ZIM feeder, Melfi and Autoport

 ZIM

 A new ship on ZIM's CGX feeder service arrived and sailed today for Kingston, Jamaica. This is a little unusual as another of ZIM's CGX feeders was in port yesterday.

Today's visitor was the Seamaster a 23,239 gt, 24,129 dwt ship built in 2013 by SPP Shipbuilding Co in Sacheon, South Korea.

The ship has a capacity of 1756 TEU with  very high count of 350 reefer plugs. It also has three 40 tonne capacity cranes, one of which serves the after deck.

Yesterday's caller the Contship Leo has been a regular caller since 2021.[see yesterday's post]. It also sailed for Kingston. Contship Leo was built in 2008 by China Commerce Group Kouan Shipbuilding as Vega Saturn. It became CFS Paceno in 2016 and took on its current name in 2020. The 9957 gt, 13,803 dwt ship has a container capacity of 1118 TEU had carries two 45 tonne cranes.

 Melfi

Melfi Marine Corp, running Melfi Lines from Spain to Cuba,  has been using the BF Fortaleza since late last year. As reported in my November 28, 2023 post: BF Fortaleza was built by the famed, but now defunct, J.J.Sietas shipyard in Nuenfeld, Germany in 1996. It was launched as Partnership but renamed Yvette on delivery. It became Partnership again from 2003 to 2004 then City of Lisbon until 2005, Carla until 2009 and WEC Rubens until 2011.  The 6362 gt, 7202 dwt ship has a capacity of 700 TEU, and unusual for Melfi, it is gearless.

The ship also has a large section of the hull open to the elements with no hatch cover. This was a design developed by Sietas, as reported in my January 28 post of this year. At that time I did not have a clear photo of this feature. Today, April 9, I did get a better picture.

 
The protective dam between hold number one (which does have hatches) and the open hold is clearly visible. There are high bulwarks around the open section. The step down secton aft of the open hold marks the engine room below deck,but with container stacking over.

Autoport

Spring is usually a busy time for automobile imports, and this year has been no exception. Despite a five week strike (which ended last week) the facility has been handling large numbers of cars, and a small amount of RoRo machinery. (Ships with large amounts of non-auto RoRo go to Pier 9C.)

The Morning Lady arrived today from Southampton on the usual Wallenius Wilhelmsen transatlantic route. The ship's recent itineray includes a departure from Shangai February 8, then, presumably via the Cape of Good Hope, arriving Zeebrugge March 18, Bremerhaven March 23, Goteborg March 28 and Southampton March 30.

It is a large ship of 70,853 gt, 27,343 dwt with a capacity of 8100 CEU. It was built in 2010 by Hyundai Ulsan. Overall length is 232.4 m (762.47 ft) which is well within the limits of the Panama Canal (289.56m / 965 ft).

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Business As Usual

 Most stores and many businesses were closed for November 11, Remembrance Day, but the port remained in operation with activity at several locations.

At the South End Container Terminal (PSA Atlantic Hub) ships worked at Pier 41-42, leaving the northern portion of Pier 41 for work on the new container cranes.

 Both new Post Panamax cranes have been off loaded now, and are in position at the extreme north end of Pier 41 (left inphoto above). The crane ship Zhen Hua 23 moved out to anchor briefly. As it did so the Volga Maersk arriving from Montreal, slid in to Pier 42.

The Zhen Hua 23 is still carrying the two green cranes destined for PSA Sines, Portugal, and made an unusual backdrop to the Volga Maersk after it tied up. (The two oldest and smallest cranes, at the extreme south of Pier 42, worked the ship.)

 

 The Zhen Hua 23 moved back along side Pier 41-42 (mid-berth) because it has one more chore to do before leaving Halifax. It will load the older and highest of the existing cranes and roll it off alongside the new cranes.

Autoport had the Morning Lady unloading autos from Europe. It had previously been at Pier 9C last evening delivering the usual array of machinery.

The 70,853 gt, 27,343 dwt ship was built by Hyundai, Ulsan in 2010 and has a capacity of 8100 cars. This is achieved within an overall length of 232.38 m (762.40 ft) and a width of 32.26 m (105.8399 ft). The ship is owned by Eukor Car Carriers Inc of South Korea and operates under the management of Wilhelmsen Ship Management Korea Ltd.

The "mystery" ship Jessica B sailed late this afternoon, with its deck load of TCCL* containers. (see yesterday's post.)

The ship is giving Argentia, NL as destination.

 Interestingly the ship's funnel mark is for Intersac, a Canadian chemical manufacturing and distribution company, based in suburban Montreal. 

*Among the things than TCCL might stand for I have eliminated Traumatic Cranio-Cerebral Lesions and the Tulsa City-County Library and have pretty much settled on Travencore Cochin Chemicals Ltd in view of the connection with Intersac. Among the industries Intersac serves is mining.

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