2017 - a slow start

There was not a great deal of traffic in the port yesterday, nor today, which most people took as a holiday.
Mitiq completed its work at Fairview Cove and sailed mid-morning - obviously in ballast and for Trois-Rivières, QC.

 
Atlantic Huron arrived in ballast, and tied up at pier 25-26. Most Canadian Great Lakes ships go into a form of hibernation called winter layup, but for many it is a time of intense maintenance and repair work, sometimes extending over several months.

The tanker Ridgebury Cindy A after returning to Imperial Oil December 30, tied up at number 3 dock, then today went out to anchor. It did not appear to take bunkers and is due to sail at midnight, very much in ballast.

A new arrival at Irving Oil's Woodside terminal is the handymax tanker STI Wembley, part of the Scorpio Tankers Pool, headquartered in Monaco and arrived from Ijmuiden, Netherlands.

Built by Hyundai, Mipo in 2014 it measures 24,162 grt, 38,734 dwt and looks quite different from the usual Korean built mid-range tankers. It is an ice class vessel with a full width bridge structure. This is the second overseas arrival At the Irving terminal, both have been from the Netherlands. The first was Energy Panther which delivered a partial cargo October 22.


Also arriving, but too late for a photo,  Atlantic Sea is still missing its starboard anchor.

.

Last arrival of 2016

The last arrival of 2016 was a Canadian ship (of sorts). My plans for a photo of its mid-afternoon arrival  "gang aglay" as Burns put it, but I did manage a late afternoon photo after it tied up at Fairview Cove.

Since the holiday had already started there did not seem to be any work going on, however there were some large crates sitting pierside just forward of the ship.

The ship is called Mitiq and it operates seasonally - June until the end of October - for Nunavut Eastern Arctic Shipping, doing northern supply work out of Valleyfield, QC, making two or three trips each year.
Logistec of Montreal through Transport Mitiq Inc under Canadian flag.
The rest of the year it trades world wide under the Netherlands flag for Northern Bear Shipping BV a subsidiary of Spleithoff's.
The ship was built for Spleithoff's by Frisian Shipyard in Harlingen, Netherlands in 1995 as a general cargo ship of 8448 grt, 12,760 dwtr. It carries three 60 tonne cranes and has 17 removable pontooon type tween decks. 
Its original name was Emmagracht, which it carried until July 2013 when it arrived in Valleyfield for the first time to load for the north. It was renamed Mitiq at that time. [Mitiq means the common eider duck in the Inupiaq language]

 Emmagracht sailing up the St.Lawrence June 29, 2013 en route to Valleyfield.

Returning from its first northern trip in 2014, the ships deck is loaded with containers, machinery, and three tugs and small barges used to lighter off cargo at remote ports.  

It has followed a similar pattern each year since but has continued to carry the name Mitiq. After reverting to Netherlands flag November 1, 2016 it returned to Europe and has now arrived from Liverpool, UK. Since Liverpool is an ACL port, it is possible that it is carrying some project cargo for them.

.

MITIQ - now official

Emmagracht upound on the St.Lawrence River on Friday following a stormy passage through the Gulf of St.Lawrence.

Nunavut Eastern Arctic Shipping (managed by Logistec) was quick off the mark to register their newest ship, shortly after its arrival in Valleyfield QC on the weekend.  The former Emmagracht from Spliethoff's became Mitiq officially today when it was registered in Montreal.   [Mitiq means common eider]
It will begin loading for the far north immediately and will sail on July 7 according to the latest NEAS schedule. http://www.neas.ca/pdf/sailing_schedule.pdf
The ship was built in 1995 in the Netherlands and can carry 730 TEU. It has three 60 tonne cranes and has 17 removable pontoon type tween decks.Measuring 8,448 gross tons, its deadweight is 12,760 tonnes.
The Spliethoff E-type data sheet can be found here: http://www.spliethoff.com/uploads/documents/31.pdf

Aivik - arctic veteran retires

1. Aivik returning from the north last summer. Note the lighters and tugs on deck.

A veteran arctic supply ship arrived today in Halifax. After winter layup in Montreal, Aivik has been sold and and its Canadian register closed as of today.
Built in 1980 by Soc. Nouvelle des Ateliers du Havre, France, it is an ice class, heavy lift RoRo - an interesting combination. Its main feature is two large cranes with a combined lifting capacity of 310 tonnes, it also has a stern ramp and large open car deck. Its weather has flush hatches so that is can carry containers (168 TEU) and oversize cargoes. Its gross tonnage is 7,048.
When built it was named M,ont Ventoux and served several French companies until acquired by The North West Company of Winnipeg in 1990, with managers Igloolik Transport Inc (part of the Logistec Group).
It was renamed Aivik (walrus) and has been a regular in the arctic ever since. For a number of years it was flagged out in winter and traded internationally. In 1991 it was renamed Unilifter under the French flag again, but returned to Canada in 1992.
Since then, and with the formation of Nunavut and Nunavik, a new company Nunavut Eastern Arctic Shipping was formed to own the ship, and acquire more ships for arctic supply work. The current fleet of four ships (including Aivik's replacement) have none of the versatility of Aivik, but are better suited to the needs of NEAS. See: http://www.neas.ca/
Aivik has made "side trips" besides its northern work. Due to its heavy lift capacity it has carried transformers for Hydro Quebec. On one previois trip to Halifax, it arrived November 29, 1990 carrying the new engines and auxiliaries for CCGS Louis S. St-Laurent.

2. Aivik brought new engines for CCGS Louis S. St-Laurent in 1990.

During her normal summer supply work, the ship carries tugs and lighters on deck to service remote communities without piers. In its off season work it carried containers and RoRo cargo.

3. Anchored in Halifax in early 1991, the ship had a deck load of frozen containers.

According to the NEAS website, the replacement for Aivik will be called Mitiq (common eider) but as yet I have been unable to identify the ship. However it is likely to be an ex Spleithoff's vessel, similar to the three others ships in the fleet.