Hangzhou Bay - big load

 As if in defiance of my posts of the last two days*, the ONE Hangzhou Bay sailed today with a huge deck load. 

 

The ship is on the eastbound leg of its EC5 voyage for THE Alliance. It was last in Halifax March 17-18, and since then has called in New York March 20-22, Savannah March 24-26, Jacksonville March 26-27 and Norfolk March 29-30.

It should be said that even when it was here on the last trip it appeared to have an immense deck load - especially aft, and was loaded to a deeper draft. So perhaps the ship had sufficient spare capacity on this leg that it was able to be an "extra loader" or "sweeper" and pick up empties or redistribute needed boxes and to make up the lost capacity from blanked sailings by other ships.

The March 17 view of the ship from astern showed some empty bays aft and space forward.

The ship was built by IHI, Kure in 2012 as Hangzhou Bay Bridge. K-Line renamed the ship in 2021 as part of the Ocean Network Express (ONE) joint venture. Measuring 96,780 gt, 96,980 dwt, the ship has a capacity of 9120 TEU according to some sources, but others claim 8974 TEU including 800 reefer plugs.

It is possible that the ship's capacity has increased since it was built, because it has a second wheelhouse atop the orginal bridge structure, added to comply with forward visibility requirements.

 

The ship's signal masts have been struck to clear the MacKay bridge outbound. With containers stacked eight high, the ship is loaded near capacity by volume, but is not down to its draft marks, so has unused capacity by weight.

 

 

*Trade analysts report major drops in inbound container traffic to US ports for five consecutive months, culminating in a staggering 28% drop (year over year) in February. However outbound traffic has been increasing since December, with a 4.6% increase, year over year, in February.

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Make Way for More

 Expansion of the Port's two container handling facilities is well underway. When completed, scenes such as this morning's (November 7) at Fairveiw Cove will be a thing of the past.

Yesterday morning's arrival, NYK Deneb on THE Alliance's AL5 service from North Europe - North America completed cargo work and got underway, while this morning's arrival ONE Hangzhou Bay on the EC5 Asia - North American route, waited for the berth (and cranes) to come alongside.

ONE Hangzhou Bay Bridge stands by as machinery spreads fill off the east end of the pier. Built in 2012 by IHI Kure as Hangzhou Bay Bridge, the 96,790 gt, 96,980 dwt ship has a capacity of 9120 TEU and is amongst the largest ships to call at Fairview Cove regularly. It was renamed in 2021 when the three Japanese shipping companies NYK, MOL and K-Line merged their container lines. (The NYK Deneb was also part of that merger, but was not renamed as it may be a chartered vessel.)

The huge area of fill accumulating off the east end of the Fairview Cove terminal will eventually allow for a near doubling of the size of the current land area.

The November 4 view (with the MSC Jersey  and Nolhan Ava alongside) shows the length of the extension beyond the smallest (inoperable) crane.

Fairview Cove will need more cranes eventually too when it welcomes more ships at the same time. It only has three working cranes at present.

Despite restricted air draft clearances under the two harbour bridges, Fairview Cove can still handle  most of the container ships operating on the North Atlantic. 

NYK Deneb, built in 2007 by Hyundai HI, Ulsan is a 55,497 gt, 65,953 dwt ship with a capacity of 4922 TEU. Ships of this size, once thought to be inefficient, were in great demad post-COVID. However they may soon be victims of the current slump. In any event, 10,000 TEU plus size ships will never completely replace smaller ships on most trade routes, and there will be lots of work for Fairview Cove for the foreseeable future.

With both Halifax container facilities under PSA management, lines and ships can be shuffled to maximize efficiency at the terminals. There are no restrictions for the largest ships to use the southend terminal.

As of today, November 7, filling has started (at least officially) in the Pier A-1 / Pier B basin. The multi-year project will see the elimination of conventional finger pier berths (numbers 34 to 37) at the Ocean Terminals to create more backup land for the PSA Atlantic Hub. Additional cranes and expanded rail capacity are also part of the work.

Before containerization had completely taken over general cargo work the finger piers were lined with cargo sheds and ships took up many of the berths as they loaded or unloaded goods piece by piece. Most of the sheds are gone now and space betweeen the two piers in this 1973 photo will be filled in over the next three to five years.

The Port will bring in pyritic slate from building excavations in Halifax. The form of shale that underlays most of the peninsula and some of the mainland is highly acidic and once exposed to air cannot be re-used as backfill for buildings. To neutralize and store it safely, the material is "sequestered" - immersed in salt water and covered with clear fill. Much of the Fairvew Cove filled area was constructed with the slate, and is now being topped with clean fill. The slate fill operation has now been transferred to Pier A-1 / B. The completion date for the filling will depend on the level of construction activity in Halifax over the next few years.

Coupled with a major re-organization within the southend terminal, construction of new buildings, truck gate, employee parking and pedestrian access, the project will change the landscape of the above photo perhaps beyond recognition.

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Cruise by another name, another CFIA inspection and box data

 The Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines ship Borealis arrived this morning (August 16) on an unusual cruise itinerary: a fifteen day round trip from Liverpool, England (August 9) to St.John's, NL, Sydney, NS, Halifax, Sydney (again), Corner Brook, NL to Belfast (via the Strait of Belle Isle) and Liverpool August 24.

In my opinion, one of the best looking of the present day cruise ships, it was  built in 1997 as Holland America's Rotterdam, under which name it called in Halifax several times over the years. The 61,849 gt ship out of the Fincantieri Breda yard in Marghera has a capacity of 1,404 passengers with a crew of 600. It was renamed and entered Fred. Olsen service just over a year ago in July 2021.

Miraculously for a ship of its age, it has survived the recent carnage in the cruise industry, which saw many ships going to scrap, often before their time. Olsen seems to have the right formula for the ship and their red funnels and red hull line improve the ship's looks even more (perhaps making up for the oversized windows in the observation lounge above the bridge.)

Another morning arrival today was the tanker Dalmacija from Antwerp. It anchored in number one anchorage in the lower harbour to allow the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to inspect the ship for the larvae of the invasive species LDA moth.

The Dalmacija is operated by Tankerska Plovidba DD, based in Zagreb, Croatia. The company owns eight tankers and manages a further seven (of which this is one). Although Croatian shipyards are noted for their tankers, this one was built by SPP Shipbuilding Company, in Incheon, South Korea in 2015. It is a 29,678 gt, 49,991 dwt MidRange type chemical/product tanker. 

Interestingly the ship appears to have made the transatlantic voyage in ballast. Recent shifts in trading patterns mean that European ports such as Antwerp are no longer exporting refined product to Canada as they did until recently. (Much of Imperial Oil's local supply was coming from Antwerp). Instead Europe is now importing crude oil and refined product from abroad due to the loss of supply of crude oil from Russia.

Following clearance from the CFIA the ship will be sailing for a Montreal and is due there August 20.

Container traffic in Halifax in the second quarter of the year is on par with the same period last year at 156,438 TEU this year versus 156,378 TEU last year. Total to date for the year is 282,170 TEU versus 294,618 TEU in 2021, which represents a 4% drop, however container tonnage for the year is up 7.4% at 2,370,895 tonnes. It seems likely that container volume for the year may be just shy of 600,000 TEU again this year (last year it was 595,751 TEU). However containerized tonnage is the fairer figure and 2022 will likely exceed 2021's figure of 4,349,085 tonnes.

Typical of lots of import tonnage, but lighter export tonnage is today's departure of ONE Hangzhou Bridge for Port Said, Egypt on THE Alliance's EC5 service.

The 96,790 gt, 96,980 dwt ship still had some meters of available draft, but it appeared that its 9120 TEU capacity was well filled by volume of containers. Built in 2012 by IHI Corp in Kure as Hangzhou Bay Bridge for K-Line, it was renamed in 2021 when its operation was folded into ONE, Ocean Network Express, with the container ships of MOL and NYK Line. It was also in 2021 that the ship received its magenta hull paint colour which seems to be standing up generally, but touchups stand out (see the area below the bridge where tugs and pilot boats likely make contact.)

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Old Tricks - updated

 Forward visibility on container ships can be a problem if the deck load of boxes is too high. The International Maritime Organization (the IMO) which sets standards for ship design, construction and operation, has a guideline for visibility, with several clauses. The most basic one is that the view of the sea surface ahead from the conning position is to be two ships lengths or 500 meters, which ever is less, and within 10 degrees both sides of the centre line.

It was found that early container ships could carry many more containers than the orginal design allowed, but that the visibility would be compromised. Because of the variable weights of loaded containers, and the number of empties in the cargo, ships could be loaded safely (within the regulations for freeboard), but did not have the forward visibility because of the high deckloads.

The solution was to build a second, supplementary, navigation bridge above the original bridge. The second bridge did not duplicate all the facilities of the original bridge, but did have a helm and thus the desired visibility from the conning position. How much it was actually used in practice, remains a question.

One early container ship with such a modification that I remember seeing was the ZIM New York, built in 1972 by Italcantieri, Genoa Sesti. 

 As Zim New York departs Halifax in 1978, it is staying well clear of the Bluednose II. The extra added bridge structure is just visible, and the ship is loaded to its marks.How many TEUs could the ship carry? - see footnote

The high bridge is just visible as the ship prepares to leave Pier 41, Halterm in 1975. I think I was within the two ship's length but outside the 10 degrees margin. The tugs Point Viking (foreground) and Point Vim are pulling the ship clear with tow lines. (They were the ship's lines.)
 

In those good old days, the breakwater extended out beyond the end of pier 42 and had a lighthouse at the end. Here the ship has a much smaller deck load - and a noticeably lighter draft.The miniature second bridge is just visible.

Even with more historical information available on cargo, and sophisticated computer calculated mathematical models for determining ships' deadweight capacities these days, the actual weight of cargo at any one time can vary greatly. So some "modern" ships have also been fitted with one of these supplementary bridge structures. Such a ship appeared in Halifax today.

 ONE Hangzhou Bay, built as Hangzhou Bay Bridge in 2012 by IHI, Kure is a 96,790 gt, 96,980 dwt ship with a capacity of 9120 TEU.

Leaving Fairview Cove this afternoon, the ship would have had virtually no visibility from is original bridge, and so the small upper bridge was certainly required to meet the visibility standard. Was it added after the ship was built?

The ship is owned by K-Line and operates for Ocean Network Express, the Singapore based combination of the three major Japanese container lines (NYK, MOL, K-Line). It was renamed in 2021 and painted in ONE's magenta theme. ONE is a partner in THE Alliance and the ship is on the Asia-North America EC5 route.

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Footnote

The Zim New York, launched as Thermopylae measured 25,831 gt, 24,815 dwt and was rated for 1436 TEU according to Lloyd's Register of 1982-83. LR  did not publish TEU numbers in the 1970s, so I don't know what its original capacity might have been.

The current ZIM New York built in 2002 is a 53,453 gt, 66,766 dwt ship with a capacity of 4839 TEU.

Update: Thanks to a reader with better reference material than mine, I can say that the 1436 TEU capacity was the original capacity for the ship when built.

After thought

I did not call the added structure a "wheelhouse". That might have been correct terminolgy - but not all ships have wheels anymore. I also did not call it a "monkey's island", a term used for open helm positions, left over from the days of sail.The hardy tars that manned those positions on early steamships deserve great credit for being exposed to all weathers, where they could supposedly see and hear other ships. Fortunately modern seafarers do not have to put up with those conditions, and can still control a ship from the shelter of a proper navigating bridge.

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Colour Choices - Part Two

 Due to the length of the previous post I decided make two posts on the subject of colours. This post might well have been titled Part O.N.E. for it includes the arrival of another one of the Ocean Network Express ships painted in their unique magenta hull colour.

ONE Hangzhou Bay has called here before, but still draws attention - which was surely part of the reason for the colour choice. Its first visit with its current name and hull colour was on June 28, 2021. Working for The Alliance on the EC5 service, the 9120 TEU ship is among the largest ships to transit the Narrows and berth at Fairview Cove.

With three escort ugs, Atlantic Cedar (starboard side) Atlantic Oak (port side) and Atlantic Fir (on a stern line) the ship glided under the MacKay bridge with ease. It is worth noting how clean the hull looks. Despite just more than a year in servce, the paint is remarkably free of scuffs and streaks.

Meanwhile at the other end of the harbour Grande Baltimora was sailing from Autoport, showing somewhat more wear and tear..

The ship carries the bright yellow hull paint of Grimaldi Lines - in this case looking a bit seedy compared to newer ships. Built in 2007 by Jinling Shipyard in Nanjing, China, the Pure Truck and Car Carrier is a 62,134 gt, 18,447 dwt ship with a capacity of 6700 cars. 

Grimaldi's yellow ships are familiar sights in the Mediterranaean and various African ports where the bright sun makes them really shine. The Grimaldi Group also owns the Atlantic Container Line, which uses a more sombre dark blue hull colour, perhaps a more practical choice.

Viewed from Shearwater, the ship passes PSA Halifax outbound for sea.

 

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Weather Woes - revised

 The month of October is usually noted for wind, but up until now this year it has seen unseasonably mild temperatures instead. However the wind has finally arrived and the last two days have been quite gusty. Those breezes resulted in rough conditions at the pilot station making it too dangerous to embark and disembark pilots. Pilotage operations were suspended at some point yesterday during the day and not resumed again until this morning. Some ships wetre thus delayed.

Among those was the general cargo ship BBC Missouri arriving from Schiedam, Netherlands and Santander, Spain. The 9,627 gt, 12,767 dwt vessel was built in 2010 by Taizhou Sanfu Ship Engineering Co in Taizhou, China. An open hatch, multi-purpose type it mounts a pair of 150 tonne capacity cranes than can work in tandem for a 300 tonne lift.

It was still quite windy as the ship made its way in this afternoon. The tug Atlantic Fir was working stern first and kicking up a lot of spray, but its fore deck was in the lee and dry. BBC Missouri was built in 2011 as Brattingsborg, deleivered sas OXL Rebel but renamed Brattingsborg againlater in 2011. In 2012 it became Clipper Agnes, then reverted to Brattingsborg in 2014, finally becoming BBC Missouri in 2020. 

The ship is registered in Liberia. Its owners are listed as Hono Ship Investment Inc (which is associated with Thorco Shipping A/S of Denmark), technical operators are Carisbrooke Shipping Ltd of England, commercial managers are Weco Projects APS of Denmark, but the ship is sailing as part of the German BBC Chartering fleet, whicn specializes in heavy lifts and project cargoes.

The ship tied up at Pier 27, a general cargo and open pier, but its cargo is as yet unknown (to me). Interestingly the Port of Halifax schedule still refers to to its Brattingsborg.

Things are busy at Irving Oil's Woodside terminal. The tanker Acadian completed unloading yesterday then moved to anchor in Bedford Basin instead of going to sea. That left the jetty open for the French cable ship Ile d'Aix to take bunkers.

The Louis Dreyfus managed ship has been in port since October 20 fitting out for a project at IT International Telecom's marine base at Pier 9A.

I took this picture October 25:

With the Iled d'Aix occupying the berth Irving Oil's next caller, Elka Bene came into to anchor in the lower harbour.

 The 30,770 gt, 45,467 dwt tanker is a regular caller at Irving Oil, bringing refined product from Amsterdam. It was built by Brodosplit, in Split, Croatia in 2002 and is operated by European Product Carriers. The ship was built as Asirat but renamed Bene in 2002 and Elka Bene in 2004.

A number of ships hove to offshore last night, awaiting better conditions, among them was CMA CGM T. Jefferson. The 14,414 TEU ship is now due at PSA Halifax late this afternoon - docking after dusk later today oir tomorrow. Also the container ship ONE Hangzhou Bay was delayed from sailing yesterday, but was able to get away this afternoon. but will now wait until tomorrow, Otober 29. Also waiting for better condiitons is the Eimskip vessel Vivienne Sheri D. It went to Bedford Basin and anchored yesterday and may now sail overnight on its return trip to Iceland.

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Big Ships - north and south

 Both container terminals hosted ships with capacity in excess of 9,000 TEU today, October 25. The first ship to arrive was ONE Hangzhou Bay at Cerescorp, Fairview Cove.

The ship is a regular caller now on THE Alliance's EC5 service. Built in 2012 as Hangzhou Bay Bridge for K-Line, the 96,290 gt, 96,980 dwt ship was renamed earlier this year and repainted in ONE colours. It was here last on September 30 and is now on the return leg. It has a capacity of 9120 TEU and was built by IH, Kure.

The South End terminal operated by PSA Halifax saw the arrival of MSC Lisbon for the first time. 

It is the third ship to call on MSC's Indus 2 service. Built in 2007 by Samsung, Koje, igt is a 107,849 gt, 110,697 dwt ship with a reported capacity of 9178 TEU. That figure seems a bit low based on the ship's tonnage, but some owners are coy about actual numbers. The ship was named Santa Lucilla for a short time when built but was soon renamed.

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