PSA Shuffle

 With PSA operating both container terminals in the Port of Halifax, they have the option of moving ships to available berths. Today was an opportunity to maximize berth usage, and eliminate possible delays by shifting one ship from its customary dock to another.

The ship in question was the Canadian flagged Nolhan Ava, which operates a weekly container and RoRo service to St-Pierre et Miquelon and Argentia, Newfoundland. Its customary departure day from Halifax is Friday.

For the past several years it has docked at Fairview Cove - a convenient berthing since a considerable portion of its cargo comes from France on Atlantic Container Lines vessels, which also dock at PSA Fairview Cove. It is much more convenient to transship containers and RoRo within the same terminal, rather than shuttling them by truck through downtown Halifax.

Today, Friday May 5, however the RoRo ramp at PSA Fairview Cove was occupied by the Atlantic Star on an eastbound leg, and possibly a few days off its normal schedule. Therefore to keep the Nolhan Ava on schedule, it was assigned berth 42 at the South End Container Terminal, PSA Halifax.

By late afternoon both Oceanex Sanderling (loading containers and RoRo for St.John's, Newfoundland) at berth 41 and Nolhan Ava at berth 42 were still working when the next ship arrived: Vistula Maersk on the Maersk / CMA CGM St-Laurent 1 service from Montreal.

In an unusual maneuver, the Oceanex Sanderling slid ahead on berth 41, allowing enough room for Nolhanva to back away from 42, move in reverse around the Oceanex Sanderling, and slide into berth 41 to use the RoRo ramp. (Much of this was not visible to me on the land side).

While the Nolhan Ava was moving, the tugs Atlantic Willow (forward) and Atlantic Oak (aft) were turning the Vistula Maersk to back into berth 42, starboard side to.

 Recent photos from Antwerp show that the sister ship to the Vistula Maersk and VayengaMaersk, the Volga Maersk has been added to the St.Laurent 1 rotation and is en route to Montreal. It is displaying the "new" Maersk livery. The hull is still painted in the unique Maersk blue, but the banner lettering on the hull has been changed from back to white, and the AP Moller-Maersk six pointed star has also been applied in white next to the "M". The ship should show up in Halifax in two weeks.

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