Perils of the North - News and Update

 Following up on my September 12 post entitled Another Grounding :

With diminishing ice in the far north there has been a dramatic increase the amount of shipping activity in the Canadian arctic. All this activity is not without risk and this year there have been at least four instances of ships in trouble in the far north.

The first that I became aware of was the Dutch ship Tiberborg which went adrift in Baffin Bay in mid-August. A 14,695 gt, 21,303 dwt multi-purpose ship, rated Finnish / Swedish Ice Class 1A, it carries four 50 tonne SWL cranes to serve two box shaped holds with full width hatches. Built by Hudong Zhonghua in 2013, it is one of four sister ships in the Royal Wagenborg fleet. It has made several Northwest Passages, and this time had sailed from Baie-Comeau, QC August 4 and Matane, QC, August 8. (Those ports suggest it was carrying paper.)

The ship was taken in tow by the tug Beverly M 1 and towed back to Baie-Comeau, QC, arriving September 9, where presumably the problem was rectified. The ship then sailed from Baie-Comeau September 22, this time by a more southern route, transiting the Panama Canal October 4. It is now due in Osnan, South Korea on November 7. 

The sister ship Thamesborg as reported in the previous post, went aground September 6 (or 7th) off Tasmania Island in Franklin Strait, not a usual route, and seemingly poorly charted.  After lightering off some 5,000 tonnes of cargo to the Silver Copenhagen and the Canadian ship Nunalik it was refloated October 10 using the Estonian flag icebreaker Botnica and the Canadian tug Beverly M 1. Some dewatering of ballast tanks was also carried out. After survey in Pond Inlet, it was reported underway, taking the Bellot Strait, Gulf of Boothia / Brentford Bay route to avoid newly forming ice.

The ship was en route from China to Baie-Comeau, QC with a cargo of carbon blocks, some of which is still aboard. It is now due in Baie-Comeau October 24.

Meanwhile the ship Nunalik which had been on northern supply, and was to return to Bécancour, QC, stopped off in Baie-Comeau to discharge the lightered cargo and was on its way again Ocotober 15. Silver Copenhagen meanwhile (a refrigerated cargo ship, normally serving Greenland, and which may not have appropriate cargo handling gear) is also en route for Baie-Comeau and is due there October 24. The Beverly M 1 is accompanying and is also due October 24.

The Thamesborg sailing under its own power is making its way toward Baie-Comeau at 10.5 knots. On arrival, also October 24, it will presumably use its cargo cranes to off load the Silver Copenhagen. The Botnica is heading for St.John's (the Port of Entry for its Custom's clearance.) The ship had previously been granted a coasting license to assist late season shipping from the Baffinland / Mary River iron ore mine port of Milne Inlet. It will likely be heading back in that direction once cleared.

It is surprising how many other ships were in the vicinity and stood by or offered aid if needed.  Canadian Coast Guard ships that did assist were CCGS Jean Goodwill (which has since returned to Halifax October 3) and CCGS Des Groseilliers. Another Wagenborg fleetmate the Atlanticborg also en route from China (and presumably loaded with cargo), stood by for a time, and arrived without incident in Baie-Comeau October 14.

Also mentioned in the September 12 post was the Canadian flag Rosaire A. Desgagnés which took the ground in Pelly Bay August 23. It refloated at high tide and was given clearance to sail to Las Palmas, Canary Islands, arriving there September 25. Las Palmas is a favourite repair spot for Canadian ships for a variety of reasons.

The latest incident - although not apparently related to northern conditions, was a "mechanical failure" with the tanker Kivalliq W. while delivering fuel to Baker Lake on October 15. A fuel tank was damaged and the ship must go to drydock for repairs. Another tanker has been engaged to pick up fuel product in Lewisporte, NL and complete deliveries to northern communities before ice conditions close in. There was no pollution reported, and it is not clear yet where the ship will go for repairs.

 All this brings up the hazards of shipping in the north, and the pressure to provide better charts. more resources in case of more serious accidents, and oil spills.There have been no incidents involving cruise ships this year, but the number of those ships in the north is also increasing. Then there is the recent announcement of rehabilitation of the port of Churchill, MB for grain export to Asia via northern waters. But that is a topic for another day.

 .

 

Big and BIG, et cetera

 There is big and there is BIG, and certainly the crane ship Orion qualifies in the latter category. The ship arrived yesterday, May 1, and tied up at the IEL dock in Dartmouth. There was no clear view of the ship from the Halifax side in yesterday's rain and fog, and today didn't start off much better, but things improved as the day wore on, and the high winds died away.

As the fog cleared off, more and more of the ship was revealed.

Its main characteristic is the massive 5,000 tonne capacity crane (with 1500 tonne secondary) which makes the two "smaller" 100 tonne auxiliary cranes look insignificant. 

Built in 2019 by Qidong Shipyard in China, the ship is an offshore installation vessel with accommodation for up to 239 workers and crew. It has a cargo payload capacity of 30,000 tonnes, a moon pool and diver support facilities and is rated DP3 for dynamic positioning. It is rated at 58,203 gt and 60,575 dwt. Named Orion I when  built it was renamed simply Orion in 2022. Owners Deme Offshore Equipment NV of the Netherlands Belgium , are involved in dredging and offshore work. 

The ship will be involved in offshore wind farm installation in the United States, which will be staged from Halifax.

Tuesday's are free days for seniors on Halifax Transit, so a ferry ride on the Woodside ferry Craig Blake provided close up views.

 

It also gave an unusual opportunity to catch three tankers in the same photo.

 In the distance the Irving Oil tanker East Coast was making another one of its visits to Imperial Oil. This is not as rare an event as it might seem as the two companies exchange product regularly.

At the Irving Oil dock in Woodside, next door to the IEL dock, it was the Marshall Islands flag tanker STI Comandante in from Amsterdam with more refined product.

A Handysize ship of 24,230 gt, 38,734 dwt it was built by Hyundai Mipo, Ulsan in 2014, and is operated by the Monaco based Scorpio Tankers Inc. (The company was founded by Emanuele Lauro of Italy, and its shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange.)

Alongside the Orion itself was the bunkering tanker North Atlantic Kairos. Operating out of the Come by Chance refinery in Newfoundland, it is making one of its rare moves outside of Placentia Bay. I am assuming that the Orion needs to top up on fuel for a prolonged work session offshore, where refueling would be difficult. The tanker sailed later this afternoon, returning to its home port.

Built in 2008 by Turkter Shipyard in Tuzla, Turkey, it is a 2985 gt, 3669 dwt ship. It first arrived in Halifax in July 9, 2016 as CT Wicklow. It was then handed over to North Atlantic, and renamed and registered in Canada. It has since made a few trips to Halifax with product for Wilson Fuel.

In a minor note to the Orion visit, a deck barge called the MM 110 arrived in Halifax April 30 in tow of the tug Bevery M1 and is moored directly astern of the Orion.

The 409 gt barge was built in China in 2013 and  is owned by McKeil Workboats GP Inc. 

The tug is standing by at Pier 9, so it may be used as part of Orion's visit.

Speaking of tugs, Atlantic Towing Ltd's tug base has moved from the north end of the IEL dock to the C.O.V.E dock (old Coast Guard Base) in Dartmouth Cove. This may not be a permanent move, and may only be for the duration of the Orion's visit.

.

More busy

 Container traffic was only part of the activity in Halifax harbour today, June 23. The long awaited (and waiting) Vistula Maersk arrived on the joint Maersk and CMA/CGM St.Lawrence River service. This is the ship's first trip after replacing older Maersk ships.

 

Built in 2018 by COSCO (Zhoushan) Shipyard Co, it was the first of a series of ice class ships built as Baltic feeders. The 34,882 gt, 40,000 dwt ship has a capacity of 3600 TEU including 600 reefers. It has also been joined on the St.Lawrence run by sister ship Vayenga Maersk. Both ships became available when Baltic trade patterns changed after sanctions were imposed on Russia.

It arrived off Halifax from Montreal on June 20 and has been waiting at anchor until space was available at PSA Halifax Atlantic Hub (Southend terminal). It will top up its cargo here and depart for Europe late tonight.

Also at the Southend terminal is the Navarino on MSC's Indus 2 service from North India via Suez.

Navarino dates from 2010 when it was built by Hudong-Zhongua, Shanghai as MSC Navarino. It was renamed Carmen shortly after, then in 2011 became Hyundai Navarino. It reverted to Navarino in 2012. Owners Costamare provides ships to major container lines for varying charter durations, often renaming them to suit.The 91,354 gt, 102,302 dwt ship has a capacity of 8530 TEU.

PSA also had the Oceanex Connaigra at Pier 36 for RoRo trailers and cars (generally used ones and fleet cars). The ship shifted to Autoport for more cars (new ones) then was due to move to anchor over night. It will load containers tomorrow and depart for St.John's. 

This is supposed to be the ship's last call in Halifax as fleet mate Oceanex Sanderling is now due back from refit in Amsterdam before month's end, resuming duties from St.John's June 27 and Halifax June 30. Oceanex Connaigra and Oceanex Avalon have been alternating a weekly Montreal and Halifax service to St.John's since January when Oceanex Sanderling went off to the Damen shipyard in Waalhaven. That has meant only alternate week RoRo to Newfoundland from each port. Once Oceanex Sanderling is back there will be weekly RoRo service again from Halifax and Montreal.(The Con Ro Oceanex Connaigra and the non-RoRo Oceanex Avalon will each resume weekly sailings from Montreal).

PSA's Fairview Cove terminal hosted two ships today - both regulars. Nolhan Ava calls weekly on its container and RoRo service to St-Pierre et Miquelon and Argentia, NL.

 Nolhan Ava cuts through the glassy waters of the Narrows this morning en route to Fairview Cove.

There was news today that the Atlantic Pilotage Authority (APA) has made Belledune, NB, Sheet Harbour, NS and Argentia, NL mandatory pilotage ports. Until now the three had been non-compulsary, meaning that engaging harbour pilots was optional. In the case of Nolhan Ava the cost of pilotage in Argentia may be a severe blow to the operation's bottom line. However the vessel's master may qualify for a pilotage certificate, which would in fact be a waiver from the requirement for an APA pilot.

Later in the day it was NYK Deneb arriving on its regular slot on THE Alliance's AL5 route.

The 4922 TEU capacity ship was built by Hyundai Ulsan in 2007 and it is rated at 55,487 gt, 65,953 dwt.

Non-container activity included the quaintly named tanker The Sheriff which anchored for a good part of the day. (It was scheduled to get out of Dodge about mid-afternoon)

 

The ship was built by 3 Maj Brodogradiliste, Rijeka, Croatia in 2013 and is a 10,866 gt, 14,936 dwt asphalt  / bitumen carrier. It appeared to be carrying cargo, but since sailing from Langshan, China, and calling in Long Beach, CA (May 31 - June 1), it has transited the Panama Canal (June 12) and has been awaiting orders for a destination.

The purpose of its call in Halifax is unknown, but it is likely that it had a CFIA inspection for LDA moth larva. If so that would indicate a possible Canadian destination.

Returning to Halifax from unspecified exercises offshore the Canadian Navy's supply ship Asterix tied up at its usual berth in HMC Dockyard. HMCS Fredericton has been operating off Halifax for the last several days, so it may have been conducting refueling / stores transfer at sea trials.

Also on some unspecified activity with the RCN is the offshore tug/supplier Atlantic Osprey which docked at Jetty Alpha, at Shearwater.

Built by Halifax Shipyard in 2003 the 16,000 hp vessel, like many Canadian offshore support ships, has been idle but is therefore available for other work. Atlantic Osprey was laid up in Stephenville, NL until earlier this month. It departed St.John's five days ago (June 18).

 Tied up at Navy Jetty Alpha, the ship overlooks boats of the Shearwater Yacht Club.

Despite concerns about the herring stock and the closure of the herring and mackeral fishery in some areas such as the Bay of Fundy, there are fish off Nova Scotia as the two seiners Lady Melissa and Morning Star are bringing their catches in daily and pumping off into tanker trucks. As soon as they are unloaded the boats head back out to sea. The trucks head for Comeau Seafod's herring processing plants in Saulnierville or East Pubnico, NS.

Lady Melissa heads back to sea for more with its skiff perched on the stern ready to deploy the seine net.

At the Cherubini Metal Workers dock in Eisner's Cove, next to Shearwater, the latest bridge for Toronto Harbour has now been loaded aboard the barge Glovertown Spirit. Once fully secured to the barge it will be taken in tow by the tug Beverly M1 for the long trip to Lake Ontario.

(Note the bright sunlight, but band of thick fog in the background.)

.

Monday roundup - Admiralengracht, Seattle, Fusion, and updates

There was a lot of activity in Halifax this Monday, so instead of a number of different postings, this roundup will summarize the more interesting ones.

Another Spliethoff ship called in Halifax today. This time it was one of the smaller type of ships of the ten ship A class. Admiralengracht dates form 1990 and measures 7,949grt, 12,150 dwt. It is fitted with three 40 tonne cranes and as with all Spliethoff ships, can carry a variety of cargoes
It tied up at pier 37, an unusual pier for general cargo, since it is within the Halterm container terminal, but one that is often used for "one of" or military cargoes. I have since learned that the ship was in fact filling in for Fusion- see below.

Atlantic Oak assists Admiralengracht in getting away from pier 37 this evening.

 

The distinctive green containers on deck do not belong to any regularly scheduled container line calling in Halifax. Also last week I spotted some military vehicles in the pier 37 area, and they may have been loaded too.

 

Military vehicles on pier 37 March 10. This were in fact exported on a Zim ship earlier in the week

 

While in the area, it is worth noting that Fusion is still sitting idle at pier 36, perhaps undergoing repairs. The ship was towed in on March 11 and unloaded, but has not loaded any cargo. There were a couple of tank trucks on the pier the other day, but they appeared to be fueling the ship.

 

 

As mentioned the ship is owned in Odessa, Ukraine, and one hopes that it is not caught up in the present unrest of that country.

 

At nearby pier 31 the Cyprus flag Seattle is offloading nickel sulfides from Cuba. It is not a usual Nirint ship, but has a larger capacity than those ships, so perhaps has been called in to make up a backlog.

 

 

Built in 2000 by Saiki Heavy Industry of Japan it is a bulk carrier of 19,743 grt, 31,923 dwt and carries four cranes, which it is using to discharge. The ship carried the name Stornes from 2000 to 2004, and UBC Seattle until 2004.

 

Other updates:

Peresenk - completed prop repairs, and is bunkering and will sail this evening.

Pioneer -   work is still underway on the prop hub.

Beverly M 1 tug, was finally able to sail today with the Derrick#1 for St.John's, NL. They held in port to avoid bad weather,. They must now skirt ice to reach their destination.

 

The tanker Cape Brasilia  finally made it into Imperial Oil dock 4 today. It first arrived off Halifax March 4 from Houston. It had to put back out to sea at least once due to weather, but finally came in last night on departure of Energy Pride.

 

 

 

Built in 2006 by Hyundai Mipo in Ulsan, South Korea, it is a chemical product tanker of 25,108 grt, 40,327 dwt. It is owned by Columbia Ship Management of Hamburg, Germany and operates under the UPT pool, whose brilliant hull colour it wears. A fairly standard looking ship, it does have an unusual reverse rake funnel cap.

 

.