The Marshal Islands flag tanker
Rio Dauphin is back in Halifax again working out to the end of her third coasting license for Algoma Takers. Her prolonged appearance in Canadian waters is due to a shortage of Canadian tankers brought about by the closing of Imperial Oil's refining operation in Halifax.
Its first license was for the period of September 25 to October 15 and included up to five trips to ports on the Great Lakes. The second license was for one trip from Sarnia to Halifax October 25 to November 8. The present third license expires today. It was granted to carry 12,000 cubic meters of clean product between Sarnia and Halifax.and or Sydney, NS from November 24 to December 9.
When the St.Lawrence Seaway closes at Christmas Imperial will have to rely on other refiners in Canada or import product from the US to meet demand in this region.
This sporadic demand for domestic tankers is apparently not enough to justify buying and importing a ship in to Canada, particularly when our present laws allow foreign ships to be licensed when no suitable Canadian ship is available.
For more detail on the ship itself, see my previous posting:
http://shipfax.blogspot.ca/2013/10/rio-dauphin-working-for-algoma.html
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Hi Mac, it,s so sad that we have to get all these foreign flagged vessels to do all our work between canadian ports. I see a few foreign flagged vessels operating between nfld. & nova scotia to the oil & gas fields of both provinces. Hundreds of jobs lost here for our seamen. Wish we had a full JONES ACT same as US does. God Bless old friend , keep up good work & have a very merry xmas. "SNOCKY"
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