Four more RTGs

 PSA Halifax has now received the second batch of new Rubber Tired Gantries (RTGs) from Konecranes of Finland. The first four arrived May 2 [qv] on the Sampogracht and the second four were unloaded today, May 26, from the Singelgracht at Pier 41.

All eight of the new RTGs together. They are painted green to indicate that they are electric powered while the nine existing diesel powered RTGs are orange coloured.

 The delivery ship is one of the now familiar Spliethoff "S class". The 16,641 gt, 21,402 dwt ship has side loading doors with five elevators and three cranes of 120 tonne capacity to handle a wide range of cargoes. It has a container capacity of 1134. Built in 2000 by Mitsubishi, Shimonoseki, it is one of eleven similar ships in the Spliethoff fleet. Sister ship Schippersgracht delivered  one RTG in Februrary 2018 and Spuigracht delivered two RTGs in February 2020. 

 At Pier 41 today after offloading the new RTGs. Several of the exiting units are parked nearby.

The Singelgracht was last here in 2023 when it was towed in by the Siem Commander and remained in port until late February for repairs.

On this trip it called in Mantyluoto, Finland May 3 to 6, Kotka, Finland May 5 to 7, Gdansk, Poland May 9 to 12 and Goteborg, Sweden May 14-16. Judging from the ship's draft it is likely that it is carrying other cargo too.

The ship was also in Halifax in February 2106 for bunkers, and posed for a photo in bright sunshine.

What at first appear to be containers on deck are in fact the housings for the sideloading equipment and elevators.

Running on all cylinders

 The Port was bustling today. There were arrivals and departures of "repeat customers" at the container terminals, and Autoport and there were several ships in for repairs.

Autoport welcomed back Siem Confucius the pioneering LNG fueled auto carrier. This time I was able to catch the ship before it tied up.

I gave the ship's particulars when it called here the first time June 26, 2020

PSA Halifax greeted CMA CGM A.Lincoln another of the 14k TEU class ships that are the backbone of the Columbus service. The ship made an unusual Western Channel passage inbound and gave an interesting broadside view to boat watchers at Point Pleasant Park.

I also covered this ship's particulars when it called here April 14, 2020

Among the ships in port for repairs, Singelgracht was able to sail today. After arriving here January 23, 2021 in tow from a few miles offshore, it haD been tied up at Pier 9C.

As the ship sails outbound it passes Siem Commander (red hull in background) the tug that was mobilized to tow the snip into port in a matter of a few hours.

Not visible from forward, is the added exhaust gas scrubber, installed to allow the ship to continue to use heavy fuel and meet environmental regulations.

Perhaps it is a coincidence, but a sister ship, the Snoekgracht had an engine failure January 30 in the English Channel off Dover. It was able to anchor and self repair in a few hours.

Another ship that has been in port for some time is Imedghassen, an Algerian flag vessel that was to sail for Melfi Lines, but has remained tied up at Pier 34 since January 9, 2021.

I saw a crane landing some material on the ship several days ago, so some sort of repair was underway. The ship may now be waiting for its turn to come again in the rotation if its charter has not been voided.

At Pier 27 the unfortunate Giulia I remains tied up since its arrival January 31. The ship encountered severe weather January 30 and was struck by a  heavy wave resulting in the death of one crew member and injuries to three others.  

Bound from Norfolk, VA for Tunisia the ship was 320 nautical miles SE of Halifax when it was overcome by a near hurricane. In view of prevailing conditions it made for Halifax, the nearest safe port. The 25,303 gt, 39,2020 dwt bulker was built in 2014 by the Yangfan Group in Zhoushan, and carries four cranes and grabs.

Due to its position at Pier 27 it is difficult to see if there is damage to the ship or cargo, but in view of the circumstances, the crew must be traumatized at the very least. Depending on the severity of the injuries to the three seafarers, the ship may also be below safe manning levels. Acquiring replacements for some or all of the crew will certainly be difficult under current travel restrictions. It has been reported that the crew may have been aboard the ship for more than a year.

With the recent loss of six Yarmouth area fishermen, Nova Scotians do not need to be reminded of the dangers of seafaring. Nevertheless it is still a chilling fact that seafarers risk their lives every day to carry cargo for those of us who enjoy comparative safety on shore.

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Singelgracht arrived in tow

 The Dutch paper and multi-purpose carrier Singelgracht arrived in tow late this afternoon January 23 and tied up at Pier 9C. One of the Spliethoff "S class", the 16,641 gt, 21,402 dwt ship has side loading doors and elevators for paper products and three cranes of 120, 90 and 55 tonne capacity to handle a wide range of cargoes. It has a container capacity of 1134. Built in 2000 by Mitsubishi, Shimonoseki, it is one of eleven similar ships in the fleet.

Harbour tugs flock to assist the tow once inside Maugher's Beach.

The tow was carried out by Secunda's tug/supplier SIEM Commander which had been laid up at the C.O.V.E. dock in Dartmouth. Built in 2009 by Havyard, Liervik, Norway, as STRIL Commander it was acquired by SIEM from Simon Mokster in 2017. The 16,000 bhp tug/supplier arrived in Halifax in July 2019 and saw some work supplying and towing for Sable gas, but has been idle for some time.

The ship was en route from Zeebrugge to Philadelphia when it apparently had some sort of problem. SIEM Commander sailed from Halifax at midnight last night, so the ship was not far off. The tow was joined at the pilot station by the harbour tug Atlantic Cedar to provide braking and steering power. 

 This incident again raises the topic of Emergency Towing Vessels (ETVs) for the Atlantic Coast. With the absence of any offshore oil or gas activity, there are very few "vessels of opportunity" available to respond to the occasional emergency. The fact that there was any vessel of SIEM Commander's capability available, and that it could be mobilized at short notice (with a skilled crew) is quite fortuitous.

With towing line trailing off astern, SIEM Commander approaches Ives Knoll inbound to Pier 9C.

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Slotergracht makes two

With the arrival of Slotergracht this morning there are two Spleithoff "S" class ships in port at the same time. By this time the first ship Singelgracht would have been on its way, but it is still submitting to the attentions of Dominion Diving, whose boat was awaiting for it on arrival and has been alongside ever since.Some underwater repair may be going on, and if so it is not visible to this set of eyes. 

The versatile "S" series ships, as previously reported can carry all sorts of cargo, and have cranes and heavy hatch covers to accommodate odd deck cargoes.See February 22

Slotergracht is living up to its reputation by carrying the stern trawler O-156. The 65 foot compiste aluminum / reinforced plastic boat was built in 2003 by TWL Enterprises Ltd of Trinity, NL as Fundy Commander. It fished out of southwestern Nova Scotia primarily from Digby until 2009.

At that time a pair of Dutch brothers from Urk, Netherlands bought the boat and after a three week Atlantic crossing at a blistering 8.5 knots, reached their new home port of Ostend, Belgium. After refitting the boat to European standards, they renamed it O-156 Maaretje-Alte and went fishing off Denmark, landing some of their catch in the Netherlands and some in Ostend. (The O in the boat's name stands for Ostend.)

In June of 2015 the boat was reported en route to Horta in the Azores, and seems to have remained there. On September 29 it was re-registered in Canada (in Yarmouth, NS) and renamed O-156 and classed as a pleasure craft. The new owner is a numbered company based in Goulds, NL.
Spliethoff's offer yacht transport as part of their regular business,but this boat is pure working trawler, although reportedly finished inside to a very high quality.
If it is to be unloaded in Halifax, there will be a wait as two days of high winds and driving rain are predicted.

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Singelgracht - waits for bunkers

The Netherlands flag general cargo ship Singelgracht put in for bunkers this afternoon, but it will have to wait for a while. The bunkering tanker Algoma Dartmouth left Halifax Saturday for point Tupper to load and is not due back in port until tomorrow.

Singelgracht is one of the 14 strong 'S' class built for Spliethoff's by Mitsubishi, Shomonoseki. This one dates from 2001 and measures 16,641 grt, 21,402 dwt. It carries three cranes of maximum 120 tonne capacity, and has removable tween decks. It is also fitted with five sideloading elevators, located on the starboard side - it is the housings for those elevators that look like containers on deck. The 16 tonne capacity elevator platforms are used to load paper rolls or other types of cargo, without opening the ship's hatches.
See the ship's spec sheet and a video: http://www.spliethoff.com/fleet/s-type/
 

As the ferry Woodside I scoots around the ship's stern, Singelgracht's exhaust scrubber system is visible in close up. The ship has been fitted with the scrubber so that it can continue to use heavy fuel, hence the need for Algoma Dartmouth to go to Point Tupper to top up. Judging by the exhaust plume from the ship's funnel - it looks like it could use a bit more scrubbing!

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