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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Old amongst the New

 There was a mixed bag of shipping in the Port of Halifax today, Saturday, September 14. Some ships were new (or new to me) and others not so new.

The container ship APL Paris started the list of ships I saw when it departed PSA Halifax Pier 42. Built in 2012 by Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering it is a 128,929 gt . 135,432 dwt ship with a capacity of 10,700 TEU.

"APL" for American President Lines LLC, is part of CMA CGM through its 2016 acquistion of the Singapore based Neptune Orent Line, which itself had acquired APL in 1997. APL LLC is incorporated in the US based and operates nine ships with some under US flag.

The ship used the two new tugs Atlantic Ash and Atlantic Maple as tethered stern escorts to swing the ship into the deep water, western channel, leaving the main eastern channel clear for inbounds.

 

The first of those inbounds was the familiar Norwegian Jade which did not waste time clearing the outbound.

Next inbound was the MSC Nahara.

 

Built in 2024 by Daewoo it is new to me (although it was here August 4) and is a thoroughly modern ship in appearance with its bluff bow, covered forepeak, and lashing frames for deck cargo (to secure against  loss overboard). It is a 45,387 gt, 45,209 dwt ship with a capacity of 7100 3700 TEU and with 700 reefer plugs. It is also equipped with an exhaust gas scrubber system.
 

 Next along was the regular caller for Eimskip, the Bakkafoss, a small gearless container vessel en route from Portland, Maine to Reykjavik, Iceland. The stern escort tugs had the outbound APL Paris well under control to maintain clearance between the two ships.

 

Built in 2009 by Fujian Mawei Shipbuilding Co in Fuzhou, the 11,550 gt, 14,669 dwt Bakkafoss has a capacity of 1025 TEU, including 231 reefers. Built as JMS Brisbane it was renamed JRS Pollux on delivery, becoming Pollux in 2013 and Elbsummer in 2020. It received the name Bakkafoss in March 2023 when it took up a charter from Ernst Russ to Eimskip.

Eimskip's latest schedule does not show this ship, but shows the EF Ava, Lagarfoss and Vivienne Sheri D on the Green line service, joining Reykjavik, Halifax, Portland, ME, Halifax, Argentia, NL, Reykjavik. (Halifax and Argentia are optional). 

An early morning arrival was the Seven Seas Grandeur, a ship I hadn't seen before. I did manage to catch it departing  in bright sun.

 

Built in 202 3 by Fincantieri Marghera it is smaller than it looks at 56,199 gt and with a passenger capacity of 750 (double occupancy) and crew of 542 on ten passenger decks. Operators are Regent Seven Seas Cruises of Miami, but the ship's owner is NCL Bahamas. 

Regent Seven Seas is #3 on the list of most luxurious cruise lines. Heading the list is Viking Ocean Cruises, followed by Seabourn Cruise Line at #2. All three have ships scheduled for Halifax this season.

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