PSA Halifax - busy time (amended)

 The South End Container Terminal, operating as PSA Halifax Atlantic Gateway, is running full out despite some challenges.

One of those challenges appears to be a non-functioning* container crane. One of the two new cranes delivered in November 2023 has been in the down position for some time and does not seem to be in use.*

Fortunately it is the northernmost crane (far left in the photo) and does not prevent ships from docking. (Cranes must be in the up position if ships are to come alongside beneath them.) The remaining six cranes are doing all the work, which in the last few days has been heavy.

Yesterday (April 2) the CMA CGM A. Lincoln arrived at Pier 41, and would normally have used the crane, but managed without. The ship was loaded very high as usual and requires the larger cranes.

For a time the CMA CGM A. Lincoln held the title of largest container ship to call in Halifax. The 14,414 TEU ship was built in 2017 by Hyundai, Ulsan with a grt of 140,872 and deadweight tonnage of 148,992 dwt. Its record has since been eclipsed by a ship of the Explorer class, CMA CGM Marco Polo at 175,546 gy,187,625 dwt and 16,020 TEU.

When the ship sailed this afternoon, April 3, in a brief snow shower, it still appears that no containers were loaded at the very stern where the crane in question would have been used.

The two small cranes at the southern berth (called Pier 42) were all that was needed to complete unloading the MSC Sao Paulo V (see previous post) leaving the remaining four cranes to work the larger ship.

Later this afternoon the14,026 TEU ONE Blue Jay took the Pier 41 berth. 

* Addendum April 4:

The container crane was operational April 4 loading the MSC Shristi.

 

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After the Storm

 A major storm swept through Atlantic Canada yesterday (Monday, December 11). It was not a winter storm per se as temperatures rocketed up to 14C (57F). Although there was rain with the storm, washing away the remnants of last week's 10cm (4 inches) of snow, the major impact of the storm was caused by high winds, with gusts in the 98 kph (60 mph) range. Ferry services on the Bay of Fundy, Northumberland Strait and Cabot Strait all saw disruptions with cancellations and schedule changes. There were the usual power outages through the region (including at Ship Central Eastern - precluding a post last evening.)

In Halifax a container from PSA Fairview Cove was blown off its stack into Bedford Basin, but was coralled by the tug Atlantic Oak. The tug stood by the pier - perhaps to keep the container alongside. Another tug, Atlantic Larch stood by the container ship Tropic Hope at pier 42, PSA Atlantic Hub.It was too windy to work the ship, and there was a risk that the ship could part its lines in high winds and swells.

 

Pilotage operations were also suspended until 0900 hours this morning (December 12) when the seas had subsided and it became safe to disembark pilots at the pilot station off Chebucto Head. The Oceanex Sanderling which had been due to sail from Autoport last evening, then sailed this morning, with a Halifax pilot. (At least one of the Oceanex masters has a pilotage waiver for Halifax, and the ship does not usually need to take a pilot.)

As the Oceanex Sanderling sailed in very calm conditions at 1020 hrs this morning and with the pilot boat Capt E.T.Rogers in attendance, the paddleboard commuter was inbound to downtown Halifax.

The container ship ONE Blue Jay had originally been scheduled to arrive today, December 12, but spent yesterday hove to or drifting far off St.Margaret's Bay. It is now scheduled to arrive tomorrow. Although there is no wind to speak of today, the ship will remain at sea, allowing the Tropic Hope to finish working at Pier 42. (The new cranes at PSA Halifax Altantic Gateway are not in service yet, and are still overhanging the berth, so the ship cannot occupy Pier 41, and thus must work from mid-berth Pier 41- 42.

Today, December 12, is therefore one of those rare days when there is no scheduled arrival in the Port of Halifax.

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More boxes for ONE

 Ocean Network Express ships of the Bird class are now regular callers in Halifax. Today (September 21) saw two of the ships in port - although not at the same time. The ONE Blue Jay, which arrived early yesterday morning sailed mid-afternoon today for Port Said, Egypt on the eastbound leg of its EC5 route for THE Alliance.

It was just about hull down on the horizon (from my position) when the ONE Wren arrived at the pilot station from Colombo (via Suez) on the westbound leg. I could not manage both ships in the same photo as I was too close to sea level. 

 

I did note that both ships were well loaded, with ONE Wren carrying containers up to eight high on deck. The ship was built by Japan Marine United in Kure in 2018 as NYK Wren. When it was renamed in 2021 its gross tonnage was revised from 144,285 to 146,409 tons.  Deadweight tonnage remained the same at 13,335 tonnes as did container capacity of 14,026 TEU.

When ONE Wren arrived in Halifax on June 11, 2023 (also westbound) it was only loaded to four containers high, and so it was possible to see some of the ship's superstructure:

 

The lead up to Christmas is usually the busiest time of year for imports from Asia, which would explain the considerable difference in beck load and hull draft between June 11 and September 21.

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Mixed Bag

 There was a little bit of everything in the Port of Halifax today (August 29) - with tankers, passenger ships, container ships and both Canadian and United States naval vessels.

The Marshall Islands flagged Midnight Glory arrived this morning from Houston, TX and anchored in the lower harbour. Built in 2020 by the Hyundai Mipo yard in Ulsan, it is a 29,649 gt, 50,324 dwt midrange chemical / product tanker.

As the pilot disembarks to the pilot boat Capt E.T.Rogers, the cruise ships Norwegian Escape (left) and Norwegian Pearl (right) form a backdrop. If the tanker is headed for Imperial Oil, it must wait its turn because the berth is still occupied by the Rita M (see August 27 post) and appears to be nearly unloaded.

 

In the early evening the East Coast arrived from Saint John at Irving Oil's Woodside terminal with more product for local consumption.

 I missed the arrival this early morning of the USS Oscar Austin an Areliegh Burke class destroyer, pennant number DDG 79. I will try for later.

Meanwhile this morning Max Bernays AOPV 432 was conducting more post acceptance trials. It was delivered by Irving Shipbuilding Inc's Halifax Shipyard to the RCN in September 2022, and is expected to sail for Esquimault, BC before year end.

 Max Bernays is the third Arctic Offshore Patrol Vessel of the Harry DeWolf class, and will be the first to be based on the West Coast.

Mediterranean Shipping Company's INDUSA line from the west coast of India via the Mediterranean to the US East Coast was represented today by rhe MSC Beijing. The ship was built in 2005 by Hanjin Heavy Industry + Construction Co in Busan. With tonnages of 91,023 gt, and 105,035 dwt it has a capacity of 8069 TEU including 620 reefers.

On sailing it made a long plume of water vapour in the high humidity evening air.  The ship was retrofitted with an exhaust gas scrubber, which appears to have been installed to port of the orginal funnel structure so as not to sacrifice cargo carrying space. [See the tanker East Coast, photo above, with scrubber fitted aft of the funnel.]

While the MSC Beijing was finishing up at Pier 42 the ONE Blue Jay arrrived and squeezed in at Pier 41.

 The 14,026 TEU ship used three tugs to slow and turn the ship and assist it to back in to the berth.

 

To round out the grab bag, there was one other ship to note, the Oceanex Sanderling which arrived from St.John's this morning and docked first at Autoport. 

 

It then moved to Bedford Basin anchorage for the night and will move to the PSA Fairview Cove Container Terminal tomorrow. Oceanex has relocated its activities to Fairview Cove from the South End Terminal (SECT) as part of a rationalization that also saw ZIM move to Fairview Cove, Transport St-Pierre et Miquelon to move from Fairview Cove to the SECT and some shuffling of other services depending on size of ships.

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Variety

 Monday June 19 was a busy day in Halifax Harbour. Two auto carriers, four ships carrying containers and one tanker made for an interesting variety. 

The first autocarrier was Wallenius Wilhelmsen's Don Pasquale which went directly to Pier 9C to offload the usual variety of forestry, farming snd construction machinery. There f=were also a few shrink wrapped boats and other unidentified material.

Its last port was Southampton, and predictably JCB backhoes were among the vehicles. Built in 1997 by Daewoo, Okpo, the Don Pasquale was lengthened 8.6 meters in 2007 and now measures 67,141 gt, 28,142 dwt, with a capacity of 7,194 cars.

The second auto carrier was the SIEM Cicero which went to Autoport to offload. Its last port was Emden, so no doubt the initials VW were prominent.

SIEM Cicero dates from 2017 and the Uljanik Shipyard in Pula, Croatia. A 56,677 gt, 17,416 dwt ship, it has a capacity of 7000 cars. It is equipped with a 100 tonne SWL capacity stern ramp and a 15 tonne SWL capacity starboard side ramp.

 

The container ship Tropic Lissette arrived yesterday afternoon and was due to sail at 1700 today, and was still unloading at Pier 42 mid-afternoon. As usual it is contributing lots of temperature controlled containers to the mix of boxes on the pier.

 

This morning's arrival was MSC Apollo a first time caller on its way from the US East Coast ports of Savannah (June 11-12), Baltimore (June 8-9), Norfolk (June 6-7), New York (June 3-5) and prior to that Caucedo, Dominican Republic (May 27). It is serving MSC's Indusa route and will be sailing for India via the Suez Canal.

The MSC Apollo was built by IHI, Kure in 2002 as NYK Apollo. The 75,484 gt, 81,171 dwt ship has a capacity of 6492 TEU including 450 reefers. It was renamed in 2019. 

In the afternoon it was the Atlantic Sun inbound for PSA Fairview Cove and ONE Blue Jay for PSA Atlantic Hub.

 The Atlantic Sun is westbound from Liverpool and has container and RoRo cargo.

 

ONE Blue Jay is on the eastbound leg of its voyage. It called in Halifax west bound on THE Alliance's EC5 service on May 29. It was the third ONE "bird" class ship to call here. Over night last night the fourth ship of the class, ONE Crane made a call - arriving and sailing in the dark.

 There was an interesting tanker at Irving Oil. The Alkea arrived yesterday from Amsterdam with a cargo of refined products. The ship's distinctive colour scheme of black hull and burnt orange superstructure is a carry over from its original owners Torm A/S. The ship was built as Torm Gyda in 2009 by Hyundai Mipo in Ulsan. 

A 23,332 gt, 36,207 dwt ship, it was acquired by current owners Chandris Hellas and renamed in 2022. They have repainted the funnel with the well known Chandris "X" (the Greek letter "Chi"), but the orange house would be  much more difficult to cover with one coat of paint, so may have to wait a while.

It is not often that three container ships can be captured in one photo, but that was possible in the mid-afternoon as the MSC Apollo was outbound and Atlantic Sun and ONE Blue Jay were inbound.

The carefully orchestrated timing also involved several tugs. One was escorting the outbound then joined the others to assist the inbounds.

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Another Box and Pax day

 May 31 was another day for containers (boxes) and passengers (pax) in the Port of Halifax.

The ultra size container ships ONE Blue Jay (see yesterday) sailed and its sister ship ONE Hawk arrived. Timing was such that both ships were not visible at the same time from my position on shore. Both ships used the main channel unexpectedly, since these large ships usually take the deeper western channel.

ONE Blue Jay outbound for New York.

 ONE Hawk inbound from Norfolk.

The ONE Hawk is returning eastbound on the EC5 service of THE Alliance.

On the much smaller size range Melfi Marine's X-Press Irazu arrived from Genoa, Barcelona, Valencia and Lisbon en route to Mariel, Cuba.

 The X-Press Irazu at Pier 42 with two of PSA's cranes at work.

The ship dates from 2007 when it was built by Guangzhou Wenchang Shipyard Co Ltd. At 18,480 gt, 23,716 dwt, it has a capacity of 1732 TEU including 379 reefers. It also carries a pair of 45 tonne capacity cranes. It has been on the Melfi service since January 2021 and has been the only ship on that run since May of that year.

 Not to be left out, PSA Fairview Cove had the NYK Demeter in from Antwerp on THE Alliance's AL5 service. It is another of the Daedalus class of 4922 TEU ships favoured on the route.

The ship sailed late this afternoon for Port Everglades.

Autoport had a ship today too, SIEM Cicero. With its swooping white upper hull paint over red lower hull, the ship looks very odd from astern. The graphic designer seems to have achieved the disruptive effect of wartime ship camouflage by making the bow look like the stern:

Siem Cicero outbound.(It is traveling left to right, and away from the camera)

SIEM Cicero took the western channnel outbound, leaving the main channel to the inbound ONE Hawk with its attendant tugs.

Siem Cicero is a regular since first arriving in Halifax July 21, 2017 on its maiden voyage. Built by Uljanik in Pula, Croatia, the 56,677 gt, 17,416 dwt ship has a capacity of about 7,000 RT. It has a 100 tonne capacity stern ramp and a 15 tonne capacity side ramp.

On the passenger side it was the Island Princess back again for its only scheduled visit of the 2023 season.

The ship is en route from Alaska to England via Iceland. It sailed from Port Everglades May 26 and is due in Reykjavik June 5 then Falmouth June 11 and Southampton June 12. The ship is offering cruises in northern Europe for the rest of the year.
 

Chantier de l'Atlantique, St-Nazaire, France, delivered the ship to Princess Cruise Line in 2003. It is a 92,822 gt ship with a capacity for 2214 passengers (double occupancy) with 900 crew.
 

Explanation

If today's photos appear a bit hazy, there is a reason.

 The duty pilot boat Capt E.T.Rogers outbound passing Pier 20 with a hazy looking Dartmouth waterfront in the background.

A large and out of control forest fire in suburban Halifax is responsible for thin smoke over the city. About 16,000 people have been evacuated and more than 200 houses have been damaged or destroyed by the fire. The wind along the waterfront was onshore for most of the day today, so the air was relatively fresh, but that could change.

A second larger fire between Shelburne and Yarmouth, which is also out of control, could also effect air quality over a large area depending on wind direction. As no significant rain is forecast for several days, there is no relief in sight.

Depending on wind direction in the coming days, I may be staying indoors as recommended. 

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ONE Blue Jay

 The third of the Ocean Network Express "Bird" class ships arrived today, May 29, on THE Alliance's EC5 service. ONE Blue Jay is sailing directly from Colombo via Suez.

It is an NYK Line ship, built as NYK Blue Jay and renamed in 2019. Like its sister ships ONE Stork (in Halifax April 26) and ONE Hawk (May 10) it docked at Pier 41, PSA Halifax Atlantic Hub. All three ships were built by Japan Marine United at the Kure shipyard, and have a capacity of 14,026 TEU. Tonnages may vary slightly between ships of this class, but are usually 145,251 gt, 139,335 dwt,

ONE Blue Jay is the first ship in the series of fifteen ships and it was built in 2016 (the last was built in 2019).

As expected the ship employed three tugs: Atlantic Bear with a line astern, Atlantic Oak forward and Atlantic Fir aft, and used the western, deep water, channel on its way in.

In the coming weeks four more of the ships of this class are expected and some may be calling on the eastbound return leg, such as ONE Hawk due again tomorrow.

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