Shelter or Not

  The confluence of two low pressure storm centres off Cape Breton today, November 4, is bringing heavy rain, which the region needs badly, but also some less desirable very high winds and rough seas. Regional ferry services between Saint John, NB and Digby, NS; Caribou, NS and Wood Islands PE; and North Sydney, NS and Port aux Basques, NL have all had cancellations or delays. In an unusual move Bay Ferries advanced the departure time of the Fundy Rose from Saint John this morning by three hours to get a crossing in ahead of the bad weather.

Other ships depending on their destination, opted to remain in port or to bypass a port or to take shelter until conditions improved. Some ships rerouted to take a southern sweep to pass behind the north easterly moving storm (technically an extratropical cyclone).

 Last evening the cement carrier NACCArgonaut en route from Providence, RI to Port Daniel, QC, and in ballast, put in to Halifax rather than being caught out in the Gulf of St.Lawrence. The ship tied up at Pier 26.

The Canadian flag ship was built by Kyukyo Shipyard Corp in Shimonoseki in 2003, as a gearless bulk carrier named Arklow Wave. In 2017 - 2018 it was rebuilt as a cement carrier with a pneumatic self-unloading system. Nova Algoma Cement Carriers renamed the ship NACC Toronto briefly but later in 2018 changed its name to NACC Argonaut after Toronto's professional football team, the Argonauts. Its tonnages are now 9255 gt, 13,977 dwt, or 12,576 dwt in summer freshwater.

Two fleet mates the NACC Providence and NACC New Yorker, opted to shelter deep in St. Margaret's Bay (to the southwest of Halifax) off Queensland and Mill Cove respectively.
 

After closing out the cruise season in previous ports, the Allura opted not to call in Halifax this morning (November 4),  instead continuing southbound to Boston. Two other cruise ships did decide to call.

The Victory 1 arrived mid-day from the Great Lakes via Charlottetown and the Strait of Canso.

 The former Cape May Light, built in 2001 by Atlantic Marine in Jacksonville, FL, has been in Halifax previously under several of its former names: Sea Voyager, Saint Laurent and Ocean Voyager. It can carry up to 210 passengers in 105 suites and has a crew of 61. Its "retro" look is supposed to recall the grand inland passengers ships of the early 20th century. It has a substantial rub rail and fenders to prevent damage while transiting the St.Lawrence Seaway locks (and the Canso lock, which was built to the same dimensions.)

Due later today is the Seabourn Sojourn. It will remain in port until tomorrow afternoon.

One ship that opted to depart today was the container ship MSC Yang R, a first time caller here on the Canada Express route from Malaga, Sines, Antwerp and Le Havre, it is bound for Montreal. Since it will be following in the storm's wake, so to speak, it may do some slow steaming to avoid catching up.

A product of Samsung Shipbuilding & Heavy Industry Co Ltd in Geoje in 2002 it sailed initially under the name Cap San Rafael. In 2012 it was renamed  Cap Doukato until 2017 when it became the Doukato and in the same year took the name Xin Feng Yang Zi Jiang which it carried until 2021 when it was acquired by MSC and got its present name. A 40,085 gt, 51,059 dwt ship, it has a capacity of 3739 TEU with 800 reefer plugs.

On sailing today, the ship appeared very lightly loaded, having off loaded enough cargo here to reduce its draft here to suit St.Lawrence River conditions.

The container ship ZIM Atlantic arrived yesterday and remains in port until early tomorrow morning (November 5).

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Another Sign of Spring

 There have been a few signs of spring this year - intermixed with snow showers. This evening, March 24, was just one of those as the bulk carrier Baie St. Paul sailed with a load of gypsum, bound for Hamilton, ON.

As the ship was leaving Bedford Basin and as the sun was going down, a brief snow shower swept over the area. Although it did not effect visibility, the snow did "fuzzy up" the view as the ship approached the A. Murray MacKay bridge.

The sure sign of spring however was the annual opening of the St.Lawrence Seaway after nearly three months of winter shutdown. Despite the dire predictions in 1959 when the Seaway first opened it was not the death knell of Halifax as a port. In fact there continiues to be trade between Halifax and Great Lakes ports.

The tanker Algotitan, which has been working out of Halifax this winter is in the Seaway en route to Sarnia. The cement carrier NACC Argonaut, after leaving Halifax March 17, proceeded to Port Daniel, QC to load and arrived today at Cote-Ste-Catherine (near Montreal and within the Seaway) to offload.

The Baie St.Paul which often carries salt, is a regular caller at Gold Bond Gypsum in Bedford Basin and in recent years has delivered the raw material to Hamilton, ON. It is a Canadian flagged ship and as per a previous post is a member of Canada Steamship Lines' domestic fleet - a fact that is underlined by the large lettering on the ship's hull. Members of the company's international fleet make do with the abbreviated "CSL" on the flanks. The lettering on the red hull is not quite so legible in the glinting sun, but shows off well at a distance when in the shade.

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Taking Shelter

 With a major Nor'easter storm on its way from New England to Nova Scotia, several container ships are remaining in the Port of Halifax, rather than risking conditions at sea, particulary in the Gulf of Maine. Container ships are vulnerable to loss of containers in severe storms, so the ships are taking a wise precaution of staying put. 

Also memories are still fresh, despite the passage of thirty years, of the loss of the Gold Bond Conveyor in just such a storm. Sailing out of Halifax for Tampa, FL with a load of gypsum, the ship went down with all thirty-three crew members on March 15, 1993.

The rare scene in Bedford Basin was two MSC ships at anchor.

 The Rockingham railyard was not the only place to see MSC containers.

MSC Rossella arrived from Montreal March 10 and moved out to anchor March 11 (see also Shipfax of March 11.) Headed for Italy and Spain on MSC's Canada Express 2 service, the ship would have to cross the storm's path while crossing the Atlantic.

It was joined at anchor by MSC Brianna which arrived yesterday March 13 from Sines, Portugal on the Canada Express 1 service, en route to Montreal. Rather than cross the storm's track somewhere in the Gulf of St.Lawrence, the ship opted to move out to anchor.  It now appears on tomorrow's (March 15) pilotage assignments to be moving to PSA Fairview Cove, instead of PSA Atlantic Gateway, to complete "decanting" of cargo to meet St.Lawrence draft restriction.

 Anchoring in the lower harbour was Eimskip's Vivienne Sheri D. which also arrived yesterday (March 13) from Iceland en route to Portland, ME. It moved out to anchor yesterday afternoon.(pictured today)

Today's arrival at the PSA Gateway, the Tropical Lissette spent the day at the pier, then in the late afternoon moved out to anchor in the lower harbour. It would not be safe to remain alongside the exposed pier face, due to swells, during a major storm.

It is scheduled to move back to the pier tomorrow to continue loading, before heading south.

 The non-container ship arrival today was the Canadian flag cement carrier NACC Argonaut from Setubal, Portugal.

The 9255 gt, 13,977 dwt sahip was built in 2003 by Kyokuyo Shipyard Corp ii  Chofu, Japan as Arklow Wave. It was acquired in 2016 by NACC Shipping Canada Ltd (the initials stand for Nova Algoma Cement Carriers) and initially renamed NACC Toronto but that was changed to the current name in 2018, presumably to honour the Canadain Football League team the Toronto Argonauts.

The ship sailed from Corner Brook, NL January 11, arriving in Setubal January 22. The mild weather in Portugal allows for painting and other work that would not be possible in Canada at this time of year. (Not to mention the few Canadian ship repair yards). On completion of the work, the ship sailed from Setubal February 19. It has apparently been creeping across the Atlantic at slow speed (perhaps on a southerly route.)

It tied up at Pier 25, I am assuming to await the opening of the St.Lawrence Seaway on March 23. 

The Gold Bond Conveyor's history has been give here before, see: September 14, 2014.

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