Alida Gorthon - also going to the breakers

1. Alida Gorthon steams into Halifax after conversion to a side loader. Scaffolding around the foremast indicates some work is being carried out by the crew. The enclosed crows nest was often a feature of ships built for navigating in ice.

2. Before conversion, the ship carried two of these 30 tonne travelling cranes. They had special suction apparatus to lift rolls of paper and deposit them directly into the hold. This method of offered no weather protection. As for unloading it meant "last on-first off" which was not always convenient.

It did not take long for another member of the Gorthon Lines trio to bite the dust. I learned today that Alida Gorthon has also been sold to Indian breakers.

I featured sister Margit Gorthon on April 1, and sister Ingrid in previous posts.

Alida Gorthon was also built in 1977 as a bulk carrier and converted to side loading in 1990. The ship had a similar history to its sisters, and had numerous brushes with ice over the years.

In March 2005 it put in to Verreault Shipyard in Méchins, QC with rudder stock damage incurred in ice in the Gulf.

As with its sisters it was sold in 2006 to Bahrain Bank and operated by Lemissoler of Cyprus on a charter back to Rederi AB Transatlantic. On completion of the charter it continued in the paper trades, by which time it had been repainted red. It was never renamed however and represents the last ship with a Gorthon name still sailing.

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Margit Gorthon - time runs out

Another fine ship is on the way to the breakers. The former Margit Gorthon is due in Alang, India on April 5, where it will quickly be reduced to scrap metal.
1. As built Margit Gorthon was a geared bulker. It is shown arriving Halifax in tow of Orion Expeditor with its rudder jammed at 5 degrees off centre line after meeting ice in the Cape Ray area. It was repaired and sailed March 22, 1989 for Baie-Comeau, QC.

2. Rebuilt in 1990 as a side loader, it had two loading doors (here in the open position) and internal elevators. There was a 15 tonne crane mounted midships between the doors. Work has just been completed for the day at Pointe-au-Pic, QC and some crew members are going ashore.

3. From the port side the elevator and ventilation housings are visible. The ship is coming to anchor after leaving Halifax Shipyard for propulsion trials. It spent nearly a month in drydock to repair severe rudder, prop and bottom damage. Workers also repainted the ship's hull.

A sistership of Ingrid Gorthon, mentioned here on February 13 and once part of the Gorthon Rederi-see January 24, the ship was a familiar sight in Halifax for many years both for bunkers and for repairs. As a year round caller to eastern Canadian ports, it had many brushes with ice, and both of the Halifax visits pictured above were caused by ice damage.

Built in 1977 by Korea Shipbuilding as a 10,538 gross ton/14,928 deadweight tonne bulk carrier, it carried two 30 tonne travelling cranes for handling forest products, usually newsprint in rolls. It had four rolling hatches over four holds. As standards for handling paper changed, more protection was needed, both during loading and in transport, and the ship was extensively rebuilt by Blohm & Voss, Hamburg in 1990. It emerged as a 12,750 gross ton/ 14,240 deadweight tonne side loader, with a single hold.

Cargo was forklifted to the ship where is was moved by rollers to internal elevators and stowed in a humidity controlled environment. Two large side doors provided access for loading and for the reverse procedure for unloading.

As previously recounted, when Gorthon became Rederi A/B Transatlantic and new ships came in , the older Gorthon ships were sold to Bahrain Bank for operaiton by the Cyprus based Lemissoler Group. In the case of Margit Gorthon, this happened in March 2006. The ship was chartered back for four years. On completion of the charter the ship was renamed Forest Trader and continued in the paper trade until recently when it was sold to the shipbreakers.

Among the many ports where it was a familiar caller were: Liverpool, NS, Port Hawksbury, NS, Pictou, NS,. Dalhousie, NB, Trois-Rivières, QC, Baie-Comeau, QC, Pointe-au-Pic, QC, Gros Cacouna, QC, Corner Brook, NL, and several more.

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Ingrid Gorthon - update

1. Ingrid Gorthon loading paper at Pointe-au-Pic, QC in 1996.

Following up on my piece about Rederi AB Transatlantic cutting out its transatlantic service:

http://shipfax.blogspot.com/2012/01/rederi-ab-transatlantic-end-of-another.html

Ingrid Gorton was due in San Juan Puerto Rico January 27-28, to complete its obligations with RABT, so will no longer be sailing under their direction.

It appears that she has now been renamed Forest Costa Rica and on her way to Panama City. Owners Lemissoler Shipping have had her under the Cypriot flag ever since taking her over from RABT and chartering her back.

This may mean that Transfigher may be RABT's only ship operating in North America. As of today RABT have not posted a new shipping schedule since the end of January.

Here's the place to check if you are interested: http://www.rabt.se/Schedule/Atlanttrafiken/

Rederi AB Transatlantic - end of another era.

1. In August 2011 TransWood approaches Pointe-au-Pic, QC to load paper.

2. The same ship as FinnWood in 2007, with side door open, loading at Pointe-au-Pic.

3. Same place, different ship. Ingrid Gorthon loads from forklifts, through two side doors.

4. As built, Ingrid Gorthon was a bulk carrier. After a hard winter she is tied up in Halifax, in March 1984 to load newsprint rolls using travelling cranes.

With the arrival January 25 of Transwood in Terneuzen, Netherlands another chapter in shipping history draws to a close. There is one tantalizing remnant remaining, but that can’t be for long.
The story starts with the founding of the Gorthon family of shipping companies, in the early days of the 20th century (either 1915 or 1921 depending on your sources.) The Swedish company had many iterations over the years and many owning entities, but its ships bore the Gorthon family name starting in 1924. They developed a specialization in carrying forest products and in the 1930s they began carrying woodpulp and pulpwood for Bowaters in the UK. It was not until after World War II that they began to be seen in Canada, as they built specialized ships for carrying newsprint. Regular callers to many eastern Canada ports, the ships often called in Halifax for bunkers and repairs, particularly in winter. Their distinctive white painted hulls set them apart as quite unique.
The subsequent history of Gorthons is far too convoluted for retelling here, but effective March 2005 Gorthon Lines AB was dissolved as part of a takeover by B&N Nordsjofrakt AB becoming Rederi AB TransAtlantic [RABT].
Since then RABT has gradually disposed of the Gorthon ships, chartering them back for periods of time, before they went off for scrap or other charters. Their new ships were either renamed or named with the prefix "Trans" with one exception. That is Ingrid Gorthon which, at least for the time being still works for RABT.
There are also some other stray Gorthon ships around, but they no longer have a connection with the succeeding owners, and have merely kept their names.
The North American paper business has been in long term decline and in 2011, after several years of poor returns on their transatlantic services, RABT decided to concentrate in other areas, such as European coastal routes, and offshore/icebreaking.
For now they will keep two ships on the North America/South America services, the TransFighter and the venerable Ingrid Gorthon. TransWood, which arrives in Terneuzen January 25, and TransPine will be assigned to European operations.
RABT has its own informative web site, complete with shipping schedules, and corporate history. See www.rabt.se/en/

Ingrid Gorthon was built way back in 1977 as a 10,358 gross tons/ 14,229 deadweight tonnes bulk carrier to Lloyd’s ice class 1A. Its two travelling cranes of 30 tonnes capacity were fitted to load newsprint in rolls.But the ship had large hatches for other bulk cargoes. It was built by Korea Shipbuilding & Engineering Co in Busan. In 1990 it was rebuilt as by Blohm & Voss , Hamburg as a side loader, with two doors and a conveyor/ elevator system for pallets or newsprint rolls. It now measures 12,750 gross tons/ 14,298 deadweight tonnes. Recent photos show that the ship has been repainted with a rusty red coloured hull.
It was sold by RABT in 2006, reflagged to Cyprus and chartered back by RABT.

TransWood was built in 2002 by Stoc. Gdynia in Poland as a RoRo/side loader, Finnwood. In 2006 it was lengthened 23m by Blohm & Voss. It measures 20,851 gross tons and 18,855 deadweight. It flies the Swedish flag, and acquired its present name in 2008.
TransFighter and Transpine are sister ships to TransWood.

The two remaining ships on North American service will shuttle up and down the east coast with paper southbound and recycling paper north bound, with one remaining Gorthon ship hanging in for a few more years - reminder of a once substantial and distinctive fleet.

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