Five ships - no Mac [corrected]

With five cruise ships in port today, and thousands of visitors clogging the waterfront, I apologize that I was not too enthusiastic about mixing in with the crowds. Veendam, Zuiderdam, Regal Princess,and Fram are all familiar. The fifth ship, Riviera maybe less so, but with fading light again a factor I did not go to see it sail at 1800. However I can recommend today's issue of Halifax Shipping News which also has a series of photos taken aboard Asterix
 See: https://blog.halifaxshippingnews.ca/

For those interested in the Halterm extension, McNally continues to bring fill by barge from pier 9C to pier 42. The fill, from the port's stockpile in Fairview Cove, is dumped on the harbour bottom them clamshelled into the open cells of the cribs. Two crane barges are at work on this sort of reverse dredging.

The tug Mister Joe with one of the two dump scows (this one is Pitts No.12, a split hull type) running a shuttle from pier 9C to pier 42. The small tug J.F.Whalen helps to position the scow on arrival, where the fill is dumped on the bottom.

Two cranes clamshell the fill from the bottom into the open crib cells. The barge on the left is Idus Atwell and on the right Derrick No.4.

Yesterday workers were setting up a hopper and conveyor system at the end of pier 42.

Today I noted that the conveyor system has started working to place material in the crib cells too. That material is arriving by dump truck (through city traffic) and fed to the conveyor system. It appears to be a high quality gravel.

Today, while one of the cranes is clamshelling fill from the harbour bottom, the conveyor is placing gravel.For more on the tugs and barges, see past posts on Tugfax.

Correction:

I  got the names of the October 2 cruise ships wrong (all except one). In fact the ships in port on October 2 were: 
Serenade of the Seas, Adventure of the Seas, Silver Wind, Norwegian Escape and Fram, and I did see the last one of these sail.

I must underline that I did not travel to Norway to see this.

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How Windy Was It

Very high winds earlier in the week forced many ships to remain in port and even dredging off Halterm was suspended for for Tuesday and Wednesday. Conditions improved by Friday and some ships decided to sail, others opted to wait until today, but then winds picked up again. However but it was business as usual.

The cruise ship Fram must have changed its itinerary a couple of times after arriving 12 hours late on Wednesday. It was supposed to sail later then same day, then yesterday, but finally got underway today.

Tucked in out of the wind at pier 24, the ship had an extended stay in Halifax.

Another departure after a short stay in port was the schooner Avontuur.  It arrived in Halifax Tuesday (see previous post) May 14 and off loaded a part cargo of fair trade coffee beans.

Getting away early this evening, the vessel made a maneuver that is rarely seen today. Berthed bow in at pier 25, the ship turned in camber using a spring line from the starboard quarter.
 

(The spring line ran to a bollard on shore, that appears just off the ship's stern in this photo)

Once turned about 180 degrees, the line was let go and the ship moved out quite smartly under power, destination Horta, Azores.

Arrivals seem unhindered by today's weather, but precautions were taken.

Glen Canyon Bridge took its stern escort tug Spitfire III well before reaching the lower harbour and had the tug Atlantic Oak on its port side until rounding George's Island. It then stood round to the starboard for the bridge passages and the Narrows. A fair amount of spray was in evidence.

Geln Canyon Bridge, still wearing K-Line colours, is now part of ONE ( Ocean Network Express) the amalgam of the three primary Japanese container lines. Built by Hyundai Heavy Industries in Ulsan in 2006 it is a 68,750 gt, 71,291 dwt ship of 5624 TEU (including 600 reefer) capacity.

Happily in shelter for the weekend were three herring seiners. The familiar Sealife II, Morning Star and Lady Melissa are the usual scouts sent out to find the spring migratory herring run.

Also sitting calmly in the harbour discharging its cargo at Imperial Oil is the Koean tanker DL Rose

Although the vast majority of MidRange tankers were built in Korea, we don't often see them owned and flagged from that country. DL Rose is the rare exception. Built by SPP Shipbuilding Co in Tongyeong in 2007  it is owned by the Daelim Corporation. Management is by Wilhelmsen SM's Indonesia operation. It is of typical MR size, 39,990 gt, 49,997 dwt. It also exhibits its name in Korean lettering on the bow, just above the name in English. Its last port was Antwerp.

Arriving early this morning at Autoport was a new to me autocarrier. Morning Celine belongs to the Eukor fleet and was built in 2009 by Imabari Zosen in Marugame, Japan. At noon it moved over to pier 31 to offload some  other RoRo cargo.
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Tugs Atlantic Fir and Atlantic Bear have accompanied the ship from Autoport and are preparing to turn it to back in to pier 31. They are in the lee of the north wind.

After unloading some heavy cargo at pier 31, using the ship's 100 tonne capacity stern ramp, the ship sailed early this evening.

With the tourist season now in full swing the tour boats are back in business, including Kawartha Spirit returning from a Northwest Arm tour butting right into the headwind.

What ever happened to the plan to rename the boat something more appropriate to Halifax?

Why No Posts

It's not as if there has been no activity in Halifax harbour since Friday, but weather has not been conducive - particularly for photography. Here are some highlights.

On Monday the Liberian flag, Greek owned tanker Elka Eleftheria arrived at Irving Oil Woodside from Amsterdam.

Photo taken Tuesday, by which time some cargo had been discharged. The large white shapes that appear to be on the ship's deck are in fact on shore and are part of Irving Oil's propane terminal. The Imperial tank is actually next door to the Irving facility, and the checkerboard tank on the horizon is part of Canadian Forces Base Shearwater.


The 27,539 gt, 44,787 dwt ship dates from 2001 when it was built by Brodosplit in Croatia as Fulgar. It was very quickly renamed  by European Product Carriers Ltd of Athens, part of European Navigation  Inc. All its product tankers carry the name "Elka"  followed by a Greek geographical or mythological name.

Arriving Tuesday under marginal sea and weather conditions the diminutive cargo schooner Avontuur tied up at pier 26.

The crew rig tires as fenders as they prepare to berth. Sea conditions outside prevented the pilot from boarding at the usual place, and so it had to lead the vessel in to a point inside Maugher's Beach where it was safe to get aboard. Conditions did not deter lobster fishermen as they enter the final weeks of the season and try to maximize their catch.

Built in 1920 by Otto Schmidt in Stadskanal, Netherlands, the 138 gt vessel plies the world's trade routes with paying crew, transporting cargo (for example coffee) and spends as much time under sail as possible.

On Tuesday pilotage operations were suspended due to extreme high winds and building seas. Operations did not resume until late this afternoon, and even then some ships did not arrive until  after 1900 hrs.

Grande New York was one, and it only became visible through the rain when it was well into the Middle Ground area.

The 62,134 gt, 18,360 dwt ship was last here 13 months ago - to the day. With a 6700 CEU capacity, the ship was built by Jinling, Nanjing in 2017. After off loading some cars at Autoport, the ship will move to pier 31. Its last port was Valencia, Spain, and unusual source for autocarriers, but it likely came from Italy before that.

Also inbound a few minutes earlier, YM Movement was barely visible until it got well into the harbour.

 It was still raining heavily when the ship passed under the MacKay bridge. A regular caller on THE Alliance EC5 service, the ship has a 6258 TEU capacity, and measures 71,821 gt, 72,370 dwt. Koyo Dockyard in Mihara, Japan built the ship in 2013.

Last to arrive this evening was the little cruise ship Fram. It sailed from Saint John yesterday, expecting to disembark passengers in Halifax first thing this morning. Instead they spent the day rolling around outside the harbour, before finally tying up about 12 hours late. The ship was to sail this evening, but will now stay in port until tomorrow afternoon.

The famous Norwegian coastal passenger line has extended its range to include the arctic and antarctic regions, but so far has bot included Nova Scotia fog and rain as highlights of their cruises.

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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.

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Small Ship Day

1. Clelia II swings round George's Island to berth at pier 20.

2. Fram rests at pier 23.

Not all the cruise ships visiting Halifax are 3,000 passenger giants. There are several smaller ships and some really small ships that call in from time to time. Generally these are high end or expedition type ships. They can get into small ports and out of the way places, and offer passengers a different experience from the "trapped in a shopping mall" feel of some of the larger cruisers.

Two of the smaller ships are in today.

Fram arrived yesterday and will sail this evening. A banner on its side proclaims "Hurtigruten' that famous coastal service that goes in and out of fjords as it works its way up and down the scenic Norwegian coast line. This ships however was purpose built for Arctic and Antarctic cruising. She has just come in from a trip that took her to Iceland, Greenland, Labrador, Newfoundland and Cape Breton. Have a look at the ship's blog to see some incredible sights and read an account of the tip: http://mvfram.blogspot.com/

The ship was built in 2007 by Fincantieri in Italy, and measures 11,647 tons. She has 254 berths, but can carry 400 passengers in ferry mode. She ends here cruise here and will redeploy to Antarctica for the southern summer season.
The ship was named for explorer Fridtjof Nansen's expedition vessel.

Clelia II dates from 1990 when it was built in Italy as Renaissance Four. It's original owners went out of business and never operated the ship and it was soon sold to Lindos Maritime. Its small size (it only has 42 cabins and can berth 84 passengers) means that it is ideal for some of those unusual destinations. This summer, as it has for several years, it has operated cruises on the Great Lakes, putting into a score of ports, not visited by larger ships. The ship measures 4077 gross tons and flies the Maltese flag. It arrived this morning and will sail this evening.

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