Long Weekend - Assignment 2

What could have been a serious incident was averted today more by luck than good planning.

The cruise ship Maasdam arrived this morning and tied up at pier 22 on one its regular visits.

Maasdam gliding in to port this morning.

 

Soon after tying up it was joined by the tug Gulf Spray with its scow and motorboat, used to remove garbage and recyclables. The barge tied up on the waterside of the ship and the transfer got underway. Normally the barge (or sometimes more than one barge) remain beside the ship all day, along with the motorboat. The tug usually does not remain.

Gulf Spray sets out from the old Coast Guard base in Dartmouth to pier 22 to remove refuse from the Maasdam. The motorboat and barge remain alongside for most of the day.

Late in the afternoon the CCGS G.Peddle S.C. entered port and raced up the west side of George's Island, paying no heed to the barge alongside, leaving a significant wake, which tore into the barge tossing it about madly.

By the time CCGS G. Peddle S.C. reached the Narrows it was travelling at a sensible speed.

Fortunately the barge and motorboat crews were alert and took precautions, and there were no parted lines nor injuries.

This incident raises two questions:
1. Is the CCG immune to the harbour speed rules?  There was no emergency which would have caused the G.Peddle to exceed the safe speed in the harbour.
Who was on watch on the G.Peddle that could not have seen the barge alongside the cruise ship or would have been so unaware that there was likely to be a barge alongside?
The only objective as I could see was that  the G.Peddle was in "hurry home" mode.

2. Who was on watch at Halifax Traffic? Surely an attentive watchstander at Halifax Traffic would have noted the G.Peddle's speed and been aware that it was bearing down on the barge.
I do not know if the barge had asked for a "low wake" notice - if they did, then Halifax Traffic was really asleep on the job. But even if they didn't, Halifax Traffic should have alerted the G.Peddle to the effect that there was a barge alongside.

There is a great reluctance by Halifax Traffic (and most VTS services) to interfere with the ship's master's conduct - but if there had been an injury or damage, I think Halifax Traffic would have been found to have a duty beyond that of a spectator like me. I could see a potential disaster about to happen but had no power to stop it. Halifax Traffic did have that power.

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Best Deal in Town

The Best Deal in Town to me has always been a ferry trip across Halifax Harbour. Although the price has increased over the years, the $1.75 one way price also entitles you to a transfer to bus routes for no additional charge.
Today was an exceptional day for the end of January - mostly sunny, little wind and and a temperature several degrees above zero. It was ideal for a quick round trip errand to Dartmouth - over, errand and back in one hour.

I went to Dartmouth on Craig Blake the second of the second generation ferries, completed in 2015.
 

 Among the features of this revised design is the larger wheelhouse, and exhaust stacks.

The new design wheelhouse has more room, but also better visibility of the approaches and the landing stages. (The flag on the left is the Acadian flag, a french tricolour differenced with a gold star.)

 The original 1978 version on Halifax III (which was on the Woodside run today, with Woodside I) had a much smaller pilothouse, which was offset to one side to allow for "eyebrows" on the landing stages. These shelters have now been removed to suit the newer ferries.

I returned on the newest of the second generation boats, Viola Desmond.

 Delivered to Halifax  by the builders, A.F.Thériault + Son Ltd, from Meteghan River June 12, 2016, it entered service July 7.

This was my first trip aboard, so I took the opportunity of photographing the plaque that commemorates the vessels namesake.

There was no passing shipping during my trip, but there were views of ships nevertheless. At HMC Dockyard, HMCS Athabaskan was alongside.

The last survivor of the Tribal class vessels, it is also Canada's only destroyer. By current estimates, when it is decommissioned, the RCN will be without a destroyer, and the command capabilities that go with it, for as much as ten if not fifteen years.

On the Dartmouth side, the former Canadian Coast Guard base, in the process of transformation to an ocean research centre, is the winter berth for several vessels.

The research ships Leeway Odyssey (red hull) and Coriolis II ( blue, white, yellow hull) have been joined in recent days by the Secunda Marine supplier Scotian Sea. It had been working for Shell Oil's exploration program with Stena IceMAX . That programn has been wound up, the drill ship has offloaded all its drill pipe and has now sailed for Las Palmas. en route to its next assignment.

Also tied up at the base are the retired first generation ferry Dartmouth III and the supplier Trinity Sea (out of the not picture to the right).

At the Alderney landing dock the first of the second generation ferries Christopher Stannix (delivered in 2014), was enjoying a day off.  It received its paint scheme before Metro Transit and Halifax itself was re-branded with the cross bar-free letter A. It thus escaped the dazzle paint scheme reminiscent of World War I that its later fleetmates received (see above). I hope the next two ferries - to be delivered in 2017 and 2018 will have another variation, (World War II camo perhpas?)  just because it is nice to be able to distinguish between them.

Astern is the Dartmouth-built trawler yacht Full Steam and alongside the seawall the tug Gulf Spray is laid up for the winter. It will be back at work in April shuttling refuse scows to cruise ships.

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Small tugs for Big Ships

Two small tugs went to work this morning to serve two big ships. The cruise ships Maasdam and Norwegian Gem did not need tugs to berth at pier 21 and pier 22 respectively, but they did require servicing once they did tie up.
First alongside Maasdam was Dominion Diving's Big Steel, working as a dive tender:

Built in 1955 for the RCN as YMU 116 and later renamed YMU 116. It has a compressor and hose rack on deck to support diving. The boat has also worked as a pilot boat, line boat and tug.

Meanwhile working its way across the harbour, Gulf Spray with the barge D/B Gavin David and the assist boat Harbour Runner:

Gulf Spray was built in 1959 and extensively rebuilt in 2007. Last March its house and bulwarks were seriously damaged in a storm, but the boat has been repaired and is back in full service. (See Tugfax of March 28 and March 31 for details on the damage.)
Sister blog Tugfax normally covers tug activity in Halifax.

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