Tanker Twins

 

When Irving Oil contracted with Algoma Tankers to provide two products tankers on long term charter, it was inevitable that both ships would eventually appear in Halifax at the same time. Today, December 5 was the first time, according to my records.

The ships essentially identical, at 23,451 gt, 37,242 dwt and were built by Hyundai Mipo in Ulsan. They replaced two chartered ships named East Coast and Acadian and were given the names Algoma East Coast and Algoma Acadian. Since the end of the charters to Irving Oil the older ships, owned by the Dutch company Vroon, are operating in Europe without change of name.

The new ships work on a fairly tight loop out of Saint John, NB where Irving Oil's refinery turns out refined products for eastern Canada and the northeastern United States. Since delivery in the spring of this year both ships have been frequent callers at Irving Oil's distribution terminal in Halifax harbour. Located in the Woodside area on the Dartmouth side of the harbour, the terminal stores various grades of fuel until it is transferred to trucks for delivery to outlets mostly in mainland Nova Scotia. The ships go on to ports such as Charlottetown and St. John's, with occasional runs to Portland, ME or other US ports and as far west as Montreal (they are too large for the St.Lawrence Seaway.)
The Algoma Acadian (left in photo above) arrived yesterday from Saint John and sailed this afternoon for Charlottetown. The Algoma East Coast arrived from Saint John, picking up  dusting of frozen spray en route. 

 At Imperial Oil (background in photo above) the tanker Success is offloading refined products from Houston. It is 29,335 gt, 46,803 dwt ship, built in 2004 by Hyundai Mipo. Originally named British Security it sailed for BP until 2016 when it was renamed Security. In 2019 it was renamed Success under the flag of India.

 

 Algoma Tankers also has tankers contracted to Imperial Oil. They are wider ranging, with trips to Great Lakes ports, such as Sarnia and Nanticoke where Imperial has refineries. They bring fule to Halifax bit also carry fuel from their Woodside storage facility to regional ports such as Sydney.

Today the Algoscotia arrived in ballast from Sydney and tied up at Pier 26. (The Success is occupying the only operational berth at Imperial Oil.)

 While alongside the ship may be able to carry out some maintenance work that can't be done at the oil dock. Built in 2004 by the Jiangnan Shipyard Group at the Qiuxin yard in Shanghai, the 13,352 grt, 18,610 dwt double hulled tanker normally runs year round with a few weeks respite during mid-winter when the St.Lawrence Seaway is closed.