Bulk Out, Bulk In

 Bulk cargoes do not make the headlines in the Port of Halifax - containers (and large container ships) grab the spotlight, with cruise ships perhaps in second place. Last year's 601,700 TEU container throughput and 239,000 cruise ship visitors on 148 ship calls were certainly notable and worthy of attention. This year (2023) stands to equal or surpass those numbers.

The chief bulk commodity handled in the port is gypsum, with a steady volume, but which can vary with the demand of the  economy.  The relatively small quantities of other bulk commodities handled by the port rarely receive much attention. (Of the 5.39 million tonnes of cargo handled in 2022 only 521,510 tonnes was "non-containerized".)

Today's two ship arrivals (June 23) would therefore escape notice, as they are not particularly noteworthy, except as examples of "other bulk commodities" that make up the Port's annual tonnage number.

First in was the bulk carrier Jasmina D a handy size  24,245 gt, 35,974 dwt vessel built in 2012 as Nina-Marie by Zchi Shipbuilding Co Ltd in Zhoushan, China and equipped with four 30 tonne SWL cranes. It does not appear to carry its own grabs, since the cross deck aras between the hatches are clear. It was renamed Jasmina D in 2021 when ownership changed to what I believe to be Dutch interests, under Alliance Maritime management,

The ship is equipped with a sophisticated hold washing system with wash water holding tanks in the double bottom. On arrival today its hatch covers were partially open, no doubt for drying the epoxy lined holds before taking on its next cargo.

Its previous cargo seems to have been bauxite loaded in Alumar, Itaqui, Brazil and unloaded in Bécancour, QC. (Opposite Trois-Rivières, there is a jointly owned Alcoa and Rio Tinto smelter there.)

The second arrival, about one half hour later, did not have the appearance of a bulk carrier since its deck was stacked with containers.

 Notable however - the deck above number 3 hatch is left clear to access cargo to be off loaded in Halifax. 

 The ship Eagle II is on charter to Nirint Shipping and is en route from Cuba to Europe. At its last port, of Moa, Cuba, it took on some nickel sulfides cargo, which is shipped in large cargo bags. The cargo is considered hazardous, and the bags contain any potential spillage. The material is also dangerous to load in bulk since it can liquify and shift in transit. The bags thus stablize the cargo.

The Eagle II was built in 2006 by Shandong Weihai Shipyard in Weihai, China. It measures 15,633 gt, 16,986 dwt and can carry 1306 TEU including 258 reefers, but can also carry general cargo and break bulk. It is fitted with a pair of 45 tonne SWL cranes. It sailed orginally as Hooge for Briese Schiffsharts, but was renamed Eagle II in 2022 by obscure Liberian owners.

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