Bring Back the Crow

 

With the current trade uncertainty due to tariffs on southbound Canadian crops and those headed to China, Shipfax takes a look back and offers a recommendation to both alleviate the pain for Canadian farmers and to make use of an underutilized asset of the Port of Halifax.

In 1897 the Canadian Government subsidized extension of the Canadian Pacific Railway from Southern Alberta to British Columbia using a route through the mountainous terrain by way of the Crow's Nest Pass. By artificially lowering the freight rates to transport grain to eastern ports by matching the rate through the Crow's Nest Pass, the government also promoted growth of industry in eastern Canada at the expense of western development. The program, known as the Crow Rate, was very unpopular in western Canada due to a perceived bias against western interests (what's new), and was eventually repealed in 1992. Grain exports through Halifax dropped away to near nil as a result. A new Western Grain Transportation Act was introduced in 1993 and promoted grain shipments southward by rail and by the Mississippi River system.

The backlogs to load grain at Vancouver was not improved despite government grain car programs. The railroads then discovered winter as a new excuse for slow westward grain movement.

Present day politicians (in election mode) are now funding renovation of the Port of Churchill, Manitoba, to ship more prairie grain via Hudson Bay to Europe, the Middle East and Africa. While that redevelopment may make sense on paper, it is just a way to pour more money down the throat of a white elephant that has failed to live up to its promise since the1930s. (Construction of the Port started in the early 1900s, was delayed by World War I, and the Great Depression, finally opening for business in 1931. It was also shut down during World War II and from 2016 to 2019 due to rail line washout.) Now privately owned, the port and rail line, apparently cannot fund its own maintenance.

Why spend tax payers' money on a port with shallow water, a short ice free navigation season of only four months or so (even with global warming and an open Northwest Passage it will still be only seasonal) and a rail line built on melting muskeg (global warming cuts both ways) when the Port of Halifax is the very opposite?  With deep water, ice free and a stable rail line (the Isthmus of Chignecto can be reinforced for a competitive cost) the Port of Halifax is all that Churchill is not. Not only that but Halifax has a huge grain elevator and grain handling facilities that are seriously underused.

 

The 365 silos in the Port of Halifax grain elevator can hold 5,152,000 bushels of grain and can load out 50,000 bushels per hour. The installation is a Halifax landmark.

 Shipfax is calling for a competitive rail system to move grain from the prairies to Halifax. The two so-called Canadian railways need to be reminded that they owe their existance to the Canadian government's largesse and promotion. Both have huge networks into the US, but should now be directing traffic, tariff free, through Halifax and on to the rest of the world.

 The grain importing facility at Pier 25-26 consists of a "grain leg" that can offload 500 tonnes per hour from ships. A bucket loop contraption, it is rarely used anymore as grain now arrives, usually from the Lakehead,  on self-unloaders. Most of that inbound grain is for local consumption.

 

The Nanticoke used the grain leg until a hopper was built to allow it to self-unload.

 

The hopper can receive 1,000 tonnes per hour from self-unloading ships, such as the Nanticoke (built in 1980, but since retired and scrapped in 2020 after ten years mostly carrying salt and re-named Salarium).

 Grain exporting galleries are now located at Pier 28, but once extended out from Pier 25 to the end of Pier 26, and presumably could be expanded again if the basin between piers A and A-1 is filled in.

In 1970 Elder Dempster's Dunkwa could load grain from spouts at pier 24 and, as shown, at Pier 26, but that section of the gallery was removed in the mid-1970s when the Pier 28 gallery was built.

Despite the look of the three-master Star of the Pacific , this photo was not taken in the age of sail, but also in 1970, showing a bit of the old grain export gallery at Pier 23 (right side of photo) and the old maze of conveyor systems. Who knew?
 

 The "new" export gallery at Pier 28 dates from the mid-1970s:

 An April Fool's Day event in ice-free Halifax harbour in 1987. Broken ice from the Gulf of St.Lawrence drifted down the coast and, driven by wind and tide, flowed into Halifax choking the harbour for a few days. The bulker Common Venture was loading grain at Pier 28, and suspended operations for a time. The event has not been repeated on subsequent April Firsts.

Nowadays the Pier 28 facility remains idle for months at a time, with only the occasional load of soy or wood pellets passing through the huge facility. It could be put to much more use if there were a present day equivalent subsidy or incentive, such as the infamous Crow Rate.

That's enough April 1 crowing. (Yes the gist of the above was inspired by April 1.)

 

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Anchor or Dock on Arrival

 Container ships callling Halifax usually dock on arrival. Unless they require Canadian Food Inpection Agency clearance from invasive species or some repair, they rarely anchor in the harbour. Today, March 29, was one of the exceptions as the MSC container ship Karlskrona arrived and anchored in number one anchorage for several hours. All the berths at PSA Halifax Atlantic Gateway were free, so I am assuming some repair required shore assistance from a technician or parts. Another explanation is that the ship was late for the normal "start of day" work for longshore workers, and would thus incur overtime if it docked on arrival. Moving to the dock for an evening start could mean that the ship could be worked within an eight hour shift.

 

The Karlskrona has been here before, December 14, 2024, and had to standby offshore for a few days, but that was due to weather.

Odense Staalskibs in Lindø, Denmark built the ship for its parent company AP Moller-Maersk in 1996. Named Karen Maersk until 2008 it became Maersk Karlskrona until 2016 then MSC Karlskrona to 2018 when it was renamed Karl, briefly, in 2018 and then Maersk Karlskrona. In 2023 it took its present name. The 81,488 gt, 96,103 dwt ship has a capacity of 7403 TEU with 703 reefer plugs. It is noteworthy due to its full width enclosed bridge, usually a sign of an Ice Class ship.

With the Karlskrona in number one anchorage, the next inbound, the NYK Rigel, opted to stay well clear and passed west of George's Island on its way inbound to PSA Fairview Cove.  

NYK Rigel built by Hyundai, Samho in 2009 is a 55,487 gt, 66,051 dwt ship has a capacity of 4922 TEU including 330 reefers. It is a very familiar ship to Halifax, having called on the former THE Alliance AL5 (Atlantic Loop) service. THE Alliance has been renamed the Premier Alliance due to the withdrawal of Hapag-Lloyd. H-L has formed a new alliance with Maersk, called the Gemini Cooperation. So far that union has not listed Halifax among its ports of call.

Premier Alliance ships will apparently still use the same route designations, and the AL5 loop will still call at the same ports.

[  Why were the letters THE capitalized in the name of this THE Alliance ? (CMA CGM, Hapag-Lloyd, ONE, Yang Ming) As usual the shipping world loves acronyms and abbreviations, and THE was supposed to stand for Transport High Efficiency.

[  A harder question to answer is why the AL5 is called the Atlantic Loop. European ports are (in order) Southampton, Le Havre, Rotterdam, Hamburg and Antwerp. The first North American port is Halifax, followed by Port Everglades, Cartagena, Panama, Los Angeles / Long Beach,  Oakland, Tacoma and Vancouver. The return eastbound leg is then Oakland, LA/LB, Panama, Caucedo Dominican Republic, Saint John, Halifax and Southampton. ]

Despite Hapag-Lloyd's exit, there are apparently still H-L boxes in transit. MSC also has a slot charter arrangement on some routes with Premier, but is not a member of the Premier Alliance. The members of the new Premier Alliance are ONE, HMM, and Yang Ming. 

The presence of a CMA CGM box on the ship is also interesting as ONE announced three joint Transatlantic services with CMA CGM and the other Ocean Alliance members (COSCO, OOCL, Evergreen) starting in February, as a Vessel Sharing program.  None of the services will be calling in Halifax.

 

Endeavor Returns

The research vessel Endeavor made a return visit today, March 26, presumably for the same reason that it was here seven and eight years ago.

Not Captain James Cooks's ship Endeavour (note the difference in spelling), this one flies the flag of the United States of America and is based in Narragansett, Rhode Island. It is owned by the United States Science Foundation and operated by Rhode Island University.

In 2017 and 2018 it was chartered by Fisheries and Oceans Canada to conduct the bi-national Atlantic Zone Monitoring Program annual survey. Canada's oceanographic research ship CCGS Hudson was in one of its prolonged life extension refits and was not available for the work. (Hudson has since been retired ansd scrapped and its replacement, orginally to be delivered in 2017, may now be delivered in 2026.) The Bedford Institute of Oceanography has chartered in replacement ships to meet some of its obligations, but its science programs have been severely hampered.

The Endeavor was built by Peterson Builders in Sturgeon Bay, WI in 1976. In 1993 it was lengthened from 177 ft to 185 ft ( 53.9m to 56.39m) and is now approximately 298 gross tons. It operates with a crew of 12 and can accommodate 18 scientists.

Canada's new oceanographic ship, when it is finally in service, will accomodate 26 scientists and will requiure a crew of 34. Its initial price tag of $109 mn has risen to $1.28 bn (as of now).

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New for ZCX

 ZIM Integrated Shipping's ZCX weekly service from the west coast of South America to the east coast of North America uses spot charter or short term charter ships, and as a result there are frequent "new to Halifax" callers.

Today, March 25, it was a first time caller Contship Cup a feeder size container ship from the Contships Management Inc fleet.

 

The ship was built in 2012 by Zhejiang Ouhua Shipbuilding Co in Zhoushan, China to their Ouhua 1500 class. It is a 17,068 gt, 21,281 dwt gearless vessel with a capacity of 1,496 TEU and a substantial number of reefer plugs.

Orginally named Warnow Boatswain it was given its current name in 2024 when it was acquired by Contships. The company was formed in 2015 as specialist feeder operators but traces its roots through the Pateras family's shipping interests back to the 1870s. It now operates forty feeders in the 900 to 1500 TEU size. The fleet's ship names range from Contship Ace to Zoe with no consistent theme to the choices.

Feeder ships do not necessarily operate on short routes, but rather gather and distribute cargo between major hub ports and smaller ports. To maximize usage of ships they often cover long routes with frequent stops. This ship's recent port calls are an example. Departing Philadelphia February 15, it called in New York February 18-19, Kingston (Jamaica) February 26-27, Callao (Peru) March 5-6, Paita (Peru) March 8, Kingston March 14-15, Miami March 18, Philadelphia March 21 and New York March 22-23.

On departure it will likely head for New York to resume the cycle.

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Taking Turns

 Both Autoport and Pier 27 had two ships scheduled today, so, sensibly, they took turns.

Autoport

The early morning arrival at Autoport was the Palmela, eastbound from New York. As noted when it was here December 3, 2024 - December 4, 2024 it has a capacity of 5,080 CEU, as compared to most of the car boats we see here that are in the 6500 to 7500 CEU range.

 

 

Built in 2000 by Shin Kurushima Dock Yard Co Ltd in Onishi, Japan, it comes in at 55,926 gt, 20,581 dwt.  It is a fairly typical ship with a couple of exceptions. In addition to the usual stern ramp (rated at 80 tonnes capacity) the ship has two small side ramps - one on each side. The newest auto carrriers don't have side ramps anymore, and having two is most unusual.

The Palmela's counterclockwise routing had the ship sailing from Tsuneishi, Japan on February 4, then calling in Hitachinaka, Yokohama, then Kando February 14-15. It was next reported in Brunswick, GA March 14-15, Dundalk (Baltimore) March 18 - 19 and New York March 20.

Until recently there was high demand for auto carriers, and that may still be the case depending on origin and destination, so the occasional "oddball" caller can be expected. On completion of its stay at Autoport, the ship sailed for Cristobal, Panama the usual staging area for Panama Canal transits.

A more typical arrival was the next inbound, Wallenius Wilhelmsen's Tarifa on the usual transatlantic route from Bremerhaven, Goteborg and Zeebrugge March 14-15. In addition to automobiles, the ship also has RoRo cargo such as wheeled machinery for construction, mining and forestry. which will be off loaded first at Pier 9C.

The ship went first to Bedford Basin, where it turned, 

 

then came back to the Narrows, passing under the A. Murray MacKay bridge for the second time...

 

...to tie up starboard side to the pier.

Built in 2007 by Stocznia Gdynia in Poland, the ship was launched as Tarifa but renamed Morning Charisma on delivery for EUKOR, but was soon renamed Tarifa. The 57,692 gt, 21,120 dwt ship has a capacity of 6400 RT43 cars. Its stern ramp has a capacity of 150 tonnes and the small side ramp is rated for 22 tonnes. The ship has 13 decks, including four hoistable decks for larger RoRo cargo.

The ship was built orginally for charter to Eukor, but was delivered to Eukor's parent company Wallenius Wilhelmsen Ocean, and carries a traditional Wilhelmsen "T" name. The ship is under long term charter from a single ship company and the management of Stamco Ship Management of Piraeus, Greece.

On February 6 the ship was reported in Durban, South Africa, sailing February 7 for Luanda, Tema, Abidjan and Dakar, arriving in Vigo March 3 and Zeebrugge March 6 to 8 before slotting in to the Transatlantic route.  

Once it had completed the unloading of RoRo cargo it then moved to Autoport (which by then was vacated by the Palmela) to off load cars.

 

Pier 27

 
 At Pier 27 the Onego Glomma left off unloading steel rail and moved out to anchor to free up the berth.

The morning sun highlighted a feature of the ship, not previously noted here on Saturday  March 21. The ship's mid-body, with its box shape holds, is sponsoned out from the fore and aft sections. This is done to provide space for the cranes on the starboard side, and walkways on both sides, outside the hatch coamings. The hatches are the full width of the hold without overhang. (The hull is double skin.)

Several crew members were working on deck to secure the hatches, but I don't know what the forward crane was doing. They appeared to be moving some gear tubs possibly containing material for handling the rail cargo. The ship is due to move back to Pier 27 this evening, but will probably not resume unloading before tomorrow.

 The Onego Glooma moved to allow the visit of a ship from another Dutch company. Nirint Shipping's Ijsselborg, a ship with similar characteristics, but slightly larger.

The Ijsselborg has been a regular caller in Halifax with nickel concentrate from Cuba, but difficult to see at the Pier 27 berth. On sailing today at dusk it was more visible.

 

Built in 2010, its hull came from the Damen Yichang shipyard in China. It was completed and fitted out at Damen's home yard in Gorinchem, Netherlands to a Damen standard design "Combi Freighter 12000" of 8,999 gt, 12,016 dwt. A multi-purpose dry cargo ship with moveable 'tween decks it has two hatches and two box shaped holds. It is also rated as Finnish Swedish Ice Class 1A and carries two 80 tonne SWL cranes that can work in combination for 160 tonne lifts. It has a container capacity of 686 TEU with 80 reefer plugs.

The ship was built as Ijsselborg, but renamed Onego Houston for a short time in 2011 then reverted to Ijsselborg. In 2012 it was renamed Clipper Alba then in 2015 became Nordana Saran, finally settling on Ijsselborg again in 2015. Wearing the colours and name style of the large Dutch company Royal Wagenborg it is actually owned by Rederij Smith BV with commercial managment in the hands of Royal Wagenborg and in turn chartered to Nirint.

The ship's recent movements remain something of a mystery, After calling in Halifax January 6 to 8 it arrived in Rotterdam January 17 and sailed January 18. It visited Villagarcia, Spain January 21-22 and Mariel Cuba February 7 to 10. It called in Halifax again February 21-22. It then departed from the regular route by arriving in Kingston, Jamaica March 2, sailing the next day for Halifax and arriving March 11. Its  movements between March 12 and today (March 24) are not available on any of the regular ship movement web sites. 

Its destination is again given as Moa, Cuba, and what it loaded or unloaded in Haifax is also not known. It does have two containers on deck, but it would not have taken all day to load them.

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CMA CGM President

 Ships of CMA CGM, a French company, often carry the names of United States presidents, thanks to CMA CGM's acquisition of American President Lines LLC (APL) in 2016 as part of its purchase of Neptune Orient Lines (NOL). In turn NOL had acquired APL in 1997

APL itself was formed in 1938 when the US government took over management of the Dollar Shipping Company which was in financial distress. Dollar Line as it was known was named for the Scottish born Canadian lumber baron and shipowner Robert Dollar who founded his transpacific shipping company in 1900. Dollar began to name his US built and US flagged  ships after US presidents in 1924. The tradition has continued now for over 100 years.

Today, March 23, the fourth president of the United States, James Madison (1751-1836), was recognized with the arrival of the CMA CGM J. Madison on the Ocean Alliance Columbus JAX service. The ship left Colombo February 25 and sailed non-stop to Halifax via the Cape of Good Hope. 

Built in 2018 by Hyundai Heavy Industries in Usan the 141,950gt, 147,966 dwt ship has a nominal capacity of 14,414 or 14,402 TEU depending on sources. The ship's gross tonnage has changed from 140,872 when it was here in 2021, possibly due to the retroftting of an exhaust gas scrubber system. (Gross tonnage represents volume of enclosed space within a ship, not weight.)

The ship made its way in using the western, deep water channel, and had the tug Atlantic Oak secured well forward and the Atlantic Ash (visible) and Atlantic Maple (not visible) splayed out to port and starboard astern as tethered escorts.

 

The ship is due to sail again late tomorrow afternoon, destined for New York. The Columbus JAX (CJX) route calls at 18 ports from Los Angels/ Oakland via Asia to the North American East Coast, using 23 ships to maintain a 161 day rotation. For security reasons the ships' route from Colombo to Halifax is not published. Ocean Alliance's schedule shows the CJX ships using the Suez Canal, but I believe they are still using the Cape route due to continuing hostilities in the Red Sea and Yemen. 

The Ocean Alliance is made up of CMA CGM, Evergreen, OOCL and COSCO.

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Rail

 Canadian National Railway has a constant demand for new steel rail. There is always a need to replace worn or damaged rail or to upgrade to heavier material. Most mainline rail is now welded to form continuous ribbons, eliminating the "clickety clack" of jointed rail for smoother and more durable track, which also reduces wear on rolling stock.

CN imports new rail from Poland, which is unloaded at Pier 28 in Halifax and either loaded directly to specialized flat cars or stockpiled on the pier. The rail is sent to Winnipeg to be prepared for installation.

The rail usually arrives in Halifax on ships from Onego Shipping & Chartering BV. The Dutch company manages a fleet of multi-purpose bulkers for investment syndicate owners. The ships are  "open hatch" types, where the hatches are the full width of the holds and are equipped with portable pontoon type tween decks.

On March 21 the Onego Glomma arrived from Szczecin, Poland (with a stop in Argentia, NL en route). As usual its berth at Pier 27 is difficult to see, so only partial pictures are possible.

 The Onego Glomma was built in 2004, partially by Yichang Shipyard in China and completed by Damen Hoogezand in Foxhol, Netherlands. It is a 7767 gt, 10,649 dwt ship with a pair of 60 tonne SWL cranes. Although it rarely carries containers, it would have a capacity of 675 TEU.

As is often the case with this type of ship it has had several names. It was initially called Serena and in 2015 it was  renamed Marmolokai, then in 2017 Thorco Cygnus before reverting to Marmolokai again in 2018, then was renamed Unicloud for a short time in the same year before becoming Marmolokai again. In 2019 it was renamed Nova and became Onego Glomma in 2024. 

Glomma is Norway's longest river at 621 km. It discharges into the North Sea at Oslo. 

The ship is German owned and flagged in Antigua and Barbuda, at that country's primary port of St.John's.

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