MOL Paramount new on EC5

 THE Alliance's EC5 service, running from the Far East to East Coast North America via the Suez Canal  operates with a squadron of 11 ships to ensure a weekly schedule. THE Alliance is (now) a partnership between HAPAG-Lloyd, Yang Ming and ONE. The latter is the merged entity of the primary Japanese carriers Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha (K-Line), Mitsui Osaka Shosen Kaisha (Mitsui OSK Line or simply MOL) and Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK Line).

MOL Paramount strides through the Narrows with Atlantic Fir forward and Atlantic Oak aft.

 
Since April 1 ONE has replaced two of the ships in the rota. NYK Atlas has been replaced by Crete 1, which made its first call April 6 (westbound) returning April 18 (eastbound).
NYK Artemis has been replaced by MOL Paramount with its first call today (westbound). This is not the first time the ship has called in Halifax. That was July 21, 2010 when it was slotted into a previous alliance. It also called here for a time starting in 2014 for the G6 Alliance, which THE Alliance replaces.

Once into Bedford Basin the tugs begin to swing the ship around to berth at Cerescorp's Fairview Cove container terminal.

Koyo Dockyard in Mihara built the 71,892 grt, 72,968 dwt ship in 2005, with a capacity of 6350 TEU, including 500 reefers.

The port rotation for the service is Laem Chabang, Cae Mep, Singapore, Colombo, (Suez Canal) Halifax, New York, Savannah, Norfolk, Halifax, (Suez Canal), Jebel Ali, and Singapore.

MOL Paramount's predecessor on the route, NYK Artemis made its last calls January 21 and February 2.
It had been on the SE3 service with the G6 Alliance until April 2017, before making its first appearance on  THE Alliance's EC5 service June 3, 2017.

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Saturday ins and outs

Fog early meant no photo of CMA CGM Otello on the Columbus JAX serice. The 8488 TEU ship is similar to several other CMA CGM fleet mates that have called here before, but it is the first time for this ship.

There was better luck later in the day and in the early evening as the fog had disappeared (at least for now). Budapest Bridge arrived for THE Alliance AL6 transatlantic service. It is a sister ship to the other ships on the service, and is owned by Seaspan and on long term charter to K-Line.

 Budapest Express crosses the ferry track with the tug Atlantic Oak taking the tethered escort position aft.

Built in 2011 by Samsung Shipbuilding and Heavy Industries Co Ltd in Koje, South Korea, it has a 4526 TEU capacity on 46,444 grt, 58,200 dwt.

After it entered Bedford Basin it waited off Fairview Cove as NYU Atlas sailed. It is servicing THE Alliance also but on the long haul run which is heavily populated with NYK Line ships.

 NYK Atlas is trimmed down by the stern - perhaps to reduce air draft - as it transits the Narrows.

This one was built by IHI Marine in Kure, Japan in 2004 and measures 75,484 grt, 81,171 dwt with a capacity of 6492 TEU including 450 reefers.

Meanwhile alongside pier 9b the tanker Torm Atlantic is ballasted down by the bow for prop repairs.

Evidence of hasty renamings on the stern where the original name and port of registry (Majuro) in welded letters are still in place.  Although the ship has the Torm funnel mark it does not (yet) have the orange superstructure of typical Torm tankers.

A Medium Range tanker of 30,221 grt, 49,999 dwt, it was built in 2010 by Guangzhou International in China as Giacinta. In 2015 it very briefly carried the name Maersk Malta, before assuming its current name later in the same year. The ship arrived at Imperial Oil July 4 from Montreal. If it unloaded cargo it may be one of the unnamed ships chartered by Algoma and given temporary coasting licenses to carry Esso products.

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