Shorter Days: Cruises and Tanker Updates

 With autumn comes shorter days, but more intensive cruise ship activity. It is therefore a challenge to get photos before the sun sets. Fortunately today, September 24, both cruise ships sailed on time so there was still ample light.

Norwegian Jade was first to leave and from its berth at Pier 22, bow south, it headed directly for sea, with a bright low sun on its starboard side.

There was some wind from the south, so there were wavelets on the rocky shore at Point Pleant Park. 

Built in 2006 by Meyerweft, Papenburg, the Norwegian Jade is a 93,558 gt ship of the Jewel class with a capacity of 2,402 passengers and 1,037 crew.  The ship is on a seven day cruise from Boston to CornerBrook, Charlottetown, Sydney, Halifax, Saint John, and return to Boston.

Today's other ship was the Jewel of the Sea coincidentally also built by Meyerwerft, Papenburg but in 2004. One of the Radiance class it is also of a similar size at 90,090 gt with a passenger capacity of 2,501 but with a much smaller crew of 842.

With both ships tied up along the seawall (Piers 20 to 22) and measuring 294 m (965 ft) for the Jade and 293m (962 ft) for the Jewel the latter ship at Pier 20 sent headlines out to the north bollard on the Tall Ships Quay using a line boat. On departure it used the tug Atlantic Willow to get away from the dock. It then headed northward and east around George's Island for sea.

 

The Jewel of the Seas is also on a seven day trip out of Boston to Halifax, Saint John, Portland, ME and back to Boston. 

Tanker Updates

1. It is still a question as to why the tanker CB Pacific went alongside the Irving Oil terminal in Woodside  [see yesterday's post]. The ship had no cargo for Halifax and its draft on sailing last night was still listed at 7.4 meters. It is due in Saint John, NB tomorrow morning.

2. The CL Xunjang sailed from Imperial Oil this afternoon for Point Tupper, NS, in ballast.

In 2022 NuStar Energy LP sold the Point Tupper terminal to EverWind Fuels. EverWind planned to produce green hydrogen and green ammonia there. The facility has 7.8million bbl of storage capacity, and can accommodate the largest ships of any port in eastern North America. 

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Got 'em (all) - (oops) better late than never

 I intended to post this on October 14, but it somehow got stuck in my "drafts" file. Here it is late. 
 
It isn't often that I get the chance to capture every arrival and departure on a given day, but the combination of excellent weather, and a free Saturday made it possible.

First in was the Norwegian Jade. This is the first time I have seen this ship, built in 2006 as Pride of Hawai'i for Norwegian Cruise Lines' ill-fated American venture. After the line had huge losses, it was reassigned to Europe in 2008 and renamed, but apparently kept much of its Hawaiian themed décor. Until March of this year that is, when it was given an intensive three week refit and re-do.

By this time the sun was fully up (and directly in line with arrivals), so I skipped the next arrival, hoping to get it later on departure. Fritz Reuter (see below) tied up at pier 42.

The CCGS Sir Wilfred Grenfell left the Coast Guard base at BIO at 0800 for exercises offshore with Zodiacs.

Stationed in Newfoundland, the ship has been in these parts for a month or so replacing CCGS Earl Grey for the time being.

Built in 1985 in Marystown, NL as a supply ship on spec for the Newfoundland government, the MoT purchased and converted in 1987 for search and rescue work. It was removed from service and de-stored in a cost cutting purge in 2013, but was re-activated. It had a major refit this spring so should be in service for several years to come.

While in Dartmouth I noted the bunkering tanker Algoma Dartmouth tied up at the Irving Oil Woodside terminal. This may be a first.

When Algoma took over harbour bunkering, the fuel supplier was the Imperial Oil refinery. When the refinery shut down  Stirling Fuels (part of  Miller/ McAsphalt Industries) secured the fuel provision contract. At various times the ship has gone to Point Tupper to load at NuStar's tank storage, or has received fuel brought from Central Canada aboard McAsphalt's own tug/barge.
Since Stirling is not a refiner in its own right, I guess they can buy fuel wherever they want, so perhaps this time they have sourced in from Irving Oil.
Algoma Dartmouth can carry diesel or heavy fuel oil as needed.

 Next in was the small cargo / container ship Hollandia working for Nirint Shipping. It arrived with nickel cargo from Cuba and has been a regular caller since 2014.

 

It was built in 2007 by the Damen Okean Mykolayiv, Ukraine shipyard and finished by Damen Hoogezand, Foxhol, Netherlands. Launched as Trinitas it was renamed Nirint Hollandia on delivery. It measures 8,999 grt, 12,000 dwt and carries two 80 tonne cranes. It was renamed in 2012.

The largest arrival of the day was the impressive CMA CGM Thames. With is split superstructure it looks much bigger than its container capacity would suggest. At 95,263 grt, 113,900 dwt, that capacity is reported to be 9365 TEU, including 1458 reefers.

Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Company built the ship in 2015.

At one point late in the afternoon all four Halterm cranes were alongside the ship, but only three were actually working. The southernmost crane (near the bow) was moved out of the way of the departing Friz Reuter - see below.

There was one more arrival, this morning, the cruise ship Seabourn Quest following on the heels of CMA CGM Thames.

 The ship is on a return visit to Halifax.

Seen from a slightly better angle leaving pier 23 on October 10.

Noted for its luxury cruises to Antarctica for only 450 passengers, Seabourn has the smallest cruise ships in any major fleet.
It was completed in 2011 by the T.Mariotti shipyard in Genoa, on a hull built by Viktor Lenac in Rijeka and measures 32,346 grt. It has many amenities but also has a number of Zodiacs garaged in the hull for passenger excursions.

By late afternoon Fritz Reuter was ready to sail.
 

The ship had arrived in the morning and tied up at Pier 42 and used two of Halterm's cranes.
The 1732 TEU (including 379 reefers) ship is on its 32nd trip for Melfi Lines. Starting in 2013 the ship has been a regular caller every five weeks on Melfi's Europe via Halifax to Cuba service.
The 18,480 grt, 23,732 dwt ship dates from 2006 when it was launched as Maruba Zonda by Guangzhou Wenchong Shipyard Co Ltd. It assumed its current name on delivery a few months later.


As soon as Fritz Reuter was off the berth the next ship berthed (its bow is just visible in the photo above). EM Kea is on its regular visit as part of the Maersk / CMA CGM transatlantic service. So as not to block the channel for the outbound Reuter, the ship made an unusual turn to port to come alongside. Usually ships are turned to starboard and back in. However with two tugs alongside, and a bit less wind than earlier, it was the best move to make.

It was not all commercial activity in the port today. Late season sail races for small craft took place in very stiff breezes this morning.

Although there have been above normal temperatures recently, this morning's air temperatures were in the single digits, and barely scraped above 10C when the races started. Water temperature on the other hand exceeded 15C!

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