Tenders and regular business

 With five cruise ships in port at one time, there were an estimated 11,000 passengers visiting Halifax today, October 21. Unlike Venice, Barcelona and ports in Alaska, Halifax welcomed the ships and the people without any serious hiccups. 

With limited berthing space and only a very small  cruise terminal it meant that two ships anchored out in the harbour and ferried the passengers (and crew members with shore leave) ashore using their own tenders.

 The lineup in order of arrival was the Norwegian Getaway at Pier 22, Brilliance of the Seas at Pier 20, Silver Shadow at Pier 23, Norwegian Gem at number one anchorage south and Azamara Quest at number one anchorage north.

Both anchored ships were close to the landing stage at Pier 24, where there was a constant shuttle of tenders, with a maximum of three alongside at any one time.

Tenders from the Norwegian Gem are catamarans with side loading doors.

 Although the day started off with rain, the sun came out by mid-morning. There was a breeze, but conditions were quite calm for tendering operations.

 The landing stage has two ramps leading from the floating pontoons to the tented reception area on Pier 24.

Even with the Silver Shadow at Pier 23 doing waste disposal work, there was lots of room for the tenders to come and go.
 

  

The two anchored ships operated their tenders from their starboard /lee sides, although conditions were quite calm.

 Other parts of the port were operating as usual. unhindered by the cruise ships.

Autoport had the Traviata in from the usual western Europe ports.

 Imperial Oil's number 3 berth was not idle for long. When the Algoberta sailed for Quebec, the TORM Dagmar was arriving from Antwerp to take its place.

TORM Dagmar, in the unique colour scheme of the Danish TORM A/S is carrying refined product, which will be stored, then distributed throughout the region by coastal tankers or trucks.

Built in 2015 by Hyundai Mipo Co Ltd in Ulsan as the Jane S the Torm Dagmar was acquired by TORM A/S and renamed in 2023. It is a Mid Range chemical /product tanker of 29,225 gt, 49,999 dwt. Its extra large funnel casing also houses an exhaust gas scrubber system to meet International emission requirements. New tankers (see yesterday) are being built for LNG / dual fuel as a more effective interim measure until alternative fuels become widely available.

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Back to the Future and other matters

 There were wintery conditions in Halifax today, February 5, with light dusts of snow. The temperature struggled to reach -10ºC [14º F], there was a biting wind at 26 kph [16 mph] with gusts to 35kph [21 mph] but it was mostly sunny and sea water temperature was still a balmy 1.7 ºC [35.1 ºF]. 

There were two auto carriers in port. The Traviata, which arrived yesterday at Autoport, moved over night to Pier 9C to off load RoRo cargo.

Traviata arriving yesterday, February 4.

 The ship was built in 2019 by Tianjin Xingang, to the HERO class design used by both Wallenius and Wilhelmsen. It must have beeen one of the last - or indeed the last - ship to use the old Wallenius colour scheme [see below]. It was not repainted in the Wallenius Wilhelmsen Ocean  teal/gray until 2024. [Despite a name begining with the letter "T" it is in fact a Wallenius ship, with an operatic name.]

The 73,358 gt, 23,889 dwt ship, has a capacity of 7656 RT43 autos, and mounts a 320 tonne SWL stern ramp. As with most modern autocarriers it has no side ramp.

 

Since its last call in Halifax December 16 the ship has followed the usual WWO route of New York, Brunswick, Charleston, Bremerhaven, Goteborg, Bremerhaven, Zeebrugge and Southampton and is now bound for New York again.

 The second autocarrier arrived today and docked directly at Autoport.

 The Future Way is a "ship of the future" in many ways, but has reverted back to the traditional Wallenius hull colours of white over green. In this case the green is also symbolic of its several environmentally sensitive features.

It was built by CIMC Raffles, Yantai in 2024 and features dual fuel engines, can sail fully loaded with no ballast water, has a shore power connector and can be converted to add battery power. It reduces fuel consumption by prop design, hull shape and aerodynamic features.

The bow shape and flush mounted cargo ventilation fans are some of the new features in the Sliepner concept of autocarriers developed by Wallenius Marine and naval architects Knud E. Hansen. The vessel's charterer, Volkswagen, has committed to reducing its carbon footprint.

The ship's recent movements are not entirely clear, (suggesting perhaps some military cargo) but it was in Halifax last on December 1 and has since called in Sparrows Point, Freeport, TX, Veracruz and Freeport again. It is not clear where the ship has been since that last Freeport call on December 20. Normally VW charters load in Bremerhaven.

Aside from some light snow in the air, there were other signs of winter. Oceanex Sanderling arrived from St.John's with a thin coat of frozen spray.

 

There was no sign of frozen spray (yet) on the bulk carrier Goodwyn Island. which arrrived last evening and sailed at noon time today.

Fully loaded with bauxite from Gladstone, Australia December 11, the ship sailed across the Indian Ocean,  passing Cape Town January 19 and Las Palmas January 24, and is now headed for  Pointe-Noire in Sept-Iles, QC. Its short stay here may have been to embark an ice advisor (they normally board off Sydney).

Built by Tsuneishi Zhoushan in 2018 it is a Supramax bulker of 35,684 gt, 63,906 dwt, and carries four 30 tonne cargo cranes and 20 tonne grabs (stowed to the starboard side of each crane base.) The ship has a bow "windshield" which has aerodynamic benefits while protecting the foredeck and number one hatch from seas.

The ship's loading port is in Queensland, on the northeast coast of Australia and a more direct route would have been via the Panama Canal, suggesting that the ship might have been re-directed from an original destination in Europe at some point en route. The Alumunerie Alouette in Sept-Iles is the largest aluminum smelter in the western hemisphere, and is powered by electricity from the Churchill Falls hydroelectricity facility.

There was also a haze of freezing spray on the container feeder AS Felicia arriving at PSA Fairview Cove for ZIM.

AS Felicia has been an on and off caller for ZIM's former CFX service since April 3, 2018. Built in 2006 by Zhejiang Ouhua Shipbuilding Co Ltd in Zhoushan, with tonnages of 15,375 grt, 18,291 dwt, it has a capacity of 1296 TEU, including 390 reefers, and has a pair of 45 tonne cranes. It was launched as Medocean but entered service as EWL Cribbean. In 2007 it became APL Managua and in 2014  Medocean and in 2015 AS Felicia. The ship has now joined the ZCX Colibri Express from the west coast of South America via Kingston, Jamaica, Miami, Philadelphia and New York. Quite a weather shock for ship and crew.

 The AS Felicia's call coincided with yesterday's ZCA transatlantic arrival ZIM Iberia which sailed at noon time today for New York. 

On arrival yesterday (in photo) it showed many Hapag-Lloyd boxes on deck. The slot arrangement between Hapag-Lloyd and ZIM has presumably survived the new Hapag-Lloyd + Maersk Gemini Cooperation.

The Zim Iberia acquired the name in 2022, but was built in 2009 by Jiangsu New Yangzijiang in Jiangyin. It was delivered as Rudolf Schepers and in 2017 became the Arkas Afrika then in 2018 Als Juno. The 40,541 gt, 50,300 dwt ship has a capacity of 4253 TEU including 698 reefers.  

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More Boskalis, less MSC, plus one

1.  Boskalis 

 Today, December 16, saw the arrival of another Boskalis-owned semi-submersible, heavy load carrier - the Triumph. This is quite a different sub-species of the category however. Instead of a purpose-built ship (see yesterday's long story) this one is a conversion.

 The Triumph started out as the Suezmax crude oil tanker Marble, built by Brodosplit in Croatia in 1992. It was a 77,931 gt, 149,999 dwt ship. As it neared fifteen years of age its owners, the Norwegian company Frontline, opted to sell the ship and the Dutch company Dockwise snapped it up. They sent it to the COSCO Guangdong shipyard where the existing cargo section was removed and scrapped and a new 130m x 44.5m mid-body was inserted. The bow and stern sections were then heavily modified to make the ship semi-submersible. Also an auxiliary navigation bridge was installed on the forepeak for use when visibility from the main bridge is blocked by deck cargo. The "new" Triumph, completed in 2008, was reduced from 269.0m overall length to 216.86m , with revised tonnages of 42,525 gt and 53,818 dwt.

Chinese shipyards made similar conversions, using ships with good maintenance records and reliable engines. The Triumph has a 6 cylinder MAN / B&W Diesel main engine rated at 13,364 kW, built under license by Brododplit, which was likely a factor in its selection.

On arrival in Halifax today it headed for anchorage in Bedford Basin, quite near its fleetmate Forte. Unlike that ship, this one has a deck load consisting of wind turbine pylon components.

 Triumph heading north into Bedford Basin with the Forte in the distance.

The visible pylon section carried the designation AJ 06, which indictes it is likely headed for the Wineyard Wind project, where 62 wind turbines are to be installed offshore Massachusetts.

This is not the Triumph's first call in Halifax. On its previous visit January 8 to January 11, 2011, it showed its versatility by lifting the jack-up drilling rig Rowan Gorilla III.

2. MSC

The movement of containers left in Halifax during the Montreal port workers strike last month continued today with MSC Sagitta III taking another turn. The ship arived yesterday on its second call under a coasting license to carry stranded containers from Halifax to Montreal, and other empties to balance supply. It docked at PSA Fairview Cove where the majority of boxes seemed to have been stored. This morning it moved to PSA Atlantic Hub, but first it did a 360 turn in Bedford Basin, then went to anchor in the lower harbour until berth 41 was vacated.

 

MSC applied to use both MSC Sagitta III and MSC Baltic III for an estimated three trips each between Halifax and Montreal under the coasting license by the completion date of December 31.

The berth at Pier 41 was occupied by the CMA CGM Lapérouse, but it sailed at noon time, and MSC Sagitta III moved in shortly after.

 

 3. Plus One

The Shipfax TMU (terrestrial mobile unit) was kept scurrying today to catch all the action, which also included an Autoport caller. The Traviata appeared in Wallenius Wilhelmsen colours, which have been applied within the last year. 

 The Dominion Rumbler scurries ahead to handle the ship's head lines to the mooting buoy off Autoport.

When the ship was here December 27, 2023 it was still wearing the Wallenius Lines white over green hull colour.

The ship was built in 2019 by Tianjin Xingang, to the HERO class design used by both Wallenius and Wilhelmsen. It must have beeen one of the last - or indeed the last - ship to use the old Wallenius colour scheme. Since it was due for a five year survey in 2023 it was probably repainted during the drydocking.

The 73,358 gt, 23,889 dwt ship, has a capacity of 7656 RT43 autos, and mounts a 320 tonne SWL stern ramp. As with most modern autocarriers it has no side ramp.

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Still Green - Always Magenta

 Still Green

The combined fleets of Wallenius Lines and Wilh. Wilhelmsen have been operating their auto carriers jointly as Wallenius Wilhelmsen Ocean (WWO) since 2019. (They began to work co-operatively as early as 1999). Both companies maintain many other independent businesses such as logistics and ship managment and invest in non-shipping industries and did not merge. 

Although WWO acts as a single company, its 123 autocarriers are owned by either by Wallenius or Wilhelmsen. Ships used to maintain the traditional paint schemes of the two lines, depending on the owner: white superstructure over red hull of Wilhelmsen and white over green of Wallenius. Since 2019 the line has been repainting its ships in a new scheme of teal green over grey hull and white superstructure with a grey over teal funnel.

The only way to tell which line owns which ships was by the name. Wallenius ships are named for operatic characters and Wilhelmsen ships' names begin with the letter "T".

It was a bit of a surprise today (December 27) to see the Traviata appear at Pier 9C to unload RoRo machinery, while still wearing the white over green Wallenius colours. (The "T" name may or may not be significant as there are numerous operatic characters without "T" names, so why this one was chosen is unknown.)

The ship was built in 2019 by Tianjin Xingang, to the HERO class design used by both Wallenius and Wilhelmsen. It must have beeen one of the last - or indeed the last - ship to use the old Wallenius colour scheme. 

The 73,358 gt, 23,889 dwt ship, has a capacity of 7656 RT43 autos, and mounts a 320 tonne SWL stern ramp. As with most modern autocarriers it has no side ramp.

The ship will be five years of in 2024 and is thus will be due for an important classification survey and drydocking in late 2024 or early 2025. I expect the green paint to disappear at that time.

Always Magenta

Another combination of companies is ONE (Ocean Network Express) founded in 2016 by the three main Japanese container lines: NYK Line, MOL and K-Line. The joint venture operates ships, which are chartered in from the parent companies. Starting in 2018 new ships have been painted in the (startling) magenta hull colour. Some ships were ordered and delivered before the merger, and were renamed with ONE names and some existing ships have been repainted in the new scheme.

Most of the fifteen ships of the "Bird" class, built by Japan Marine United in Kure, starting in 2015,  were delivered with NYK prefixes and later renamed with ONE. However today's arrival, delivered in July 2019 was the last in the series and has always carried the ONE prefix, and the magenta hull paint.

The ship measures 146,694 gt, 138,611 dwt and is rated for 14,026 TEU. It was good to see the ship loaded to near capacity today [photo above] as it arrived from Colombo on THE Alliance's EC5 service. On its first arrival on June 6, 2023 [photo below] it carried boxes only three high. Today it was six to eight high.

The Traviata moved to Autoport at noon time to offload automobiles and will sail this evening. The ONE Cygnus is expected to sail over night for New York. 

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Afternoon Arrival - Afternoon Departure

 With the return to Standard Time it is touch and go for late afternoon ship photos, but today two ships moved in good time. One was a scheduled 1530 sailing and one a 1600 arrival. [Both times are the pilotage assignment times].

Sailing promptly from Autoport, the Wallenius Wilhelmsen Traviata rounded Ives Knoll when there was still lots of light.

The third of four Hero class ships in the Wallenius fleet, it appears to be the last ship delivered in the traditional white over green Wallenius hull colour. Subsequent Wallenius and Wilhelmsen ships have been painted in the teal and white colour scheme of the merged fleets.

Built in 2019 by Tianjin Xingang, in Tianjin, China it is a 73,358 gt, 23,889 dwt Large Car and Truck Carrier with a capacity of 7656 cars. Its last ports were Southampton November 4-5, Zeebrugge October 30 - November 2, Bremerhaven October 28-30, Zeebrugge October 24-26 - the typical Wallenius Wilhelmsen SVC1 route.  Its next scheduled port is Baltimore.

As Traviata sailed the container ship MSC Angela was arriving, and the ships arranged to meet in the Middle Ground area with MSC Angela taking the western, deep water channel. Its exhaust gas scrubber system was working overtime producing a steam plume like a vapour trail. Most ships try to reduce or eliminate the steam plume with a de-mister, but that costs money and does not contribute to pollution reduction, since steam is considred harmless.

MSC Angela is a 41,225 gt, 50,568 dwt ship with a capacity of 4254 TEU including 550 reefers. It was built in 2008 as a Panamax vessel by Zhejiang YangFan Shipbuilding Co Ltd in Ningbo. Sailing on MSC's Canada Express 2 service from Valencia and Barcelona, the ship has been anchored off Halifax waiting its turn to offload some containers at PSA Halifax. Once the ship reduces its draft to St.Lawrence River limits it will sail to Montreal, its terminal port. 

Ships on MSC's St.Lawrence services have become regular callers in Halifax either inbound to off load a few containers to meet draft restrictions, or outbound to top up containers for sea-going draft. The secondary benefit is to shave several days off the sea leg of the trip, and thus providing an "express" service when coupled with speedy train transport.

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