Business As Usual

 Most stores and many businesses were closed for November 11, Remembrance Day, but the port remained in operation with activity at several locations.

At the South End Container Terminal (PSA Atlantic Hub) ships worked at Pier 41-42, leaving the northern portion of Pier 41 for work on the new container cranes.

 Both new Post Panamax cranes have been off loaded now, and are in position at the extreme north end of Pier 41 (left inphoto above). The crane ship Zhen Hua 23 moved out to anchor briefly. As it did so the Volga Maersk arriving from Montreal, slid in to Pier 42.

The Zhen Hua 23 is still carrying the two green cranes destined for PSA Sines, Portugal, and made an unusual backdrop to the Volga Maersk after it tied up. (The two oldest and smallest cranes, at the extreme south of Pier 42, worked the ship.)

 

 The Zhen Hua 23 moved back along side Pier 41-42 (mid-berth) because it has one more chore to do before leaving Halifax. It will load the older and highest of the existing cranes and roll it off alongside the new cranes.

Autoport had the Morning Lady unloading autos from Europe. It had previously been at Pier 9C last evening delivering the usual array of machinery.

The 70,853 gt, 27,343 dwt ship was built by Hyundai, Ulsan in 2010 and has a capacity of 8100 cars. This is achieved within an overall length of 232.38 m (762.40 ft) and a width of 32.26 m (105.8399 ft). The ship is owned by Eukor Car Carriers Inc of South Korea and operates under the management of Wilhelmsen Ship Management Korea Ltd.

The "mystery" ship Jessica B sailed late this afternoon, with its deck load of TCCL* containers. (see yesterday's post.)

The ship is giving Argentia, NL as destination.

 Interestingly the ship's funnel mark is for Intersac, a Canadian chemical manufacturing and distribution company, based in suburban Montreal. 

*Among the things than TCCL might stand for I have eliminated Traumatic Cranio-Cerebral Lesions and the Tulsa City-County Library and have pretty much settled on Travencore Cochin Chemicals Ltd in view of the connection with Intersac. Among the industries Intersac serves is mining.

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Jessica B - odd ducks at Fairview Cove

Unusual ship calls are nothing rare in Halifax, so it may be unfair to call then "Odd Ducks" and perhaps a less unflattering term can be found:

 Rare Brid 1

  The two PSA container terminals in Halifax host numerous container ships over the course of a year, and also the ConRos (combination container and RoRo ships) of Atlantic Container Line and Oceanex and TSMI - see below). Almost all of those ships are on regularly scheduled service routes. Every once in a while it also sees a conventional cargo ship with a special or project cargo. Today, November 10, there was one such caller.

The Jessica B arrived off Halifax November 8 from ports in Turkey and Ceuta, Spain. It remained at anchor until this morning, then made its way in to port, docking at PSA Fairview Cove

The Jessica B dates from 2003 when it was built by Shanghai Shipyard as the Pochard for charter to Canada Forest Navigation. Canfornav is a large operator of bulk/general cargo ships trading into the Great Lakes, carrying all sorts of cargo, not just forest products. Most of their forty some ships are named for species of ducks, many of which are not native to our shores. However Pochard was almost immediately renamed Panarea (for a Greek Island) on delivery and carried that name until 2014 when it became Pochard S. 

The 22,734 gt, 37,384 dwt ship is classed as a bulk carrier and is equipped with four 35 tonne capacity cargo cranes and was a built to convenient size for the St.Lawrence Seaway. On this voyage however it is carrying containers on deck, prominently labelled  "TCCL". Some of the containers appear non-standard and may be tankers.

Some shippers grew frustrated by port delays in the last year or so, and chartered bulk carriers and general cargo ships to carry containers even though they are not entirely suitable due to the requirements for lashing and special rigging to secure the boxes in the hold or on deck. That does not appear to be the case here, but rather it more likely represents a large shipment from a single shipper that would be too large to accommodate on any regular liner service. Such "project cargoes" can also be directed to destinations where no regular connecitons exist.

Rare Bird 2

The small ConRo Nolhan Ava which operates for TSMI between Halifax, Argentia and St-Pierre et Miquelon had to adjust its berthing arrangements this week due to the arrival of the new cranes at PSA Atlantic Hub (South End Container Terminal). The transport ship Zhen Hua 23 is occupying berth 41 in order to land the cranes in position (see November 6 post). That effectively blocks the RoRo ramp that the Nolhan Ava uses. 

The ship first went to Pier 30 and seems to have used the RoRo ramp there. But this evening after Oceanex Sanderling sails, the Nolhan Ava will move to occupy its berth at Fairview Cove. 

The two new red and white painted cranes are for Halifax (the green ones are for Sines, Portugal) and are painted that colour because they are in the area of low flying aircraft. Orginally in the flight path from the Shearwater base but now due to the proximity of the alternate landing pad for the Life Flight helicopter. The air ambulance service has landing platforms on the roofs of two of the Halifax hospitals, but if they are out of service, the alternative pad next to the container terminal can be used, and patients are then transported by road to the hospital.

As part of the crane upgrade project the tallest of the five existing cranes will be moved to a postion next to the new cranes. 

The disparity in heights of the cranes is evident in this May 5, 2023 photo with Nohan Ava at Pier 42.

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