More New Ferries for Newfoundland (and News)

Marine Atlantic’s new ferries Blue Puttees and Highlanders and now both in service, and despite some early controversy, including one death, things may finally be settling down for the long haul on the Strait.(Marine Atlantic seems to be a target-wonder why?)

It is now time to turn the spotlight on the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador’s own intraprovincial ferry service, operated by the Department of Transportation and Works. The department runs 15 ferry routes within the province, and has been suffering for years with an inadequate fleet. There is good news on the horizon however.

First off are two new 80 passenger short sea ferries, just completed by Pieter Kiewit’s Marystown/ Cow Head shipyard. [Perhaps the yard’s experience with these small ships has put them off big shipbuilding - they have withdrawn from the Federal shipbuilding strategy program.] The ships are reported to have cost $27.5mn each.

The two new ships, christened March 11 measure 42m in length and can carry a combination of vehicles, up to 16 cars. The first of these, Grace Sparkes, was registered in St. John’s on April 19. It will run on the St. Brendans route. It is named for the first woman to run for election to the provincial legislature.

Sister ship Hazel McIsaac, which will enter service within the next month, is named for the first woman to be elected to the legislature. It will serve ports in Green Bay.

These are proper little ships with bow doors and stern ramps. Excellent spec sheets, and photos are on line: http://www.releases.gov.nl.ca/releases/2011/tw/0311n06specs.pdf

In further news, Fleetway Inc was contracted in January to design six more new ferries for a variety of routes around the province. Designs should be completed by early next year, and an expression of interest will be issued soon for construction. These boats will also be built in the province.

See the Newfoundland intraprovincial routes here:

http://www.tw.gov.nl.ca/ferryservices/schedules/index.html


News:
There is also news about the St. Barbe/Blanc Sablon service across the Strait of Belle Isle. This service is operated by Labrador Marine (part of the Woodward Group) under contract to the Province. During the past winter when the ferry Apollo was in refit in St.John's, the service was operated by the Province's much larger ferry Sir Robert Bond, but its Newfoundland terminus had to be switched to Corner Brook, due to the large size of the ship. That service ended mid-March when Apollo returned to service.
However on or about April 15, Apollo damaged a prop and shaft and had to go to St.John's for emergency drydocking. The ship will return to service next week, using only one prop, until the prop/shaft can be repaired or replaced. It will then go back to drydock for permanent repairs. In the meantime the ancient RoRo vessel Astron (also owned by Woodward) will service the route, supplemented by aircraft, since Astron can only carry 12 passengers.
Apollo will have to operate on one prop for several weeks.

For photos of some of these ships see: http://newfoundlandshipmovements.blogspot.com/

.

Nordic Apollo (again)

The crude oil tanker Nordic Apollo arrived Wednesday and sailed again tonight after a brief visit to Imperial Oil. Nothing particularly remarkable about the ship- built in 2003 as Euro Spirit, renamed Glyfada Spirit in 2003, and Nordic Apollo in 2006. Measuring 81,310 gross tons and 159,988 deadweight. Owned by Nordic American Tanker Shipping of Bermuda, managed by Gemini Tankers LLC of Stamford, CT, and registered in the Marshall Islands.

However she is not the first Nordic Apollo to call in Halifax. The first was more remarkable!

She was built in 1980 by Avondale Shipyard in New Orleans as El Paso Cove Point. Rejected by her owners due to hull cracks (and a down turn in the economy.) Two of her sisters, El Paso Columbia and El Paso Savannah were laid up in Halifax for a time in an uncompleted state.

By 1983 she was renamed Jade Phoenix and converted to an oil/bulk carrier and converted to burn oil or coal. Then in 1991 she was converted to an oil storage tanker named Coastal Jade. She arrived in Halifax in April 1992 as Nordic Apollo, managed by Nordic American Tankers, and was stationed on the Panuke Oil field as a storage tanker. She stored oil and pumped it off from time to time to smaller shuttle tankers.

She was in and out of Halifax during the life of the Panuke oil field (the oil was exhausted and the field decommissioned- a lower deposit at the same site is now being developed for gas, and is called Deep Panuke.)

Her most notable visit was in the fall of 1993, during which time she was anchored in Bedford Basin for repairs. On November 6, 1993 She started to drag anchor in a storm and blew all the way across the Basin to the Dartmouth shore and ran aground. It took the combined efforts of the tugs Breton Sea, Terra Nova Sea, Point Halifax, Point Chebucto and Point Valiant to drag her off. She was not seriously damaged, but there was a huge salvage claim filed.

In 2006 she was renamed Apollo Spirit and is still working as a storage tanker. Last heard from she in the Central North Sea. She is currently listed as 89,421 gross tons. However because of her gas tanker ancestry, she has very much more freeboard than a typical crude oil tanker, so she looks much bigger than the current Nordic Apollo.