Good bye

It is the end of the line today (December 23, 2023) for the research trawler CCGS Alfred Needler as it was towed out of Halifax by the tug Lois M en route to the scrap yard. Built in 1981 by Ferguson Industries Ltd in Pictou, NS it initially served the Fisheries Research Board, then the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and was merged in to the Canadian Coast Guard.

I summarized the ship's recent history in Shipfax on October 4, 2023 and have given more detail in several previous posts, but will go over some of it again.

The Alfred Needler was one to two sisters, the other being the Wilfred Templeman, which was based in Newfoundland. The Alfred Needler, named for the distinguished scientist, administrator, diplomat and statesman Alfred Walker Hollingshead Needler CM OBE FRSC (1906-1998) [links to Wikipedia] was based in Halifax. Its work area extended from the Gulf of St.Lawrence to the Gulf of Maine.

In its earliest years it carried the grey and white colour sheme of the Fisheries Research Board.

As part of widespread departmental re-organizationa the ship was painted in the traditional white colour scheme of hydrographic research vessels. The former Canadian Hydrographic Service and the Department of Fisheries vessels were then included in the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and all adopted the red hulls of the Canadian Coast Guard and were designated as CCGS.

The aging process had not been particularly kind to the CCGS Alfred Needeler, as several systems broke down. A serious fire in 2003 could have meant the end of the ship. However with no replacement available, a major rebuild took place and extended the life of the ship well beyond reasonable expectations.

Today the tug Lois M took the 'Needler (now sans name) on the hip and backed away from the jetty at the Bedford Institute of Oceanography. (The towing line was already rigged and an insurance line was slung along the starboard side of the ship.)

The tug then proceeded through the Narrows in this configuation until it reached the lower harbour.

 Once there was more room, the tug took up towing mode, with a short line, and several deck hands disembarked to the launch Halmar. They had been aboard to let go mooring lines and stream the pickup line. The ship will be unmanned during the trip.
 

Farther out, the tug gradually lengthened out the tow line and last seen, tug and tow were making for sea. The ship was towing reasonably well and was not wandering too far in channel, but took the western channel leaving room for inbound ships such as the Navios Indigo in the main channel.

 

Last summer the government called for bids to scrap the Alfred Needler and the winning (lowest) bid of $392,529.00 was submitted by Marine Recycling Corp of Port Colborne, ON. That company has a major scrap yard in Port Colborne, ON right at the western (Lake Erie) entrance to the Welland Canal where they break up all sorts of ships up to and including maximum size lakers. They also have a facility at Sydport on the western side of Sydney, Nova Scotia harbour in Edwardsville. It is to the latter destinatIon that the tow is headed. (I believe that sister ship Wilfred Templeman, which had been sold and renamed Blain M was scrapped there too.)

The tug Lois M is operated by McKiel Marine and was built in 1991 by Matsuura Tekko Zosen in Higashino, Japan.  The 4800 bhp twin screw tug has a bollard pull of 80 tonnes. It was built for operation in Australia and named Lambert until 2014. A rugged ocean going tug, it is fitted with a large capacity towing winch.

The tug arrived in Halifax December 17 and had to wait out stormy weather before getting underway today in ideal conditions.

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MFO charters

 The Ministry of Fisheries and Oceans has once again turned to private industry to provide research capability. With their own ships unavailable due to refits or retirements (see previous posts on CCGS Alfred Needler) the department is continuing needed research but with hired ships. They have recently signed a new three year deal to charter ships, thus ensuring consistent and reliable reports on fish stocks.

Mersey Venture at pier 9 on February 22, 2023.

As it did in 2018 and 2020 the DFO has turned to Mersey Seafoods of Liverpool, NS to charter their Mersey Venture, which is usually idle at this time of year.

See Shipfax  for March 19, 2018 and December 5, 2020.

 Mersey Venture 2020-12-05

From my observation it appears that the ship has made two trips to George's Bank so far this winter, to conduct surveys normally carried out by the now retiredAlfred Needler. DFO's new ship Capt Jacques Cartier has also gone to George's Bank this week.

CCGS Capt Jacques Cartier 2022-03-09)

 

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No Good News for the Needler

 There is more bad news for the research trawler CCGS Alfred Needler. A report on the Vesseltracker.com web site today (January 19) states that the ship received structural damage to its starboard side potable water tank while alongside at the Bedford Institute (BIO) in Dartmouth. No date was given.

Some recent bad weather, with high winds and waves may have been the cause of the damage even though the BIO dock is well sheltered. The Needler has been alongside at the BIO since December 18 of last year after an engine air failure and a trawl winch breakdown caused the ship to return to port. See Shipfax post of December 22, 2022.

 Repairs to the previous damage were to be completed in February, and the ship was to enter an unplanned life extension according to press reports.

Extent of the latest damage is not visible from the Halifax side of the harbour,  but is assumed to be above the waterline.

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Full House at BIO

 The Bedford Institute has a full house for the holidays and as a result is farming out some of its craft to other locations in the harbour. The Canadian Coast Guard in Halifax has added two ships to its fleet this year, with no retirements, so far, so space is at a premium.

CCGS Hudson returned to port December 4 for winter layup and will be in refit until the end of March. A cocoon has already been installed to permit some sort of climate controlled work on her decks.

The CCGS Alfred Needler is idle for Christmas, but not undergoing any specific major maintenance, so has taken up temporary residence at Pier 9.

Despite delivery of new vessels, Alfred Needler is scheduled to remain in service for some time to come, and in fact was scheduled for drydocking this month.

Also at BIO is CCGS Jean Goodwill, recently delivered, but not in full service yet. That may not happen until after March 31, so it will need to be alongside a lot until then.

Also the Capt. Jacques Cartier will be in port over Christmas, taking up some more dock space. Most research vessels do not go to sea during the holidays.

Even with the additional ships, BIO is still down two vessels from normal strength. CCGS Edward Cornwallis is in Vessel Life Extension at Shelburne and CCGS Earl Grey is in drydock in St.John's.

CCGS Sir William Alexander was in today, possibly for crew change, occupying the last open berth. It soon returned to SAR patrol.

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On the drawing boards

1. CCGS Hudson inbound in the Narrows May 16, 2001.

2. CCGS Wilfred Templeman inbound Halifax February 2, 2004.

3. CCGS Alfred Needler, outbound in the Narrows January 27, 1999.

The federal government has awarded design contracts for replacement of four Canadian Coast Guard/ Department of Fisheries and Oceans vessels.

STX Canada Marine will be designing the replacement for CCGS Hudson. The research vessel based at the Bedford Institute in Halifax dates from 1962 (when it was launched by Saint John Shipbuilding & Dry Dock) / 1964 (when it was commissioned) and is justifiably renowned for its many scientific discoveries. Although built as a hydrographic research vessel it has also conducted significant oceanography work, and as a Coast Guard vessel, has been multi-tasked. It participated in recovery operations following the sinking of the Ocean Ranger in 1982 and the Swissair crash in 1998 among others.

The replacement vessel will be 90m long and will accommodate 59 crew and scientists. It will play essentially the same role as Hudson, but will include many newer features including dynamic positioning.

STX Canada Marine is the former Aker Yards Marine Inc and its Canadian operations are based in Vancouver.

Robert Allan Ltd, also of Vancouver, will prepare a single design for three new offshore research vessels to replace the Alfred Needler and Wilfred Templeman on the east coast and the W.E. Ricker on the west coast. These will carry 39 crew and scientists and will do fish surveys and oceanography. The current ships are essentially stern trawlers, but the new vessels will have upgraded capability. Alfred Needler, based at Bedford Institute and Wilfred Templeman, based in St.John's, are sister ships, built at Ferguson Industries in Pictou in 1982. W.E.Ricker was built as Calistratus in 1978 in Hokkaido, Japan.

These are design contracts only, and no construction contracts have been awarded yet. However it is expected that all the ships will be delivered in 2014, allowing Hudson to celebrate its 50th anniversary.

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