Under Cover Operations - Part 1

 Some activities are carried out under cover of darkness in order to escape detection. Today, December 11, most operations in Halifax harbour were nearly invisible due to dense fog. Particulary as temperatures reached 7ºC as the rising tide brought in sea water of nearly the same temperature.

Operation 1

PSA Halifax operates both container terminals in Halifax. They took over operation of the South End Container Terminal (SECT) in 2019 and rebranded it as PSA Atlantic Hub. In 2022, PSA purchased Ceres Halifax Inc from NYK and renamed the facility located in Bedford Basin as PSA Fairview Cove.   

PSA has been continually upgrading equipment with new super post-panamax ship to shore cranes (STS) at the SECT in 2023. Thay have also purchased new Rubber Tired Gantries (RTG). The first two (numbered 79 and 80) arrived aboard the ship Spuigracht from Kone Cranes in Finland February 6, 2020. With their arrival some of the older RTGs were dismantled (in dramatic fashion see November 26, 2020.)

In May of this year PSA took delivery of eight new E-RTGs. Painted green to identify them as electrically operated, they also have expanded capabilities over the diesel powered units they are to to replace. The first batch  of four arrived on the Sampogracht on May 3, 2024 and the second group of four on the Singelgracht on May 26, 2024. There were some teething issues (believed to related to missing parts) but the units now appear to be in service.

With the E-RTGs operational PSA opted to move some of its diesel RTGs to Fairview Cove. They obviousy can't be driven over roads, so the deck barge Atlantic Swordfish was employed as a transporter. The barge had been sitting idle at the C.O.V.E dock in Dartmouth since some time last year, so was readily available. Yesterday, December 10, it was moved to Pier 39 - the last open berth on the southernmost finger pier. (The former Pier 40 is now buried with the SECT, where Pier 41 starts.) It was then possible to "drive" two RTGs onto the barge (or perhaps to lift them - I did not see). Two stackers were also loaded on.

This morning the barge got underway with the tugs Atlantic Larch and Atlantic Fir providing power for the slow trip to Fairview Cove. The procession was barely visible as it passed beneath the A.Murray MacKay bridge, thanks tothe aforementioned fog. However digital technology permitted some enhancement of an image.

Atlantic Larch (near side) and Atlantic Fir (far side) and Atlantic Swordfish in the Narrows.

The barge Atlantic Swordfish was built in 2000 by the Jinling Shipyard in Nanjing, China, It is 76.04 m registered length x 21.95 m breadth  and rated at 2318 gt. It has been registered in Canada since 2010, but its backgound is equally murky, however it was previously the Boabarge 17.

 The RTGs on the barge are numbered 76 and 77, so are among those once operated by previous operators of the SECT. 

See next post for Operation 2.

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