Hapag-Lloyd's Kiel Express class - to scrap or sold

As mentioned yesterday Hapag-Loyd announced that it will be selling or scrapping 16 ships. Hapag-Lloyd took delivery of ten 13,000 TEU ship by 2014 and this trend toward megaships has reduced the cost per box to ship freight. Ships are not being scrapped at the rate they are being built, and a world-wide over capacity of smaller and thus uneconomic ships is the result.

Although it is good for the financial health of the industry as a whole to suit capacity to market demands, it does mean that some lines like Hapag-Lloyd and Zim are having to scrap or sell otherwise useful ships, mostly because they are too small. (New environmental regulations and difficult engine conversions are also a factor.)

Hapag state that they have already sold two ships for scrap, Paris Express last month and now Kiel Express which arrived in Xinhui, China March 15. Another ship, thew older ans smaller Bonn Express was also sold for scrap as reported last month http://shipfax.blogspot.ca/2015/02/bonn-express-to-breakers.html

Paris Express and Kiel Express are of the same class, built by Samsung Shipbuilding + Heavy Industries in Koje, South Korea and delivered in 1991. With tonnages of 53,783 grt, 67,686 dwt and a capacity of 4639 TEU including 452 reefers. they were powered by a 9 cylinder B+W, built under license, which gave a speed of 23 knots.

Kiel Express was built as Hannover Express and called regularly in Halifax starting July 21, 2000. In 2007 it was renamed Kiel express while en route to Halifax and arrived with that name June 19. In 2012 it was reflagged from Germany to Bermuda and management assigned to under Anglo-Eastern Ship Management.

It called again in Halifax March 17, 2013. (I note a complete lack of snow on the ground)

Kiel Express prepares to sail from Fairview Cove.

On October 14, 2014 it was loading in Sydney, Australia when a cyclone with 126 kph winds struck the port. The ship parted its lines and struck two other ships including OOCL Hong Kong. All three ships were damaged, and Kiel Express was anchored with many unsecured containers on deck. That damage may have been a factor in the decision to send it to the scrappers.

Paris Express was built as Hamburg Express. It was reported arriving in Guangdong, China towards the end of February. It was also a regular caller in Halifax.

Point Valiant accompanies Paris Express outbound from Bedford Basin off Seaview Point. (How Seaview Point got its name, when there is no view of the sea, is an enduring mystery.)

Atlanta Express built as Ludwigshafen Exppress and Hoechst Express have both been sold to interests associated with Konig + Cie and renamed Dimitrios C and Kalliopi RC under Liberian flag.

Atlanta Express passes the Svitzer Canada dock, outbound, west of George's Island. Ships of this class had unique wheelhouse, with a "bay window" to the starboard side.

Hoechst Express's most memorable visit to Halifax was in September 2003 when Hurricane Juan struck. The ship parted its lines at Fairview Cove and was adrift for 1 1/2 hours until the tugs Point Halifax and Point Valiant could get it back alongside.

Hapag-Lloyd has ten other ships of the same size range in its fleet of 200 and it seems likely that they will go on the block too.

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Halifax visitors in trouble in Australia

Two frequent callers to Halifax made the headlines after a vicious typhoon struck Australia on Tuesday.
With insufficient warning of the 126 km per hour winds (which lasted for 9 hours) the storm set the container ship Kiel Express adrift.  Despite risking their lives, tug crews could not control the ship and it struck OOCL Hong Kong, parting its lines and driving it into the pier. Kiel Express then struck another ship, Marutu then sideswiped it. OOCL Hong Kong could not be moved far from its berth since many of its containers were not lashed for sea. Apparently loading operations were in full swing when the storm struck.

Kiel Express was built as Hannover Express.

Kiel Express began calling Halifax in 1991 when it was new from builders Samsung, Koje, and then named Hannover Express. It was renamed Kiel Expres in 2007 and Halifax was its first port of call with the new name when it arrived June 19. It is now registered in Bermuda, but still owned and operated by HAPAG-Lloyd. With a capacity of 4,639 TEU, it measures 53,783 grt. Soon after renaming its was displaced from Halifax calls by larger ships.

OOCL Hong Kong turning in Bedford Basin March 2, 2013.

OOCL Hong Kong is registered in its namesake port and measures 66,046 grt, with a capacity of 5,344 TEU. It was built in 1995, aslo by Samsung, Koje, and is a post-Panamax ship.

 By May 13, 2013, the ship had been repainted.

All three ships received various degrees of damage, including hull punctures One tug narrowly escaped being crushed between the ships, and another had a mooring line caught in a prop.

This is a cautionary tale for Halifax - as if we needed one. When Hurricane Juan struck in 2003 ships in port also parted their lines and smashed into one another, and tugs were helpless to assist. The ships would have been safer if they had put to sea to avoid the storm - there was lots of warning. Juan was barely a category 1 storm at 100 kph  re-classified as a category 2 =100 mph/160 kph. The cyclone that struck Australia was category 2.
Hurricane Gonzalo, now nearing Bermuda is a category 4, with winds of 145 mph. It is expected to pass east of Sable Island on Saturday, however it may strike the Avalon Peninsula of Newfoundland. High seas are predicted, in which case ships would probably be safer in Halifax than at sea, but would certainly need to make extra mooring provisions.

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Sunday traffic - mostly departures

At sunrise this morning the open hatch cargo ship Star Kilimanjaro sat peacefully in one of the outer anchorages, awaiting her turn at the grain berth.
By late morning the departures began with the crude carrier Kim Jacob sailing from Imperial Oil in ballast, giving Covenas, Columbia as her next port. Algoscotia sailed from the adjacent berth a little later.

.All three tugs, Atlantic Larch (bow), Atlantic Willow (midships) and Atlantic Oak (stern) push up on the ship while the lines are let go.

Once clear of the dock Atlantic Willow scooted around to the port bow to assist in pushing the ship out into the stream.

Once a tug was clear of the tanker, Novia upped anchor to go alongside pier 41 to get ready to work tomorrow. The Melfi Lines ship arrived last evening and spent the night at anchor.

It was a late afternoon departure for Kile Express. The ship arrived before first light this morning and sailed from Fairview Cove for Antwerp.

Last out was the Egyptian bulker Wadi Alarab with a partial load of grain. It is heading next for Port Cartier, QC to top up before heading to sea.

Kiel Express

Kiel Express (west bound) arrived this afternoon to join sister ship Stuttgart Express (east bound) at Fairview Cove. They are two of eight Hapag-Lloyd ships built between 1991 and 1994 of 53,783 gross tons and carrying 4639 TEU. She is seen above in Bedford Basin, with the tug Atlantic Larch alongside, ready to make the turn around Seaview Point for Fairview Cove.

Kiel Expresss was built as Hanover Express, in 1991, but her name was appropriated by a new Hapag ship in 2007, one of their 93,750 gt, 8749 TEU giants, built to run from Asia to Europe.

Kiel Express

Kiel Express slides through the Narrows this morning on her way in to Fairview Cove. The ship is the name vessel of a class of eight ships, all of which are regular callers in Halifax.

Built in 1991 by Samsung Shipbuilding & Heavy Industries in Koje, Japan, she measures 53,783 gross tons and carries 4626 TEUs.

Svitzer Canada's Point Chebucto is on her starboard bow, and out of sight of the camera, readying to turn the ship once it enters Bedford Basin.