Two Grachts, etc.,

The Amsterdam based Spliethoff Group, which includes Big Lift Shipping and Forestwave, operates about 145 ships. The company has found several niches for trade that can take their ships to the four corners of the earth. Even so it is rare to have two of their ships in the Port of Halifax on the same day (but not at the same time.)

Today, November 11 was such a day, and despite it being a national day of remembrance, there was some activity in the port. The truck gates at the two container terminals were closed, but the two ships at PSA Fairview Cove sailed in the morning.

The first to sail was the Jamaica followed a bit later by the Muntgracht [see yesterday's post.]

The Jamaica ex ZIM Luanda outbound in the Narrows this morning has cleared the A. Murray MacKay bridge and is passing Pier 9 (left background).

The Muntgracht with a deck load of unusual objects sailed from Fairview Cove and is headed for Matane, QC. Number one hatch has been left clear for future load or unload. That port handles a variety of cargoes including export of paper pulp, import of wind turbine components and due to a train and car ferry services to Baie Comeau and Sept-Iles, can also transship other products.

The second "Gracht" (Dutch for 'canal') arrived this afternoon From Belfast and docked at Pier 9C.  

One of Spliethoff's niche trades is yacht transport, and on this trip, it is carrying new boats representing several models from the same builder. 

Since visiting the Great Lakes in early September, the ship has been to Naples September 30 to October 3, Gdansk October 10-18, then Belfast October 28 -29. On sailing today the ship gave Palm Beach as its destination. (Despite having been to the Lakes, the ship does not appear to have suffered the same case of "lock rash" as its fleet mate.)

On arrival the ship made a neat turn off the dock, assisted by the Atlantic Oak and came alongside starboard side to. 

 

Predictably, the ship off loaded a large aircraft component package (loaded in Belfast), which was landed directly on a trombone (extendible) truck trailer and whisked away.

The Floretgracht is a member of Spliethoff's "F"class and is similar to the "M" class, and was also built in 2012, but by Jiangsu Yangzi Changbo Shipyard Co Ltd. The 8620 gt, 12,500 dwt ship is a multi-purpose type with box shaped holds and full width hatches. It has three cranes rated at 80 tonnes SWL, which can combine and can carry 658 TEU.

 Etc.,

There was also activity at the Irving Oil terminal in Woodside with the Algoma East Coast arriving with product from Saint John.

 And at Autoport it was the Morning Cornelia on an interesting rotation. 

 

The ship sailed from Nagoya September 5 and Toyohashi September 7 and was next reported in Sagunto (Valencia) Spain October 13. That would indicate a Suez passage, but was not reported as such in my usual sources. It then called in Portbury, UK October 18, Zeebrugge October 20-24 and Goteborg October 26 to 28. 

Built by Imabari Zosen in Japan in 2010 it is a 60,002 gt, 22,530 dwt ship with a capacity of 6,458 cars. In addition to the usual stern ramp, it has a small starboard side ramp as well.

As a bit of an update, the asphalt tanker ATB Leo A. McArthur, John J. Carrick was still unloading at the McAsphalt dock, and the orange buoy in the photo above marks the mooring point for the tanker's stern line. (seen from a different view point in the photo below). The sun was behind heavy cloud cover this morning, so there was no glare to spoil a picture.

 

Not to be left out, there was another arrival in Halifax today, the Atlantic Star made its way inbound from Liverpool and berthed at PSA Fairview Cove and then another coincidence occurred.

Later in the afternoon the big stern trawler Mersey Venture moved from its berth at COVE to an anchorage in Bedford Basin.

 It is a 2337 gt freezer trawler built in 1988. Construction was started by Tangen Verft, and completed by Langsten Slip, Tomrefjord. It fishes predominantly in the Greenland area for shrimp and cod but during seasonal layup it is often hired by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans for research work. It is likely doing some calibrations or other preparations for another research trip.

The coincidence is that it is also based in Liverpool, but not the same Liverpool. Liverpool, Nova Scotia is a small port on the southeast shore of Nova Scotia, predictably situated at the mouth of the Mersey River. (The original British settlers had a cruel sense of humour). It is home to Mersey Seafoods, owners of the trawler pictured above. 

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Cars and Tar

Cars need roads to run on, but it is only a coincidence that the automobile import (and export) facility, Autoport, is directly adjacent to the McAsphalt terminal where the component of road paving is stored and blended. Both are located in the Eastern Passage of Halifax Harbour, a narrow and shallow arm between McNabs and Lawlor's Islands and the mainland.

It is also a coincidence that there would be a ship at each dock at the same time. Today, November 9, the auto carrier Future Way arrived at Autoport while the asphalt tanker (Articulated Tug/Barge) Leo A. McArthur / John J. Carrick was unloading at the McAsphalt terminal after arriving yesterday.

Due to poor timing on my part, the sun was in a direct line with the ATB, so only a portion of the barge is visible beneath the bow of the ship.

The Future Way is a "ship of the future" featuring many innovations and new features. It was built by Yantai  CIMC Raffles, Longkou in 2024 and features gas / diesel / synthetic diesel fuel engines, can sail fully loaded with no ballast water, has a shore power connector and can be converted to add battery power. It reduces fuel consumption by prop design, hull shape and aerodynamic features. The 62,432 gt, 18,565 dwt ship has a capacity of 6500 CEUs. 

It is on long term charter to Volkswagen which may explain its unusual origin port of Barcelona. VW manufactures several models at a large plant in Barcelona. The ship sailed this afternoon for Davisville, RI, a typical destination for VW ships.

The barge John J. Carrick and its companion tug Leo A.McArthur were built in China in  2007 by Penglai Bohai Shipyard Co Ltd. The barge is equipped with boilers to keep the cargo in a liquid state, and the Halifax terminal has a heated pipeline connecting the jetty to the tank storage on the other side of Main Road, about 1500 feet away (crossing to the left and behind me in the photo).

 When McAsphalt Marine Transportation Ltd  took delivery of its new tanker ship the McAsphalt Advantage  [see September 11, 2025 ] I speculated on whether the tug/barge duo would be confined to the Great Lakes / St.Lawrence or whether McAsphalt would be expanding its range with the new ship. It appears that the latter may be case as the McAsphalt Advantage arrived back in Montreal November 7 from a trip to Paulsboro, NJ and Philadelphia, PA - deep in refinery territory. The tanker and the barge are also able to carry other bituminous cargoes including Bunker C and other heavy fuels.

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McAsphalt Advantage - first timer

 A ship that is sure to be a regular caller for years to come arrived in Halifax for the first time today, September 11. Bearing the name McAsphalt Advantage, it is a state of the art bitumen tanker, especially built to keep the cargo heated to maintain its liquid state.

Built by the Wuhu Shipyard Co Ltd in China, it is a dual fuel ship of 12,534 gt, 12,917 dwt. It was delivered to McAsphalt Transportation Ltd just a year ago and was registered in Canada in November of 2024. Aside from an inaugural visit to its home port of Hamilton, ON, it has been idle in Montreal until August 30 of this year when it made another trip to Hamilton ca. September 1. Once loaded it headed down the Seaway directly for Halifax.

McAsphalt has its own marine terminal and storage tanks in Eastern Passage where the ship docked today. The company also provides shipments to General Liquids Canada which has its terminal nearby in Eisner's Cove. Both facilities store and provide asphalt for road construction. McAsphalt is part of the Colas Group which also includes Miller Group and several other paving companies. General Liquids is owned by the Municipal Group, a road construction company and competitor in the paving business. Both asphalt terminals also have rail access. 

After hiring tugs and barges for some time, McAsphalt started its own fleet when it acquired the tug Tusker in 1979 and used to tow and push barges starting in 1980.

After a few adventurous years, they acquired a larger tug and formed one of the first Canadian flag ITBs (Integrated Tug and Barge) where the tug remains connected to the barge at all times with a flexible coupler allowing for some independant movement. 

That tug, renamed Everlast (ex Bilbino) in 1996, is still running, with its barge Norman McLeod, although now largely confined to the Great Lakes. It seems likely to live up to its name. 

 

A second, more modern combination, built to order for ocean conditions in 2008 is the tug Leo A. McArthur (ex Victorious) and barge John J. Carrick which are regular callers in Halifax.

 

It is as yet undetermined if the older units will be retired, or if the McAsphalt Advantage signals an increase in the volume of business for McAsphalt. The company does have competition from Transport Desgagnés which has at least one tanker dedicated to the carriage of asphalt, but the Damia Desgagnés appears to work exclusively in Quebec.

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RoRo and PoPo updates

 There are some updates to yesterday's long post:

RoRo

The latest Roll On operation at Halifax Shipyard proceeded today, December 6, as scheduled. The sixth and last of the Arctic and Offshore Patrol Vessels for the RCN was rolled onto the Boabarge 37. The ship, for now called AOPV 435, was carried aboard on a flotilla of SPMTs (Self Propelled Modular Transporters.)

The tug Atlantic Larch stood by alongside the barge to ensure that it stayed in position during the transfer. 

Once safely aboard the barge, the ship, on its cradles, was lowered down onto the barge deck. (The SPMTs show as a thin red line, and the cradles are gray.)

The barge will remain alongside Pier 6 overnight, then tomorrow it is due to move out to Bedford Basin where the barge will semi-submerge and the ship will be floated off. (So in this case I guess it is not a RoRo but a RoFo operation.)

Once the ship is completed it will be handed over to the RCN to be fitted out and will be commisisoned as HMCS Robert Hampton Gray.

While all this was going on ceremonies were underway on the high ground just behind the shipyard on Fort Needham. This was the annual commemoration of the Halifax Explosion of December 6, 1917 which leveled the north end of the city. An estimated 1,782 people died and 9,000 were injured. 

As part of the commemoration ceremony, bells on a memorial structure on Fort Needham rang shortly after 9 am and ships in the harbour sounded their horns for a prolonged period as they did in 1917. That futile warning could not prevent the massive eruption of high explosives on the ship Mont Blanc which caught fire after colliding with Norwegian ship IMO. The explosion took place where the Shipyard's Assembly Hall stands today.

Also during the Roll On operation the lead ship of the Arctic and Offshore Patrol Vessel  program HMCS Harry DeWolf AOPV 430 transited the Narrows, returning to HMC Dockyard from exercising in Bedford Basin, with Dockyard tugs to assist in docking.

Built at Halifax Shipyard it was launched from the same barge on September 18, 2018 and was commissioned into the RCN on June 26, 2021. The ship has recently returned from a trip to the Great Lakes, including the ports of Kingston, Toronto, Hamilton and Windsor. A similar trip last year had to be cut short due to a COVID-19 outbreak onboard.

The ship's namesake, Vice Admiral Henry George DeWolf CBE, DSO, DSC, CD , was born in 1903 in Bedford, Nova Scotia, and was a survivor and certainly a witness to the aftermath of the Halifax Explosion. He joined the Royal Canadian Navy in 1918 and rose through command appointments to Chief of the Naval Staff. One of his World War II commands was HMCS Haida which is preserved in Hamilton, ON, one of the ports the ship visited in October.

PoPo 1

On the other side of the harbour, and well to the south, the articulated tug / barge Leo A. McArthur / John J. Carrick resumed "Pumping Off" operations this morning at Eisner's Cove. The pair had moved out to harbour anchorage last night due to high winds. The mooring arrangement for the tug and barge consists of a small deck barge across the end of the Cherubini dock, which carries the piping ashore. Any breach in that connection could have very undesirable consequences, so no chances are taken when high winds are forecast. The barge's cargo of asphalt is pumped ashore to the General Liquids Canada tank storage facility.

 PoPo 2

An addition to the Pump On Pump Off category is yesterday evening's arrival at Imperial Oil. Seen only partially in the background is the YASA Pelikan. Built in 2019 by Hyundai Mipo, it is a typical LongRange1 size ship of 29,681 gt, 50,215 dwt. It appears to be owned by the Turkish company YASA Tankers, and operates in the Equinor tanker fleet. (Equinor ASA, formerly Statoil, is the Norwegian state owned petroleum giant.) It is unloading refined product from Antwerp at Imperial Oil's number 3 dock. It is worth noting that it did not move out to anchor due to winds, so the dock's new mooring arrangements seem to be doing the job.

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RoRo, LoLo, PoPo

 The terms RoRo for Roll / On Roll Off and LoLo for Lift On /  Lift Off are well used in these pages, but today I had to add PoPo for Pump On / Pump Off to include all the traffic in Halifax harbour today, Decmber 4.

RoRo 1

There was lots of RoRo activity including, at least for me, a surprise arrival. When the Palmela sailed from Autoport yesterday (December 3) it was giving Cristobal Panama as its destination. However once the ship was well offshore, it came about and stood by until late this morning (December 4) when it entered port again. Yesterday it offloaded at Autoport, but today it went to Pier 9C. This necessitated a trip through the Narrows to Bedford Basin to turn and then return back to dock, port side to the pier.

I rook a good many pictures of the ship's arrival yesterday, and noted that the ship had the unusual feature of a ramp on each side, but that they were obscured from view. Today they were both easy to see: The port side ramp is just forward of midships and just aft of the tug Atlantic Cedar.

The starboard side ramp, just forward of midships was also easy to see, [the broken line rectangle is presumably a safe pushing point for tugs] but the Plimsoll mark (at midships) could use a touch up.

The 80 tonne capacity stern ramp was also easier to see.

 I  am not sure why the ship went to sea over night, but I suppose it had to do with security as both Autoport and Pier 9C would require extra security if a ship were alongside, but it may also have been because another ship was scheduled for this morning at Autoport.

RoRo 2

The much larger autocarrier Tannhauser arrived early this morning (December 4) from European ports on the Wallenius Wilhelmsen Atlantic service. 

Built in 2020 in Tianjin, China by Tianjin Xingang, it is a 73,358 gt, 23,892 dwt ship with a capacity of 7656 cars of RT43 size. It also has a 350 tonne capacity stern ramp to handle heavy cargo. Once it had completed its work at Autoport it was also due to move to Pier 9C (after dark).

RoRo3 LoLo1

The RoRo / LoLo ship Oceanex Sanderling (also termed a ConRo) has been a familiar sight in the harbour since 1987, running weekly (sometimes twice weekly) to Newfoundland. It arrived this morning as usual and headed directly to PSA Fairview Cove where it will handle container and RoRo cargo. The ship will also call at Autoport where it will load new cars and light trucks for Newfoundland. Its usual sailing time is end of working day on Fridays.

 As it strides through the Narrows, the Oceanex Sanderling passes Halifax Shipyard and the next RoRo on my list.

 

RoRo 4

The fourth RoRo is a little bit different: Boabarge 37 is a semi-submersible barge used by Halifax Shipyard to "launch" new ships by float off. The shipyard is preparing to launch the sixth and last Harry DeWolf class Arctic and Offshore Patrol Vessel. AOPV 435 will be rolled on to the barge using self-propelled modular transporters (SPMTs) in the next few days. Once lowered back onto the cradles the ship will then be readied to float off in Bedford Basin later in the month.

This morning tugs were positioning the barge in line with the pier so that the ship (at right) can be rolled onto the barge.

The barge remains in Norwegian registry, so Irving Shipbuilding Inc has to apply for a coasting license each time it is to be used. The current application runs from December 7 to 31. Once launched there will still be many months of fit out before the ship can be handed over to the RCN. It will eventually be commissioned as HMCS Robert Hampton Gray. 

Halifax Shipyard has two variants of the AOPV to be built for the Canadian Coast Guard before it  shifts to production of new River class destroyers for the Royal Canadian Navy.

LoLo2

 A relative new comer to Halifax is the Box Endurance on charter to ZIM's expanded ZCX service.

The feeder size ship was delivered in 2015 by Guangzhou Wenchong and is registered at 17,907 gt, 21,667 dwt with a capacity of 1708 TEU. It appears to have significant reefer capacity too. It last sailed from Halifax October 29 for Kingston, Jamaica and has since called at Callao, Peru and other west coast South America ports, then worked its way back through the Panama Canal to Kingston, Miami, and Philadelphia. 

It is always fun to catch a container on the bridge as a ship from the same line passes under. Lucky day today - unless the container missed the boat!

 

 LoLo 3

Another regular Lift On Lift Off ship is the Volga Maersk on the Maersk / CMA CGM transatlantic service from Montreal to Bremerhaven, Rotterdam and Antwerp. Built in 2018 by COSCO (Zhoushan) Shipyard Co in China, it is a 34,882 gt, 40,079 dwt ship rated as LR Ice Class 1A with a capacity of 3600 TEU. One of seven "V" class ships, it was intended for Baltic service to Russia, but was displaced due to sanctions imposed against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. It is an ideal size and classification for year round St.Lawrence River service. (Ships of this class were the largest ever Ice Class 1A ships when built.) The ship's Maersk sky blue colour is highly visible (and fresh looking) even from across the harbour.

LoLo 4

Not quite so visible was the other ship in at PSA Atlantic Gateway. The MSC Matilde V is en route to Montreal on the Med Canadian route. (Photo taken December 3).

The ship was built in 1999 by Samsung Geoje and registers 53,208 gt, 70,753 dwt, with a capacity of 4400 TEU with 350 reefer plugs.

The ship was originally called Saudi Jubail and in 2002 was renamed MSC Matilde. The Roman numeral "V" was added in 2023 to denote MSC's cargo capacity class.

Since August 2020 MSC has purchased more than 400 second hand ships equalling 1.6 million TEU. With an average age of 20 years, the ships maintain MSC's reputation for getting the most out of older tonnage. The company is building new ships too, with an order book of twenty ships under construction or pending - all from Chinese shipyards. 

Competitor Maersk held off building new ships until recently but has just signed for construction of twenty new dual fuel ships ranging in size from 9,000 TEU to 17,000 TEU, (six from Korea, 14 from China) for delivery between 2028 and 2030. It will also charter ships with a total of some 500,000 TEU capacity and dual fuel capability of methanol and LNG.

Po Po

I left the "new" category of Pump On / Pump Off to last as the operation is somewhat specialized. The barge John J. Carrick and its articulated tug Leo A. McArthur arrived this morning with a cargo of asphalt for General Liquids Canada. The cargo, which must be kept heated, is pumped ashore in an insulated pipeline to tanks at Eisner's Cove.

The pipeline runs from the Cherubini pier to the so called Dexter Terminal, where the storage tanks are located. General Liquids is part of the Dexter Group of companies which includes Municipal Contracting - a large quarrying and road building operation. They carry out asphalt paving as part of their work, and would seem to be in competition with Miller / McAsphalt - operators of the tug / barge and paving contractors in their own right. They are also asphalt producers and formulators and are part of the Colas Group from France. McAsphalt also has its own marine terminal and storage tanks farther along into Eastern Passage next to Autoport.

McAsphalt has taken delivery of its new 73,600 bbl capacity tanker Asphalt Advantage. It arrived in Montreal from China last month and is now in Hamilton, ON. It is still not known if the new ship will be an addition to the current fleet or if it will mean the retirement of an older articulated tug/barge.  

The tug Everlast was built in 1977 and with its barge Norman McLeod (built in 2001) are normally used only on the Great Lakes / St.Lawrence. If they are retired the Leo A. McArthur / John J.Carrick might take their place and the Asphalt Advantage would do the coastal work. We will have to wait and see as the winter shutdown of the St.Lawrence Seaway nears.

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Unusual preparations

 Hurricane Philippe, downgraded to a post tropical cyclone, inexoribly making its way toward Nova Scotia, and weakening as it does so, has shipping making various preparations for diversions, reroutings, and in the case of ferries, outright cancellations of some crossings.

For the cruise ship industry ships generally prefer to sail as far away from disturbances as possible, and do not like to be in port during major storms. Late this afternoon (October 7) however there was an exception for the small (by cruising standards) Star Pride (ex Seabourn Pride) arriving in Halifax from Eastport, ME.

The ship was in Halifax September 30 and was covered in this blog. The difference this time is that the ship did not tie up at a pier, but instead headed directly for Bedford Basin and went to anchor. 

The unusual sight of a cruise ship in the Narrows and passing beneath the harbour bridges is only possible because the ship is small, and thus has a relatively low air draft.

Some passengers took in the unique experience by crowding onto the open observation bridge above the navigation bridge.

 While the ship was entering the Bedford Basin, the container ship ZIM Virginia was getting underway from PSA Fairview Cove, and held up long enough for the Star Pride to clear.

Hyundai Heavy Industries built the ZIM Virginia in the Ulsan shipyard in 2002. The 53,453 gt, 66,686 dwt ship has a capacity of 4839 TEU, and it flies the Israeli flag.The ship is bound for New York, so may be able to skirt the storm's path by sailing south and keeping to the east.

Bedford Basin is not exceptionallly good holding ground for ships with high windage to anchor, but is is a sufficiently large body of water (8 km x 5 km) that a little dragging in high winds can be tolerated. It does mean that a ship may have to steam ahead on its anchor during sustained winds. Constant monitoring is necessary while at anchor. Both the ship's bridge watch and Halifax VTS have auto alrms as well as human radar monitoring to detect dragging.

Likely due to the downgrade for Philippe another cruise ship, the Seabourn Quest elected to stay in port, tied up at Pier 23. The camber is relatively sheltered, but I would not be surprised to see some waves sloshing in if there is any storm surge. Again the ship will heve to remain vigilant during the night when the highest winds are expected.

The cargo ship Augusta Luna (centre in photo below) in port from Cuba for Nirint Shipping also opted to remain in port, tied up at Pier 27.

The Articulated Tug / Barge (ATB) Leo A. McArthur / John J.Carrick arriving from the Great Lakes with a cargo asphalt (leftmost in photo above) will remain at the McAsphalt jetty in Eastern Passage over night. It will likely have to suspend unloading operations when the wind picks up, because the mooring is partially secured to buoys.

Eastern Passage is relativeley well sheltered, so sea conditions will likely not be too severe, but there will still be high winds and strong gusts.

The heavy load ship GPO Emerald is due to move back out to anchor this evening. It has been berthed alongside the crane ship Orion (with the barge Atlantic Swordfish between them). 

It is due to move back alongside tomorrow to continue the transfer of six monopiles (in sections) and other gear for the Vineyard wind project offshore Massachusetts. Once loaded the Orion will return to the Vineyard project site and use its 5,000 tonne capacity crane to install the monopiles.

Two other ships that remained in port over night last night sailed today, having given the storm time to move away from their tracks. (Both ships were covered here yesterday)

Balmoral may be able to skirt the storm to the east and south on its way to Portland, ME but there may still be rough seas to contend with.

  CMA CGM Andromeda will likely be following a similar route, but heading farther south for New York.

The Volga Maersk, which arrived from Montreal this morning sailed early this evening for Bremerhaven, so will probably be ahead or well to the east of the storm.

Permanent residents of the port are accustomed to rough weahter by now, so are likely well buttoned down for the night, and will wait to see what the morning llight reveals.

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Recent Tankers

 Both Irving Oil and Imperial Oil had foreign flag tankers in Halifax recently and McAsphalt had their articulated tug/tanker barge in port.

     Irving Oil's Woodside terminal took cargo from STI Marshall, a 29,991 gt, 47,499 dwt ship, dating from 2019. It was built by Hyundai Vinashin Shipyard Co in Ninh Hoa Vietnam. The ship arrived from Amsterdam August 9 and is due to sail August 11.

The ship was named Marlin Marshall from 2019 to 2021 when it was taken over by Scorpio Tankers International. It displays the stylized scorpion logo on it oversize funnel, which incorporates an exhaust gas scrubber. It seems likely that the scrubber is original equipment, but might have been added later. (The green stripe on the scrubber housing may be left over from the Marlin era).

The ship is registered in the port of Majuro, the registry port for the Marshall Islands, a popular flag of convenience for tankers, particularly American owned. (Scorpio, founded by Emanuele Lauro is headquartered in Monaco, but listed on the New York stock exchange. It owns 128 product tankers.)

    The Malta flagged Hellas Fighter arrived off Halifax from Antwerp August 6 and anchored before coming alongside Imperial Oil August 7. It sailed in ballast August 10 for Houston.

Built in 2015 by Hyundai Mipo, Ulsan, the 29,410 gt, 49,997 dwt ship is managed by Latsco Marine Management, the operating arm for the 41 ships of the Latsis shipping companies of Greece. It carries the large letter "L" on the funnel. (Fleet mate Lady Malou was in port  July 30 - see post of that date).

      As the name implies McAsphalt is a specialist asphalt company part of Miller McAsphalt, owned in turn by the French conglomerate Colas SA. The tug Leo A. McArthur and barge John J. Carrick are regular callers in Halifax, the last time was July 21-22. The company operates it own jetty in Eastern Passage next to Autoport (once known as Dook's Dock), with a heated pipeline to storage tanks on shore. (It also has a rail connection there.)

 

Both tug and barge were built in China in 2009 and delivered in 2010, with the tug carrying the name Victorious. It was renamed in 2017 in honor of one of the founders of McAsphalt Industries. The high heat cargo barge, named for the other McAsphalt founder, has a capacity of 11,100 cu meters (70,000 bbls) and has boilers to keep asphalt and similar cargoes in the liquid state.

McAsphalt returned to China for construction of an asphalt tank ship with a 11,700 cubic meter (73,600 bbls) capacity. Powered by LNG/LBG it also has battery storage capacity. Named McAsphalt Advantage, the ship was launched in July and is expected in Canada later this year.

When the tanker is delivered we will likely see it here and the tug barge will concentrate mostly on the Great Lakes area. McAsphalt's older tug / barge combo Everlast (1976) / Norman McLeod (2001),  which is restricted to the Lakes / Seaway area may be retired or repowered / rebuilt.

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Picture Perfect and Imperfect

 In today's world of digital photography taking pictures is nearly idiot proof - unless of course you forget to check the setting and forget to check the image immediately after taking the picture. That happened earlier today (May 27) when I spent hours driving to the other side of the harbour via Bedford (one bridge was closed for repairs and the other was backed up for miles) and back by the same route. 

It was only when I was back home and downloaded the pictures that I discovered the setting error. I salvaged what I could by fine tuning, but the result is far a from ideal way of noting the first arrival in Halifax of the container ship CMA CGM Pride. 

Delivered in October of 2022 by Hyundai Ulsan Samho it is a 150,783 gt, 160,194 dwt ship. Various sources claim its capacity at 15,264 TEU (nominal) / 10,370 TEU (@14 tonnes) and 1,000 reefer plugs (CMA CGM lists the capacity at 14,806 TEU nominal).

Barely visible in the photo is the proclamation that the ship is LNG Powered - as if to underline the point - in three places on each side of the ship. Whether that is the reason for exceptionally high funnel is a question I can't answer.

While in Dartmouth I was able (using a different camera, with the correct settings) to get some other images, including the articulated tug / barge Leo A. McArthur / John J. Carrick . The duo arrived May 25 from Hamilton, ON with a cargo of asphalt for McAsphalt's depot in Eastern Passage. 

I was interested to see the mooring arrangement (at low tide) which helps (?) to secure the pair at the jetty. They will be sailing again this evening returning to the Great Lakes.

Also in Dartmouth, work is progressing on the transfer and assembly of the wind farm towers from the heavy lift ship GPO Grace to the installation ship Orion.

 The Orion is due to sail tomorrow for Massachusetts to begin the installation process.

And finally conditions for photography were ideal in the early evening, and with the proper settings on the camera, pictures of the arriving tanker MRC Beliz turned out well.

Hyundai Mipo, Ulsan built the ship in 2007 as NCC Sudair for National Chemical Carriers Co of Saudi Arabia. Fitted with polymer lined tanks and equipped to carry 22 different parcels of cargo, it is a 29,575 gt, 46,012 dwt ship. In September of last year the ship was acquired and renamed by MRC Dentzcili Turizm, part of the Mercan Holding family group.

Unusually, the ship is arriving from Galveston, TX for Irving Oil. Irving Oil rarely brings in product that is not from their own refinery in Saint John, NB or from storage in Amsterdam.

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