Navy News

I have been neglecting navy news for the last few days simply because there was so much other shipping activity in Halifax Harbour.

The week started off on Sunday, June 26 with the sailing of two RCN ships for a four month tour of duty with NATO's Operation Reassurance in the North Atlantic and Baltic Sea. Both are coastal defence vessels that can do a wide range of work depending on which of several equipment modules they are carrying. Their principal duties however relate to mine countermeasures.

HMCS Kingston will be deploying an autonomous underwater vehicle and HMCS Summerside will be carrying a clearance dive team.

Kingston MM 700 is the lead ship of the class of twelve vessels, built by Halifax Shipyard. It was launched August 12, 1995 and commissioned in 1996.

HMCS Summerside MM 711 launched September 25, 1998 and was commissioned in 1999.

Altough difficult to see in the above photo, the ships are powered by diesel electric driven azimuthing stern drives (Z-drives) which give them manoeuvrability similar to harbour tugs.

Two frigates currently assigned to NATO, HMCS Montreal and HMCS Halifax are due to return to Halifax in July. Other ships are doing training or working up for future assignments. One ship has been exercising in near waters off Halifax for the last few weeks and is in and out of port frequently.

 HMCS Fredericton FFH 337 is a Halifax class general purpose / anti-submarine patrol frigate commissioned in 1994. It was built by Saint John Shipbuilding in Saint John, NB. The ship has served in a variety of missions including a six-month NATO deployment ending in late 2021.

And now for something completely different - yes the Royal Navy really does have an icebreaker. Used principally in the antarctic regions for hydrographic charting and various kinds of research, the ship is also a highly capable icebreaker and patrol vessel. HMS Protector A173 is taking a special route home this year. In early June it participated in the resumed Fleet Week in New York, followed by calls in Montreal and Quebec City. It then visited Sydney, NS where it was hosted by the Canadian Coast Guard College. Several Protector crew trained with the CCG in the Canadian arctic in 2020 and 2021.

The ship arrived in Halifax this morning, June 28, and tied up at Navy jetty Bravo 3.

The ship started life in 2000 as the Norwegian privately owned antarctic class icebreaker Polarbjørn, with a hull built by Western Shiprepair Yard in Klaipeda, Lithuania and outfitted by Havyard in Leirvik, Norway. Original owners were G.C. Rieber (once well known in Halifax from their fleet of sealer / researchers), who used the ship for expeditions and subsea work. In 2011 the Royal Navy chartered the ship and commissioned it as HMS Protector. In 2013 they purchased the ship outright.

HMS Protector is outfitted with huge array of equipment including a 50 tonne crane, a 25 tonne A-frame gantry and several small craft. In addition to survey and research work it has also carried out supply and rescue missions and humanitarian work.

The ship's Commanding Officer is Capt. Maryla (Milly) Ingham, the highest ranking female RN naval officer to command a ship. Capt. Ingham has commanded several ships in her RN career, but has reached the rank required for command of a large ship.

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Big Ships, and various updates

Container lines keep adding bigger ships to their fleets, and placing them on routes that once were served by much smaller ships. This certainly places pressure on the ports and terminals they visit to be able to berth and serve the larger ships efficiently. PSA Halifax is able to handle two "Ultra" class ships (larger than 10,000 TEU, 350m long) at the same time. Thanks to the most recent extension to Pier 42 they can berth the ships, but they do not yet have sufficient cranes to work the ships efficiently. 

One new crane is reported to be on order and there is an option for another. But with build times of up to 18 months, crane manufacturers have backlogs and it will years before the second crane arrives. By that time even larger ships will be calling and there will likely be demand for even more cranes. Certainly if there are two Ultra class ships, or even two moderately large ships in port at the same time, they need to be served quickly or the port loses advantage over other ports.The Port of Saint John will apparently be getting some cranes second hand from Prince Rupert, BC. Terminal operator DP World took delivery of the largest crane in Canada in Prince Rupert in June 2021, and will transfer a pair of older cranes to their newly enlarged Saint John operation.

Today's arrival at PSA Halifax seems to have had a domino effect on other ships.

CMA CGM Hermes arrives this morning February 9, while ZIM Vancouver continues to wait at an outer anchorage (it has been there since at least February 5). The ship used all four harbour tugs to berth, including Atlantic Oak the stern tethered escort tug that met the ship off the pilot station, (in the photo the fourth tug is not visible on ship's starboard side) .
 

CMA CGM Hermes is still very new, just delivered by Chinese builders in October. The 154,995 gt, 156,500 dwt ship, with a capacity of 15,536 TEU, including 1800 reefers, is about 1,000 TEU shy of being the largest container ship to call in Halifax, but at 366m x 51m it still monopolizes the resources (including cranes) of PSA Halifax. 

CMA CGM Hermes was built to Tier III emission standards and has numerous eco-friendly features. Builders are reported by some sources to be Shanghai Jiangnan Chiangxing Shipbuilding Co Ltd, and by others as Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding Co (the latter may be the parent company - both are state owned).

PSA Halifax is also expecting the MSC Leigh later in the day, so will be full with its arrival.

The Fairview Cove container facility at the north end was also busy with ONE Majesty at the west berth on THE Alliance's AL5 route. It was joined by the MSC Tianjin (see February 7 post) on the Indus2 run, which had moved from PSA Halifax to Bedford Basin anchorage and moved again today, to Fairview Cove's east berth.

ONE Majesty is the former MOL Majesty, which was renamed and repainted in 2021. Built in 2010 by Mitsubishi, Kobe, it is a 78,316 gt, 79,443 dwt ship with a capacity of 6724 TEU,  including 500 reefers.

It seems that Fairview Cove may have been doing PSA and MSC a favour by allowing the MSC Tianjin to use the east berth, likely for repairs, since it did not appear to be working cargo. There is still no word on whether PSA's takeover of the Fairview lease will be permitted under the competition laws. Cooperation between the two is not unheard of however as the Southend terminal under Halterm operation and now PSA has accommodated ships in the past that were too large to reach Fairview Cove.
 

 MSC Tianjin, as previously reported, arrived off Halifax February 4 and anchored for a time until entering port on February 5. Built in 2005 by Samsung Koje it is a 89,097 gt, 105,528 dwt ship with a capacity of 8063 TEU, including a very large capacity of 1400 reefers. It was built as OOCL Tianjin, renamed GSL Tianjin in 2007 and became CMA CGM Tianjin in 2019.

Note both ships have substantial container lashing bridges at the stern, a feature common on ships built for Pacific Ocean service where large following seas can wash containers overboard.

Updates

Stormy weather again February 8, caused Star Pyxis to drag anchor in Bedford Basin, and a pilot was called to re-anchor the ship. It was re-established somewhat to the south of where it had been. (See previous post).

I like to get pictures of ships from both sides!

Also in Beford Basin Algoma Integrity was taking on cargo at Gold Bond Gypsum.

HMCS Kingston has been exercising in the Basin for the past few days with HMCS Summerside. While the latter was nowhere to be seen today, Kingston was in an unusual anchorage position off Rockingham in an area where large ships don't go.

The lead ship of its class, it was launched by Halifax Shipyard August 12, 1995 and commissioned September 21, 1966.

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1. Mystery Ship Griffon Rock and 2. Federal Swift

1. Mystery Ship Griffon Rock

Those who follow Halifax harbour by means of AIS or satellite signal would be mystified by the presence of a ship identified as Griffon Rock tied up at Sackville Landing, giving as its destination "Frosty Bay". However when pressing the information button, up pops a picture of HMCS Kingston MM700.

And indeed it is the Kingston tied up at what is the normal summer berth of ex HMCS Sackville. The Kingston is open to the public starting today and for this weekend as part of the waterfront's Evergreen Festival. Despite several inches of snow on the piers today, rain and mild temperartures are in the forecast for Saturday December 11.

HMCS Kingston is the lead ship of the RCN's Maritime Coastal Defence Vessels. It was was built by Halifax Shipyards in 1995 and commissioned in 1996.

2. Federal Swift

The bulk carrier Federal Swift arrived overnight and went to anchor in the lower harbour.

It is a "Handysize" ship of 24,196 gt, 37,140 dwt, built in 2012 by Zhejiang Ouhua Shipbuilding Co in Zhoushan, China and is equipped with four cranes of 30 tonnes capacity. Although registered in the Marshall Islands, it is owned by the Canadian Company Fednav through a subsidiary, Federal Cornwallis Ltd and is managed by Anglo-Eastern Ship Management, which is based in Hong Kong.

The ship's last port was Santos, Brazil, which is the largest port in South America, and a major sugar exporter. If it is carrying raw sugar the ship may be headed for Montreal or even Toronto with such a cargo. Fednav ships are major users of the St.Lawrence Seaway with four or five ships in the system at any one time, importing a variety of cargoes and usually carrying export grain outbound.

While at anchor the ship was joined by the launch Captain's Pride, which usually means that divers are working on the ship, likely hull cleaning or propellor tuning.

I imagine that the ship's crew will be pleased about the rain in forecast. It will relieve them of having to clear ice and snow from the deck and hatch covers. A couple of the crew can be seen on the hatch, in line with the gangway /pilot ladder, but they do not appear to be sweeping.

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What's In Port

 It was a quiet November 11 in the port, with arrivals and departures mostly happening in the dark. Irving Oil had the East Coast arriving from Boston last night and due to sail this evening.

As one of Irving Oil's Canadian flag tankers it is more often seen in Canadian ports, but it is also well known in several northeastern US ports.

The 23,552 gt, 37,515 dwt ship was built in 2005 by Hyundai, Mipo and is on long term charter from Vroon / Iver .

Imperial Oil also had a tanker alongside. Hafnia Lise is a 29,658 gt, 49,876 dwt vessel, built in 2016 by Guangzhou International. It is notable for having enclosed bridge wings.

Its last port was Port Neches, TX, situated between Port Arthur and Beaumont on Sabine Lake.

The Atlantic Sail arrived in the late afternoon for Fairview Cove.

PSA Halifax had the Edison alongside all day. It arrived in the early morning and is not due to sail before midnight. It is the first time the ship has called in Halifax, and regrettably photos were awkward to say the least.

Owned by Zodiac Maritime Ltd it is operating on the Ocean Alliance, CMA CGM, COSCO, Evergreen, OOCL service, better known as the Columbus Loop. It is a 142,052 gt, 141,448 dwt ship with a capacity of 13,092 TEU including 1,000 reefers. It was built in 2011 by Hyundai Samho as Maersk Edison. On completion of the Maersk charter it became Edison in 2017.

As with many of the larger container ships, it has a split superstructure with accommodation and bridge forward and engine toward to the stern.

Remembrance Day obervances were held in severla locations, with HMCS Kingston standing by off the Navy Memorial at Point Pleasant.

                                                              (File photo - not taken today)

 

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Naval Gazing

HMCS Fredericton emerged from under its cocoon earlier this month, then moved from the Graving Dock to the Machine Shop Wharf at Halifax Shipyard last Wednesday. It had been in the shipyard since last fall, most of the time completely tarped in, to allow work to continue out of the weather. It is widely believed that the Shipyard will build a structure over the graving dock to allow for all weather work.

Cryptically referred to as undergoing a "Docking Work Period", it was in the Graving Dock for nine months. At a reported cost of $30 million, the DWP would seem to have included more than just the "routine maintenance and upgrades" phrase also used to describe the work. The Halifax class ship, commissioned in  September 1994, had its FELEX upgrade at the Shipyard from October 2011 to January 2013, then returned to HMC Dockyard for more work, returning to service late in 2014. It is the second ship to have a "DWP" - HMCS Halifax was first.

While gazing at Fredericton yesterday, HMCS Kingston sailed by on its way to Bedford Basin for the day.

Lead ship of the Maritime Coastal Defence Vessels, Kingston was launched by Halifax Shipyard August 12, 1995. It was the first naval launch at the yard in thirty years, and marked the start of the a resurgence in activity at the yard, culminating in the present day position of the yard as the main driver of the Halifax industrial economy.

Originally built as minesweepers, the ships are now largely relegated to training and flag showing, but have participated in NATO and drug interdiction activities. Their future remains in doubt, as a mid-life refit program was cancelled. Instead it is expected that the 12 vessels will be retired as the five (or six?) Arctic Offshore Patrol Vessels now under construction at Halifax Shipyard enter service.

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The Dickens you say............

Yes it was a busy day in Halifax harbour - here is a roundup:

First off the arrival of Charles Dickens for the G6 Alliance PAX service - the latest in a series of one-off ships, on short term charters to fill in for ships on refit or those that have been replaced on the route.

Charles Dickens is the former Maersk Danbury, just off a long term charter late last year, the ship still carries Maersk's colours, but has had the banner name and funnel mark painted over. Registered in Liberia, and owned by Norddeutsche Reederei Schuldt of Germany, the ship was built in 2005 by Hanjin Heavy Industry and Construction of Busan, South Korea. With tonnages of 54,271 gross, 67,601 dwt, it has a capacity of 4944 TEU.

Frio Kyknos was back in Halifax again, this time for bunkers. The ship was here April 1 to 3 for Asian Gypsy Moth inspection. Since then I assume it unloaded a cargo of fish in Newfoundland.

This time the ship is in light condition, and despite sloppy seas outside, the pilot likely had an easier time disembarking. When it arrived April 1, the pilot boat had to lead the ship in. Due to its low freeboard, its decks were awash and the pilot could not board at the pilot station.
The ship gave its destination as Iceland. Since there is still a great deal of ice off the east coast of Newfoundland and Labrador, the ship will be taking a southerly route to meet up with the Gulf stream, but even so coming to Halifax for bunkers took the ship at least a day or two's sailing off its course.

The ferry Halifax III was back in service after a short disruption yesterday due to a minor breakdown.

Fleetmate Woodside I is already out of service for regular maintenance, and Sunday service was replaced by buses the last two weekends due to repairs in the Dartmouth ferry terminal.

Siem Pilot is gearing up for work offshore. As previously reported, the ship is serve as an accommodation vessels for diving off Sable Island. It has now been fitted with equipment from Dominion Diving, and  yesterday took fuel at Imperial Oil. Last night it did calibration work off the Mobil dock (where the water is too shallow for it to tie up).

This evening the ship moved out into Bedford Basin for further trials. Its original coasting license was from March 24 to April 25, on a charter to Secunda LLP..

The Maritime Coastal Defense vessels HMCS Glace Bay and Kingston returned to Halifax after exercises in southern waters. Kingston had a minor fire on Saturday off the Carolinas, but it was extinguished by the crew without injury. It does not seem to have effected the ship's ability  sail home unaided.

First in was Glace Bay looking quite smart with a stiff gale of wind chasing it along in bright sunshine.

An hour later when Kingston came up, the wind had brought in the fog and the start of light drizzle. The air temperature was about 14 degrees C, but the water temperature was still at 2 degrees C - a perfect recipe for fog. The ship showed no outward signs of any fire.

So with all this activity - what did I miss?

The US flag autocarrier Courage arrived from Baltimore and sailed for Antwerp - going in the opposite direction for most car boats.Built as Aida in 2005 by Hitachi Shipbuilding in Maizuru, Japan, the ship has flown the US flag since 2005. It operates for American Roll-On Roll-Off and is managed by Crowley Technical Management Inc.

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Kingston off for refit + addendum

HMCS Kingston left Halifax at noon time for refit. The lead vessel in the Kingston class of Maritime Coastal Defense Vessels left as a dead ship, in tow of CFAV Glenbrook. CFAV Merrickville assisted and took off the deck crew once the unwieldy tow was under way into a stiff breeze.

Laid down at Halifax Shipyard December 12, 1994, it was launched August 12, 1995. After a significant trials period, in which inherent stability* issues were addressed, the ship was commissioned September 21, 1996.

A mid-life extension refit program for these ships was cancelled last year. The ships were to have been refitted to last until 2040 -2045, but due to their under-performance** it was decided instead to replace them in 2020.

Addenda

* this term has been disputed by a well informed source. All issues were resolved during inclining tests and before delivery with a minor ballast adjustment to compensate for assymetrical equipment layout.

** this term has also been disputed. The ships met specification completely and even met projected end of life requirments.

Since these ships are crewed entirely by reservists, and see only limited year round duty, it is more likely that the ships were considered to be "under-utilized" by the bean counters. This may be the reason for their projected short lifetime.

They have made transatlantic trips, and are without doubt well built.