Never to be seen again?

1. Georgia S. arriving in Halifax in ballast, 2005-09-25, a sight never to be seen in Halifax again.

When Georgia S. sailed on January 25 [see January 27 post] I was not aware that it was likely the last time we will ever see the ship in Halifax. A familiar sight for thirty years and almost a fixture since 2009, the ship has been reassigned. It was the final ship in a series of self-unloading bulkers developed by Ole Skaarup, a New York based shipping entrepreneur and visionary.

2. Melvin H. Baker was the first ship built to Ole Skaarup's concept.

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He is credited with developing the modern self-unloader [simultaneous developments were occurring on the Great Lakes and elsewhere however, so he was not the originator of the idea.] His pioneering ship was the Melvin H.Baker named for the founder of National Gypsum, and built specifically to carry gypsum from Halifax to east coast US ports. It sailed out of Halifax from August 10, 1956 through to March 9, 1994, making thousands of trips and then worked in the orient until it was delivered to the breakers in China December 23, 2009. Melvin H.Baker was built by AG Weser in Bremen, Germany and measured 10,884 gross tons. Its deadweight capacity was 16, 894 as built, later revised to 12,258 gross and 17,940 tonnes deadweight.

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There were two near sisters in the Skaarup fleet, Inverness ex Lewis R. Sanderson 10,032/56 and Dartmouth ex William M. Currie 11,416/56 , both eventually carrying Nova Scotia names, and also specialized gypsum carriers, but they were not frequent callers in Halifax. Instead they loaded in the Bras D'or Lakes and Strait of Canso.

3. Colon Brown in drydock at Halifax Shipyard, 1975-04-26, after being salvaged.
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In 1974 Skaarup took delivery of a larger version of the ocean going self-unloader. Colon Brown was built by Sasebo Heavy Industries in Japan, and was a vessel of 15,471 gross tons 26,556 deadweight. Early in its service it ran into trouble off Halifax in a storm. It returned to port and was intentionally beached in Macnab's Cove April 4, 1975 to prevent it from sinking. It was badly damaged, but was patched up enough to send back to Sasebo for rebuilding. A new cargo section was fabricated and the existing bow and stern attached, forming a new ship named Gold Bond Conveyor, 14,941 gross, 26,608 deadweight.

4. The rebuilt and renamed Gold Bond Conveyor 1992-05-21.

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On March 13, 1993 Gold Bond Conveyor left Halifax fully loaded with gypsum and was caught in the "storm of the century." It sank with the loss of all 33 aboard, 180 miles south of Cape Sable, in the Gulf of Maine. An air rescue crew was helpless to save the crew due to the extreme weather.

5. Gold Bond Trailblazer arriving Halifax, 1987-05-10.

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Meanwhile Skaarup had the cargo section of Colon Brown rebuilt and a new bow and stern built and attached by Sasebo in 1978. It was named the Gold Bond Trailblazer and measured 14,956 gross tons (later 18,241) and 26,608 deadweight. It was also an on/again off again caller in Halifax, but in 1998 it was acquired by CSL International and renamed CSL Trailblazer. It is still operating in the CSL International pool on the west coast of North America, last reported in Baha California

6. Georgia S. sailing from Halifax for the last time 2011-01-25.

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In 1981 Skaarup went back to Sasebo for another evolution of the basic design. This became Georgia S. measuring 15,462 gross tons, 30,187 deadweight. It is a very similar ship to the previous ones, but with some differences. The superstructure aft is the same as that of the Trailblazer, one deck lower than the Colon Brown/ Conveyor. I believe this was done to enhance the ship's stability, but I have no confirmation. The most significant difference is the raised bow forward, in way of number one hatch. This may also have been in response to seakeeping experience with the other ships. Certainly a number of sudden bulk carrier losses were attributed to the collapse of the number one hatch in extreme sea conditions.

Georgia S. was built to deliver gypsum at four National Gypsum plants on the US east coast. However in the recent recession all but one of those plants was closed. Georgia S. arrived in Halifax May 8, 2009 and entered long periods of idleness anchored in Bedford Basin. It continued to service the Burlington, NJ National Gypsum plant when needed, but otherwise sat at anchor with a full crew aboard and ready to sail. It was obliged to serve only National Gypsum as part of its contract with CSL International. That contract has apparently now expired, and the the ship can be assigned to other work.

It sailed from Halifax January 25, and after unloading in Burlington headed for Panama. I understand that it will be drydocked, and then other work will be found, likely in China.

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Gypsum still trickling out of Halifax

1. Georgia S. with a load of gypsum, leaving Bedford Basin on Tuesday January 25.

With Tuesday's departure of Georgia S it is apparent that some gypsum is still trickling out of Halifax. As the Port's annual report stated, tonnage is way down due to the slump in US construction. All output from National Gypsum's open pit mine in Milford, shipped through Halifax, goes to the US for processing - mostly into wallboard. Georgia S has been running the odd trip out of Halifax, then returning to standby for a year or so.

Not so fortunate is mainland Nova Scotia's other gypsum exporter, Fundy Gypsum (a division of US Gypsum, through its subsidiary USG Canada.) On Tuesday they announced that their operations near Windsor would be mothballed indefinitely, and all but a skeleton staff would be kept on for maintenance. This includes their state of the art storage and shipping facility in Hantsport. The Windsor and Hantsport Railway, which transports gypsum between the mine and the dock, and is an unrelated company, will almost certainly have to close as a consequence. Fundy also operates the tug Spanish Mist at Hantsport (see Tugfax http://tugfaxblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2010/10/hantsport-tug-for-sale.html) which was for sale in the fall, but has apparently been withdrawn from the sale market. As an indication of the magnitude of the slump, export tonnage has dropped from 1.8 mn tonnes in 2006, to 440,000 tonnes in 2009 to 130,000 tones in 2010, according to an article in the Chronicle Herald.

There are also gypsum operations in Cape Breton. USG loads out at Little Narrows on the Bras d'Or Lakes, in a seasonal operation. (The lake freezes over in winter, and shipping operations halt.) There is also a gypsum mine near Port Hawksbury. It is still operational, but at a reduced output. Interestingly two gypsum board manufacturers operate at Port Hawksbury. USG purchased a Louisiana-Pacific board plant and makes abuse resistant panels there. Acadia Drywall of Dieppe, NB purchased the bankrupt Federal Gypsum operation in December and expects to start producing wall board in June 2011.

There is some domestic market for gypsum, but it is limited, and there are competing sources of gypsum (synthetic gypsum from the scrubbers in coal fired power plants is very high quality) and competition from India and China for finished wall board product. Gypsum is also used as a retarder in concrete, but again is highly dependant on the construction industry for business.

Where will it all end? No one seems certain, but until there is a recovery of construction activity in the US it seems certain that gypsum will be in doldrums for Nova Scotia.

Georgia S sails

The self-unloading bulk carrier Georgia S sailed this morning with a load of gypsum. The ship has been idled off and on for a year or more, usually anchored in Bedford Basin, due to lack of demand for gypsum.

This view of the ship shows the unusual stern, which accommodates the self-unloading gear. Not all ports can accommodate this ship, which contributes to its idleness. The advantage of this system is that it keeps the cargo dry, but it lacks the flexibility of other ships which have the slewing boom type of gear. Built in 1981, the ship is registered in Panama. It is owned by Sunskar Ltd of Hong Kong and managed by Skaarup Management Ltd, also of Hong Kong, and carries a Chinese crew.

When anchored in the Basin, the ship has its complete crew on board, ready to sail when an order for gypsum comes in. On this trip she is headed for Burlington, NJ.

Storm moves

After Monday's violent storm, there is another on the way for this Monday. Several ships re-positioned in advance of the storm (see previous post on Pearl River.)

The bunkering tanker Algoma Dartmouth went to Bedford Basin to an anchorage and the tanker Aegean Spirit at Imperial went out to sea.

Georgia S left her anchorage in Bedford Basin on Friday and moved in to the National Gypsum dock, even though she is not scheduled to load until Monday at the earliest.

The anchored tanker Butterfly went back out to sea, and the tanker Mattea, in for maintenance, will move to Bedford Basin this evening.

Ole Skaarup Dies at 94

Ole Skaarup dies at 94 extracted from Marine/Log and other sources
Industry icon Ole Skaarup died June 15 at 94.

Mr. Skaarup established Skaarup Shipping Corporation in 1951, following several years of commercial shipping employment in New York. In 1954, he conceived, designed and contracted for the construction of the first ocean-going bulk carrier, which became the prototype for today's bulkers. Later, he designed the gravity-type self-unloading bulk carrier. [see this blog for Melvin H. Baker, Georgia S and June 4, 2010]
Born and educated in Denmark, he served in the United States Army from 1941 to 1946 as an officer in the Transportation Corps where he gained extensive experience in ocean transportation. His move to Greenwich, Connecticut, in the 1970's was the seed that was to grow into the Connecticut maritime cluster. He was a pillar of the Connecticut Maritime Association, which published this tribute:
Ole Skaarup, Chairman of Skaarup Shipping in Greenwich Connecticut, was an industry icon. In business, politics and entertaining, Mr. Skaarup was frequently larger than life, always original, and deeply patriotic.
It was Mr. Skaarup's move from New York City in the early 1970s that gave birth to the now enormous Connecticut Maritime cluster. Mr. Skaarup chose Connecticut for its proximity to New York but, more importantly, for its schools and charm as he and his wife Gerda Emilie raised their three girls.
But that is only a small part of his legacy, which included service in the U.S. Army, where he was instrumental in loading the ships bound for France during the invasion, a task he often referred to as his most fulfilling achievement. He concluded his military service as a Major. After the war, he designed and built what many call the first modern dry bulk carrier with the Wallenberg family as partner.
He built Skaarup Shipping on a model he held true in his heart and mind, on the principles of delivering transportation service to the customer, to the shipper. His best deals were long term charters where ships were built to serve specific trades and commodities and then reliably delivered for decades. He took enormous care of his ships and their crews. Once he invited former Congresswoman Helen Bentley, an outspoken critic of open registry shipping aboard his Liberian Flag Melvin Baker, then a 30-year-old vessel, which was finally scrapped at age 53, after moving over 38 million tons of cargo in her lifetime. He gave Congresswoman Bentley white gloves as he toured her through the spotless engine room. They became mutual admirers even if neither changed the other's thinking.
But he could also be an astute market timer, and was a trusted business colleague to numerous banks, expending and contracting his fleet of ships as markets moved.
His passion for solving charterer challenges helped fuel his equally strong passion for designing ships and cargo systems. His self-unloaders were only one example. Following the fall of the former Soviet Empire, when the peace dividend turned towards revitalizing U.S. shipyards, he combined his design concepts with another passion, begging and preaching and lobbying Washington to take U.S. shipping and shipbuilding seriously. He believed strongly that a nation should have a vital shipping industry and that U.S. yards could compete on an international stage.
He would visit Congressmen whenever he was in Washington and testified before presidential commissions. His was frequently a lone voice of reason telling Washington that shipping is important. But Mr. Skaarup never tired of the fight and, at one point, had both the former Director of the US Shipbuilding Council, John Stocker. and former Federal Maritime Commissioner and articulate Washington insider, Rob Quartel, on his staff and team.
For many in the shipping community, Mr Skaarup will be remembered for his enormous talent at public speaking, music and joke telling -- a powerful skill he would use to cheer large or small crowds. He would commandeer a piano at a small taverna on Hydra and sing ribald songs with a crowd standing around the piano. Or he would play a recital at his home in Greenwich for a fortunate few, his fingers moving with his love of music across the keys.
And then, of course, there were his tour de forces at the CMA annual Gala dinners, where he would hold a crowd of nearly 1,000 in rapt, frequently hysterical, attention as he poked fun at his dear friends from the maritime community. He was the CMA's first Commodore, a role he took on in his generous way to assist the fledgling community's growth. He always demanded the Association do more, and would threaten not to attend the annual conference and Gala Commodore dinner. But then he would make a grand entrance, French horn in tow, or dressed as an Admiral, or ready to be jump started by Richard duMoulin following what Ole always called D1, referring to the time at an ABS meeting during which he did, in fact die, a first time, only to be resuscitated.
There appears to be no second resuscitation and so we are all left with a terrible hole where a man for whom life was truly rich and special once spurred us on to be better than we might otherwise have been..

Georgia S gets a trip

1 Georgia S (above)

2. Melvin H. Baker (above)

It was May 8, 2009 when Georgia S. arrived in Halifax to start an on and off layup in Bedford Basin. The gyspum carrier has been sidelined for much of the year due to reduced demand for gypsum in the US building trades.

The ship is also limited in the number of ports it can service due to its unusual "built in" self-unloading system. The large structure at the ship's stern houses retractable/ extendable conveyors. Unlike the deck mounted slewing conveyors of Great Lakes types self-unloaders, the Georgia S. system must unload to a shoreside conveyor system or hopper, and cannot deliver the gypsum into a long pile by slewing the unloader arm.

Georgia S. is the direct descendant of the pioneering vessel of this type, Melvin H. Baker. The Baker was developed by Ole Skaarup specifically to load gypsum out of the Dartmouth facility of National Gypsum. Built in 1956 she lasted in the service until 1994. Remarkably she continued to work in the far east until delivered to Chinese breakers in Xinhui December 23, 2009.

Georgia S. was built in 1981, and to achieve Baker's record she must keep on calling in Dartmouth until 2019 , then continue to work until 2030!

In the upper photo Georgia S. is shown sailing from National Gypsum this evening.

In the lower photo Melvin H. Baker sets out into Bedford Basin June 23, 1991.

Update: See June 16, 2010