The Russians are Not Coming

 Russian flagged ships have been fairly rare in Canadian waters recently, but Russian owned ships, flying the flags of Liberia or other flags of convenience have been fairly common. The huge SOVCOMFLOT (SCF) tanker fleet was the most often seen as they delivered refined product to ports in eastern Canada, including the St.Lawrence River. The recent ban on trade with Russia has brought an end to those calls.

Two SCF tankers have been in Canadian waters very recently. The SCF Ussuri was making its way inbound to the Gulf of St.Lawrence March 1 when it turned back off St.Paul's Island, just west of the Cabot Strait. It returned to disembark its ice adviser off Sydney, NS and after a time hove to in Canadian waters it returned to sea. Its cargo likely belongs to a Canadian company, so what will become of it is not known.

The most recent SCF ship to call in Halifax was Transsib Bridge which unloaded cargo at Irving Oil on February 20-21. It had previously loaded in Amsterdam February 1-2 and delivered some cargo to Saint John, NB, February 19.

When it sailed from Halifax it gave Amsterdam as its next port, but on approaching Europe that was changed to Ust-Luga, a Russian port on the Gulf of Finland.

From the 1960s to the 1980s there were Russian ships in Halifax almost constantly. Members of the fishing fleet such as factory trawlers, research ships, tugs and tankers were in and out of port regularly. There was also a large trade in bulk grain and shipments of bagged flour to Cuba. There was even RoRo traffic as ships of the USSR delivered the infamous Lada automobiles for unsuspecting North American buyers.

 See my series of posts from 2015: April 7, and April 8 and May 13

As world events evolve, there is little likelihood of seeing a Russian flagged or Russian owned ship in Halifax in the near future.
 

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T for two

Two ships arrived today and both their names begin with the letter T.

The tanker Transsib Bridge arrived from Beaumont, TX with a cargo of refined product for Imperial Oil. Operated by SCF, better known as Sovcomflot, a 100% state owned Russian corporation, the ship is also Russian built, by the Admiralty Shipyards in St.Petersburg in 2008. The company specializes in oil and gas transportation, and was founded in the Soviet era to bareboat charter ships as a means of financing fleet growth. Following its merger with Novoship in 2008, the company has become a very large operator with more than 150 ships under its control, totalling more than 13mn dwt.

 Four prominent tug markers share space on the ship's flank with locators for eight manifold connections. There is also a red flash at the foot of the gangway for pilot visibility.

Of course the ship's name celebrates the controversial Trans Siberian gas pipeline (Transsib), although the Trans Siberian Railroad is also referred to as Transsib in some quarters. It is a typical mid-range size tanker of 27,725 grt, 46,564 dwt. Managed by SCF Management Services (Dubai0 Ltd, it is flagged in Liberia.


The second T ship, is hardly a surprise visitor. Tongala is a regular caller for Wallenius Wilhelmsen since it was built in 2012 by Mitsubishi, Nagasaki. At 61,106 gert, 25,585 grt, it has a capacity of 6,459 cars, and although classed as a PCTC (pure car and truck carrier) its 300 tonne stern ramp allows it to carry a range of RoRo traffic. It has often unloaded at Pier 31 in Halifax with miscellaneous RoRo cargoes , but this time around it will only visit Autoport.

Atlantic Fir scurries to take up the bow position and Atlantic Oak makes up aft as Tongala proceeds inbound in the Middle Ground area.

Traditionally Wilhelmsen ships' names begin with the letter T. This particular ships recognizes a dairy farming town in northern Victoria, Australia.

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