Adelina and Havelstern

It was an unusually quiet Sunday in the harbour.
The deep laden bulk carrier Adelina, bound from Port Cartier for Las Palmas put in briefly for some underwater work. Operating under the Maltese flag for Seven Seas Maritime of London and managed by Alloceans Shipping Co Ltd of Athens, the 22,223 grt, 34,032 dwt ship was built in 2012 by Hyundai Mipo of Ulsan, Souht Korea.

The ship appears to be trimmed slightly to the stern, and is loaded to her marks.

 

 Another sign of spring is the occasional sail in the harbour, such as Merlin (sail number 175).

Whatever the work was it was accomplished ahead of schedule and the ship was able to sail early this afternoon.

At about the same time the tanker Havelstern moved from the adjacent anchorage (see yesterday) to pier 9c for some maintenance. Thanks to calm conditions, the ship was able to turn off the berth without the assistance of tugs.

Skilful use of the bow thruster brought the ship alongside in short order. Another sail in Bedford Basin shows up the background.

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Veendam - first cruise ship and other business as usual

The 2016 cruise ship season began today with the arrival of the Veendam. Built in 1996 as a Statendam class ship, it was refitted in 2009 with the extension of two decks aft and a "duck tail". Now rated for 1295 passengers (maximum) and 568 crew, it is still one of the smaller cruise ships we will see this year.
 

A pair of hardy kayakers greet the ship as is arrives for the first time this year.

A regular caller since 1996 it will have different fleetmates this year with the reassignment of former sister ship Maasdam. Instead Rotterdam and Zuiderdam will do the honours. In 2014 it had propellor problems and had to cancel three October cruises when it went into drydock for three weeks.

Veendam rounded north of George's Island on its way in to pier 22.

Otherwise it was business as usual in the port: 

The Liberian flag Callisto followed and and anchored for Asian gypsy moth inspection. It is the third ship to arrive for clearance by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. (MSC Cristiana was first March 20, and Cap Lara was the second last Saturday)

Built in 2010 by Yamanishi in Ishinomaki, Japan, the 15,861 grt, 25,981 dwt ship carries three cargo cranes. It is owned by Heinz Corleis of Germany and is bound from Providence, RI for Montreal.

In the afternoon the Canadian tanker Havelstern anchored for bunkers and will remain in port over night.

There was Naval and Coast Guard activity as SAR crews (likely CG college students) exercised with CCGS Sir Wilfred Grenfell outside, on returning to port, it tied up at the old Coast Guard base.

HMCS Charlottetown and HMCS Shawinigan both sailed.

HMCS Charlottetown takes aboard several matelots from a RHIB as it sails. This was the mooring line party that let the ship go when it slipped its berth at HMC Dockyard.

HMCS Shawinigan builds up speed after passing George's Island.

See also Tugfax.

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Bunkers, Passengers and a New Name

It was active in Halifax today with ships arriving and departing at all hours.
Arriving for bunkers, Vectis Falcon showed off her unusual bow.
 

Owned Carisbrooke Shipping of the UK, but built by Jiangsu Yangzijiang in China, the 6190 grt, 8555 dwt general cargo ship boasts better seakeeping and fuel economy with the innovative bow form and other green features. http://www.carisbrookeshipping.net/Vectis-Falcon.aspx.

Also with a distinctive bow, Havelstern sailed after bunkering.

The Canadian flag, former German ship has an icebreaking bow, and sees extensive use in the high north during the shipping season there. Based in Newfoundland, it is owned by Coastal Shipping Ltd, part of the Woodward Group.,


There were hardy passengers from cruise ships in Halifax today too. With cooler fall temperatures and rougher weather, it has been quite an experience for some.

Pearl Mist is off schedule due to weather, and has adjusted its port call rotation and dates as a result. It is in a day Halifax early, and will stay overnight. but sailed this evening.

 
Maasdam is on schedule, but met high winds and ten foot seas on its trip down from Sydney last night. It should have a pleasanter night tonight on its way to New York if conditions in the harbour are any indication..

Melfi Lines' caller today is Tasman Strait. This is its first call here with that name since it was applied last month. When it first called here in May it was bearing the name  Ocean Emerald see also http://shipfax.blogspot.ca/2014/05/ocean-emerald-for-melfi.html

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Havelstern joins the crowd

When the Coastal Shipping tanker Havelstern left the Novadock on Monday she went to pier 27 to complete her refit, and this morning she took on fuel from the Algoma Dartmouth. Once that was completed the ship was free to go about her business, but with stormy conditions still prevailing, the decision was made to got to anchor in Bedford Basin.

Havelstern shows off her new hull paint while northbound in the Narrows for Bedford Basin during the one sunny break when the low passed over Halifax this afternoon.

 

 

Once in the Basin Havelstern joined an armada of four other tankers, all either waiting for berths or better weather: Maersk Katalin (was at Imperial Oil, but came off the dock due to weather), Perseus N (waiting for better weather to dock at Nova Scotia Power), Cielo di Salerno and Seapride (waiting their turns).

 

Most Coastal Shipping tankers are used sparingly in the winter, and lay up in Lewisporte, Newfoundland. They are busiest in the summer months when they work in the far north.

 

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more tankers- Havelstern, Algonova, Seapride, Cielo di Salerno and on it goes

The tankers keep parading into and within Halifax.

The Coastal Shipping Ltd Havelstern left the Novadock floating drydock this afternoon and moved down to pier 27.

Although she had two tugs to assist her, she was using her own engine, but she was so light that the prop did a lot of thrashing without much effect. The camber between pier 27-28 and pier 30-31 was also full of slushy snow which made the effect even more dramatic.


Soon after, the tanker Algonova arrived in tow from Sydney, NS where has been lying ever since and engine room fire in the Gulf of St.Lawrence. After the January 19 fire off the Gaspe coast, the ship was towed to Sydney by Ocean Arctique [to be confirmed see comment section below] At some point her cargo was discharged and she was prepared for the tow to Halifax. This time it was the turn of Atlantic Elm to take charge.

Atlantic Elm handed off the tow to Atlantic Willow and Atlantic Oak but had a hard time letting go the towing gear. It must have become jammed or iced up in the ship's fairleads.

Atlantic Elm went alongside the IEL dock for a few minutes, but returned immediately to sea, even before Algonova was tied up. By this time it had stopped snowing and the sun was out.

With the Novadock freed up at Halifax Shipyard, perhaps she will go in for repairs.

While this was going on another foreign flag chemical tanker arrived. Seapride despite its appearance, is only just a year old (I hope its paint job is under warranty).

 At 29,925 gross tons, 50,908 deadweight, she is operated by the large Greek shipowner Thenamaris, under the flag of Malta. It was delivered February 8, 2013 by STX Offshore & Shipbuilding of South Korea. It headed for Bedford Basin anchorage to join Cielo di Salerno, which arrived Saturday.

Also a product of the STX yard, it was built in 2002 and measures 23,680 gross tons, 36,031 deadweight. The ship was in Halifax ten years ago this month at the Ultramar refinery.

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Havelstern - next for drydock

The Coastal Shipping Ltd tanker Havelstern anchored in the inner harbor this morning, but will be moving into the Novadock floating drydock later this morning.

Built in 1994 in Wismar,Germany the 11,425 grt, 17,083 dwt ship has been running steadily from Saint John, NB to Newfoundland and the far north since spring. It will now get its annual maintenance before resuming the same trade in the spring. Coastal Shipping, part of the Woodward Group, also has two other sister ships in its fleet. One of which, Travestern was here last month for drydocking and a new paint job. The other, Alsterstern, was last reported downbound in the St.Lawrence River for Saint John.
Coastal has two other ships in the fleet, Dorsch and Nanny.

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Travestern in the Novadock

1. Travestern has just entered Novadock.

The Coastal Shipping Ltd tanker Travestern arrived yesterday (in thick fog) and anchored in the harbour until this morning when it entered the Novadock floating drydock at Halifax Shipyard.

Coastal (part of ther Woodward Group of Goose Bay, NL) acquired the tanker in March of this year from Rigel Shiffahrts of Bremen, Germany.
It arrived in Lewisporte March 11 after waiting several days for icebreaker assistance, and was registered in Canada on March 15. A chemical / product tanker of 11,423 gross tons and 17,080 deadweight, it was built in 1995 by MTW Schiffwerft in Wismar, Germany.
It is one of three sister ships  bought by Woodward (Alsterstern and Havelstern inn 2011) to replace older units of the fleet. The ships have been very busy this summer running from Saint John to destinations in Newfoundland and the far north.

Coastal has recently taken to keeping ships names from previous owners, however in their earlier ships they did select family or local names.

Among those names was Sibyl W., used twice for Woodward Group ships.

Sybil W. (i) was the former Imperial Quebec. Built by Collingwood Shipyard, it was launched August 21,
1957 and delivered in December. At 375' x 52' x 27' depth, it was too large to transit the old St.Lawrence canals, so was confined to the Lakes until the St.Lawrence Seaway was opened in 1959. It was then fitted with a bulbous bow and saw service on the coast and as far afield as Frobisher Bay and Venezuela, based out of Halifax.

2. Imperial Quebec alongside pier 23 in Halifax March 21, 1983 for some minor repairs, the ship shows off her bulbous bow.

The ship started life with the traditional Imperial Oil black hull and red superstructure, but looked far better with the blue and cream scheme. It was also smaller than the newer ships at 4,679 gross tons, 6150 deadweight. With those larger fleetmates working more efficiently and some mechanical problems, Imperial sold the ship to Woodward in 1987.

3. In 1982 she was starting to have some engine issues and was easily identified from a great distance by her smoke plume.

Renamed Sibyl W. by Woodward, the ship served Atlantic Canada and the north until March 1992 when she was sold to the Panamanian company SSS Trading and renamed Panama Trader. She was later re-flagged to Belize, but she was laid up in 1995 and scrapped at Guyamas, Mexico in May 1996.

Woodward meanwhile had added Sibyl W. (ii) to the fleet. It was also a former Imperial tanker, the much smaller Imperial Tofino, built in 1973 by McKenzie Barge & Marine Ways of North Vancouver. Designed to serve small coastal communities it originally measured only 650 gross tons. In 1979 it was lengthened 24 feet to about 170 ft loa and re-measured at 764 gross tons. 

The ship made its first call in Halifax  September 1, 1992 and called here about once a year for a few years, but was mostly confined to Newfoundland and Labradorian waters.

4. The second Sybil W. in Halifax in 1995.

In 2009 as the fleet expanded again, Coastal Shipping sold the second Sibyl W. to Honduras Aero Marine S de RL of Atlantide, Honduras. They did not rename the ship and she is reportedly still in service as a bunkering tanker in the Atlantic anchorage off Panama.

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Havelstern - back again

Unlike last month's visit, Havelstern was greeted by fog and intermittent rain when it arrived this morning for bunkers. http://shipfax.blogspot.ca/2012/06/havelstern-another-from-woodwards.html

Alsterstern for bunkers [corrected]

Corrected version (I had the ship's name wrong as Havelstern on first posting):

The Woodward Group, Coastal Shipping Ltd tanker Alsterstern arrived for bunkers and anchored in Bedford Basin this morning, June 13. The ship is one of three sisters acquired by Woodward to transport fuel in Newfoundland, Labrador and the far north. All three were acquired form Rigel Tankers in Germany, first to arrive was Alsterstern in July 2001, then Havelstern in September 2011 and Travestern in March of this year. At 11,423 gross tons and 17,080 deadweight, they are able to reach many of the smaller ports.
They generally work seasonally and layup for the winter, and are reactivated in spring for northern work. Last year Alsterstern arrived in Halifax on June 14, docking at Ultramar in Eastern Passage. It is likely to load there again this year before sailing.

Alsterstern anchored off Rockingham, 2013-06-14 waiting for a berth.

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Havelstern - another from Woodward's

Coastal Shipping, rare callers until this year, had their fourth ship in port inside of a month. This time it is Havelstern one of a pair of ice class coastal tankers purchased last year from Rigel Shipping of Germany. A sister to Alsterstern, the ship is 11,423 gross tons, 17,080 deadweight and was built in 1994 by WTW Schiffs. of Wismar. Owners Coastal Shipping Ltd of HappyValley-Goose Bay, NL, are part of the Woodward Group.

Havelstern anchored in number 2 anchorage to take on bunkers. It will proceed to Ultramar to load and will sail north to service remote comnunities.
For the other Woodward ships see: Nanny June 9, Alsterstern June14, Tuvaq Jume 16.

Alsterstern - another first for Coastal and Woodward

Another first time arrival today for a tanker from Coastal Shipping. [see Nanny last week]
This time it is Alsterstern one of a pair of tankers acquired last year from the German Rigel Shipping Co. Neither ship (the sister is Havelstern) has been renamed.

Built in 1994 by MTW Schiffswerft in Wismar, Germany these chemical/product carriers measure 11,426 gros and 17,080 deadweight, and are considerable larger than the similar Desgagnés trio, which were built by the same yard for the same orginal German owners. One of those, Dara Desgagnés was in this week too, and loaded at Esso.

Dara Desgagnés was built in 1992 as Elbestern, and came to Canada as Diamond Star in 1993 for Rigel's Canadian operation. After charter to Desgagnés it was sold to them in 2010. It measures 6,262 gross tons and 10,511 deadweight. The ship usually carries product from the Ultramar refinery in St-Romauld, QC.

Alsterstern tied up at Ultramar in Eastern Passage to load for Newfoundland and Labrador.
Coastal Shipping is part of the Woodward Group a multi-armed industrial/commercial operation, based in Happy-Valley-Goose Bay.