CL Aquarius sails

The tanker CL Aquarius (ex Nore, etcc., [see previous posts] sailed this evening for Vancouver via the Panama Canal. It seems likely that Vancouver will be its final destination, although they will face stiff competition from Seaspan's Marine Petrobulk barge based refueling service if that is its new home port.

Demand for sophisticated bunkering contracts, especially from cruise ships is on the rise and perhaps that is what is behind the move of whoever the ship's new owners might be. They may be able to use the ship to import bunkers from nearby US sources and transfer it to ships in Vancouver. They could also bunker ships in open roadstead anchorages.

Tug Cates 6, barge PB32 bunkering Diamond Princess in Vancouver. 

(A second tug is also used to move the barge.)

The Port of Prince Rupert (odd as it may seem, an important competitor with Halifax for Asian traffic) has no ship bunkering service, one of the few ports of its size without it. A proposal has been made to service ships by barge, carrying rail cars, piped together. This seems an odd way of delivering fuel, but seems to have the financial backing to carry it out.

While the ship's crew has renamed the ship and its lifeboat and even its paint skiff, no one has lowered the Maltese flag yet. Perhaps just an oversight?
 

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Spring Cleaning

The bulk carrier Nordic Yarra anchored this morning for Asian Gypsy Moth inspection. This annual spring cleaning event occurs frequently in Halifax harbour when inspectors from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency board ships that have been in parts of eastern Asia recently and wish enter Canadian waters.

The examination takes only a few hours as the inspectors know where to look for the larva, usually found around light fixtures. If the search is negative, the ship is soon on its way to inland ports where trees could be adversely effected by moth infestations.

Nordic Yarra was built in 2012 by Yangzhou Guoyu to a Handysize Seahorse  standard design, measuring 24,212 grt, 37,205 dwt. It carries four 30 tonne cranes and can handle a variety of bulk products in its box shaped holds. The ship is in ballast and is headed for Sorel-Tracy, QC.

At Pier 9B the former Nore is now the CL Aquarius under Canadian flag and was registered yesterday in Vancouver. The Newfoundland ship managers Canship Ugland Ltd are listed owners representatives, but it is still not clear who the west coast operators will be. Ships normally take bunkers from barges on the west coast.

There was much activity on board bringing the ship up to Canadian standards, including jettisoning some life rings that apparently do not comply.

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