly two months later than usual arriving back in Canada.

 Aside from the splendid new paint job, there was also a noticeable diference. The ship's four cargo cranes (and grab buckets) have been removed and the Supramax size ship is now a gearless bulk carrier.

The ship is dedicated to operate between Havre-St-Pierre and Sorel-Tracy, QC carrying ilmenite ore for Rio Tinto Fer et Titaine (Rio Tinto Iron and Titanium) and does not require the cranes to load or unload. A high capacity crane at Tracy is used for unloading, and the ship's cranes were actually in the way, and had to be swung out each time the ship arrived in port.

In a few days the crew will have the port of registry repainted to Sorel, the flag changed to the maple leaf, and the ship will be on its way.

The ship's name (pronounced Fair-Beck) is an amalgam of Fer (Iron) and Bec (Québec) and derives from the first owners of the operation, Québec Fer et Titaine, also known as QIT. It is now known as RTFT and the company has a website on the operation. Use this link: RTFT

 

Algoma Mariner

Another sure sign of spring is the arrival of the first grain cargo from the Lakehead. Algoma Mariner arrived late last night May 24 and began unloading its cargo at Pier 26.

The ship sailed from Thunder Bay May 17and made its way down through the St.Lawrence Seaway May 21. A familiar sight in Halifax since it was built in China in 2011, the ship usually picks up a load of gypsum as backhaul after unloading its grain.

The ship's arrival is a little later than usual, but the local grain needs are also met by rail, as there are often rail cars at the P+H flour mill. 

This foggy May 23 view shows several former Canadian government grain cars (now owned by CN Rail) lined up on P+H's siding.

Postscript 

The ship can unload at a rate of over 5,000 tonnes per hour, but the port's grain handling machinery probably can't convey the grain that quiickly. Even so, eight hours of unloading does show a significant change in the ship's draft.

 

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High, Wide and .....

I will leave the decision on "handsome" to others,as a matter of judgement, but there could be no disputing the choice of the words high and wide as CMA CGM T. Jefferson sailed this morning.

Boxes were stacked nine high and eighteen wide. Fortunately PSA Halifax has a pair of long reach cranes, with another one coming this year, to handle these very wide ships. (I believe the ship was 20 boxes wide amidships)

Speaking of wide however, someone mis-judged width when re-inscribing the Canadian port of registry for Ferbec. The ship sailed this morning for Havre-St-Pierre under Canadian flag, a little earlier than last year.

Last year's crew did find the centre line when doing the same job, painting out Bridgetown (Barbados), see: http://shipfax.blogspot.com/2019/03/ferbec-not-ready-yet.html

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Ferbec returns

The bulker Ferbec returned to Canada today as per schedule. The ship, operated by Canada Steamship Lines, has been operating under the Barbados flag since January 1. It is expected to be re-registered in Canada on April 1.

During the ice free shipping season, the ship operates a dedicated service carrying ore from Havre-St-Pierre to Sorel, QC for Rio Tinto's Quebec Iron and Titanium operation. It is then bareboat chartered under Barbados flag for the winter months. It usually returns to Halifax in mid-March to reflag and undergo maintenance.

The mine that supplies the ore has seen sporadic operation in recent years, but does stockpile enough material each year to keep the ship running. [enter "Ferbec" in the search box at left for several references to the ship.]

With the economy in turmoil and many industries shutting down it is apparent that CSL at least expects the normal shuttle service to return to operation.

Ferbec built in 2002 by Nantong COSCO in China is a 27,198 grt, 49,502 dwt bulk carrier equipped with four cranes and clam buckets. CSL operated the ship as CSL Melbourne from 2002 to 2017.

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Snowy going - Updated

Last night's heavy wet snow was clinging to surfaces today as ships went about their business.

USCG Campbell sailed too early for me to catch (I had to shovel myself out first) but I did see USS Jason Dunham leaving for sea.

There appeared to be lots of snow left on deck - perhaps they don't carry shovels as standard equipment.

I hope that crew on the forepeak know how to bring the anchor home. It wouldn't do to have it unsecured once out at sea.

The Canadian bulker Ferbec sailed this morning for Havre-St-Pierre. It arrived March 13 for reflagging back to Canadian at the end of a winter season sailing under the Barbados flag.

 Winter doesn't appear to be quite over yet with lots of snow sticking to the tug Atlantic Bear.

Mining has resumed for the season at the RioTinto Alcan mine at Lac Tio, north of Havre St-Pierre. Ferbec operates a constant shuttle from Havre-St-Pierre to the smelter in Sorel-Tracy on a dedicated service each year until late fall.

There was another snowy scene at the Seaview Park boat launch just north of the MacKay bridge.

RMI Marine's "Tidal Runner" [officially C16286NB] an aluminum hulled workboat / landing craft was standing by at the end of the slip, with no evidence of anyone aboard. It was later noted to be doing "unmanned vessel trials" in Bedford Basin.
I am assuming that this did not mean that it was being navigated by women*. Instead I believe it was being operated remotely from some other location. Since the maneuvers took place near the Defence Research and Development barge, perhaps it was doing the trials for that government agency.  

Update:
An "Unmanned" craft identified as C Cat 3 110 with British flag has been tracked by AIS in Bedford Basin. For further details see: https://www.asvglobal.com/product/c-cat-3/

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*Some of the Halifax ferries, at least one Dockyard tug {altough not currentlyt} , one ATL civilian tug and one tour boat in season, are regularly in command of women, with several female crew members on particularly navy and Coast Guard, but civilian also.
Rather than using the term "unmanned" I prefer to use autonomous, which seems to be the term favoured by industry. There have been numerous demonstrations of this technology - most recently a boat in Boston went through a variety of movements and used its firefighting equipment while controlled from New Orleans, 1500 miles away .
In 2018 the first remotely controlled long distance tow saw the tug Giano towing a 10,000 dwt loaded barge from Palermo, Sicily to Genoa. Remote controllers in Naples operated the tug for 264 nautical miles of the 430 nautical mile trip. 

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Ferbec - not ready yet

The bulker Ferbec arrived in Halifax March 13 to re-register in Canada on completion of a winter charter under the Barbados flag.

There have been some signs of life on the ship, but it apparently is not ready to go back to work yet. About mid-month the registry port of Bridgetown was painted over, and in the last day or two "Sorel" has reappeared on the stern. However as of this afternoon the ship was still flying the Barbados flag.

The delay may be due in part to ice conditions in the eastern Gulf where the ship will have to go to pick up cargo for its regular run. Havre St-Pierre was one of the areas hard hit by heavy ice, but now appears clear. However there is still quite bit of ice showing off Sept-Iles. The St.Lawrence River has a lot of broken and slush ice too depending on the area.

This particular ship is not the first  to use the delightful acronym "Fer" [iron] and "Bec" [Quebec]. The first Ferbec served CSL on the same Havre-St-Pierre / Sorel-Tracy run from 1977 to 2004 when it was retired and scrapped.
 

Ferbec number one, in the Narrows, lining up to enter the Novadock

While the colours in many of my older photos are "off" the slight pink tinge to the white bow paint is real. Despite constant hosing down, the iron ore dust clung to everything aboard the ship

 
A much bigger ship of 35,562 gt, 55,988 dwt, Ferbec (i) was a gearless bulker built by Ishikawajima Harijma [IHI] in Tokyo in 1966. It worked for NYK Line under the Japanese flag as Fugaku Maru. In 1977 Power Corporation of Canada Ltd, then parent company of CSL, acquired the ship and it took up the charter to QIT [Quebec Iron and Titanium]. From time to time the ship also carried iron ore from Port Cartier to Contrecouer.

Ferbec takes a break at its home port of Sorel.

 

In winter it was sometimes re-assigned, and I have record that it operated between Baltimore and Antwerp over the winter of 1979-1980. This may have been because of the Fednav position at CSL at the time.

As with the current Ferbec it was the largest ship in the CSL domestic fleet. In 1984 the ownership was vested in CSL Group Inc and in 1992 Canada Steamship Lines Inc, as the owners of CSL transitioned.

Ferbec did call in Halifax from time to time, usually for drydocking and layup. As an {old} Panamax ship, it fit neatly in the Novadock at Halifax Shipyard.

Lacuna, towing Pittco II towing Pitts No.12 past a very full Novadock.

CSL raised the ire of Greenpeace in December 2004 when the Ferbec was reported sold for scrap to India. The ship was believed to contain hazardous substances, which would not be recycled properly in that country due to its lack of environmental standards and unsafe working conditions.

On January 3, 2005 the ship's Canadian registry was closed and the ship was soon renamed Michalakis by new owners Sea Maritime Corp. The ship was admitted to Mongolian registry in the "port" of Ulan Bator and on February 1, 2005 it sailed from its layup berth in Montreal. It arrived, under its own power, at Alang March 24, 2005 where it was soon broken up.

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Quebec visitors

Two ships with Quebec connections made pit stops in Halifax today. Their Canadian careers are oddly parallel, though they are not connected in any way. Both came to the Canadian flag one day apart and both were registered in ports close to base of operations, rather than one of the larger ports.

First in was the geared bulker Ferbec owned by CSL. The ship is returning from the winter working under the Barbados flag (port of registry Bridgetown), and is in port to be reflagged Canadian. The ship was brought to Canada in 2017 to work a contract for Rio Tinto Fer et Titaine (RTFT).  Prior to that CSL had run the ship in Australia since 2010 as CSL Melbourne. It was built in 2002 by Nantong COSCO in China as Orientor, and also renamed Orientor 2 the same year. It and is a handymax bulker of 27,198 gt, 49,052 dwt, equipped with four cranes and clams. It is the only ship in CSL's domestic fleet that is too large for the St.Lawrence Seaway.

 Ferbec arrived in Halifax in March 2018 to be re-flagged.

CSL first registered the ship in Sorel, QC May 18, 2017, but it has been flagged out for the last two winters. During the navigation season it operates a constant shuttle between Havre St-Pierre and Sorel-Tracy. It carries ilmentite ore from the Tio open pit mine 43km inland from Havre St-Pierre. The mine produces blast rock which is crushed to 7.5cm and transferred by the Chemin de fer de la Rivière Romaine railroad to Havre St-Pierre. Once loaded on the ship it is transported to RTFT's reduction plant in Sorel-Tracy. There the ilmenite is reduced to its major components, iron and titanium dioxide. The latter is the main source for white pigment in paints and many other products.

 Upbound on the St.Lawrence river with a full load of ilmenite.

Ferbec transports enough ore each season to meet most of RTFT's needs. However they also have mines in Madagascar and Africa which are less expensive to operate, despite harsh criticism on environmental issues. The Tio mine also stockpiles its production and does not work year round. Last year it operated for 30 weeks, starting in mid-March with a  four week holiday break in July and shutting down in early November. For the previous two years it only operated for 24 weeks. This year it is expected to operate for 32 weeks. (There is year round activity at the mine site, but that is related to maintenance.)


Ferbec 's last port was Belfast, and it is expected to resume service by the end of the month.
As a footnote, Rio Tinto renamed the operation when it took over. It was previously known as Quebec Iron and Titanium (QIT) and some of its operations still use those initials. Also the mine is near a lake called Lac Allard, but since there is another Lac Allard in the Laurentian region north of Montreal, the RTFT mine area is now referred to as Tio or Lac Tio.

A bulk carrier of a very different sort arrived at noon time. NACC Quebec is specialized cement powder carrier. Built as the general cargo ship Tenace in 2011 by Tuzla Gemi Endustrisi, in Turley, it was converted in 2016 to transport bulk cement and to unload via a special pneumatic system. It can also carry different grades of cement. As part of the conversion, carried out in China, it was fitted with an Alfa Laval Pure SOx (sulphur dioxide) exhaust gas scrubber. Its tonnages are now 10,243 gt, 15,286 dwt.

The ship is owned by NACC Shipping Canada Ltd, a joint venture of Algoma Central Marine and Nova Marine Holdings of Switzerland.The ship operates from the Ciment McInnis facility in Port Daniel-Gascons, QC, and delivers the cement seasonally to the Great Lakes region. In winter it delivers to Providence, RI and Bronx, NY. It was first registered in Gaspé on May 19, 201, and has remained under Canadian flag year round.

 An unmistakable sight on the St.Lawrence with its odd funnel, containing an exhaust gas scrubber, and its unusual unloading system.

McInnis (founded by the Beaudoin family, descendants of the Bombardier founder) quarries the limestone, produces Portland cement, and loads ships all at the same site on the south shore of the Gaspé peninsula on the Baie de Chaleur. Despite environmental concerns over its huge carbon emission footprint, the $1.5 billion operation has created jobs and pays a hefty tax bill in an area of low employment. Cost overruns estimated at more than $600 mn forced the main investors, Quebec government agencies, to take over control of the operation. They tried to sell the operation to recoup their losses, but bids were too low and so far its production has not risen to break even levels. 

Atlantic Willow stands by to assist the ship into pier 9B. The scrapes on the ship's hull are signs of many passages through the St.Lawrence Seaway.

The ship has remained Canadian all winter, although someone should touch up the acute accent on its port of registry. 

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Canada 2, Netherlands 1

No not the final score in a game, but the results of some photo taking today.

The Netherlands flag Muntgracht arrived for Spliethoff's on its regular visit. This is an "M' class ship, instead of the usual "F" class. Somewhat larger at 9524 grt, 11,744, it carries three 80 tonne cranes on the starboard side. Built in 2012 by Zhejiang Ouhua in Zhenshan, it appears to have more accommodation sace than other ships of its size.

With the St.Lawrence Seaway re-opening at the end of this week, Spliethoff will be resuming their monthly Cleveland-Europe Express service for container and breakbulk. They recently announced the addition of a second ship to the route to meet demand.

Also St.Lawrence related, but not the Seaway itself, CSL's Ferbec arrived flying the Barbados flag. It is in port to re-flag to Canadian and take on a Canadian crew. The ship was flagged out in December 2017 to work overseas, but will soon resume its dedicated run between Havre-St-Pierre, QC and Tracy, QC for Rio Tinto Fer et Titaine. carrying iron and titanium ore. (The ship is too large to fit the St.Lawrence Seaway locks).

The ship was brought to Canada last year after working as CSL Melbourne since 2015. It was built in 2002 by Nantong Cosco as Orientor, but was soon renamed Orientor 2, a name it carried until acquired by CSL in 2010. The 27,198 grt, 49,502 dwt handymax bulker carries four cranes and grabs for unloading.


The dual fuel Canadian flag tanker Damia Desgagnés remained at anchor today, but will move back to McAsphalt later this evening when the wind dies down to resume unloading.

Instead of the usual slop tanks on deck, the ship carries its LNG fuel in large cylinders.

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Ferbec - Quebec Report #11

Another ship that may be a familiar sight on the St.Lawrence for some time to come is the bulk carrier Ferbec. The largest ship in the CSL domestic fleet, it is also the second ship to carry the name for the comapny and is plying the same route as its illustrious predecessor.

The ship carries ilmenite ore from Havre-St-Pierre to Sorel-Tracy on a continuous shuttle operation for Rio Tinto Fet et Titane.

The current Ferbec entered service in May of this year when it was registered in Sorel May 18. It was previously sailing for CSL's international fleet as CSL Melbourne since 2010. Built in 2002 by Nantong Cosco KHI in Nantong, as Orientor and carried the name Orientor 2 from 2002 to 2010. It is a Handy Size bulker of 27,198 grt, 49,502 dwt fitted with four cranes and grabs to work cargo.

Its predecessor of the same name was a gearless bulker, built in 1966 by IHI, Tokyo as Fugaku Maru and acquired and renamed by CSL in 1977. Its sale for scrap in 2005 raised the ire of environmentalists, because it was known to contain hazardous materials. Renamed Michalakis under the Mongolian flag, it sailed to Alang, India where it was beached for scrapping March 24, 2005.

Havre-St-Pierre is the loading port for the ore, which is mined at Lac Allard 43 km inland and transporter by rail to the port. Established in 1950 by Quebec Iron and Titanium (QIT) the mine yields high grade titanium dioxide which is refined to development metal powders used as white pigment for paints, paper and numerous other commodities.

The mine has been operating at reduced capacity for some time and will only run for 24 weeks this year, however that may result in a sufficient stockpile to keep the ship running. However Rio Tinto has another mine, this one in Madagascar, that could potentially supply the Sorel-Tracy operation at lower cost.

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