Sunday comings and goings

 It was only April 12 that I missed taking a picture of Morning Clara so it was a bit of surprise to see the ship back at Autoport again so soon. Built in 2009 by Mitsubishi at either Nagasaki or Kobe (sources disagree) as Queen Sapphire, it was renamed by the current owners in 2014 and works for EUKOR (EURope KORea) Car Carriers.

Morning Clara rounds Ives Knoll outbound for Bremerhaven as the tug Gulf Spray hauls a garbage scow from pier 23. (International garbage must be disposed of by incineration, so is transported by barge then trucked to the incinerator at the Stanfield International Airport.)

The 60,213 grt, 18,638 dwt ship has a capacity of 6340 CEUs, and flies the flag of Singapore..

 The first cruise ship of the season arrived today and because it is a small ship, it tied up at pier 23. Owned by the famed Hurtigruten Line of Norway, it was nonetheless built by Fincantieri in Monfalcone, Italy in 2007.
 

Hurtigruten operates the coastal ferry service that sails up and down (an in and out of the fjords) of the  Norwegian coast, but also operates expedition ships to far away places.

Although the ship can operate as a ferry, it normally operates a yearly loop between the Arctic and Antarctic, with stops and side trips on the way. It will be back in Halifax again May 10 to board passengers for a 13 day Arctic / Iceland cruise. The internet tells me that it can accommodate 400 passengers in 280 berths (I assume sharing is optional). Its berthed passenger capacity is reported as 318 according to other sources.

The ship is named for the wooden polar expedition ship Fram of 1893, preserved in Norway for its many achievements with explorers Nansem, Sverdrup, Wisting and Amundsen in both the Arctic and Antarctic.

As Fram  was sailing CSL Frontier was arriving for another load of gypsum. The former Gypsum Centennial was last here March 30-31, on what I believe was here first ever call in Halifax.

And at anchor the amusingly named Interlink Levity was taking bunkers from Algoma Dartmouth. Built in 2014 by Huatai Heavy Industry Nantong in Rugao, China, it is a 24,168 grt, 37,135 dwt bulk carrier. It is multi-purpose ship, with hold ventilation allowing it to carry a variety of cargoes and even containers on deck.
It is equipped with four 30 tonne cargo cranes (fitted for grabs) and is in loaded condition. Since it is sailing from Fairless Hills, PA, I assume the cargo is steel - likley coils or finished material. Export steel from the USA may be rare these days, but the USA is a net importer of the product, so presumably also exports some.

While at anchor the ship will also undergo hull cleaning. That will undoubtedly improve the ship's efficiency going through the water, but may also remove some harmful species that may not be welcome in its destination port.

.

Red DAY

Refits for two ships are drawing to a close.
Fundy Rose moved this morning from pier 9B to pier 9C, likely to give pier space to test evacuation chutes.

In port since January 25, the ship is due to resume service April 11 as previously reported.

The long awaiting return to service of CCGS Hudson must be very close as the ship sailed from Bedford Institute today, first to Bedford Basin then to sea.

Its return late this afternoon - not to be over dramatic - was majestic. When was the last time a ship with hull sheer and raked masts arrived?

 
The delay of almost a year in completing the refit has been discussed here before, but given the extended time, I expect the ship will be in great shape to finish out is career.
Built, unbelievably, in 1963 in Saint John, as CSS Hudson it initially worked for the independent Department of Mines and Technical Surveys . It was properly painted white in line with hydrographic survey tradition.Its operation was eventually melded into the Coast Guard, but it retained the white hull until March 1997.

A first time caller in Halifax sailed today. CSL Frontier arrived from Charleston, SC, loaded at National Gypsum and sailed for Savannah, GA.When it was built in only ten months  in 2001 by Hyundai Mipo, as Gypsum Centennial, it was a revolutionary vessel in may ways. It was the first ship with a large common rail fuel injection engine, making it essentially smokeless. Selective shut off of injectors allows engine speeds as slow as 12 rpm. Its patented moving hole self-unloader system means that there are no gates to feed the two conveyors.

 It was built to service for Gypsum Transportation specifically to load at Hantsport, NS, however it did not do so until 2004, preferring to call at US Gypsum's Little Narrows facility in Cape Breton. When US Gypsum (aka Canadian Gypsum) decided to close its Hantsport operation the ship was sent to work in Europe, then in Sierra Leone shuttling iron ore.
In 2015 CSL acquired and renamed the ship. Now it usually carries coal and stone as CSL Frontier.

.