A day of firsts - and lasts

 Firsts

There were some first time callers today (October 29) in Halifax. The largest and most apparent was the Norwegian Prima - a ship that exemplifies the latest trends in popular cruise ship design (said to be "minimalist" on doubtful authority). Despite its hulking shape and 20 decks it is still only the 59th largest cruise ship in the world. (It arrived last evening after dark. and berthed at Pier 22.)

 Built by Fincantieri in 2022 it registers 145,535 gt with a capacity of 3,099 passengers and 1,506 crew. Sixteen of those 20 decks are accessible to guests. 

Among the ship's features are a visual reality theatre, the largest go-kart track afloat, an overside dry slide, and other venues for entertainment and eating beyond number.

The ship is on a repositioning cruise from the Mediterranean, via Southampton, to the Caribbean. I imagined some alteration to plans would be inevitable, as the remnant of the disastrous hurricane Melissa pass offshore Nova Scotia, but the ship is scheduled to sail this evening for New York - break out the Dramamine.

A more subdued looking ship was also a first time caller in Halifax today. The Liberian flagged Koi arrived on CMA CGM's Indamex service from India for the US east coast. It appears that the ship came via the Suez Canal.CMA CGM has been an early return user of the Canal while many lines are still avoiding the Red Sea, and sailing via the Cape of Good Hope. The ship's last port was Tanger Med.

The ship was built in 2011 by Hyundai Samho as Hanjin Rotterdam but was renamed SM Savannah in 2017; then in 2020 it became DS Koi briefly until it was renamed Koi later in the same year. It is a 91,585 gt, 102,517 dwt ship with a capacity of 8586 TEU with 700 reefer plugs. It is among the largest container ships with a single superstructure. Most ships of 9,000 TEU or more have an isolated bridge structure farther forward.

Lasts

As the cruise season winds down, only half a dozen or so ships are scheduled before the season ends with the Aidadiva on November 19. There will be no more multiple ships days, so workers today retrieved the pontoons from the landing stage at Pier 24. There will be no more need for "lightering off" of passengers in ships' tenders from anchorage. [see several previous posts.]

 The removal will allow ships to tie up at the opposite side of the camber at Pier 25-26, and sure enough that began to happen. The American tug Ezra Sol arrived and tied up well in at Pier 25.

 It has returned from Norfolk, its home base, after its earlier visit September 21 to 26. On that call, it towed in the disabled AP Revelin and stood by it for a time. Now that ship has transferred cargo to the Eva Bright at nearby Pier 27, and tomorrow will be moved (cold move) to pier 26, just astern of the tug, where it will likely be rigged up for another tow.

 The AP Revelin will be going to drydock - somewhere - likely the United States, for repairs after losing its prop or a blade from the prop, and is therefore unable to move on its own. There way also be other damage related to the loss, which will also require repair. Its grain cargo will likely be taken by the Eva Bright to its original destination.

More Firsts 

We got a first glimpse at a new Canadian Coast Guard Arctic and Offshore Patrol Vessel as Halifax Shipyard prepares to roll out the first ship from the Assembly hall.

 To be named Domjek Glacier the ship is the first of two ships for the Canadian Coast Guard. They are variants of the Harry DeWolf class of six Arctic and Offshore Patrol Vessels built for the Royal Canadian Navy. The two CCGS ships were added to the AOPV project to fill the void between completion of the RCN AOPVS and full scale work on the new RCN destroyers.

Little was revealed today, although there is some evidence of measures to be taken to resolve an issue with anchors on the RCN ships. Some plating has been removed or not yet installed over the anchor pockets. Perhaps there will be flaps over the pockets? (No more "old school" cementing the hawse pipes.)

 This is the first of the ships to be fully assembled under cover. the RCN ships were rolled out in sections and joined outdoors. The new destroyers will also be assembled indoors by all accounts.

Work is well underway at the new float out and fitting out berth at Pier 6 as Caisson number 15 was moved by McNally boats from the IEL pier in Dartmouth to the Shipyard.

Enormous amounts of fill have been trucked in from the quarry in Dartmouth to fill the caisson cells, but there will be much more to come as the cope walls are yet to be built. and the grade has to be built up to the level of the Assembly Hall.

.

 

 

 

Bad News

 Computer issues have precluded posts on this blog for the last week. It may take some days to return to normal, so there will be fewer posts for a while.

In the meantime - in case you were wondering - the Croatian flag bulk carrier AP Revelin is anchored in Bedford Basin without a propellor. Bad news indeed.

 

The ship was towed in on September 21 by the US flag tug Ezra Sol from an outer anchorage.

 The once familiar tug Point Chebucto also arrived on September 24, from Port Hawksbury and will stand by the ship as long as it is anchored and without its own means of propulsion. (Point Chebucto 4,000 bhp, was built by Halifax Shipyard in 1993 and operated in Halifax until 2010 when it was transferred to Point Tupper. Earlier this summer three new tugs were commissioned in Point Tupper, and the three previous tugs were laid up in Port Hawksbury. Svitzer Bedford has now been re-positioned in North Sydney.Svitzer Montreal was used briefly at Point Tupper when one of the new tugs was out of service [possibly drydocked in Shelburne] but has returned to layup in Port Hawksbury.

The US flag tug Ezra Sol has also been standing by the ship, but is due to sail tonight  - presumably back to its home port of Norfolk.

The tugs is powered by three Cummins diesel engines, delivering about 8,000 bhp to three props. The three stacks show clearly in the photo.

.

 

Single, Double and Quad and one offshore

 Today, September 19, saw a single caller at Autoport, and was a double day for MSC ships and a four ship day for cruise ships - and there is a bonus.

 

Single 

Autoport's ship was a first time caller, the Cadwell a new ship, just entering service in July. The 69,250 gt, 19,160 dwt Pure Car and Truck Carrier, with a capacity of 7,000 CEU, was built by CIMC Yantai Raffles Offshore Ltd in Yantai, China. It features an advanced dual fuel system and is the ninth in a ten ship "state of the art" order by Zodiac Maritime Ltd. Unusually for newer PCTCs it also has a side ramp, positioned well aft of midships.

As with many of Zodiac's ships it is named after a British race source. In this case one that is used mostly for motorbike racing, Cadwell Park in Lincolnshire. It is on long term charter and is serving Wallenius Wilhelmsen's transatlantic service from North Europe ports of Bremerhaven, Zeebrugge and Goteborg.
 

Double 

MSC Salina III arrived this morning on the Canada Express service from North Europe and as it sailed from PSA Atlantic Hub this afternoon it met the inbound MSC England which was heading for PSA Fairview Cove.

The MSC Salina III is a recent addition to the MSC fleet taking its present name as of July 1, and still carrying the colour scheme of previous operators. Built in 2009 by Guangzhou Wenchong as Cape Mele it was renamed POS Sydney in 2010 then Cape Male again in 2011. It is a 35,878 gt, 41,411 dwt ship with a capacity of 2758 TEU. It also carries four cargo cranes - three forward of the house and one aft.

 I saw the ship on August 10, upbound on the St.Lawrcnce River off La Malbaie at a speed of about 19 knots. The ship is operating on the Canada Express service and is  now outbound from Montreal for Le Havre, and was stopping in Halifax to top off. 

The inbound MSC England serves the Med-Canadian route and was arriving from MSC's Sines, Portugal hub. It will offload sufficient cargo to reduce its draft to suit St.Lawrence River restrictions.
 

A 39,812 gt, 51,020 dwt ship, built on 2001 by Hyundai, Ulsan, has as its capacity 4132 TEU with 500 reefer points. It has been retrofitted with an exhaust gas scrubber system, and trails the distinctive plume of water vapour.

I also saw this ship on the St.Lawrence, August 14, downbound in the south channel off Kamouraska, also at good speed.

Quadruple 

Four cruise ships arrived today with ships berthing at Pier 20, 22 and 23 and the fourth ship landing passengers  in tenders from an anchorage in mid-harbour. 

The  anchored ship was Holland America's Volendam from Montreal, Quebec City, and Charlottetown, bound for Eastport, Maine.

 

The ship used at least three of its own tenders (numbers 9, 10 and 12 by my count), delivering passengers to the landing stage at Pier 24.

 

Meanwhile at the adjacent Pier 23 the Seabourn Sojourn was decanting refuse to a barge, handled by the tug Mighty Edge. The Radiance of the Seas was an early morning arrival at Pier 22 and the Norwegian Getaway was an early afternoon arrival at Pier 22.(no images of those on this call.) 

 There was one more ship of note, although so far it has not actually entered the port. The Croatian flag AP Revelin was noted off the coast several days ago giving an ETA for Halifax of September 17. The 25,494 gt, 38,785 dwt ship is a handysize bulker built in 2016 by Qinshan in Wuhan, China. The ship rendez-voused instead with the United States flag tug Ezra Sol and with the assistance of the Halifax-based tug Atlantic Maple took up anchorage in the outer anchorage, outside the harbour limits (and outside the pilotage zone) on September 18.

The AP Revelin hull down on the horizon viewed from Shore Road, Eastern Passage. The elevated wheelhouse of the tug Ezra Sol can just be seen between the two pairs of cranes. The ship's last port was Port Allen, LA (near Baton Rouge) and the tug came out of Norfolk. 

It seems likely that the ship was in need of repairs which would require disabling the main engine, thus having a tug alongside for security. In case repairs are not succesful, towing the ship might be required and the 6,000 bhp tug would be right there. [There is no Canadian tug with that power in this region, and the local 4,000 to 5,000 bhp tugs are fully committed to harbour work and would not be available for extended standby duties.]

The tug Ezra Sol was built in 2002 by Main Iron Works in Houma, LA, and is powered by three Cummins main engines driving three screws. Originally named O.J.Cenac it became the O.J. in 2008, Copper Mountain in 2013 and Ezra Sol in 2023  when acquired by Seaward Marine Corp of Norfolk.

.