Pre-Holiday

To avoid being in port over Christmas, the race was onto get as many ships as possible in and out of port today (December 23). The term "Christmas" as far as the port is concerned, starts December 24 and extends through the 25th (actual Christmas Day) and the 26th (Boxing Day). Premium wage rates apply for longshore workers on these holidays, and terminal gates are closed to truck traffic. To add to the volume of traffic was the fact that most of today's arrivals had been holding offshore due to weather for a day or two.

Almost every berth was occupied for the better part of the day today, with coming and going at some.

Starting in the north end of the port, the Baie St.Paul arrived at Gold Bond gypsum in Bedford Basin this morning, to squeeze in another cargo. The Canadian flagged ship may be heading for a Great Lakes port, so is in a rush to load and go before the St.Lawrence Seaway closes for the winter. This season's January 5 closing is the latest for the modern day system, which opened in 1959. (The old St.Lawrence Canals which preceded the Seaway usually closed before Christmas.) The Canso Canal closing date may also be a factor, as the ship would likely take that route. (The Canal / Lock usually closes on December 23 for repair and maintenance work.)

The Baie St.Paul is built to maximum Seaway dimensions, and was reinforced to make short ocean voyages - usually only as far as Halifax. For a ship built as recently as 2012 (by Chnengxi Shipyard Jiangyin, Jiangsu) it certainly appears in hard shape.

Aside from the usual late season "lock rash" that all maximum breadth Seaway ships exhibit, the ship also has the "hungry horse" look. That effect, where  hull plates have contorted between ribs, is usually the result of many years of torsional forces.

The Baie St. Paul is a 24,340 gt, 37,690 dwt ship but when loaded to maximum Seaway draft of 8.08 meters (26'-6")(in fresh water) it loads about 29,650 tonnes of gypsum in Halifax. 

Seaway maximum hull dimensions are 225.5m (740') x 23.77m (78'). Since the locks are 24.4m (80') wide, and ships usually slide along the approach wall to ensure that they enter the lock cleanly, "lock rash" is inevitable. However a factor in the "hungry horse" look is twisting of the the long and narrow hull form, so may also be inevitable over time.

The Baie St.Paul is a perfect fit at the Gold Bond dock in Lower Burnside. The facility's traveling conveyor moves back and forth along the length of the ship for even loading.

 PSA Fairview Cove was all out today with the early morning departure of the storm delayed NYK Rigel alongside since yesterday and Oceanex Sanderling waiting its turn at anchor.

On its weekly run to St.John's, the Oceanex Sanderling may be in no great hurry as it would not wish to arrive in St.John's on Christmas Day. It did manage to squeeze in a brief call at Autoport but in any event there is at least one more ship ahead of it for Fairview Cove.

The ZIM feeder Annie B (see yesterday's post) moved out to anchor this morning, but will likely move back in after the Navios Indigo sails. That ship arrived at PSA Fairview Cove this morning on the ZCA / AL7 service from Mediterranean ports.

 The 4250 TEU ship made its first call in Halifax October19, 2023 on the joint ZIM Container Services Atlantic/ Hapag-Lloyd route from the Mediterranean to North America east coast. That route's easternmost ports are Haifa and Ashdod, with scheduled calls in Egypt, Turkey, Italy and Spain. From Halifax it is due to call in New York, Norfolk and Savannah before heading eastbound again.

At PSA Halifax Gateway it was similarly busy with the Ultra size ONE Eagle alongside Pier 41 until late tonight. MSC Alyssa occupied Pier 42 most of the day with MSC Marianna due to take its place later. Also due is Eimskip's Lagarfoss and an ultra-size, CMA CGM T. Jefferson, is anchored offshore waiting its turn.

Some ice from the recent freezing rain still coats the grass and a picnic table at Point Pleasant Park while cranes work the MSC Alyssa at Pier 42. 

There was also a run on autocarriers trying to beat the deadline. The SFL Conductor made an unusual late night call last night, sailing at 0200 hrs this morning. Morning Concert arrived yesterday afternoon at Pier 9C to offload the usual array of machinery before moving to Autoport this morning to disembark cars. It will sail late this afternoon.

 The Grande Luanda is anchored off Halifax and is due this evening, after dark and is due to sail tomorrow mid-day.

The pilot boat Capt. E.T.Rogers makes its way inbound in glassy calm conditions as Grande Luanda rides at anchor offshore.

 Thr tanker Algocanada is still at anchor. It moved there to wait out the recent storm, but I assumed it would move to Imperial Oil's number 3 dock as soon as conditions calmed down. However another Canadian tanker, the Kivalliq W., arriving from Sarnia, put in this morning - it had been holding offshore due to weather. (The extra overtime rates do not apply at the oil terminals which are privately operated, but the supplies of fuel products are constantly in demand and deliveries are scheduled weeks or even months in advance. Depending on the product being carried some ships would be given priority to offload.)

Algocanada is fully loaded.

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Gypsum in Demand

 There seems to be a large demand for gypsum - with three ships in Halifax to carry away some of the material. It is usually the sign of a strong economy when there is demand for gypsum as it is used in building construction materials, steel making and other manufacturing.

As reported on April 15 the bulker Ocean Pearl arrived to load at Gold Bond. Due to its arrangement with many large hatch covers, it is a slow ship to load, as the travelling loader must be worked in and out around the covers. The usual self-unloading ships also have stacking hatch covers for quicker loading.

This morning, April 17, the ship was still loading with the traveller working well forward. A pilot has been ordered for 1700 to depart for sea with a destination of Tampa, FL.

Meanwhile the Canadian flag CSL self-unloader Baie St. Paul arrived yesterday, April 16, and anchoraged in the lower harbour awaiting its turn to load.

 The Baie St. Paul, like many Canadian ships that work the Great Lakes, was laid up from January 14 to March 12. When it left its layup berth in Montreal it proceeded up the Seaway system and the Great Lakes to Thunder Bay. Returning downbound it arrived in Montreal April 11. It unloaded its cargo (assumed to be grain) and sailed April 13 for Halifax.

When the Ocean Pearl sails this afternoon, the Baie St. Paul will move to the Gold Bond dock to load for Hamilton, ON. The Baie St. Paul is a member of the Trillium class of Lakers, and was built in 2012 by the Chengxi Shipyard in Jiangyin, China. It is strengthened for coastal voyages and is a regular caller in Halifax.

This morning, April 17, the CSL Metis arrived and went to anchor in Bedford Basin to wait its turn to load.

Although it is now a self-unloading bulk carrier, that is the result of an extensive rebuilding. Starting life as the tanker Berge Helene in 1981 at the Mitsui Chiba shipyard it carried the names Lagovan Sinamaica from 1981 to 1993, Sinamaica from 1993 to 2000 and Ektoras from 2000 to 2007 and briefly Ektora in 2007. A 31,849 gt, 61,403 dwt ship, it was rendered obsolete when double hulls became mandatory for tankers. Its mechanicals and accommodations were still in good condition however, and CSL acquired the ship on favourable terms. They contracted Chengxi Shipyard to fabricate a new forebody (cargo section and bow), complete with self-unloading apparatus, which was joined to the stern section in a mere 53 days with completion in October 2007. It then became a 43,022 gt, 69,304 dwt ship and increased in length from 222.3m to 245.0m. It is registered in the Bahamas and works in the CSL Americas self-unloader pool of fifteen ships.

It is rare that we see two CSLers in port at the same time - one from the domestic Canada Steamship Lines fleet in traditional red hull colour - and one from the CSL Americas foreign flag fleet in black.

The CSL Metis arrived from Baltimore, which may also be its destinaiton as several recent gypsum loads have gone there. Other Gold Bond destinations are Charleston, Savannah, Jacksonville and Tampa.

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Another Sign of Spring

 There have been a few signs of spring this year - intermixed with snow showers. This evening, March 24, was just one of those as the bulk carrier Baie St. Paul sailed with a load of gypsum, bound for Hamilton, ON.

As the ship was leaving Bedford Basin and as the sun was going down, a brief snow shower swept over the area. Although it did not effect visibility, the snow did "fuzzy up" the view as the ship approached the A. Murray MacKay bridge.

The sure sign of spring however was the annual opening of the St.Lawrence Seaway after nearly three months of winter shutdown. Despite the dire predictions in 1959 when the Seaway first opened it was not the death knell of Halifax as a port. In fact there continiues to be trade between Halifax and Great Lakes ports.

The tanker Algotitan, which has been working out of Halifax this winter is in the Seaway en route to Sarnia. The cement carrier NACC Argonaut, after leaving Halifax March 17, proceeded to Port Daniel, QC to load and arrived today at Cote-Ste-Catherine (near Montreal and within the Seaway) to offload.

The Baie St.Paul which often carries salt, is a regular caller at Gold Bond Gypsum in Bedford Basin and in recent years has delivered the raw material to Hamilton, ON. It is a Canadian flagged ship and as per a previous post is a member of Canada Steamship Lines' domestic fleet - a fact that is underlined by the large lettering on the ship's hull. Members of the company's international fleet make do with the abbreviated "CSL" on the flanks. The lettering on the red hull is not quite so legible in the glinting sun, but shows off well at a distance when in the shade.

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Gypsum and a New Name

 Gypsum

Gypsum has been leaving Halifax at a great rate over the last few days - possibly to build stockpiles over Christmas. Whatever the reason, there have been three ship loads since Monday (December 19).

Rt. Hon. Paul E. Martin took less than a full load on Monday, as it sailed for US BUH. This is its second trip to Halifax this month. On the previous call, December 4-5, it loaded for Savannah, GA and Wilmington, NC. The 43,691 gt 71,406 dwt ship was built in 2012 by Chengxi Shipyard in Jiangyin, China. It is one of five Trillium class ocean going self-unloaders working in the CSL Americas pool.

As it nears it tenth year in service, it completed its second five-year class renewal survey in October before moving back from European waters to North America. That survey would have included drydocking, which was an opportunity for new hull paint. Draft marks and bulkhead locations still looked fresh as the ship cleared the MacKay bridge for sea.

Mid-day Tuesday December 20 the Canadian flag self-unloading bulker Baie St. Paul arrived from Quebec City and docked at Gold Bond gypsum. It is one of four Trillium class Seawaymax self-unloaders built for CSL's domestic fleet. Dating from 2012 the 24,430 gt, was also built by Chengxi, Jiangyin. Originally intended for restricted Seaway and Gulf use (29,650 dwt at Seaway 26'-6" draft) it was strengthened for short sea work and can load to 35,564 dwt (mid-summer, 30'-3" fresh water draft).However dwt tonnnage is generally recorded at 34,490 tonnes.

This morning (Wednesday, December 21) it completed loading and sailed once again for Côte-Ste-Catherine, QC. (Its last visit December 2-5 was to the same destination.)

Meanwhile its sister ship Thunder Bay (same dimensions and specs, but built in 2013) had arrived later December 20 and anchored in the lower harbour. This morning Thunder Bay got underway and cleared the Narrows first (with the tug Atlantic Bear alongside.)

The ships then arranged a port-to-port meet in Bedford Basin as the loaded Baie St. Paul made for the Narrows.

Getting both ships in the same photo is a rare opportunity - not to be missed.
 

 Unlike the newly painted Rt. Hon. Paul E. Martin the Canadian ships are scuffed up from constantly working through the Seaway locks. There is no chance (and no point) in trying to keep paint on the hull as it could be worn off before drying.

New Name

I am batting somewhat less than .500 on predictions recently - but stats can be misleading! I was correct in reporting in my last post that the tanker Alkaios would be renamed Madelyn Grace.  I was incorrect (partly) that weather would prevent painting. This morning I noted the new name has been painted on the bow (somewhat less than expertly - but I'm no expert).

 My prediction that the handover to new owners would take up to a week was way off. The ship sailed late this afternoon for Rotterdam. (I was correct in assuming that the large "Capital" banners and other logos and funnel marks would have to remain to another time and another place before repainting.)

Although the ship was still carrying the name Alkaios when it arrived in Halifax September 18, it was officially renamed before tying up at Pier 25, December 19, and perhaps even before arriving here.

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MOL, CSL and RHL

Shipping companies are much given to initials as a convenient form shorthand.

That is certainly the case with Mitsui OSK Lines, tracing its origins to 1884 when OSK conglomerated a large number of smaller companies. It is still one of the large Japanese shipping lines, even though it has divested its container ships to the Ocean Network Express. Those ships have maintained their MOL identity by name and colour scheme, although that is expected to disappear over time as new ships are delivered or as existing ships are drydocked.

MOL Paradise arrived this morning for THE Alliance. The 71,902 grt, 72,968 dwt ship has a capacity of 6350 TEU including 500 reefers. It was built in 2005 by the Koyo Dockyard Co in  Mihara.

Canada Steamship Lines has a similar background. Formed from the combination of several other lines in 1913, its roots go back to 1843. It has been known as "CSL" since early days, but ships did not start carrying the CSL prefix until the late 1900s.

CSL Tacoma arried this morning to load gypsum. The Bahamas flag self-unloader was built in 2013 by Chengxi Shipyard in Jiangyin, China. The 43,691 grt, 71,552 dwt ship works for CSL Americas as part of the CSL self-unloader pool with Algoma. The foreign flag ships carry "CSL" initials on the hull whereas Canadian ships have the name spelled out in full.

CSL Tacoma passed Baie St. Paul at Pier 9C, a member of CSL's domestic fleet. It is a 24,430 grt, 37,6890 dwt self-unloader, also built by Chengxi, but in 2012. Most domestic CSLers have traditional names, but some do have the "CSL" prefix.

Both ships are members of the so called Trillium class but are very different in most respects.

Another set of initials, but with much more recent roots, were seen at the other end of the port. RHL Agilitas operates a feeder service between Halifax and Kingston, Jamaica for ZIM. The 18,480 grt, 23,664 dwt ship has a capacity of 1732 TEU and carries a pair of 40 tonne capacity cranes. Built in 2007 by Guangzhou Wenchong Shipyard, it was launched as Wilhelm Busch but was soon renamed with the "RHL" prefix, denoting the newly formed Reederei Hamburg Lloyd.

Not to be confused with HAPAG Lloyd (itself an acronym) RHL owns about a dozen tankers and sixteen container ships.

Initials seem sure to continue in ships names in the Age of Acronyms, but there will still be lots of variety after abbreviations.

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CSL Spring Break

The Canada Steamship Lines self-unloading bulker Baie St. Paul arrived last evening at pier 9C for a maintenance period. Unlike Great Lakes ships of previous years which laid up for the winter, this ship has been running continuously, along with some of its sister vessels. It has been carrying mostly salt from the Magdalen Islands, and has ranged as far as St.John's, NL.

Baie St. Paul is one of CSL's Chinese built Trillium class, of which there are two types. One group is strictly ocean going, with four 71,000 dwt self-unloaders. The other consists of six ships sized to suit the St.Lawrence Seaway. Of these four are self-unloaders of 34,500 dwt and two are gearless bulkers of 36,364 dwt. Post construction modifications have allowed some of the ships to extend their range for short ocean voyages. Apparently they are also suited for navigation in ice.

With the St.Lawrence Seaway scheduled to open soon, ships are taking advantage of a lull to prepare for a busy summer season ahead. Extreme high water levels on the Great Lakes have caused greater than average discharge through the upper St.Lawrence River., resulting in dangerous currents around the locks. Consequently the Seaway opening date has been delayed from the usual March 20 (approximately) to April 1.

It will be interesting to see if Baie St. Paul will take a load of gypsum to the Lakes, and return with a load of grain for Halifax. On its last visit to Halifax it loaded gypsum. See http://shipfax.blogspot.com/2019/06/new-laker-on-block.html

Rumours abound that Baie St. Paul has replaced Atlantic Huron, which has been laid up in preparation to be sold for scrap. These rumours are not new, so until Atlantic Huron is away under tow, I would not bet on them.

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