Captain Jim Report Released

 The Transportation Safety Board of Canada report into the sinking of the workboat Captain Jim has now been released. It is very detailed as expected, and describes the circumstances of the vessel's loss and the drowning death of one of its crew members on January 29, 2019 in a position 2.8 nautical miles from Eastern Passage, NS. It also draws specific conclusions about the causes and presents recommendations for prevention of future occurences.

Note the stoppers in the freeing ports in this photo.

 I will not attempt to summarize all the information in the report, which can be found at:

TSB M19A0025

Built in 1989 the boat was put to work in Halifax harbour in 2004 and performed a number of functions as a tug/workboat, dive tender, and for personnel transfers. 

The TSB report focuses on the very low freeboard, with clearing ports so close to the water line, and the deck openings which were weather tight, but not water tight.

Note the freeing ports would be largely submerged when the boat was underway, thus relying on the freeing port stoppers to prevent water from accumulating on deck.

The stoppers are more visible in this photo taken while the boat was in refit in Eastern Passage in 2009.

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Reminder of the Captain Jim tragedy

 On January 29, 2019 the service boat Captain Jim sank off Eastern Passage. The boat's skipper and a cargo surveyor were able to escape to a raft, but the boat's deckhand was apparently trapped below and died. The two survivors were picked up by the pilot boat, and the deckhand's body was recovered by navy divers. The boat itself was raised and broken up.

The Captain Jim was returning from a cargo sampling trip to a tanker anchored off Halifax. At the tine there were two such tankers, Star I bound for Imperial Oil and Elka Hercules bound for Irving Oil.

In one of those strange coincidences, Elka Hercules is in Halifax again two years later, and berthed at Irving Oil's Woodside terminal.

Elka Hercules arrived from Saint John, NB, January 28 and is pictured this morning January 29 discharging its remaining cargo at Irving Oil's Woodside Terminal.

Elka Hercules was built in 2002 by Brodosplit in Split Croatia, measuring 27,539 gt and 44,481 dwt. It is operated by European Product Carriers.

Also in Halifax, but anchored inside the harbour is  a tanker from Antwerp destined for Imperial Oil.  High Trust is operated by one of the d'Amico companies, part of the Societa d,Amico di Naigazione S.p.A., which also operates tankers and bulk carriers. It was built in 2016 by Hyundai Vinaship Shipyard Co in Ninh Hoa, Vietnam and measures 29,935 gt, 49,990 dwt.

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada is investigating the loss of the Captain Jim. Initially they stated the investigation would likely take 450 days or 15 months, but no official report has yet been published.

For my posts on the loss of the Captain Jim see:

http://shipfax.blogspot.com/2019/01/search-operation-underway.html

and

http://tugfaxblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2019/01/captain-jim.html

Miscellaneouis Updates

There are updates on a number of previous posts, so I have lumped then all together in one post.

Yantian Express

The ship was finally allowed to enter the port of Freeport, Bahamas and to tie up at the container terminal. It was held off the port from January 30 to February 3 until authorities were sure that there was no risk of a flare up, and that there was a plan in place for cargo clearance.
By February 13 investigators had determined that 198 containers were to be considered a total loss and will be removed and contents sent for destruction. Another 460 containers are likely to have damage of one sort or another, and will require inspection by insurance adjusters.
No date had yet been established for removal of the containers, and proposals are still being received for disposal.

 The tug Sovereign was still standing by the ship. This may be a necessary form of reassurance to port authorities that any flare up can be contained quickly. It may also just be a means of the salvors maintaining their claim on the ship.

The Canadian tug Maersk Mobiliser was released about January 31 and returned to St.John's NL. It was delayed by bad weather, but arrived in its home port February 12.

Captain Jim 

After the tragic sinking, with loss of a life January 29, the boat was quietly raised from its position in about 12 meters of water off Devil's Island. Apparently the Transportation Safety Board needed the boat to be raised to determine the cause of the sinking.
The boat appears to be reasonably intact, but it is unlikely to be rebuilt, since most of components would be ruined by immersion in salt water. I am not publishing a photo of the boat in its current condition.

CCGS Hudson and other Coast Guard issues

A $10mn contract has been awarded to Newfoundland Dockyard for the latest life extension refit of the hydrographic ship. Davie Shipbuilding declined to bid on the work. Citing the vessel's age and condition, it was their opinion that another refit is a waste of money.
My opinion is that the ship is on life support, rather than life extension, and the $10mn is a desperation move the keep the ship working for at least five more years. Since Seaspan hasn't begun to build a  replacement, even that figure may be optimistic.

The current CCG maintenance schedule shows the Hudson to be out of service from December 2018 to the end of March 2019. Since the ship will not arrive in St.John's until February 25 at the earliest, it is clearly impossible to spend that much money in a month - maybe in six months or a year?
In any event the ship will be out of service again, during the peak research season, and DFO will have to hire in other ships again this year to do some of Hudson's work. Ching Ching.

Newfoundland Dockyard currently has CCG Teleost and CCGS Terry Fox in drydock. Teleoest (fisheries research) is also due for replacement. Its refit is to be completed by the end of March.
Terry Fox (icebreaker) has gone well beyond its December 1 refit completion date, and should have been at work in the Gulf by now. However it got a bit of a reprieve since the newest CCG icebreaker Captain Molly Kool has gone into service in the Gulf after a quickie refit/conversion by Davie. It is the first of the three Swedish icebreaking supply vessels acquired last summer through Davie.

Newfoundland Dockyard also refitted CCGS Ann Harvey in a combined life extension repair after the ship ripped a hole in its bottom in 2015. (That work was supposed to be finished in September. Although the ship has left the NDY, the ship; is not in service yet.)

As per the last post, the inshore patrol vessels have issues with their seakeeping ability. The Coast Guard brass claims it is an issue of comfort not stability - a fine point, but likely correct in terms of  rolling, but does not address the Zodiac launching issue. 

Although there are four of these vessels in Halifax now, it appears that only one is in service. Corporal Teather C.V. is operational in place of Corporal McLaren M.M.V. which on the slip at CME in Sambro. It was recovered after being set loose by vandals, and is now undergoing repairs for that incident in addition to the two month planned refit it was there for originally.  The Teather is actually from the Central Region and would normally be laid up for the winter. It is to go back into refit In March.
 The other locally based boat, G.Peddle is supposed to be in a January/February refit, which may be occurring alongside at BIO. The fourth boat, A.Leblanc is also from the Central Region, and is to be in refit from January to the end of March, which may also be underway at BIO.

CCGS Sir Willima Alexander was supposed to enter Vessel Life Extension (VLE) in November, but it is at BIO and appears to be operational after icebreaking in the Gulf.
Edward Cornwallis was to be drydocked in January and February but it is operating in the Strait of Canso.
Alfred Needler (fisheries research) has completed an alongside refit at BIO and did sea trials last weekend.

Exceptionally heavy ice on the St.Lawrence River and Gulf is keeping the heavier icebreakers fully occupied. There have been shipping delays due to ice (and high winds and generally bad weather)  but all the CCG ships appear to be working withou mechanical issues.

APL Vancouver

A fire on this ship February 4 received a quick response from Vietnamese authorities, and was extinguished. After survey and declaration of general average it was cleared to carry on to Singapore with tug escort on February 12. It is due there February 15. Damage to cargo is expected to be significant.
I only mention this incident because the ship once called in Halifax. It was not en route to or from Halifax at the time of the fire.

Kivalliq W

The fire in the generator compartment on board the tanker while unloading at Imperial Oil on January 27, may have been more serous than originally thought. After naval fire fighters put out the fire in quick order, the ship moved to pier 9B for assessment and at least temporary repairs. After some delays due to berth availability, it returned to Imperial Oil briefly on February 5. When it sailed later that day it was to go the Lévis, QC to load again for Halifax. However that destination was changed to Las Palmas , Canary Islands. It arrived there February 14. That would certainly be a dramatic change of course (and weather) however it is expected that more repairs will be done to the ship there.
No substitute ship has appeared yet on the Lévis / Halifax shuttle, leaving Algonorth to make the run.

St.Lawrence Ferries

Although a temporary solution has been found to the Matane /Gobout/ Baie Comeau service there is still some doubt as to the future. The Société des Traversiers du Québec suddenly acquired the ferry Apollo from the Woodward Group. It had been due to retire from the Blanc Sablon / Ste. Barbe service and was apparently available on good terms. However STQ ran into criticism for buying it sight unseen!

It arrived in Matane for STQ upgrades and  modification to allow it to use the docks on the service. Meanwhile the CTMA Vacancier did complete its runs as per plan, and its fleet mate - really just a truck ferry now - CTMA Voyageur has been filling in  for the last few weeks, but Apollo has now entered service.
Problems with the F.-A.-Gauthier may be more serious than originally anticipated, and it is now out of service indefinitely.

To add to the problems, the Matane dock has also been plugged by ice. Someone - STQ or maybe CCG hired Groupe Océan's 8000 bhp icebreaking tug Océan Tundra to clear the ice in the enclosed port basin to allow the Voyageur and CN's train ferry Georges A. Lebel to maintain schedule. However it has now returned to Quebec City.

Search Operation - with tragc result [updated]

At approximately 0215 hrs this morning the workboat Captain Jim lost power and began to take on water off Devils's Island, just outside the harbour. Of the three persons aboard two managed to escape and were recovered by the pilot boat Captain E.T. Rogers. The third person, an employee of the owners RMI Marine, could not be found and an extensive search was undertaken.
Regrettably he was trapped in the boat when it went down and did not survive.
The two survivors were wearing PFDs and required no medical treatment.

Devil's Island is a windswept dot of 12 hectares off Eastern Passage, the narrow inlet to Halifax Harbour to the east of the main channel. Its name is thought to be a corruption of Deval, Devol or Deville's Island. It is the site of an automated light house.

With water temperature at +1C and air temperature at -11C there was little hope that anyone could survive in the water for very long. The exact location of the sunken boat in approximately 12m of water took some time to be pin point. Coast Guard, Navy and civilians participated in the search operation.

In addition to SAR helicopters and fixed wing aircraft, CCGC Corporal Teather CV, CCGC Sambro, CNAV Sechelt and other Coast Guard and Fleet Diving Unit Atlantic small craft were on scene. The tug Atlantic Bear is also stood by. 

Captain Jim was a well found boat with a fibreglass reinforced plastic hull and weather tight cabin.

Captain Jim has been in a fixture in Halifax Harbour for many years carrying out launch duties such as small craft towing, personnel transfer and construction support. The boat was built in 1989 by Guimond Boats Ltd, Baie Ste-Anne, NB along the lines of a Northumberland Strait fishing vessel.
Originally operated as Atlantic Walnut for Atlantic Towing Ltd it worked in Saint John, NB before coming to Halifax. It was re-named for Jim Ritcy, the legendary founder of Dominion Diving Ltd, and mentor to many divers. RMI Marine is an independent company, not associated with Dominion Diving.

At the time of the incident the boat was transferring a person to or from a ship anchored off Halifax. Two ships, Star I a tanker bound for Imperial Oil and Elka Hercules bound for Irving Oil in the anchorages awaiting berthing.

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Barges for the Big Llift Project - Part 2

The two barges finally arrived this afternoon and after slowly making their way in from the pilot station, they were shepherded alongside the Cherubini dock by RMI Marine's Belle-D and Captain Jim.

Océan Arctique makes its way in with the two barges in close hauled tow. That is the cargo ship Onego Trader anchored off after unloading a cargo of rail at pier 27.

Belle-D and Captain Jim await the tow.

The new look Timberland bears little resemblance to its previous appearance (see previous post and below).

Océan Abyss has also changed a lot - it now has two spuds, with winches and is carrying a couple of small loaders and other gear on deck.

The tug Océan Arctique then headed for Pier 9C where it tied up for refueling. When it leaves Halifax it will be returning to its regular station in Sept-Iles, QC.

Heading up the Narrows, Océan Arctique was a handsome sight.(see also Tugfax.)

A mere 40 years ago, Timberland lifts some drill rig legs from the barge Haltren No.1 at pier 6. The barge transported the components from Dosco's steel plant in Trenton, NS to Halifax. In the days of fixed lens rangefinder cameras, I didn't get the end of the jib.

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