The Usual Suspects

Today, Thursday May 18, saw the variety of ship movements, typical of the mixed bag that Halifax is known for. The earliest arrival was the return of the 14,026 TEU ONE Stork on the eastbound leg of its EC5 route for THE Alliance. It was first here on the westbound leg April 26 when its 1530 arrival meant that better photos were possible. This morning's 0530 arrival was not so convenient. Views from Dartmouth were the best I could get.

The ship docked at Pier 42, and the three largest cranes were all at work toward the ship's stern. Meanwhile a lifeboat was lowered from the bridge superstructure.

 More convenient arrival times between 0700 and 0800 allowed for better photos, but backlighting from the strong sun was a challenge. 

The first of those arrivals was cruise ship Zaandam which as usual will be the most frequent cruise caller again this year.

Today is the third of 18 calls scheduled this year as the ship retraces its Boston / Montreal route with stops in several intermediate ports. (The tug was standing  by for the next arrival.)

The third arrival was a little out of the ordinary. The bulk carrier Santander from Trombetas, Brazil. The ship was met by a divers' boat on arrival at Pier 27. It did not work any cargo.

Built only last year at Penglai Zhonghai Jinglu Ship Industry Co Ltd in Penglai, China, it is a 36,108 gt, 63,650 dwt scrubber equipped bulker. It has four cranes and carries its own grabs.

Trombetas is known for its bauxite exports, and is the primary source for Alcan's aluminum operations in the Lac St-Jean region of Quebec.  The ship sailed early this evening, for Port Alfred / La Baie. Due to the amount of traffic for La Baie, ships often anchor in the St.Lawrence River across from the Escoumins pilot station, in Les Razades anchorage until their berth is available.

 The third arrival is typical of  the variety of ships we are likely to see in Halifax. The Italian naval vessel Virginio Fasan F591 is on a courtesy cruise and last called in Quebec City for a few days. It will stay over in Halifax until May 20.

The ship is from the Carlo Bergami class built to the FREMM design developed jointly by Italy and France (FREMM stands for Fregata Europea Multi-Missione / Frégate Européenne Multi-Mission). This particular ship was built by Fincantieri La Spezia and was commissioned in 2013. It has just completed a deployment with the USS George W. Bush Strike Force Group. The US Navy will also be using the FREMM design as the basis for its own series of frigates.

Also arriving, but late this afternoon, was the 6730 TEU MSC Melissa on the return (eastbound) leg of the Indusa service. It was here March 4 and in the meantime has been to India and back to the US east coast. Its last port was Baltimore, and it will be sailing for Mediterranean ports late tonight.

The ship docked at Pier 42, PSA Halifax Atlantic Gateway, where the two smaller cranes were able to meet its needs.

 

Not pictured, but adding to the variety was the auto carrier Morning Charlotte. It arrived yesterday  from Southampton and sailed this afternoon for New York, and the tanker Acadian which also arrived yesterday, sailed mid-day for Saint John, NB.

 

 

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Meet starboard to starboard

 When ships "meet" they usually do so "port to port" following the rules of the road agreed upon by seafarers for centuries. However they may also meet starboard to starboard by mutual agreement. That is much easier when the two ships can communicate verbally, and in a common language.

Such was the case today March 4, when the inbound MSC Melissa met the outbound Atlantic Sky just off the south end of PSA Halifax's Pier C. The pilots on the two ships had agreed on the meet by VHF radio and carefully adjusted their speeds to coordinate the passing.

The Atlantic Sky is eastbound for Liverpool, UK and has hardly any containers on deck - a sure sign of a sagging economy. 

MSC Melissa is not new to Halifax - it was here previously on July 13, 2021 for Canadian Food Inspection Agency clearance en route from New York to Montreal. This time it is eastbound on MSC's Indusa service from US East Coast ports to Saudi Arabia, India and Sri Lanka.

Built for MSC in 2002  by Hyundai, Ulsan, the 73,819 gt, 85,786 dwt vessel has a capacity of 6730 TEU including 400 reefers. 

 With the tugs Atlantic Fir forward and Altantic Beaver aft the MSC Melissa made its way in to Pier 42. Heavy snow fall (about 30 cm, close to a foot) March 2-3 has been cleared away at the terminal, so should not cause delays.

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Strange Comings and Goings

 A pair of unusual callers passed each other coming and going this morning, July 13. The first ship to arrive was MSC Melissa, en route from New York to Montreal. The ship anchored in the lower harbour, did not work any cargo, and sailed within four hours. Although there was no notice that it was undergoing Asian Gypsy moth inspection that may have been the reason for its visit.

The lightly loaded MSC Melissa spent a few hours at anchor.

Built for MSC in 2002  by Hyundai, Ulsan, the 73,819 gt, 85,786 dwt vessel has a capacity of 6730 TEU including 400 reefers. Previous ports were Le Havre, June 30 - July 2 and Antwerp June 23-27, New York July 10-11.

The arrival of the next ship was timed so that they could meet conveniently, with the inbound ship taking the western channel.

The inbound Navios Constellation with three tugs, passes York Redoubt in the western, deep water, channel.

Navios Constellation dates from 2011 when it was built by Samsung, Koje as Hanjin Spain. In 2017 it became Asklipios, becoming Navios Constellation in 2019. It is a 113,412 gt, 118,814 dwt ship with a capacity of 9954 TEU including 1400 reefers. The ship has called here before. As Asklipios it was here   September 1, 2017  for ZIM.

Its visit today is for THE Alliance's EC5 service, which normally would be handled at Cerescorp's Fairview Cover terminal. However the ship is too large to pass beneath the harbour bridges and will instead berth at PSA Halifax. Although it is uncommon, the two competing terminals do cooperate from time to time. They are expected to do so again later this month when soister sip Aristomenis ex Hanjin Netherlands will also call at PSA Halifax. Rumours persist that PSA will acquire the lease on Fairview Cove, but nothing has been conformed. 

Once Navios Constellation had reached the area off PSA Halifax, MSC Melissa was outbound in the main channel.

Shooting directly into the sun posed problems for photos - hence the odd coloration of the above images.

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