Shuttle changes in Newfoundland

A new deal between Teekay Offshore Partners and the operators of the Newfoundland offshore oil complex will see the replacement of Canada's four largest tankers.
The new deal, effective June 1, 2015 sees three of the present shuttle tankers remaining in service for a time, and three new tankers to be built to serve a 15 year contract.

The offshore owners have banded together to arrange for the shuttle tankers to serve the Hibernia, Terra Nova, White Rose and Hebron oil fields. These owners are Exxon Mobil Canada, Chevron Canada, Statoil ASA, Husky Energy, Suncor Energy and Murphy Oil.
Teekay is a world wide tanker operator, but for tax reasons, its headquarters is in Vancouver. To serve the Newfoundland offshore, they are establishing an office in St.John's.They have announced that they will order three new Suezmax DP2 tankers from Samsung Shipbuilding in South Korea for delivery Q4 2017 to Q2 2018.

Of the existing four tankers, Kometik is apparently not involved in the deal. Even though it is currently owned by a consortium of the oil field owners (Chevron 21 shares, Exxon Mobil 27 shares, Mobil Canada Hibernia Co Ltd 5, Chevron Hibernia Holding Co Ltd 5, and Murphy Atlantic Offshore Oil Co Ltd 6 shares) and managed by Canship Ugland.
It was built by Samsung in 1996 and measures 76,216 grt, 126,646 deadweight.

Kometik was built for offshore loading over the bow, and winter navigation.

It was also built with twin screws to help manouevering around the Hibernia gravity structure.

Rumours published on Halifax Shipping News last week are apparently true that the ship will be sold.


Sister ship Mattea will remain in service but only until September when it will be replaced by Teekay's Navion Hispania, built in 1999 by Astileleros Espanol SA, in Puerto Real, SpAin, measuring 72,753 grt, 126,183 dwt.

Mattea was built in 1997 by Samsung and measures 76,216 grt, 126,360 dwt.  It is owned by Penny  Ugland, a joint venture between Pennecon of Newfoundland and JJ Ugland of Norway.

Two never ships, which were built for a 15 year charter to Husky for the White Rose offshore project, will remain with Teekay until the new ships arrive. Both came from Samsung in 2005 and measure 80,918 grt, 148,706 dwt. They initially operated under Norwegian flag, but were transferred to Canadian in 2009.

Jasmine Knutsen and Heather Knutsen are owned by entities in the Knutsen company of Haugesund, Norway and managed by Canship Ugland.
Teekay however will be taking over direct operation and management of the ships, which will continue to sail under the Canadian flag with Canadian crews, with perhaps a change of name.

All these ships have called in Halifax from time to time for repairs, bunkers and maintenance.

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Busy anchorages

Anchorage space is rarely at a premium in Halifax, but with two large tankers at anchor in the lower harbour, it was  necessary for an autocarrier to anchor in Bedford Basin.

1. Familiar Halifax caller Jasmine Knutsen anchored north of George's Island.

First in was the Canadian shuttle tanker Jasmine Knustsen, arriving yesterday for a couple of days maintenance. The 80,918 gross/ 148,644 deadweight tonnes ship is anchored north of George's Island, leaving space for only a small ship in the northernmost anchorage.

2. Fully laden Princimar Integrity anchored south of George's Island.

Meanwhile at number one anchorage, reserved for short term and deep draught visitors, the full laden crude oil tanker Princimar Integrity is awaiting Canadian Food Inspection Agency clearance for Asian gypsy moth before she moves into Imperial Oil to discharge. The Suezmax tanker is a 2012 product of Samsung's Koje shipyard in South Korea. At 81,326 gross/ 158, 529 deadweight, she is comparable in size to Jasmine Knutsen but lacks all the bow loading gear of a shuttle tanker. The ship operates in the Stena Sonangol Suezmax pool of tankers, managed out of Houston TX. Ownership resides with Principal Maritime an operating arm of Apollo group, based in Southport, CT. Interestingly the ship is managed by Bernard Schulte Ship Management, based in that iconic British seaport of South Shields. Once the home of numerous British builders and shipping companies, it was also the home of many seafarers, until the collapse of the British shipping industry in the 1970s.Despite all this the ship flies the flag of the Marshal Islands, a favourite offshore register for American controlled tankers.

3. Autocarrier Höegh Masan anchored off the Rockingham railway yards in Bedford Basin.

Forced to go north to Bedford Basin the autocarrier Höegh Masan, is also awaiting CFIA  clearance before heading to Autoport to unload. Although bearing the name of the Norwegian shipowner Leif Höegh, the ship is managed by the Danish AP Moller-Maersk group of companies and flies the flag of Singapore. Built in 1998 it has a capacity of 4300 ceu (European cars) with a gross tonnage of 44,219. After leaving Halifax the ship will travel to New York, Baltimore, Jacksonville Galveston, then the West Africa ports of Lagos, Cotonou, Tema and Sagunto. These secondary routes are served the smaller and older members of the autocarrier fleets.

4. Fairview Cove using its three large cranes to work OOCL Oakland. 

Despite the fact of Easter Sunday both container piers were also working ships. Halterm had Zim Colombo (see Halifax Shipping News http://blog.halifaxshippingnews.ca/2013/03/big-waves-broken-containers.html for more on her visit) and Fairview Cove has OOCL Oakland, a post Panamax ship.
With the big ships in the lower anchorages, OOCL Oakland passed west of George's Island outbound, giving a rare chance for a closeup photo.

5. Skimming the shore outbound west of George's Island.

6. Crew members stow mooring lines forward. Symbols for two bow thrusters and a bulbous bow decorate the hull.

7. The pilot door stands open ready to disembark the pilot.

8. Chebucto Pilot paces the ship, but will soon move out ahead.

Jasmine Knutsen blocks the view (almost) of Oceanex Sanderling

1. I got a two for one shot today as Oceanex Sanderling returned from its refit in Gibraltar and went directly to Autoport to load for Newfoundland.

Almost blocking the view is the tanker Jasmine Knutsen, another of those Canadian flagged, but non-duty paid, tankers operating under a coasting license. Built by Samsung in 2005, it was initially a Norwegian vessel. On December 6, 2005 it took the first shipment of oil from the White Rose field off Newfoundland, and delivered it to Saint John. It did this under a coasting license.

It was registered in Canada 2009-08-27.

It has had a number of coasting licenses, the current one running from October 23, 2010 to April 23, 2011. This permits it to run for Husky Oil Operations, from White Rose and/or Terra Nova and/or Hibernia to Whiffen Head and/or Point Tupper and/or Halifax and/or Saint John and/or Portland, Maine, for multiple voyages. As explained in a previous posting, the ship is Canadian flagged and must comply with all Canadian regulations, but because the import duty was not paid, it must get a license to trade within Canadian waters on coastal voyages. The Minister of Public Safety may grant a coasting license if no suitable Canadian duty-paid vessel is available.

The ship is 80,918 gross tons, 148,706 deadweight, and was built by Samsung Heavy Industries, Goje. It is fitted with thrusters fore and aft and offshore loading apparatus (on the bow) for shuttle tanker work.

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Florence D for bunkers

1. Florence D anchored, awaiting bunkers.

2. Jasmine Knutsen anchored, taking bunkers. The nature tour boat Haligonian III is outbound.

The bulk carrier Florence D arrived early this morning for bunkers. She has to wait her turn until the tanker Jasmine Knutsen takes her bunkers. Interestingly both ships are orange hulled - but are otherwise unrelated. Florence D ex Florence, built in 2006, flies the flag of the Marshall Islands and has a deadweight capacity of 53,000 tonnes.

It was in Sept Iles, QC earlier this month (probably unloading bauxite or alumina) then loaded in Lower Cove, NL (probably a cargo of quartzite) before arriving here.

Another Florence D took the headlines last year when it was discovered off Bathurst Island, Australia. The 1919 built US ship had been sunk by aircraft from the Japanese carrier Hyru. The ship was returning to Darwin, Australia in 1942 after a failed attempt to re-supply US troops in the Philippines. It's wreck was finally discovered and identified in March 2009. More info at:

http://www.ntnews.com.au/article/2008/12/30/24221_ntnews.html