HMCS Charlottetown-back after 247 days.

HMCS Charlottetown returned to Halifax this morning after completing one of the longest overseas postings in the history of the RCN. The ship left Halifax January 8 and spent four months for NATO in the Mediterranean. It then shifted to the Arabian Sea. Its mission included counter terrorism and drug interdiction work. The ship spent two days in St.John's and hastened opn to Halifax in advance of post tropical storm Leslie.

It actually arrived at CFB Shearwater during the night. It embarked VIPs this morning and made a ceremonial arrival at HMC Dockyard for 10 am. In the photo it is seen clearing the Eastern Passage heading for Halifax.

Geo Caribbean - seeks shelter [update]

The siesmic research ship Geo Caribbean arrived in Halifax today to get out of the path of Tropical Storm ex Hurricane Leslie, which is sweeping toward Newfoundland.
The Norwegian ship had been working on a 2-D seismic survey on the Flemish Pass. Because the area is within Canadian waters, it had been granted a coasting license for the period May 15 to October 15. It also had the supply vessel Thor Omega running fuel and provisions out to the ship from time to time.

The stern of the ship is where the action is. It trails seismic streamers from a series of winches and take up reels. The 12,108 gross tons ships was built in 2008.
Tuesday Sept 11 Update:

The ship moved alongside pier 27 late monday evening, and during the day Tuesday took the opportunity to do some work over side. It also gave me the opportunity to make up for the stern shot:

The ship's foredeck is also a helicopter landing platform. It carries an array of water craft including an enclosed lifeboat, a work boat and an inflatible, which had been working around the bow. Note also the open platform near the bow. This is a docking platform similar to those found on cruise ships. It used by crew to heave mooring lines and to provide a view of the ship below the curvature of the bow while docking.

Cruisers bid good bye to Halifax

I dislike taking "stern shots" of ships, but it seemed appropriate today for a couple of reasons [see also following post].
It was a miserably wet day for the passengers of three cruise ships that happened to call here. Despite the inclemency many passengers made their way by bus and on foot -clad in disposable ponchos and other rain gear- to "soak up" the Halifax ambiance. I don't imagine too many of them were sorry to say good bye to Halifax at the end of the day.

1. First to leave was Caribbean Princess with her "shopping cart push bar" sky lounge. She is bound for Saint John, NB.

2. The sleek Carnival Glory followed a bit later. Next port is also Saint John, NB. 

3. Norwegian Gem was last to go - some of her passengers were held up in traffic, delaying the departure by about 30 minutes. The ship is heading for Quebec City, and so will be passing through the heaviest rain sometime tonight off Cape Breton.

Busy weekend in Halifax

No sooner did Vectis Harrier [see previous posting] sail than Atlantic Compass arrived. In fact the ships passed in the Basin after Compass cleared the Narrows.

1. Some close quarters work as Atlantic Compass sails the Narrows. The new Pier 9 C extension is to the right.

2. Algoma Dartmouth had just completed bunkering Vectis Harrier and waited for Atlantric Compass to clear the Narrows, before heading to the cable ship Wave Sentinel.

Vietnam Express had arrived early in the morning and in the evening moved out to anchor to free her berth for Pusan. Atlantic Compass sailed Saturday night.

3. Pusan steaming in on Saturday afternoon. She is on chartter to Hapag-Lloyd.

Canada Express arrived early this morning (Sunday) taking Pusan's place, and Vietnam Express moved  from anchorage back in to Fairview.

4. Vietnam Express has her anchor up ready to back alongside.

Also on Sunday the autocarrier Seven Seas Highway arrived at Autoport and tow tankers sailed from Imperial Oil. The chemical tanker Sichem Contestor and the crude carrier Energy Sprinter.
The cruise ship Disney Magic was in port Sunday, and the container ship Marwan anchored in the harbour and will dock Monday morning.

5. Energy Sprinter will soon be getting underway from Imperial Oil dock 5, as a storm approaches offshore.

6. The gulls are aware of the tropical storm that will pass to the east of Halifax, and have, like Warwan sought shelter in port.

Vectis Harrier - Super Greenship

The first Super Greenship and the first "Cross-Bow" ship to call in Halifax arrived today:

1. Alongside at Fairview Cove, the distinctive fine bow is evident.

2. Entering the Narrows from Bedford Basin, outbound. A travelling gantry, stowed forward, is used to lift off the hatches.

Carisbrooke Shipping  of Cowes, Isle of Wight, UK, is building a fleet of super efficient ships. The first series are called the Super Greenship 8500 class. Based on a design by the Dutch firm of Groot Ship Design, the 8500 tonne deadweight multi-purpose ships feature the distinctive "Cross Bow" * form. Intended to reduce pitching and slamming at sea, the bow also claims to produce greater efficiency of operation when combined with a new propellor design and other features. The ship is also rated as Finnish Ice Class 1 A.
Built by Jiangsu Yangzijiang Shipbuilding Co Ltd in China and delivered earlier this year, Vectis Harrier tied up at Fairview Cove this morning and sailed at noon. While there it took on bunkers from Algoma Dartmouth but did not seem to work any cargo.
Aside from the bow, the ship looks like most small general cargo/bulk/container ships of 6190 gross tons, 8557 tonnes deadweight. It is fitted with two 80 tonne cranes and has a single box shaped hold, with lift off hatch covers.
The ship seems to be a throw back to olden years when knife-like ship's bows were all the rage. Their effectiveness in slicing open other ships in collisions (the Empress of Ireland being a prime example-it was sliced open by the collier Storstad) lead to the development of the "soft bow" which gave way in collisions, and tended to protect the forward collision bulkhead also.
[* a similar looking bow form called the "Axe Bow" has been developed by Damen Shipbuilding and similar versions are widely used in new offshore support vessels.]
Footnote:
Vectis Harrier is a fairly tame energy saver compared to the ship I saw on the St.Lawrence in August. E-Ship 1 is wind assisted. There are no sails however. The ship is fitted with four rotating cylinders which assist the ship to varying degrees, depending on wind speed and speed through the water. When I saw it on August 21 it was not getting much help from the wind.

3. E-Ship 1 downbound from my front porch in Quebec. The ship is about 5 miles away, and the church spire is more than 10 miles from my vantage point, so this is the best that can be expected from a 300mm lens.

Maersk Jefferson - a new face for Maersk Line

During my absence in August, Maersk Line has brought in the Maersk Jefferson a chartered ship, owned by NSC Schiffs. of Germany. Built in 2008 it measures 32,901 gross tons and has a capacity of 2797 TEUs of which 746 can be refrigerated.

Wave Sentinel - Cable Ship Rendezvous

The cable ship Wave Sentinel arrived this morning and tied up at pier 9 alongside another cable ship, IT Interceptor. This generally means a transfer of cable from one ship to another. Cable is a notoriously difficult cargo to transport, requiring special holds and gear.
IT Interceptor is registered in Barbados, but is operated by IT International, the Canadian cable company.
Wave Sentinel is operated by Global Marine Systems of the UK.

Wave Sentinel was built in 1995 and is of a modern design-working the cable over the stern only. IT Interceptor , built in 1988, is of a traditional design, working over bow and stern.