Tankers and More

 Both Irving Oil and Imperial Oil had tankers in today.

Nave Equinox arrived at Imperial's number 3 dock early yesterday morning after several days holding off in bad weather. Built in 2007 by STX Shipbuilding Co in Jinhae, it worked as Indigo Point until 2013. It is a 30,119 gt, 50,922 dwt product tanker. One notable feature of the ship is its full width enclosed bridge, which usually indicates that it will be working in cold environments, and indeed it is rated as Ice Class 1A by Bureau Veritas.

The ship's last port is showing as Port Neches, Texas (between Port Arthur and Beaumont), an area hard hit by the recent snow and freezing weather. Several refineries in the area had to shut down, affecting about 25% of US refining capacity. 

This afternoon Elka Sirius made a return visit. I recorded the ship's arrival here December 19, 2014, which may have been its first call. That time it was for Imperial Oil - this time it is coming from Rotterdam for Irving Oil.

Built at Brodosplit in Croatia in 2003, the ship carried the name Stinice until 2005 when it was renamed by European Product Carriers Ltd. A 30,770 gt, 45,467 dwt vessel , it is arriving with a part load, having already discharged some cargo in Saint John, NB.

It felt a bit like spring today, with bright sunshine, so it was not surprising that there were several boat and vessel exercises going on with Coast Guard, Navy and private vessels participating.

The Royal Canadian Naval Auxiliary Vessel YDT 610 Sechelt, which is operated by the Fleet Diving Unit Atlantic, based at Shearwater, made a brief foray into Bedford Basin. Its "west coast" name is accounted for by the fact that it was built as a torpedo recovery vessel for Nanoose Bay, but was converted and transferred to Halifax.

A former Fisheries Patrol, Leeway Odyssey was exercising at the harbour mouth. Built in 1977 as Cape Harrison it also served as CCGS Louis M. Lauzier from 1983 to 2014. It is now a research vessel for hire.

Other vessels in the area included HMCS Summerside and RMI Seafox.

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The swings and roundabouts

The tanker BW Raven may be glad to see the last of Halifax after an extended visit. The ship is due to sail early this afternoon after several moves to anchorage, Imperial Oil and pier 31. Back at anchor this morning it was swinging round with the tide as harbour traffic goes about its business.

At number 5 anchorage in the lower harbour the ship has the former Coast Guard base, now called The Cove, as a backdrop.

The tug Mister Joe with the split hull hopper barge Pitts No.12 heads southbound with another load of fill for the pier 42 extension.

Standing by off the BW Raven Dominion Diving's Roseway appears to be waiting to disembark someone from the tanker.

At the Cove the suppliers Trinity Sea and Burin Sea await an uncertain fate. Trinity Sea has been laid up since August and Burin Sea arrived this week. The two former Russian suppliers, rebuilt by Secunda Marine may be looking at permanent retirement.

Also alongside the Cove is the research vessel LeeWay Odyssey. It is the former CGS Cape Harrison and Louis M. Lauzier and now calls The Cove its home base. See also:
http://shipfax.blogspot.com/search?q=leeway+odyssey

Both photos taken through window glass, hence the somewhat foggy appearance.

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LeeWay Odyssey at work

The survey vessel LeeWay Odyssey was at work in the lower harbour today, sporting its newly acquired grey hull paint. The ship was drydocked in Lunenburg over the winter where it was repainted from the red colour it inherited when the ship was acquired from the Coast Guard in 2015. The ship has been operating for the last week or two, mostly in Bedford Basin.

LeeWay Odyssey glides along the Dartmouth shore this afternoon. It appears to be deploying some sort of survey gear as it goes.

Now operated by LeeWay Marine and based at The Cove in Dartmouth, the ship is used for what is described as  data acquisition, which includes a wide variety of surveys and soundings. It is also available for other types of research and patrol work.

Breton Marine of Point Tupper, NS (now defunct) built the ship as Cape Harrison and its sister vessel Louisbourg in 1977. They were to be mid-shore fisheries patrol vessels  and were built of aluminum with high speed MTU engines to achieve 20 knots. In a now familiar story, the boats had "weatherability" issues - in other words they could not operate in some conditions and were therefore not fully utilized.

Sister vessel Louisbourg, as delivered, arriving in Halifax at a smart speed. It was painted a smoky grey, much darker than RCN grey, to avoid detection by fishing scofflaws.

Cape Harrison was moved from Newfoundland to the Gulf of St.Lawrence for seasonal operation as a research vessel renamed Louis M. Lauzier in 1983. In 1986 its thirsty 4500 bhp MTU engines were replaced with 2145 bhp V-12 Cummins for a comfortable cruising speed of 13.5 kn.
By this time the Department of Fisheries vessels had been folded into the Coast Guard as the Minister of Fisheries took over CCG vessels from the Minister of Transport. Cape Harrison  and  Louisbourg had thus changed their designation from FPV (Fisheries Patrol Vessel) to CCG.


In 2005 as Louis M. Lauzier was converted back to security patrol work with accommodation provided for three RCMP officers. It was re-fitted with fisheries equipment from Louisbourg.  In 2014 the vessel was replaced on its patrol duties by the Hero class boats (which have their own "weatherability" issues) and laid up in Sorel, QC for disposal. It was renamed 2014-03.

LeeWay Marine was the successful bidder when it was finally sold in September 2015. They quickly renamed it LeeWay Odyssey and sailed for Halifax where it has been based ever since.

Leeway has refitted the boat for its own needs, and it has conducted a variety of survey work. Last summer it worked in James Bay surveying for a new submarine cable. LeeWay has also partnered with Kraken Sonar Systems to deploy sophisticated new survey equipment.   

For more on Leeway Odyssey see Shipfax 2015-11-16 

As for Louisbourg it was never converted for research and maintained its original appearance until laid up in Sorel. Renamed 2013-03 it was sold to the anonymous Panamanian Company Marant Corp SA, (with the usual list of phony directors) on May 18, 2015 for $220,000. Under the name La Cristy, it sailed from Sorel October 1, 2015 and has more or less disappeared into the usual Caribbean fog that seems to envelop most ships sold to that region.

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LeeWay Odyssey

LeeWay Marine of Halifax is a marine service company offering research support and other services, and it has acquired its first ship, LeeWay Odyssey. The ship has now arrived in Halifax and it may be a familiar one to some old time harbor watchers, though somewhat changed from its original appearance.

LeeWay Odyssey at Sackville Landing today.

It is an aluminum hulled former fisheries patrol boat - one of two built in 1977 by the long defunct Breton Industrial Marine in Point Tupper, NS. As CGS Cape Harrison, with sister Louisbourg, it was built to work on the east coast  patrolling the mid-shore fishery, as far out to sea as 120 miles.There were issues of "weatherability" with the craft however, and Cape Harrison was laid up in Halifax in 1982 to be re-purposed.

 Sister CGS Louisbourg * at Queen's Wharf shortly after delivery in 1977.

Cape Harrison was renamed CGS Louis M. Lauzier in 1983 and fitted with labs on its top deck and extra accommodation for 2 scientists and sent to work doing research work in the Gulf of St.Lawrence.

In 1986 its high speed V-12 MTU engines generating 4500 bhp and good for 20 knots were replaced by two V-12 Cummins engines of 2145 bhp giving a more economical speed of 13.5 knots (cruising speed 12.5 knots).

When the Department of Fisheries was melded into the Coast Guard and Hydrographic fleets, it became a sort of odd man out, and was charted to Memorial University in 1998, but wass inactive for long periods of time.

To provide increased border security, the vessel was again re-purposed in 2005 to accommodate three RCMP officers and fitted with boat launch equipment on the stern. It was then based in Quebec City to provide security patrol on the St.Lawrence River. It was displaced by the Hero class patrol boats was laid up in 2014 in Sorel, QC.

 At Bishop's Landing in 2011.

It was renamed 2014-03 and advertised for sale by Crown Assets. Leeway was the successful bidder in its sale earlier this fall and registered the ship as Leeway Odyssey in Halifax October 30.

At Sackville Landing this morning, devoid of all its CCG and RCMP insignia, and with a new name stenciled on the bow.

LeeWay has ambitious plans for the ship, which will presumably first go into refit, but the company owners certainly have the credentials to deal with that.


See: http://leewaymarine.ca/

* Louisbourg remained in its original form until it was laid up in 2013. Renamed 2013-03 it was sold in July 2015 and its Canadian Register closed 2015-07-20.   

It turned up on the Miami River some time later with the name  La..Cristy classed as a yacht, with a Panama radio call sign and possibly destined for Venezuela.

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