Quiet Day in Halifax

An overnight storm with high winds forced the cancellation of all piloted arrivals and departures in the port of Halifax until late this afternoon. The pilot boat was off station until about 3pm when Georgia S was boarded and sailed in to anchor in Bedford Basin.

Several ships are holding off port until it is safe to board a pilot. Zim Haifa, Aegir and others are waiting outside.

Meanwhile the tanker Barents Sea, which had moved off Imperial Oil last night took bunkers in anchorage number 1, and Algonova, which also left Imperial Oil due to weather, was able to get back alongside this afternoon when the winds dropped off.

Atlantic Erie, loaded with gypsum awaits at anchor in Bedford Basin. She would have been heading into the storm, so elected to stay in port for an extra day or two.

Meanwhile the former protest vessel Farley Mowat was moved from the IEL dock to pier 9 this afternoon by the tug Atlantic Larch. The ship arrived late last year in tow from Sydney and has been idle at the IEL pier ever since. She was auctioned off by the government in the fall after being seized during a seal hunt protest. The all black ship, complete with "kills" painted on her bridge like a fighter plane, has apparently been sold to US interests, but is in no condition to sail on her own.

Ships working in port today include Atlantic Companion at Fairview Cove; Flintereems loading wood pellets at pier 28 and Onego Traveller unloading rails at pier 27.

Also in port is Atlantic Huron, in winter layup at pier 25-26, and the tug Ryan Leet and supplier Panuke Sea at pier 9c. Maersk Challenger is at the Exxon/Mobil dock. Halifax shipyard is still host to the Joseph and Clara Smallwood in the Novadock, Acadia in the ScotiadockII and HMCS Iroquois in the graving dock.

Update January 27: Farley Mowat was back at the IEL pier this morning after her little trip up the harbour yesterday. She must have been moved off the dock for some reason-perhaps for work on the adjacent rig Chemul, that Irving Shipbuilding is repairing.