Saturday - seeing stars

The ship Nica sailed this afternoon after discharging her cargo of nickel from Cuba (see yesterday's post). The ship belongs to the Lingenberg fleet of Albert Hauschild which specializes in smallish container feeder types. However Nica carries a pair of 40 tonne cranes, and can also carry general cargo, including the bagged nickel.

 

 Built in 2003 by Jinling Shipyard, Nanjing, it is one of a large number of similar feeder ships.
The ship is returning to Moa, Cuba, for Nirint Lines, perhaps for more of the same cargo.
 
There were a pair of NYK ship movements today - hence the "seeing stars". Arriving for Autoport, the Eridanus Leader passed the awaiting Adriatic Highway (from rival K-Line) still anchored offshore - it will not come in until late tomorrow.

Built in 2010 by Shin Kurushima, Toyohashi, Eridanus Leader measures 59,501 grt, 18,056 dwt.

The other NYK Line ship in port was NYK Rigel, on its regular rotation for the G6 Alliance. Built in 2009 Hyundai, Samho, the ship has a capacity of 4922 TEU (including 330 reefers) on 55,487 grt, 66,051 dwt.

It was pictured yesterday anchored off port.

Also in was Zim San Francisco, 50.963 gt, 63,355 dwt. Built in 2010 by Daewoo, Okpo, the 4884 TEU (including 560 reefers) stubbornly remained alongside so that I could not get a picture of it underway.
 

When the ship was built, its deadweight tonnage was listed as 50,963. This was increased dramatically to the current figure, when it was  determined that the deck load could be increased in height.
The ship is owned by an investment syndicate and managed by Niderelbe Schiffahrts GmbH + Co KG.

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Friday report

Friday was a holiday for most, altoughh wa some limited activity in the port.

At pier 31 the Antigua and Barbuda registered Nica was idle, part way through discharging a cargo of nickel from Cuba. In the photo taken Thursday the ship was busy unloading and taking on fuel, although some ballasting /trimming was going to be necessary!

The ship was built in 2003  as Atlantic Hawk, renamed Caribbean Sina in 20903, Atlantic Hawk again in 2003 and becoming Nica in 2014. The 4450 grt, 5577 dwt ship is using its own cranes to unload some cargo into waiting rail cars and some into storage.

There were also ships waiting outside. The autocarrier Adriatic Highway will wait for another ship, Eridanus Leader to visit Autoport tomorrow before coming in to take its turn.
NYK Rigel will wait until 0500 hrs tomorrow to take its pilot into Fairview Cove.

The ships are anchored 7 miles from my vantage point at the Point Pleasant breakwater, and because I was only about 15 feet above sea level the ships appear to be over the horizon.

An unusual visitor did come into port to work today. Umiak I is a Canadian registered bulker, built specifically to carry nickel concentrate from the Voisey's Bay Mine in Labrador. It is built to a very high ice class, so is able to work year round from Voisey's Bay for Vale Inco delivering cargo to the Long Harbour nickel processor in Newfoundland.
This does not occupy the ship full time, so it also able to run from Deception Bay in northern Quebec's Nunavik region carrying nickel ore from Xstrata's RaglanMine.
 

Built in 2006 by Universal Shipbuilding Co in Maizuru, Jpaan, the 22,462 grt, 31,992 dwt ship is owned by the Fednav Group. It is one of three Canadian flag extreme ice class ships in the Fednav fleet that work in the north, the other two are Arctic and Nunavik.

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