The Ins and Outs of it

 Ships arrive and sail and sometimes they sail and arrive. In the former case are ships calling in Halifax on schedules or single voyages. In the latter case are ships that are based in Halifax and put out to sea for trials and soon return to port.

A scheduled arrival and departure today was the Holland America cruise ship Zaandam on its second trip of the cruise season. It is probably the most familiar of all the cruise ships, making several visits each season. This year it is scheduled for some eighteen calls. 

Built in 2000 by Fincantieri Marghera, it is a 61,396 gt ship that accommodates 1432 passengers and 607 crew.

 

On departure today the ship took the western channel outbound. That channel is known as the deep water channel, and contains some turns that are easy for highly maneuverable cruise ships to negotiate.

Taking the western channel allowed the less maneuverable tanker Largo Elegance to take the straighter eastern channel, inbound from Antwerp. This is a single voyage for the ship which is managed by the 600 ship strong Anglo-Eastern Ship Management Co Ltd, but it works within one of the tanker pools.

 

Zaandam veers to the west to take the deep water channel while Largo Elegance makes its way through the Middle Ground between Maugher's Beach and Ives Knoll.

The Largo Elegance dates from 2017 when it was built by Hyundai Vinashin Shipyard Co in Ninh Hoa, Vietnam. It is a handysize MidRange vessel of 29,416 gt, 50,118 dwt, originally to be named Eco Seven but renamed Stenaweco Elegance on delivery February 28, 2017. It assumed its current name in 2020.

The tug Atlamtic Oak is made up forward and Atlamtic Beaver is coming alongside aft to assist the ship in docking at Imperial Oil.

The ship still carries the unusual Stenaweco livery of black hull and grey superstructure and deck fittings. (Stenaweco was a joint venture between Stena Bulk of Sweden and Weco Shipping of Denmark. Stena Bulk bought out Weco's 50% interest in the company in early March 2017 - soon after this ship was delivered - and merged it into Stena Bulk.)

Current owners are the anonymous Jupiter 1 Ltd.

In the departure and arrival category was the research vessel Coriolis II . The ship is owned and operated by the Université de Québec à Rimouski but usually winters over in Halifax to stay clear of ice. As usual this year it berthed at the C.O.V.E dock in Dartmouth.

 The Coriolis II off George's Island,  is putting out for a brief trials trip outside the harbour limits.  Chebucto Head, in the background, marks the entrance to Halifax harbour.

Built in 1990 by Versatile Pacific Shipyards Inc in Esquimalt as a Type 500 Search and Rescue patrol vessel and named CCGS John Jacobsen, it was retired in 2000 and renamed 2000-03. It was rebuilt for research in 2002. Now equipped with a gantry on the stern, it conducts marine research projects in association with various universities and other institutions, usually in the Gulf of St.Lawrence.

 

 

Zaandam alongside at Pier 22 had Dominion Diving vessels alongside to remove refuse. International garbage, must be incinerated .

Coriolis II in the foreground returned to its dock after a few hours. 

 

.