Gypsum and a New Name

 Gypsum

Gypsum has been leaving Halifax at a great rate over the last few days - possibly to build stockpiles over Christmas. Whatever the reason, there have been three ship loads since Monday (December 19).

Rt. Hon. Paul E. Martin took less than a full load on Monday, as it sailed for US BUH. This is its second trip to Halifax this month. On the previous call, December 4-5, it loaded for Savannah, GA and Wilmington, NC. The 43,691 gt 71,406 dwt ship was built in 2012 by Chengxi Shipyard in Jiangyin, China. It is one of five Trillium class ocean going self-unloaders working in the CSL Americas pool.

As it nears it tenth year in service, it completed its second five-year class renewal survey in October before moving back from European waters to North America. That survey would have included drydocking, which was an opportunity for new hull paint. Draft marks and bulkhead locations still looked fresh as the ship cleared the MacKay bridge for sea.

Mid-day Tuesday December 20 the Canadian flag self-unloading bulker Baie St. Paul arrived from Quebec City and docked at Gold Bond gypsum. It is one of four Trillium class Seawaymax self-unloaders built for CSL's domestic fleet. Dating from 2012 the 24,430 gt, was also built by Chengxi, Jiangyin. Originally intended for restricted Seaway and Gulf use (29,650 dwt at Seaway 26'-6" draft) it was strengthened for short sea work and can load to 35,564 dwt (mid-summer, 30'-3" fresh water draft).However dwt tonnnage is generally recorded at 34,490 tonnes.

This morning (Wednesday, December 21) it completed loading and sailed once again for Côte-Ste-Catherine, QC. (Its last visit December 2-5 was to the same destination.)

Meanwhile its sister ship Thunder Bay (same dimensions and specs, but built in 2013) had arrived later December 20 and anchored in the lower harbour. This morning Thunder Bay got underway and cleared the Narrows first (with the tug Atlantic Bear alongside.)

The ships then arranged a port-to-port meet in Bedford Basin as the loaded Baie St. Paul made for the Narrows.

Getting both ships in the same photo is a rare opportunity - not to be missed.
 

 Unlike the newly painted Rt. Hon. Paul E. Martin the Canadian ships are scuffed up from constantly working through the Seaway locks. There is no chance (and no point) in trying to keep paint on the hull as it could be worn off before drying.

New Name

I am batting somewhat less than .500 on predictions recently - but stats can be misleading! I was correct in reporting in my last post that the tanker Alkaios would be renamed Madelyn Grace.  I was incorrect (partly) that weather would prevent painting. This morning I noted the new name has been painted on the bow (somewhat less than expertly - but I'm no expert).

 My prediction that the handover to new owners would take up to a week was way off. The ship sailed late this afternoon for Rotterdam. (I was correct in assuming that the large "Capital" banners and other logos and funnel marks would have to remain to another time and another place before repainting.)

Although the ship was still carrying the name Alkaios when it arrived in Halifax September 18, it was officially renamed before tying up at Pier 25, December 19, and perhaps even before arriving here.

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Tankers x 4 and begining of the end

 PART 1 (There is a Part 2 - scroll Way down)

It was a day (December 19) for tanker activity in Halifax after several days of delays due to high winds:

Tanker 1

The handsome Alkaios arrived last evening from New York (and Carteret NJ) and anchored in Bedford Basin. Unusual for a tanker arriving in Halifax, the ship is quite obviously in ballast.

Built in 2016 by Samsung Ningbo in Ningbo, China it is an ECO MidRange design of 29,770 gt, 50,137 dwt. (A very low ratio of gt to dwt, indicating an efficient use of space.) Owners are listed as Hercules Product Carrier SA, and the ship's name derives from one of many characters in Greek mythology.

This morning the ship moved through the Narrows to the lower harbour.

It was then met by tugs and eased into Pier 25 - a most unusual berth for a tanker.

In September it was announced that operators Capital Ship Management (part of the Evangelos Marinakis shipping group) had sold the ship and sister vessel Archon to Tufton Oceanic for $73 mn. The ship has now been placed under the management of Zeaborn Ship Management Tanker with a three to five year fixed rate charter to Trafigura. 

The visit to Pier 25 is to carry out handover activities. The actual transaction was to have taken effect in November. Part of the handover will include a change of name to Madelyn Grace. Registry will  change from Liberia to the Marshall Islands. Weather here is not suitable for painting over the large "Capital" billboards and flag motifs - that will have to wait until the ship reaches a warmer and dryer climate. I assume that there will be a complete crew change too, so it may be some time (perhaps after Christmas) before the ship sails.

Tanker 2

Algoscotia is a Canadian flag coastal tanker and it also arrived last night. It anchored in the lower harbour, and is scheduled to move to Imperial Oil as soon as the berth is clear.

The ship is returning from Sydney, NS and CornerBrook, NL where it delivered some product loaded in Halifax last week. Built in 2004 by Jiangnan Shipyard (Group)'s Qiuxin Shipyard in China, it is a 13,352 gt, 18,610 dwt ship and carries LR Ice Class 1A.

Tanker 3

An unusual tanker, with an unusual name arrived last night after it was weather delayed from its expected arrival of December 16. The Amigo is an asphalt / bitumen tanker built in 2012 by 3 Maj Brodogradiliste, Rijeka, Croatia. The 10,866 gt, 14,911 dwt ship was originally named Palanca Luanda and took its present name in 2018. It is now operated by Puma Energy Supply and Trading and arrived from Baltimore. (Prior to that it was in Saint John, NB December 3-4.)

The ship was due to sail for Montreal at mid-day, and did get underway from anchorage. However it came about in the Middle Ground area and returned to number one anchorage. I can only describe this as very unusual and likely in response to some kind of emergency. A larger ship could not have made such a tight turn. The ship is now scheduled to sail overnight.

Tanker 4

The Sea Caelum arrived Friday December 14 and also anchored until Saturday when it moved in alongside Imperial Oil dock 3. The ship will be offloading product from Antwerp, a common source for Imperial Oil's local needs.

The ship is named for a faint constellation in the southern sky - and its photo is also faint thanks to today's light mist. (The name comes from the Latin for "sky" or "heaven" and the 'c' is pronounced as an 's' according to all-knowing Wikipedia.)

A MidRange tanker of 30,946 gt, 45,999 dwt, it was built as British Mariner in 2016 by Hyundai Mipo, Ulsan. It became Maersk Caelum in 2020 and was renamed again earlier this year. It is operated by the Singapore based Synergy Marine Group's Copenhagen office. (Synergy manages 265 ships of all kinds.) When built for British Petroleum, it was name ship for a class of specialist tankers that could carry a variety of clean and dirty fuels and even crude oil of needed. A sister ship, British Sailor called here for Irving Oil in December 2017 and June 2018.
 

Part 2

Begining of the End

As posted previously the now-decommisioned Hudson was moved today from the Bedford Institute to Pier 9C where the demolition process is to begin. The ship had no power of its own, and a scatch crew of deck hands retrieved the mooring lines without the help of winches.

As the tugs Atlantic Willow (bow) and Atlantic Fir (stern) moved the ship away from the berth there was an eerie farewell whistle salute - probably from the CCGS Alfred Needler and a barely audible peep from the CCGS G.Peddle S.C.

Ugly scuff marks on the hull show where the ship has been ranging up against the dock since returning to Halifax January 24, 2022. The ship was retired unexpectedly earlier this year after a propulsion motor fault in November 2021. That forced the ship to cancel scientific work and to return to St.John's where it was determined that repairs were not warranted. Unlike its ceremonial return in January, today's "cold move" was made without fanfare. After unspecified work is carried out at Pier 9C the Hudson will be towed to Sheet Harbour where it will be cut up by R.J.MacIsaac Construction Ltd. See Shipfax post of November 30.

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