Prince Edward Island ferry update

 It was reported today, November 13, that ferry service to Prince Edward Island may resume December 6. The service was suspended after the ferry Confederation alided with the dock at Wood Island PE September 15 and damaged its bow visor and a portion of the hull. The second ferry, Saaremaa I was also removed from service in September with engine malfunctions.

Saarema I, on "loan" (in the form of a bare boat charter) from the Société des Traversiers du Quebec (STQ) until the end of October, instead sailed (on three of its four engines) from Wood Islands on October 27. It is now laid up in Trois-Rivières. A spare ferry in the STQ fleet, it was brought in as a replacement for the Holiday Island which was declared a total loss (and since scrapped) after a fire in 2022. A longer term replacement, the Norwegian Fanafjord, renamed Northumberland is presently undergoing sea trials in Norway and is expected to be in service for the 2025 season. It is supposed to serve until 2028 when a permanent replacement arrives. (I am not betting on that date.)

 Confederation is under repair at the CME Pictou Shipyard, with the bow visor removed and placed under cover. A suggestion that the ship could operate without the visor was not followed up due to the time needed to make a technical application to regulators. (Car deck flooding is a sensitive issue after several notorious sinkings with large loss of life. Authorities and classification Societies are understandably very wary of any possibility of a repeat.) 

Operators Northumberland Ferries Ltd (NFL) have announced that the repairs to the bow visor and the ship's apron, should be completed in time to resume service on December 6. They have also stated that the alision with the wharf was not caused by any mechanical malfunction, contrary to media reports at the time.

(The Caribou, NS to Wood Island, PE service is seasonal and usually closes down during ice season, from January to late May.)

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It's an ill wind and other activity

There was activity in several areas of the port today, November 13:

Imperial Oil

  If it's an ill wind that blows no good, tell that to Imperial Oil. Despite new robust mooring facilities at the number 3 oil dock at the Imperoyal terminal in Dartmouth, it is still an unsuitable berth in high winds. It is also unsafe to be transferring oil cargo in wind in case mooring lines part and stresses cause the fueling line to let go. Imperial and other oil majors have strict operating procedures regarding conditions at the dock, and cease transfers before the arrival of high winds. Ships may then leave the dock for other piers or go to anchor until calmer conditions return.

That is the case today, November 13 with three tankers idled in port as the usual autumnal gales blast away.

The Canadian flag tanker Algoscotia arrived in Halifax November 9 (see previous posts) from Sydney, NS, and anchored in the lower harbour, waiting its turn at Imperial Oil.

 Yesterday, November 12, the ship moved from anchor to Pier 25 to wait out the winds.

It was the Marshal Island flag tanker Al Reem from Antwerp with a fresh batch of product that was next in cue. It arrived November 10 and docked directly at Imperial's number 3 dock to unload. It was windy on November 11, and 12, but still within safe limits.

Early this morning, November 13, as winds were predicted to pick up again the Al Reem moved to anchor in Bedford Basin.

 A typical Medium Range 2 (MR2) tanker of 29,155 gt, 46,046 dwt, it was built in 2010 [see following ship] by the Hyundai Mipo shipyard in Ulsan, South Korea. It was initially named Alpine Venture (an odd name for a seagoing ship) then became Celsius Randers in 2019. (Celsius Shipping is a Danish company and names its ships after cities. Randers is a Danish city.) In mid-2023 the Dubai based Marakeb Shipping LLC renamed the ship Al Reem after an island in Adu Dhabi.

While at anchor the ship did not stow its crane. The device is used to handle the ship's unloading hose and is usually rated at about 10 tonnes SWL.

Also in port was another Canadian tanker, the Algoberta. It also arrived November 11 and went directly to Pier 27 to wait for its turn at Imperial Oil.

Autoport

 Apparently uneffected by today's wind was the Container/ RoRo ship Grande Marocco (not named for a Starbucks order). Arriving from several Italian ports, it offloaded vehicles at Autoport.  The ship and its several sisters are occasional callers in Halifax, always from Italy, and always with cars and vans.

 Although the ship had a number of containers on deck, it did not handle any containers while in Halifax. Built in 2010 by Hyundai Mipo, Ulsan, [see previous ship] it is a 47,636 gt, 25,725 dwt vessel with a capacity of 800 TEU and 2,000 CEU. It is fitted with a pair of 40 tonne SWL cranes and 250 tonne capacity stern ramp. It sailed later in the day for Baltimore.

PSA Fairview Cove

ZIM Integrated Shipping Services had the H Mercury in port on its ZCX feeder service to Jamaica. This is the ship's second visit after a first arrival October 9. It was unusual to see so many reefers on one ship,but ZIM is a major carrier of fruit.

High winds were blowing in from the north, pinning the ship on the dock. It may have been too windy for the cranes to work cargo.

The ship was built in 2022 by Jiangsu Yangzi Xinfu Shipbuilding in Jingjiang, China. At 28,848 gt, 24,468 dwt, it has a capacity of 1800 TEU. Owners are listed as Yangze Mercury Shipping Pte incorporated in Singapore.
 

Update:

Yesterday's arrival, the BBC Regalia, did not stay in port for very long. Arriving at the Halifax pilot station at 12 noon its pilot order for sailing from PSA Fairview Cove was for 2100 AST. It does not appear to have unloaded any of the deck cargo, so may only have handled some containers. Its next port is shown as Bécancour, QC, a port noted for handling wind turbine cargoes.

 

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Other activity (post number 2)

 There was enough activity in Halifax harbour today, November 12, to warrant two Shipfax posts. The first noted the enforced end to labour strikes in the ports of Vancouver, Montreal and Quebec City. 

This is the second post, and covers two movements in the port of Halifax.

BBC Regalia

The multi-purpose and heavy lift tween-decker BBC Regalia arrived after a very long trip from China. The ship left Minhang port on October 6 and crossed the Pacific, arriving in Panama November 1, clearing the Panama Canal November 5. It then sailed directly for Halifax and headed inbound for the PSA Fairview Cove container terminal.

 The ship is carrying a number of cylindrical objects, as yet unidentified, on deck (and likely more below) and a small number of containers. It is unusual for project cargo such as this to be unloaded at PSA Fairview Cove, particularly when they are accommodating so many diverted containers from Montreal. However space at Pier 9C is also at a premium - see previous posts - due to a previous shipment of wind turbine towers.

The BBC Regalia was built in China by Wuhu Xinlian in Wuhu. Measuring 14,859 gt, 17,907 dwt it carries three 80 tonne SWL cranes that can operate in pairs for 150 tonne lifts. It has the usual portable tween decks and is also rated for 1054 TEU with 144 reefer plugs.

The ship was originally named Safmarine Saguta and was owned by Safmarine Container Lines. It was renamed Thorco Royal in 2016 then BBC Regalia in 2019. The South African Marine Corporation (a.k.a. Safmarine) was owned by Maersk from 1999, but not merged into Maersk until 2020. The ship was sold to investors in 2015 and then acquired by Briese Schiffahrts (BBC Chartering) affiliates in 2021.

Caisson #1

The construction of the new pier at Halifax Shipyard is proceeding on two fronts. From the land side, quantities of crushed stone and armour rock have been arriving by truck and placed along the shore line by. McNally Construction's crane barges have been dredging out contaminents and placing material, preparing the harbour bottom for new pier cribs.

Meanwhile at the IEL Pier (or perhaps officially the Develop Nova Scotia Pier) at Woodside on the Dartmouth side of the harbour, McNally is building the concrete cribs aboard the semi-submersible barge J.G.Burke. [See my July 22 post.] (The barge was re-registered from US to Canada on October 11.) The first crib was floated off in the past week or so and tethered alongside the dock.

Today the tugs Atlantic Oak and Atlantic Cedar moved the unit from Woodside to the Shipyard. Unofficially named "Caisson # 1, the structure was afloat on an even keel and was jockeyed into position over the newly prepared gravel mattress where it will be settled into place. 

 

The cells will then be filled with more rock and the topsides structures of deck and cope wall will be installed. 

The Angus L. Macdonald bridge is an ideal vantage point for ship photography given the right conditions. Now that the offending construction crane (see previous post) is coming down, it is unlikely there will be any further interruptions. 

Today the big crane was being dismantled by a bigger crane.

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The Montreal strike is over

 The day after a holiday, (even it it was one that was not widely observed) is usually a busy catch up day. Today Tuesday, November 12, was no exception in Halifax harbour with a number of comings and goings of interest. Therefore there will be two posts today, of which this is the first.

The big news comes from Ottawa where the Federal Minister of Labour ordered a return to work for longshore workers in Vancouver and Montreal and the enforcement of binding arbitraiton in the two ports and in the Port of Quebec City where there has also been a long standing labour issue. The announcement follows on the heels of a legal strike, failed negotiations and the employers locking out the workers.

Citing damage to the Canadian economy and Canada's reputation in the world as a reliable trading partner, the Minister of course failed to mention that the Ports of Halifax and Saint John have pretty much taken the edge off the Montreal strike - granted there have been the inevitable delays in delivering and dispatching cargo, as trucks and trains had the burden of extra cargo.

A large proportion of the cargo running into the Port of Montreal goes west to Toronto and the US mid-west, so the strike, at most, added a day or two for import cargo and due to shorter sailing time to Halifax may have added the same or less time to export cargo. It should be noted that Montreal is also a grian exporting ports, and certainly generates considerable local cargo.

In any event the two Halifax container terminals had extra space, openings in schedules and the equipment and workforce to handle the extra work involved in handling Montreal cargo. It was interesting to see all the additional containers.

It may be some time before things return to normal as some ships will continue to come to Halifax to pick up "stranded" boxes. Others, that would be coming anyway to lighten draft or top off, may handle more than the usual quantity. Some ships that are already en route and diverted to Halifax will have to come anyway as their cargo is already here.

Today's one MSC arrival, MSC Annick from Sines, Portugal, on the Med-Canada service, has been standing by off Halifax since Saturday November 9 (a fleet mate MSC Lisa has been anchored off this port since at least November 6 and is now due tomorrow.)

The MSC Annick would normally only be here to lighten off to St.Lawrence River draft, but may have more cargo to off load here now, but could well have been planning to completely discharge and load.

MSC Annick has had seven previous names and has operated for several major container lines. Another of MSC's older ships, it was built in 1998 by Hyundai, Ulsan. A 40,306 gt, 52,329 dwt vessel it has a relatively modest (published) capacity of 3987 TEU.

Arriving from Montreal to top up, MSC Annick was operating at freshwater draft in this 2021 photo.

 The ship has carried the names 1998: Mare Superum, 98: Elbe Bridge, 2004: P+O Nedlloyd Cartagena, 2005: Maersk Tirana, 2006: Dalian Express, 2006: Maersk Tirana, 2009: Mare Superum, 2013: MSC Annick.

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Remembrance Day

 November 11 is observed to varying degrees as Remembrance Day. The date was established by the signing of the Armistice that ended the First World War at 11:00 a.m. November 11, 1918. It has since become the commemoration day for those lost and those who served in the First and Second Word Wars, the Korean War and subsequent conflicts.

Some businesses close for all or part of the day, but it is not a statutory holiday. There are ceremonies and wreath laying at memorial sites throughout the country with gun salutes and (conditions permitting) fly pasts. 

In the Halifax area there are numerous events on land, with a minute of silence observed at 11:00 a.m. and a twenty-one gun salute from Citadel Hill. The Royal Canadian Navy participates with a wreath laying off the Naval Memorial at Point Pleasant. Today the HMCS St. John's was designated as host ship. It got underway from HMC Dockyard with three Dockyard tugs assisting then following at a distance to assist in positioning the ship for the ceremony.

A small RHIB boat brought the mooring party back on board after they cast off the ship's lines.

The tugs Glenside, Listerville and Granville assisted in the operation.

(The tanker Algoscotia, anchored in the background, is visible through the rain.) 

 Unfortunately due to the rain, high winds, and low ceiling, a helicopter fly past was cancelled. Last week I saw what may have been practice flights for formation flying - a rare event for naval helos.

                                       Three helicopters over Shearwater, November 3.

 

Two RCN Cormorant helicopters seen from Point Pleasant, November 6. 

Normal harbour traffic continued throughout the solemn hour with ships coming and going. Dollars win every war. Even the Hero class patrol vessel CCGC Private Robertson V.C. arrived about noon, apparently oblivious to the significance of the day and time and even the name of their own ship. Private James Peter Robertson was a native of Nova Scotia and died November 6, 1917 while rescuing two of his wounded comrades during the Second Battle of Passchendaele. He was awarded the Victoria Cross posthumously, the highest military honour. Surely the ship could have timed its arrival by half and hour to at least stand by for the wreath laying.

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Mignon

 The auto carrier Mignon made a double stop in Halifax today, first at Autoport to offload automobiles, then at Pier 9C for machinery. Classed as a Large Car and Truck Carrier (LCTC), three of its cargo decks, numbers 4, 6 and 8, are strengthened for heavy units. The three decks immediately above them are hoistable to allow for extra height cargo. Deck number 6 is the main cargo loading deck.

 The wind turbine tower sections that arrived last month are still stored on Pier 9C. 

[see the October 19 post]

The ship was built in 1999 by Daewoo Heavy Industries in Okpo, South Korea. Along with four sister ships it was lengthened in 2005 by Hyundai Vinashin in Ninh Hoa, Vietnam by the insertion of a new 28m midsection. The "elongation", as some websites call it, resulted in an increase in overall length from 199m to 227m. The corresponding increase in tonnage was 57,018 to 67,264 gt and 14,841 to 28,126 dwt. Car capacity thus increased from about 5,800 to 7,300 RT43.  

The ship's 125 tonne capacity stern ramp is skewed 27 degrees to starboard off the centre line and serves deck 6. The small side ramp, serving deck 7, is perpendicular to the ship's centre line.

 At Pier 9C the ship offloaded a variety of machinery.

The ship is operating on Wallenius Wilhelmsen's transatlantic route and arrived from Goteborg, Sweden and is carrying the usual array of forestry, mining, farming and other wheeled and unwheeled machinery. It will be sailing on to New York. As a Wallenius ship, it was once painted green and white. Due to the 2005 elongation, the large banner lettering on the ship's side is off centre.

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Golden Oldies

 Long known for operating older ships, the Mediterranean Shipping Company lived up to that reputation today, November 9, with two ships in port that were built in the last century. Wallenius Wilhelmsen are no slouches either, as they get the most out of their ships too, however their representative today was a teenager.

The oldest of the ships is MSC Jordan III arriving from Zebrugge on the Canada Express service. The ship has been diverted from Montreal due to the longshore workers strike in that port.

 Built back in 1993 by Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft in Kiel, it was originally named Sovcomflot Senator and measured 37,071 gt and 47,120 dwt (since revised to 56,123 dwt) with a capacity of 2668 TEU. In 2003 it was renamed MSC Jordan. The Roman numeral "III" was added in 2023, representing the capacity class.

The ship was last in Halifax October 15 (also a diversion from Montreal) and has since been to Le Havre and Zeebrugge. The ship was standing by off Halifax from October 7, presumably awaiting the arrival of export cargo by train from inland points. (Rail traffic to the Port of Montreal has been suspended during the strike.) The ship is due to sail for Freeport, Bahamas.

Second oldest, the Kleven made an impressive sight as it departed PSA Atlantic Gateway at noon time, as the ship sported a fairly fresh coat of paint. (Streaks on the ship's flanks are from salt water draining from the decks.)

 A truly elegant ship, with impressive lines, it was built as the Kate Maersk in 1996 by Maersk's own shipyard (since closed), Odense Staalskibs, Lindø, Denmark. A very large ship for its time, it was registered at 81,488 gt, 96,103 dwt with a capacity of 7403 TEU and 703 reefer plugs.

In 2008 it was renamed Maersk Kleven when it was sold and chartered back. Then in 2016 it became MSC Kleven but was economically renamed Even for a short time the same year then became Maersk Kleven again. In 2023 current owners, Costamare, renamed the ship Kleven. It has now been spot chartered by MSC as a sweeper to pick up and distribute miscellaneous boxes as an "extra vessel" on no specific route or service line.

It arrived from Colon, Panama after a series of stops in Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, and Panama.

Oddly, the Kleven took the eastern channel outbound while the smaller, and shallower draft Algoscotia inbound from Sydney in ballast, took the western deepwater channel. The ships met in the Middle Ground area, with lots of searoom. making the Algoscotia look larger, when in fact the 13,352 gt, 18,610 dwt tanker is very much smaller.

Wallenius's contribuiton to the age parade was the veteran Fedelio, built in 2007. Seventeen is not old for autocarriers which do not see the hard duty that some other ships may experience.

 Delivered by Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering Company in Okpo for Wallenius Lines, the 71,583 gt, 30,137 dwt ship, has a capacity of 7500 RT43 cars, and a 240 tonne SWL stern ramp and a small side ramp. 

I wonder if that side ramp would have been placed in another spot had the ship been built for Wallenius Wilhelmsen. The slightly awkward banner on the starboard side is placed more symmetrically on the port side where it is not interrupted by a side ramp.

 The ship was wearing the original Wallenius green and white livery when it arived in Halifax in 2021. Even though the Wallenius Wilhelmsen merger had long since taken place, the new teal and gray scheme had not yet been applied.

The Swedish Wallenius Lines joined with the Norwegian Wilhelm Wilhelmsen in 1999 but it was not until 2017 that their auto carrier operations were effectively merged. Even now ships are still owned through the original entities with Wallenius owned ships named for operatic characters and Wilhelmsen ships named with the letter "T". The fleet of 123 autocarriers now operates under the Wallenius Wilhelmsen Ocean trading name, and most, if not all of the ships have been repainted.

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Phatra Naree

 "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder" the old adage goes, and presumably the ship Phatra Naree lives up to that phrase in the eyes of the shareholders in the publicly traded Precious Shipping Company Ltd of Bangkok Thailand (PSL). If Google translates the ship's name correctly it means "beautiful lady." 

A handysize bulk carrier of 22,680 gt, and 35,882 dwt, it was built in 2017 by Sanjin Shipbuilding Industries Co in Weihai, China. A fairly typical single hull, single deck ship it is fitted with four 36 tonne SWL cranes. (Their capacity is listed at 28 tonnes when using grabs, but the ship does not carry its own.) According to the company's website it was built, or perhaps just laid down, as CMB Laszlo but was delivered as Nordic Seoul and given the name of Phatra Naree when acquired by PSL in 2022. The ship carries the company's solid green coloured funnel with 'PSL" in plain white letters and flies the flag of Thailand.

 

Precious Shipping Ltd was founded in 1989 and despite some setbacks during the Asian economic collapse in 1997, has built up a fleet of 40 bulk carriers engaged in tramp, voyage charter trades. There are 20 handysize, 8 supramax, 8 ultramax and four cement carriers in operation (each owned by an individual single ship company). The company also has its own ship management firm called Great Circle Shipping Agency and owns Associated Bulk Carriers Pte Ltd of Singapore and various PSL subsidiaries incorporated in Singapore, Panama and the UK. Due to the nature of their business (that is dry bulk raw materials and grains) the company's fortunes are tied to geopolitics. The Chairman of the Board's report for 2023 is a thesis on that topic, and surprisingly frank, see:

https://www.preciousshipping.com/wp-content/uploads/BODReport/BOARD_REPORT_2023_EN.pdf 

The ship Phatra Naree arrived in Halifax in ballast November 1 from Charleston, SC, and went directly to Pier 28 where it began to load from the grain spouts. There were some rain delays as there is no means of sheltering the holds to keep cargo dry, and work was ongoing today, with sailing scheduled for overnight tonight, November 8 - 9. There was a surprising lack of dust in the air, so there was no hint as to whether the cargo was wood pellets, soy or other grains. That may become known when the ship delcares its destination. [see possible addendum added later.]

 

Early this afternoon there were four spouts directing cargo into the after holds. 

Addendum: On requesting clearance to sail the ship gave Rotterdam as its destination leading me to believe its cargo is wood pellets for power generation.

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