MSC Diversion fallout

 Short term work stoppages followed by an indefinite longshore workers strike in the Port of Montreal started on October 31. The employers then declared a lock out as of November 10. The strikers were ordered back to work, by government edict, effective today, November 16, with binding arbitration to follow. As a result of the Montreal shutdown The Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) diverted ships to Halifax. The scale of the diversions was apparent from the number of MSC boxes piled up at the two container terminals. [see previous posts]

It is also apparent that clearing those boxes and sending them back on their way to Montreal now that the strike is over will be a major operation. CN Rail has added extra trains, but that is apparently insufficient to move the large number of stranded containers on top of the normal amount of cargo moving through the port at the height of the consumer goods season.

Montreal is a terminal port, where ships unload completely then load new cargo. Halifax in the other hand is usually a waypoint, handling only a portion of the cargo aboard any given ship. When Montreal is unavailable the ships that divert to Halifax must offload all their cargo here. It is fortunate that the Port of Halifax has the additional capacity available so that ships can keep moving instead of being stalled at anchor for the duration of a strike.

MSC has applied for coasting licenses to use two foreign flag ships to move the stranded boxes from Halifax to Montreal. There are no Canadian ships able to handle the amount and type containers, so it is expected that permission will be granted. Trade between Canadian ports is restricted by law to Canadian flagged ships. If no suitable Canadian ships are available a coasting license may be granted to a foreign flag ship by the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness upon recommendation by the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA).

In their application to the CTA, MSC requested permission to use the MSC Baltic III 2526 TEU and MSC Sagitta III 3426 TEU for three trips each between November 24 and December 31 from Halifax to Montreal. The ships normally operate on the Canada Gulf Bridge route from Montreal to Mexico, so may be calling in Halifax on their northbound legs and adding the diverted boxes to whatever cargo they may already have on board or they may be making special trips. They also have relatively large reefer capacity - in excess of 300 TEU each.

In its application to the CTA MSC noted the names of ships that were diverted to Halifax while en route to Montreal: MSC Nahara, MSC Levina III, MSC England and MSC Jordan III [see previous posts]. The application suggests that in excess of 5,000 containers are involved, both loads and empties. There are several hundred temperature controlled containers included, that must be maintained in operation.

Readily identifiable MSC boxes, and others that may have been carried on MSC ships, are stacked in all available space in the two terminals sharing space with the regular number of containers from other lines.

A letter from the Port of Halifax supporting the CTA application states that yard utilization stands at 60% for PSA Fairview Cove and 92% for the PSA Atlantic Gateway. Plug in space for temperature controlled boxes stands at 95% for Fairview and 65% for the Atlantic Gateway.

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Extra Sailings, Sweepers and Diversions

Container lines are trying to deal with the aftermath of the longshore workers strike in the United States and the current strike in Montreal. There are stranded boxes in ports such as Halifax and it seems that additional ships have been brought into fetch them and get them back in service, and to pick up mountains of empties in the terminals. 

It also seems that ships are being diverted from Montreal and that Halifax will be handling both  import and export containers from that port. Unlike Halifax, Montreal is a terminal port, so ships generally unload completely before loading. When those ships are diverted to Halifax it results in a major increase in truck and train traffic to and from the port, not to mention the additional loading and offloading work. It also means that we see container ships in ballast (i.e. without any visible cargo.)

 

MSC Levina III at anchor in Bedford Basin since October 31, is on MSC's Canada Express service from Le Havre, Antwerp and Zeebrugge. It initially arrived in Halifax on October 30, and in anticipation of the Montreal strike was completely unloaded. It was then sent to wait for export cargo to arrive by train, or perhaps by truck. It moved back alongside the PSA Fairview Cove terminal yesterday, November 4 and sailed today, November 5. [ For details on the ship see my post of July 11, 2024.]

Also at anchor in Bedford basin and in ballast, MSC Nahara arrived November 2 and unloaded.

 

As mentioned in a previous post, the ship is designed to operate without hatch covers, and as a result the stowage cells extend above the level of the main deck as lashing frames. This will greatly reduce the likelihood of boxes being lost overside. 

The ship was to move alongside PSA Atlantic Gateway (South End Container Terminal) today to load.

Meanwhile at PSA Fairview Cove the MSC England arrived from Freeport, Bahamas, on what MSC's schedules shows as an "extra vessel". So far no departure time has been scheduled.

The ship was built as CMA CGM Vega by Hyundai, Ulsan in 2001. The 39,812 gt, 51.020 dwt ship has a container capacity of 4132 TEU. It adopted its current name in 2007. 

(That is a Dominion Diving tender and crew boat, Dominion Pursuit, passing the ship. It has been assigned to take a pilot out to the anchored MSC Nahara. Dominion Diving has the contract for that service when the pilot boat is busy elsewhere.)

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