Sirius Leader - inbound for Autoport, before the storm

1. The tugs Atlantic Larch and Atlantic Oak have made up alongside in choppy conditions and high winds.

With winds building up, Sirius Leader arrived this afternoon for Autoport. With a storm on its way it was thought for a time that the ship might hold off Halifax until conditions improve. However it arrived and docked on schedule.
The ship was built in 2000 for the Singapore Shipping Corp (SSC) and is on charter to NYK Line, which operates more than 100 RoRo vessels in its world wide service.
The ship measures 51,496 gross tons and has a capacity of 3,938 cars.

2. The ship's upper hull is rounded over the bow, but with slab sides and sharp corners, unlike yesterday's visitor with its rounded edges. These measures are intended to streamline the ship somewhat, but cannot conceal the fact that it is a floating car garage. 

Garnet Leader -feeding the demand

North America's constant demand for automobiles is being fed by ships such as Garmet Leader, arriving this afternoon from Emden, Germany. Operated (under charter) for NYK Line of Japan, the ship, built in 2008 and 57,692 gross tons has a rated capacity of 6,600 autos. Flying the Bahamas flag, it is owned by a company domicilied in the Isle of Man, but associated with Stamco Ship Management of Piraeus, Greece.
NYL Line (Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha) does about $22bn of business each year from a variety of transportation related operations. About a year ago they were operating 827 major ocean vessels including 143 containerships, 344 bulk carriers, 57 woodchip carriers, 118 car carriers, 86 tankers, 29 LNG carriers, three cruise ships, and 47 other ships. They also have fleets of planes, trains and trucks and containers.

Capricornus Leader

1. Tugs scurry to catch up with Capricornus Leader. They will assist in turning the tug to head for Eastern Passage, then turn it again to come alongiside.

2. Autoport is of the few berths still using line handling boats. Here Westport Ferry has already set the head lines on a buoy and now takes springs for the pier.

3. Men wait on the end of the pier to take the springs.

4. The ship is alongside the Autoport pier.

Nippon Yushen Kaisa, better known for its initials NYK Line, is a major container line (140+ ships) a major bulk shipper (145+ bulk carriers) has cruise ships (3), tankers, and is the world's largest player in the auto carrier business (110+ ships). Among its fleet are a number of ships named for constellations, Capricornus Leader being today's arrival in Halifax.

Built in 2004, and measuring 61,854 gross tons, it is registered in Panama and managed by Wallem Ship Management of Hong Kong. Although Toyota is its largest customer, the line carries autos for other manufacturers too as its ships work their way around the world, back and forth to Japan.

Acting as line boat for mooring at Autoport is Dominion Diving's dive tender/workboat Westport Ferry. The wooden hulled vessel, built in 1965, retains its original name. It was built to push a ferry scow across Grande Passage between Freeport (on Long Island) and Westport (on Brier Island) at the tip of Digby Neck. That service is now provided by self-propelled ferry.

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NYK Line again

Named for a constellation in southern sky which resembles a flying fish, Volans Leader arrived in Halifax late this afternoon. This allowed for an "arriving" shot as opposed to the usual "going away" shot. The tug Point Valiant has just made up alongside, on a hull bollard, showing just how massive these car carriers have become.

Volans Leader was built in 2007 and is registered in Panama. The ship is arriving from Zeebrugge, Belgium and other northern European ports.

Virgo Leader sails

Virgo Leader sailed into a little rain shower on her way out this afternoon. Classed as a PTC (pure truck and car carrier) the ship has a capacity of 6400 standard automobiles. Built in 2004, she is one of over one hundred car carriers in the NYK fleet, which claims to be the world's largest.