Big and BIG, et cetera

 There is big and there is BIG, and certainly the crane ship Orion qualifies in the latter category. The ship arrived yesterday, May 1, and tied up at the IEL dock in Dartmouth. There was no clear view of the ship from the Halifax side in yesterday's rain and fog, and today didn't start off much better, but things improved as the day wore on, and the high winds died away.

As the fog cleared off, more and more of the ship was revealed.

Its main characteristic is the massive 5,000 tonne capacity crane (with 1500 tonne secondary) which makes the two "smaller" 100 tonne auxiliary cranes look insignificant. 

Built in 2019 by Qidong Shipyard in China, the ship is an offshore installation vessel with accommodation for up to 239 workers and crew. It has a cargo payload capacity of 30,000 tonnes, a moon pool and diver support facilities and is rated DP3 for dynamic positioning. It is rated at 58,203 gt and 60,575 dwt. Named Orion I when  built it was renamed simply Orion in 2022. Owners Deme Offshore Equipment NV of the Netherlands Belgium , are involved in dredging and offshore work. 

The ship will be involved in offshore wind farm installation in the United States, which will be staged from Halifax.

Tuesday's are free days for seniors on Halifax Transit, so a ferry ride on the Woodside ferry Craig Blake provided close up views.

 

It also gave an unusual opportunity to catch three tankers in the same photo.

 In the distance the Irving Oil tanker East Coast was making another one of its visits to Imperial Oil. This is not as rare an event as it might seem as the two companies exchange product regularly.

At the Irving Oil dock in Woodside, next door to the IEL dock, it was the Marshall Islands flag tanker STI Comandante in from Amsterdam with more refined product.

A Handysize ship of 24,230 gt, 38,734 dwt it was built by Hyundai Mipo, Ulsan in 2014, and is operated by the Monaco based Scorpio Tankers Inc. (The company was founded by Emanuele Lauro of Italy, and its shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange.)

Alongside the Orion itself was the bunkering tanker North Atlantic Kairos. Operating out of the Come by Chance refinery in Newfoundland, it is making one of its rare moves outside of Placentia Bay. I am assuming that the Orion needs to top up on fuel for a prolonged work session offshore, where refueling would be difficult. The tanker sailed later this afternoon, returning to its home port.

Built in 2008 by Turkter Shipyard in Tuzla, Turkey, it is a 2985 gt, 3669 dwt ship. It first arrived in Halifax in July 9, 2016 as CT Wicklow. It was then handed over to North Atlantic, and renamed and registered in Canada. It has since made a few trips to Halifax with product for Wilson Fuel.

In a minor note to the Orion visit, a deck barge called the MM 110 arrived in Halifax April 30 in tow of the tug Bevery M1 and is moored directly astern of the Orion.

The 409 gt barge was built in China in 2013 and  is owned by McKeil Workboats GP Inc. 

The tug is standing by at Pier 9, so it may be used as part of Orion's visit.

Speaking of tugs, Atlantic Towing Ltd's tug base has moved from the north end of the IEL dock to the C.O.V.E dock (old Coast Guard Base) in Dartmouth Cove. This may not be a permanent move, and may only be for the duration of the Orion's visit.

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