Older Ships - Maersk Patras

 Container lines continue the roller coaster ride of recent years. When shipping rates went through the roof during the height of COVID the lines made colossal profits. Now with rates in free fall, the lines are registering huge losses. Adding to the grief will be the delivery of many new ships this year and next, even as demand craters. 

Maersk Line, which opted not to order new ships, is not immune from the falling profits. Not only that but it has ceded its former position as the largest container line to MSC, which continued on an acquistion spree of older ships. Both lines are now facing the situation of an over supply of capacity.

The only solution appears to be the scrap yards for older ships. MSC is delivering two or three ships a week to the scrappers, and now I see Maersk has sent a familiar ship to the demolition yard.

Maersk Patras was a regular caller to Halifax from 2011 on what is now the joint Maersk Lines / CMA CGM Canada Atlantic Express /St-Laurent 1 service. Ships on that line run weekly from Rotterdam and Antwerp to Montreal and return (via Halifax optionally) to Bremerhaven. The Maersk ships on the line were replaced earlier this year with newer ships, displaced from Baltic / Russia lines, and reassigned to other routes.

Maersk Patras was one of five sister ships built in 1998 by Kvaerner Warno Werft, Warnemunde for P+O Nedlloyd. The joint British / Dutch company, formed in 1997, was taken over in 2005 by AP Moller-Maersk's Maersk-Sealand. The merged company was renamed Maersk Lines. PONL ships were then renamed with Maersk names.

The five ex PONL 31,333 gt, 37,842 dwt ships had a capacity of 2890 TEU, including 400 reefers.  Four of the five were assigned to a Canadian service, then called MMX / Montreal Mediterranean Express.

In fact the former P+O Nedlloyd Marseille, seen here on the St.Lawrence as Maersk Patras August 17, 2007, served for a time with only the Maersk colours on its funnel. Its hull was likely repainted during a regular drydocking in 2008 and again in 2013. 

2013-09-21 (above) - 2018-12-04 (below)

It was repainted again in early 2018, and looked quite smart. (Note the "heritage" containers from P+O Nedlloyd, SAFMarine, Maersk Sea-Land and Hamburg-Sud in the photos. All companies taken over by Maersk.) I assume it was not repainted again in 2023 with the new style white lettering on the hull.

 Sister ships P+O Nedlloyd Jakarta became Maersk Penang and is still in service, as is the formern P+O Nedlloyd Auckland, which after spell as Lykes Pioneer from 2000 to 2002, became Maersk Palermo. Another sister, P+O Nedlloyd Sydney became Maersk Pembroke and after a fire at sea was broken up in 2017. All of these ships served the St.Lawrence and Halifax route at one time. The fifth sister ship P+ONedlloyd Genoa, became Maersk Phuket and never called in Halifax. It was renamed Phuket for the trip to the breakers in 2018.

 Maersk Patras, probably looking a little worse for the wear, is reported August 20, in the Bhavnagar anchorages, the last stop before beaching at the Alang scrappers, about 50 km away. (The area is on a deep inlet off the Arabian Sea called the Gulf of Khambat, north of Mumbai on the west coast of India).

Maersk and CMA CGM - all change

Since 2010 Maersk and CMA CGM have called in Halifax on their jointly operated weekly North Atlantic service, named CAE (Canada Atlantic Express) and St-Laurent I respectively. The normal route is:

Westbound: Bremerhaven, Rotterdam, Antwerp, Montreal, Halifax, and 

Eastbound: Montreal, Halifax, Bremerhaven, Rotterdam, Antwerp.

However Halifax seems to be an optional port, perhaps depending on weather, ice or cargo offering. Ships sometimes sail directly from Montreal for Bremerhaven. By my unofficial count this has happened 11 times in the 22 weeks so far in 2022. The most frequent misses were in January, February, March, when ice likely delayed progress on the St.Lawrence, and Halifax was skipped to maintain a weekly schedule. In addition to the skipped calls, what was once a dependable Saturday call has also slipped to Tuesday in the last month.

For most of those years the service has been operated by the 2890 TEU veterans Maersk Palermo, Maersk Patras and Maersk Penang and the 3108 TEU EMKea (a CMA CGM charter), but that is about to change. 

Starting tomorrow, Wednesday, June 1, the CMA CGM Montreal (2553 TEU) will arrive in Halifax from Montreal for the first time. In the coming weeks Vayenga Maersk and Vistula Maersk (both 3600 TEU) will be taking up their slots. A fourth ship - yet to be named may be added or the much newer EM Kea may continue for a time. The older "P" class ships are nearing the dreaded 5th special survey and may be short listed for the scrap yard - or resale in a hot tonnage market.

I will provide more detail on the new ships when they arrive, and when I learn the fate of the others.

But to look back on the familiar ships that we will likely see no more:

Maersk Palermo is scheduled to sail from Montreal on June 2, but does not show up as a Halifax caller. It was here last on Tuesday, April 26:

 Maersk Palermo April 26, 2022.

All three "P" ships were built by Kvaerner Warnow Werft, Warnemunde in 1998. This one was orginally P+O Nelloyd Auckland and operated as Lykes Pioneer from 2000 to 2002. It then reverted to P+O Nedlloyd Auckland and was renamed Maersk Palermo in 2006 when Maersk acquired P+O Nelloyd.

Even when somewhat scruffy after a hard winter's work, the Maersk blue still looked good in bright sunshine.

 Maersk Palermo October 4, 2016.

Maersk Patras was built as P+O Nedlloyd Marseille and was renamed in 2006. Its last call in Halifax was on March 19. On its December 22, 2021 visit it was certainly showing signs of wear and tear.

When fresh from refit it looked good even in low light:

 Maersk Patras December 22, 2021.

Maersk Penang was orginally the P+O Nedlloyd Jakarta until 2006. It was last calls in Halifax were on Saturday, April 2, 2022 and Tuesday, May 3, 2022:

Maersk Penang, April 2, 2022

Maersk Penang May 3, 2022

Odd man out in the current rotation is CMA CGM's contribution, EM Kea. Built in 2007 by Stocznia Sczecinska Nowa, in Poland, it is a 35,874 gt, 41,850 dwt ship with a capacity of 3108 TEU. Built as Cap Norte it was renamed Cape Egmont in 2012 and became EM Kea in 2015, the same year it joined this rotation. Its last call in Halifax was on Tuesday, May 10. It is due in Montreal again on June 6.

EM Kea, June 7, 2019

As with most Polish ships, it is much more stylish than its businesslike German counterparts.

EM Kea June 23, 2018.

 My favourite view of the EM Kea was not taken in Halifax, but on someone's million dollar front lawn August 15, 2018. (I am sure no clues are needed as to location.)

...

A previous member of the rotation was the Maersk Pembroke, the former P+O Nedlloyd Sydney Also built in 1998 by the same yard to the same dimensions as the other three "P" ships, it was sold for scrap in 2017 after an engine room fire in the Celtic Sea.

Maersk Pembroke January 26, 2015

Maersk Pembroke January 26, 2015

There have been a few short term substitutes on this service over the years, but noting them would make this post unbearably long.

.

Weather

 A major nor'easter winter storm working its way across Atlantic Canada from New England brought the usual accumulations of heavy wet snow, sleet and freezing rain. More concerning to shipping however were the very high winds with extreme gusts. By mid-morning Sunday January 30 wind speeds in the harbour were beginning to taper off from 60 kph (37 mph). Gusts in excess of 80 kph (50 mph) were recorded around 0600 hrs.

It was around 0600 that the MSC Sandra, which was docked at Pier 41 PSA Halifax, apparently began to come off the pier. From the ship's recorded AIS track it apppears that some lines must have parted.When that happens there is more stress on the remaining lines and it is not long before they part also. The ship called for tugs and a pilot was dispatched to assist in bringing the ship back alongside and running new lines. Presumably there was also a call for line handlers, as the ship's own crew would not be able to make the ship fast by themselves.

 MSC Sandra arriving in Halifax on an earlier visit in calm conditions.

(December 17, 2021 photo)

As of mid-morning the tugs Atlantic Oak and Atlantic Willow were being kept alongside the ship, as there were still occassional bursts of high wind.

Also wandering about was the tanker STI Modest which was waiting out the storm at anchor in Bedford Basin. From its AIS track it appears to have been dragging its anchor quite a bit, but as there was no other shipping nearby there was no cause for panic, however I am sure a close watch was being maintained. Nobody wants to see a loaded tanker adrift. I am not aware that a pilot was called, but I assume the ship was steaming up on its anchor line to control drift.

STI Modest in its original anchorage position as pictured Friday January 28. It will dock at Irving Oil when calmer conditions prevail.

 

Another tanker, the Larvik which was discharging heavy fuel at Nova Scotia Power, Tufts Cove, left off unloading and put out to sea. At first it was in the outer anchorages but that is not a good holding ground, so the ship is just steaming about until conditions are right to return to port.

Also pictured January 28, the Larvik has only a light jetty to secure to at Tuft's Cove, and it would not be safe in high winds.

Several ships which are expected in Halifax are holding off until condiitons improve.

The bulker Efficiency OL which has some technical problems on the St.Lawrence River and was detained for thirteen days in Quebec City by Ship Safety is sheltering in Chedabucto Bay.

The tanker Minerva Xanthe from Port Neches, TX and bound for Imperial Oil was due yesterday but is still at sea somewhere off the east coast.

Some container ships that were due have held off for a day or two. These include Tropic Hope and MSC Tianjin. Maersk / CMA CGM's weekly caller from Montreal, Maersk Patras which would normally arrive on Saturday, is now due Monday January 31.

.

Maersk Patras - schedule change

 Ships on the joint CMA CGM St.Lawrence 1 [ SL1] / Maersk Canada Atlantic Express [CAE] service generally arrive in Halifax from Montreal on Saturdays while they make the eastbound leg of their Europe / St.Lawrence route. Today's (Wednesday December 22) arrival of the Maersk Patras is therefore unusual, but understandable. This coming Saturday, December 26, is the Boxing Day holiday in Halifax and would incur extreme over time rates for longshore workers, which is to be avoided. [While some countries have Boxing Day as the start of a shopping frenzy, the stores and businesses are closed in Halifax on December 25 and 26, and do not reopen until the 27 th.]

Maersk Patras is one of three sister ships on this service, along with EM Kea which is chartered on behalf of CMA CGM. All three were built by Kvaerner Warnow Werft in Warnemunde, Germany for P+O Nedlloyd in 1998. They were merged into the Maersk fleet in 2006 as part of AP Moller-Maersk's takeover of the Dutch company.

P+O Nedlloyd Auckland became Maersk Palermo (after a time as Lykes Pioneer), P+O Nedlloyd Jakarta became Maersk Penang.

P+O Nedlloyd Marseille became Maersk Patras and has been calling in Halifax since 2010 when this port was added to the joint St.Lawrence River service. It is a 31,333 gt, 37,842 dwt ship with a capacity of 2890 TEU including 400 reefers. It is apparently well suited to the operation as it has run year round to support the weekly service, which is notoriously gruelling in winter. 

A fourth sister ship was the P+O Nedlloyd Sydney which became Maersk Pembroke and was on this service until an engine room fire in August 2017 resulted in the ship being sold for scrap. The fifth sister ship P+O Nedlloyd Genoa was renamed Maersk Phuket in 2006 but has never been assigned to the SL1 / CAE.

Normally I might be predicting an announcement that the three sister ships would be replaced in 2022 or 2023 as their 5th special survey would be coming up. However with the hot demand, and high prices for ships these days, and Maersk's reluctance to order new ships, the trio may well soldier on for more than the usual 25 years after August 2023.

.

Business as usual - for now

The container business is in disarray at the moment with the Suez Canal blocked by a grounded ship, and longshore labour uncertainty in Montreal. So far at least the Port of Halifax is keeping up, but that may be starting to change.

A PSA Halifax today Maersk Patras was working at Per 42. It would normally have called on Saturday, but both berths were occupied yesterday, so a one day delay is not too serious. 

The ship is on its usual eastbound run from Montreal, although there have been several missed calls over the winter. However its fleet mate Maersk Penang on its westbound run is not going to Montreal, but is instead arriving in Saint John today. It is still giving Halifax next weekend eastbound. It may be a blow to terminal operators PSA Halifax not to get all the westbound cargo, but I speculate that it might overwhelm the capacity of the terminal, what with other diversions also possible.

Also at PSA Halifax today is MSC Angela, another ship that is due to sail to Montreal, after reducing draft in Halifax by unloading some cargo. The ship has been sitting at anchor off Halifax since March 18. Perhaps waiting for developments in the Montreal situation. Fleet mate MSC Annick is standing by off Halifax.

Meanwhile at Fairview Cove ONE Magnificence is back on THE Alliance EC5 service. It is scheduled to arrive at the Suez Canal April 8, with its next port Jebel Ali on April 16. Whether the Canal will be re-opened and the traffic backlog cleared remains to be seen. There are reports that more than 300 ships are now waiting to transit, even with many diversions already sent via the Cape of Good Hope.

.

MSC - makes up for

 It was very quiet at PSA Halifax until late in the day - unusual for a Saturday. The Maersk / CMA CGM North Atlantic service ship Maersk Patras, which would normally have called outbound from Montreal skipped Halifax this week and headed directly for Bremerhaven. Maersk Line previously announced several service changes, bypassing certain ports citing extreme winter weather conditions. (This is the third week in a row with no call in Halifax.)

The CMA CGM Columbus Loop service would also normally have had a ship in port today too, but there was nothing nearby, so perhaps the voyage was blanked. This has also happened with several lines this winter, for a variety of factors including Chinese New Year, lack of available containers in Asia and congestion at several US ports.

The one ship that did arrive at PSA Halifax was MSC Donata en route from Liverpool, UK to Montreal, here to lighter off some cargo to meet St.Lawrence River draft restrictions.

From the appearance of the ship it looks to be loaded to capacity in terms of the number of containers, and is showing a draft of  11.7m. Allowable draft in the Port of Montreal is 10.8m for container ships, but may be somewhat less between Montreal and Quebec City seasonally. Therefore the ship will be offloading a good many boxes to take a meter or so off the draft.

MSC Donata dates from 2002 when it was built by Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries Co Ltd, Yeongam, South Korea. It is a 40,108 gt vessel of 52,806 dwt with a capacity of 4132 TEU and is fitted with 500 reefer plugs.

MSC has scheduled the ship to call in Halifax again next week when it is outbound from Montreal, this time to max out its capacity.

.

Maersk Patras to bypass

The Maersk / CMA CGM  joint transatlantic service skipped Halifax this past weekend. Ships of the line normally call in Halifax on Saturdays but there was no call this time. The line calls in Halifax eastbound only, after its Montreal call.

Maersk Patras sailing on March 3 passes the construction work extending pier 42. 

(Since the photo was taken fill has extended beyond the crib on the far right.)

The ship that would normally have called this weekend, Maersk Patras  has fallen behind on its regular call date (it was last here on March 3, a Tuesday see: http://shipfax.blogspot.com/2020/03/near-normal.html).
This time round the ship has sailed from Montreal direct for Bremerhaven, skipping Halifax, perhaps allowing the ship to catch up on its regular schedule.

According to Maersk's published schedule the next regular calls on April 4 (ship EM Kea) and April 11 (Maersk Penang)and April 18 (Maersk Palermo) will take place on the regular dates, and Maersk Patras will be back April 24. As I have observed before, maintaining a weekly transatlantic service in winter with four ships is a grueling routine, and time lost can rarely be made up.

.

Near Normal

Shipping took on the look of normal activity today despite some major uncertainties resulting from the spread of the Covid-19 virus and delays caused by the now ended rail blockades.

Maersk Patras several days off schedule (it would normally have called on Saturday) made its visit to PSA Halifax.

Maersk Patras is one of four ships that maintain the Canada Atlantic Express service (Bremerhaven-Rotterdam-Antwerp-Montreal-Halifax)  in association with CMA CGM.

Also arriving the autocarrier Glovis Symphony.

Built in 2014 by Hyundai Samho, the 64,546 gt, 20,056 dwt ship operates for Hyundai Glovis. It has a capacity of 6,692 AEU (Auto Equivalent Units) or 7,353 R/T (compact cars). Rail blockades have resulted in a sizeable backlog in Autoport.

X-Press Makalu also arrived but anchored on the lower harbour. It will move to PSA Halifax tomorrow for Melfi Marine, en route to Cuba. With prior stops in Italy and Spain in mid-February it likely was not subject to any quarantine measures. Could that be why the CBSA was taking such an interest in it this afternoon, sending a launch out for an inspection?

The ship is due to move to PSA Halifax in the morning. It may take away the last of a colourful cargo that has been on the docks all winter. Trucks for Cuba's fruit and nectar distribution company La Estsancia (loosely translated as the ranch) have been awaiting transport since December. (Some left on last month's Melfi call.)

A Quebec company that specializes in reconditioning and exporting trucks has prepared a number of tractors and semi-trailers in La Estancia's colourful green. Since Melfi does not have a RoRo capability, the vehicles have been strapped down to container flats. Most appeared to be low mileage units returned off lease.

.

Saturday business

It was typical Saturday business in Halifax, despite a light dusting of snow over night.

It was back to more typical sized ships as CMA CGM Norma arrived at Halterm and tied up at pier 41. Built in 2006 by Hyundai, Samho, it is a 107,711 gt, 113,999 dwt vessel with a capacity of 9415 TEU, including 700 reefers.

Maersk Patras tied up at pier 42. It is a regular on the five ship rotation usuallly calling on Saturday  from Montreal.

It was a different ship for Nirint's service from Cuba at pier 31. Hooge flies the Gibraltar flag while sailing in the Briese fleet.

Dating from 2006 when it was built by Shandong Weihai, the 15633 gt, 16,986 dwt ship has a capacity of 1306 TEU (870 if loaded to 14 tonnes) and has a pair of 45 tonne cranes. Both cranes were working today to unload bagged nickel cargo. (I would not have taken a picture through so many fences if it had not been a first time caller.)

The PCTC Morning Crystal managed to squeeze in at the adjacent pier 27 to unload RoRo cargo.

With a capacity of 6,215 cars, the ship can also carry a variety of wheeled cargo, some of which will be offloaded at pier 27. Built in 2011 by Imabarai Zosen in Marugame, the ship measures 59,524 gt, 18,918 dwt.

.

Catch Up Day

When yesterday's high winds and seas diminished over night, pilotage operations resumed and it was a very busy morning as several ships arrived and sailed. In view of the sun direction and location of the ships, I stationed myself in Eastern Passage to see most of them, even though from a distance.

Starting with Halterm, the Tropical Shipping substitute Vega Fynen (see October 30) moved out to anchor last night and sailed this morning. Thanks to news received, I understand it was called in to take the place of the new Tropical Lissette which has some mechanical problems. The normal schedule for Tropical ships is Monday, so the breakdown and the weather have meant a major delay.

Giving Tropical Shipping good advertising, Vega Fynen prepares to get underway from anchor.

The overnighter Hansa Meersburg filling in on ZIM's feeder service also got underway.

With the piers clear, the arrivals were able to tie up. First was ZIM Monaco for pier 42.

On ZIM's transatlantic service, the 40,030 gt, 50,800 dwt ship flies the Malta flag for owners Danaos Shipping Co Ltd. Built in 2009 by Samsung SB+HI in Koje, the ship has a capacity of 4253 TEU.

Following not long after Maersk Patras managed to dodge the weather and arrived on its usually scheduled day from Montreal.

The 2090 TEU (400 reefers) ship is on the eastbound leg of its regular transatlantic run.

Autoport's caller was the Hero [High Efficiency RoRo] class Theben. A 75,283 gt, 23,786 dwt ship, it combines the capabilities of a Pure Car and Truck Carrier [PCTC] with a capacity of 8,000 cars, with those of a RoRo carrier, employing a 300 tonne capacity stern ramp.

Built in 2016 by Hyundai Samho, the ship has no side ramp, but carries accommodation ladders and even a lifeboat in hull recesses. I hope they demanded a refund on the paint. Normally a sparkling orange, many of the recent Wilhelmsen ships have a washed out faded look.

MOL Paramount sailed from Fairview Cove and Gerhard Schulte arrived for ACL this morning and early this afternoon Nolhanava moved from its storm berth at pier 9C to Fairview Cove to load for Argentia and St-Pierre et Miquelon. Presumably some ACL cargo from France was to be unloaded from Gerhard Schulte  and loaded on Nolhanava.

Nolhanava glides past the Atlantic Condor stocking up at pier 9C. 

Next along for Fairvew Cove was YM Modesty. However it had to wait in Bedford Basin until Nolhanava sailed.

The 71,821 gt, 72,370 dwt YM Modesty carries 6258 TEU. Built in 2013 by Koyo Dockyard, Mihara, the ship is on long term charter through Zodiac Maritime to Yang Ming Line.

Two other departures were noted. HC Svea Kim completed unloading its cargo of rails for CN in good time and was able to sail this morning. (See October 27 arrival).

and the tanker Elka Eleftheria sailed from Irving Oil and headed back to Amsterdam. (see October 31 arrival).

With tonight's shift from Daylight Saving Time to Standard Time, photographing late afternoon arrivals and departures has likely come to an end until February. Despite more light early in the morning, photos at that hour will continue to be difficult due to the sun position. Shooting directly into the sun is a challenge!

.

Weather Watch

High winds and rough conditions meant that the port has been on weather watch for more than 24 hours. With pilotage operations at the pilot station suspended Friday afternoon there was little harbour activity to report Saturday. Conditions will be reviewed  again at 2130 hrs ADT Saturday.

Self-piloted vessels,  such as Oceanex Sanderling and Nolhan Ava that did not have to embark or disembark a pilot were able to sail on Friday evening, but other ships that arrived Friday and required pilots to depart, remained in port over night. Arriving ships either put back out to sea to await improvements or by-passed their Halifax call.

It was a gloomy sight that greeted overnighting cruise ship passengers this morning. Pearl Mist remained tied up at pier 23 and Serenade of the Seas loomed over at pier 22.

Driving rain probably convinced most passengers to remain aboard.

Serenade of the Seas did manage to sail late Saturday morning, but whether they carried the pilot over en route to Boston is not known to me. Container ships Zim Yokohama and Brighton also remained in port all day.

Two cruise ships opted to by-pass Halifax. Adventure of the Seas from Sydney, NS carried on for Bar Harbor and Amadea from Baie-Comeau kept on for New York.

Commercial traffic such as Maersk Patras is holding off until Sunday morning along with CMA CGM Elbe. The Netherlands warship HNLMS De Ruyter also put back to sea.

Movements within the harbour returned to normal today. The tanker BW Lynx moved from Imperial Oil to anchor in Bedford Basin Friday evening due to high winds, but returned to Imperial Oil Saturday evening.

The Halifax Police Department boat Garrett Cotter was out and about for a time this morning despite the unpleasant conditions.

.

Today

Fog and rain eventually hampered visibility in the harbour late in the afternoon, just as the autocarrier Pleiades Spirit was sailing. I was hoping to catch this ship since it does not belong to one of the well known lines. Built in 2008 by Toyohashi Shipbuilding, it is a 60,330 gt, 17,424 dwt vessel with a capacity in the range of 5232 to 6303 CEU. It is managed by World Wide Marine Co Ltd of Japan as one of 17 autocarriers in its 128 ship fleet. Interestingly the ship arrived from New York and is sailing for Southampton - the reverse of the usual autocarrier route.
Originally to be operated by Nissan, it has been operated by World Wide since 2009. It seems to be on charter to MOL but this can't be confirmed independently.

At Fairview Cove, Yantian Express (photo'd early yesterday) was due to slide back along to the west end of the pier to resume unloading. There are still a lot of the 3200 container still on the ship.

Shippers are being advised that when their boxes are released, upon posting of security, they will be sent to destination, by rail, truck or ship, without inspection, since there is no room to do that in Halifax.

Another "reverse" arrival was Elka Nikolas tying up at Irving Woodside last night. The ship came from Saint John and has a small amount of cargo for Halifax.

Built by Brodosplit in Croatia in 2001, it is a 27,542 gt, 44, 787 dwt ship of the MidRange type. It is part of the European Product Carriers Ltd fleet, based in Athens. Shortly after delivery, the ship was renamed Fusus but reverted to its original and current name in 2009.
Sister ship Elka Eleftheria, built the same year at the same yard, was here May 13, but came from Ijmuiden / Amsterdam then sailed to Saint John.
The ship is due to sail early tomorrow morning and its place will be taken within an hour by Irving's East Coast.

There was no call by Maersk /CMA CGM's Maersk Patras over the weekend. It was scheduled to call May 25, but perhaps the fatal accident last week resulted in a delay. The second officer was lost overboard off the Escoumins pilot station May 19 and his body has not been recovered.
There were protests for safer working conditions when the ship docked in Montreal. Instead of sailing for Halifax, the ship headed directly for Bremerhaven, the next scheduled stop.

.

Fire not the only hazard

Today's arrival in Halifax, the Yantian Express, is just one of several ships that have suffered fires at sea recently. Ships of Grimaldi Lines (parent company of ACL) have suffered two fires in past months, one of which resulted in the total loss of the ship when it sank in the Bay of Biscay. In the other, two fires broke out in the same ship on different decks within an hour or so. In that case the crew was able to extinguish both  fires and minimize damage.
The chairman of Grimaldi Group is calling for stronger regulation to control the contents of  containers, and the condition of automobiles shipped by sea.

Recent fires have been traced to containers that were improperly labelled or stowed, but there are other causes too. Another regular caller in Halifax suffered a serious fire in the engine room. November 1, 2016 while 90 miles ESE of Las Palmas, a major fire erupted in the engine room of Maersk Patras knocking out the main engine and generators. Fortunately the fire was suppressed by the on board CO2 system and no lives were lost. The ship eventually returned to service and is on the Canada Atlantic Express operated by Maersk and CMA CGM, calling in Montreal and Halifax.

 Maersk Patras with its accommodation ladder raised.

 It will be lowered when it is time to disembark the pilot. No pilot ladder will be used

On Sunday May 19 while Maersk Patras was inbound on the St.Lawrence River to embark a pilot at Escoumins, QC, one of the crew members fell overboard. Despite an immediate response with the ship's own rescue boat and the pilot boat and a large SAR operation with Coast Guard vessels and aircraft, the victim was not recovered from the 6 degree C waters. Reports indicate that it was the ship's second officer that was lost, and that he was not wearing a PFD or life line.

Particularly with high sided craft such as container ships and tankers in ballast, ships use what is called a "combination ladder", that is  an accommodation ladder in combination with a pilot ladder.

 Making the awkward transition between pilot (rope) ladder and accommodation ladder is difficult enough in calm harbour conditions at anchor let alone with the ship underway in any kind of seas.

Some container ships and autocarriers have side port doors low on the hull to eliminate the need for a combination ladder. That is no guarantee of safety however. In a recent incident a sea broke into the opening as two crew members were opening the inner door. One man was swept away and the other injured.

Crew members frequently have to use the accommodation ladder while the ship is underway to ensure it is rigged properly for the pilot. And pilots have to use the ladders all the time while embarking and disembarking. It is unfortunate, but accidents still happen despite measures to make boarding and disembarking safer.

Maersk Patras is due in Halifax next weekend on its way back to Europe. As with any ship that calls in certain ports regularly, crew members have friends or family in those communities, and I am sure there will be many in Montreal and Halifax who will be grieving the loss of this officer.  I extend my sympathy to those effected.

.