Onego Deusto

 The multi-purpose general cargo ship Onego Deusto sailed early this afternoon after approximately twelve hours in port. The ship has called here several times with rail from Poland. This time however the ship arrived from Belfast, Northern Ireland, which would normally mean that it was carrying an aircraft component or components, such as a fuselage section or tail assembly. Yesterday the Industrial Charger also arrived from Belfast, presumably with the same type of cargo. However, since I did not actually lay eyes on any cargo from either ship, I can't say for certain what they were carrying. Both ships docked at Pier 9C where cargo could have been trucked away fairly promptly.

On sailing this afternoon (photo above) the ship gave its destination as Houston, and judging from the ship's draft it has cargo on board.

The Onego Deusto has an interesting history (recounted here before, but worth repeating.)

The ship was built by Vahali Shipyard's Belgrade yard in 2008 for the now defunct Beluga Shipping. The 6312 gt, 9832 dwt ship is of the open hatch design (hatch is full width of hold) with moveable pontoon type tweendecks, two box shaped holds, equipped with two 40 tonne SWL cranes. 

It was built as Beluga Skysails, and fitted with a telescopic jib boom on the bow, which could carry a para sail to assist in propulsion. When Beluga failed, the ship became BBC Skysails in 2011, then Onego Deusto in 2019. On its first few visits in Halifax, as BBC Skysails, it still carried the jib boom but that has since been removed. 

In these July 11, 2015 photos, the jib is the black object well forward, and is in the retracted position.

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ONE plus Onego equals zero

 Two ships with the letters O, N and E starting their names were the only scheduled arrivals in Halifax today, February 26. There is no connection between the two except for pure coincidence, and there is no numerical significance to their names, so adding them together does not result in a sum. 

Number One arrival was the multi-purpose cargo carrier Onego Deusto - a ship with an interesting history as well as an interesting name. As on its several previous visits it is carrying a cargo of rail from Szczecin, Poland for the Canadian National Railway Company. [An aglomeration agglomeration of failing railroads established by the Canadian government in 1919, Canadian National Railways as it was then called - aka the CNR - was a crown corporation until 1995. Now publicly traded, and considered a "blue ship chip" investment, it is nevertheless controlled by none other than Bill Gates with a 14.2% stake. Known as CN Rail (thanks in part to its distinctive "noodle" logo) it is now national and international in scope with several tentacles stretching into the United States. It is also multi-modal with ships, trucks and forwarding operations, symbiotic to the railroad.]

The Onego Deusto came ghosting in this morning on a flat calm sea and cloudless sky to offload at Pier 27 where the rail is stockpiled until needed by CN. It is then sent in batches to CN's rail welding plant in Winnipeg (Transcona), MB.

The ship was built by Vahali Shipyard's Belgrade yard in 2008 for the now defunct Beluga Shipping. The 6312 gt, 9832 dwt ship is of the open hatch (hatch is full width of hold) moveable tweendeck, box shaped holds, multi-purpose type, equipped with two 40 tonne SWL cranes. 

It was rigged for sail assist and named Beluga Skysails. When Beluga failed, the ship became BBC Skysails in 2011, then Onego Deusto in 2019. It still carries the davit-like jib boom on the bow, so may be able to rig a sail, but nothing in company literature suggests that it still does. 

As it appeared on arrival March 10, 2023.

Onego Shipping and Chatering B.V. is a Dutch company, based in Rhoon, near Rotterdam. Established in 2001 the company specializes in cross-Atlantic bulk cargoes and has built up a fleet of 28 ships. 

I have no idea where "Onego" comes from (there is a lake in Russia with that name, and oddly the word means "pool" in the Seneca tongue.) It also seems that it is to be pronounced "Ah-nee-go". Even so the Seneca word is pronounced "1-go" (one as in number 1), and a town in West Virginia carries that name and is pronounced that way.

Deusto (nothing to do with the number "two" [deux] ) is the name of an area in the city of Bilbao, Spain. That word appears to have come from the Basque language word Deusta.

Second arrival is the Ultra size container carrier ONE Ibis. In this case ONE represents a portmanteau for Ocean Network Express, the joint venture of Japanese container shipping companies, Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha Ltd (K-Line), Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK-Line) and Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL). By operating "as one" the three companies hoped to compete better with the giant MSC and Maersk. Even so ONE is now ranked as sixth largest with just 2 million TEU capacity versus 4 to 5 milllion for the giants. CMA CGM, COSCO and Hapag-Lloyd are also larger than ONE. The various shipping alliances are also in flux, which complicates matters.

Built in 2016 by Japan Marine United in Kure as NYK Ibis, it is a 144,285 gt, 139,335 dwt ship with a capacity of 14,026 TEU. It was renamed ONE Ibis (and repainted) in 2019. 

As with yesterday's long haul caller for Ocean Alliance, the CMA CGM Mexico, this ship, sailing for THE Alliance's EC5 service made its last Asian call in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Sailing from there on January 22 it then took the Cape of Good Hope route to avoid the Red Sea and was reported passing Cape Town February 3. It proceeded directly to Halifax.

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Fog Season

 With the arrival of spring comes fog. Although it is a major annoyance for photographers, it is only a minor hindrance to shipping, which carries on with due caution.

Today's (March 18) blanket of fog lifted in the afternoon, and despite off and on showers, it became possible to see some shipping.

Yesterday the tanker British Engineer arrived off Halifax and anchored for a time. The launch Eastcom appeared to have rendez-voused with the ship while at anchor - perhaps with a technician. Later in the evening the ship made its way to an anchorage in the main harbour, where it was shrouded in fog for the early part of the day today.

The ship made a gloomy sight if it was visible at all.

(In fact the camera saw more than the human eye in this case.)

 By mid-afternoon the fog had retreated and the ship became visible from the Halifax shore.

Passengers on the ferry Rita Joe got a very good look at the ship en route from Dartmouth to Halifax.

The Mid Range type tanker of 30,948 gt, 45,999 dwt was built in 2017 by Hyundai Mipo, and as with all British Petroleum Tankers it has superior accommodation and always looks smart with its traditional funnel marking. 

[Who first thought of painting what was essentially an exhaust pipe, in  company colours ?]

Fog lingered over the Halifax side of the harbour.

The British Engineer has a cargo of refined petroleum products from Amsterdam and will move alongside Irving Oil's Woodside terminal on departure of their tanker Acadian.

Meanwhile the Rossi A. Desgagnés (see yesterday's post) completed unloading at Imperial Oil and sailed for Saint John seemingly for another load.

At Pier 9C the early morning arrival of the Don Pasquale was also fog covered, but the ship became visible once it was alongside.

It was carrying a huge consignment of RoRos, with machinery from red, yellow and green manufacturers. The ship is expected to move to Autoport tomorrow to off load cars.

 The Don Pasquale was built by Daewoo Heavy Industries in Okpo in 1997 and in 2007 it was lengthened from 219.3 to 227.9 m by Hyundai Vinaship in Vietnam. The reworked ship now registers 67,141 gt, 28,142 dwt with a capacity of 7,194 cars.

At the southend, PSA Halifax Atlantic Gateway welcomed the "Ultra" size CMA CGM Amerigo Vespucci . Altough somewhat smaller than the largest container ships to call in Halifax, it was nevertheless an impressive sight as it made its way inbound with the assistance of three tugs.

 

 A group of wintering mallards were a tough audience and not easily impressed.

At 151,446 gt, 165,171 dwt, the ship is rated for 13,880 TEU including 800 reefers. Daewoo Shipbuidlng + Marine Engineering Co Ltd built the ship in 2010 at their Okpo yard.

At Pier 27 the Onego Deusto (see previous post) continued to unload rail - one piece at a time. The photo shows a large forklift carrying a single rail. A shore side crane removes the rails from the ship  (also one at a time) and a forklift moves the item to the carefully stacked stockpile. 

Foreground in the photo is a weigh scale for trucks that are bringing in material to fill the area at Pier 33-37. The pile of crushed stone to the right is for backfilling around the foundations for a new PSA  maintenance facility that will block this view.

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The Polish Connection

 Poland has had a long time shipping connection with Canada and Halifax specifically. During World War II, the "Pride of the Polish fleet", the passenger ship Batory transported the UK's gold reserves to Montreal, acted as an evacuee ship from Dunkirk, then a mercy transport of children to Australia. It called in Halifax many times as a troop ship, then as a passenger ship post war when Poland fell under communist control. It was even drydocked in the graving dock at Halifax Shipyards. A second and later Polish passenger ship, the Stefan Batory (ex Maasdam of 1952) was a regular on the St.Lawrence, and one of the last transatlantic passenger liners when it was retired in 1988.

 The Polish fishing fleet were regular callers in Halifax during the 1960s and 1970s - at least until the declaration of the 200 mile limit and the cod moratorium. Their factory trawlers were state of the art.

 The Wlocznik was a stern trawler / factory ship.

From the 1980s the French Polish Shipping Company ships were regular callers in Halifax with their four large ConRos. See their story in Shipfax May 9, 2012

Kazimierz Pulaski an impressive Polish ConRo of the 1980s.

Over the years a number of Polish Ocean Line bulk cariers and cargo ships have called in Halifax too, and many Polish built ships have been seen here. Even the beleagured Ale, still docked at Pier 9B (see many previous posts) was the Polish Ocean Lines' Raba until 2021.

In recent years however the Polish connection has dwindled, and the only regular visitors are not actually Polish ships at all, but are ships carrying Polish made steel rail for the Canadian National Railway. Polish built ships are rare too, except for members of the Ray Car Carriers (STAMCO Ship Management) fleet, which call occasionally.

Today, March 10, the neatly kept Morning Courier moved from Autoport to Pier 9C to discharge RoRo cargo. The ship arrived yesterday on the usual Wallenius Wilhelmsen route from Rotterdam, Antwerp, Bremerhaven, Goteborg and Zeebrugge (February 21-23.) Although carrying the Eukor banner (Europe/ Korea - a Wallenius Wilhlensen company) it is owned by Ray Car Carriers with technical management by their STAMCO subsidiary.

Built in 2005 by Gdynia Stocznia, the 57,692 gt, 21,053 ship has a capacity of 6658 cars.

As usual wuth such moves, the ship transited the Narrows and turned in Bedford Basin before returning to the Narrows and berthing starboard side to at Pier 9C.  That gave a good look at the ship from both sides and the stern.

North bound in the Narrows.

In Bedford Basin, preparing to turn. The tug Atlantic Beaver is made up to a hull bollard well aft for maximum leverage. It is working stern forward to stay clear of the ship's stern overhang.

Making the turn. Tug Atlantic Oak works the bow and Atlantic Beaver the stern.

South bound heading for the Narrows.

Arriving later in the day, was the Onego Deusto has a cargo of rails loaded in Szczecin February 12-22.

The ship's hull was built by Vahali S+M, Belgrade, Serbia and completed by Volharding at Foxhol, Netherlands. The 6312 gt, 9832 dwt ship was originally named Beluga Skysails until 2011 when it became BBC Skysails and was equipped with an experimental kite / sail mounted forward. Onego took over operation of the ship and renamed it in 2019 and by the time the ship arrived in Halifax in 2020 (see Shipfax 2020-11-28 ) the kite was no longer used. Nevertheless the "jib boom" structure remains at the bow.

A multi-purpose, open hatch  single deck / tween deck type ship with pontoon hatch covers and box shaped holds it mounts a pair of 40 tonne SWL cranes that can work in combination.

This is the second ship with rails in as many weeks, with the previous ship Onego Bayou taking from February 21 to March 5 to unload. CN must be planning major rail renewal projects this summer, and so is stocking up.

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Tankers Coming and Going - updated

 The oil terminals were busy today with arrivals and departures. The familiar Elka Nikolas arrived at Irving Oil, Woodside. This tanker has been in Halifax several times, mostly recently in September  when it brought product from Antwerp for Imperial Oil.

This time the ship has cargo from Amsterdam. Irving Oil's Woodisde terminal is a little more visible now that the leaves are off the shrubs.

Last evening the tanker Largo Desert anchored in the lower harbour awaiting its berth at Imperial Oil, which was occupied by Irving Oil's Acadian. When that ship sailed this morning Largo Desert moved in. *

Distinctive for its all gray colour scheme, the ship is also unusual because it was built in Ninh Hoa, Vietnam, by Hyundai's Vinashin Shipyard. It is nevertheless a pretty typical MR tanker of 29,463 gt, 49,703 deadweight. Delivered in 2018 as  ECO Palm Desert it was renamed in March of this year when it was acquired by the anonymous Jupiter 2 Ltd. It also changed technical management at the same time and is now operated by Anglo-Eastern Ship Management Singapore. 

Anglo-Eastern manages more than 600 ships, including 200 tankers, and 100 container ships. Commercial management is handled by another rather opaque corporate based in London, UK.

Meanwhile at Pier 27, Onego Deusto [see previous post] has just about completed discharging its cargo of rails. It is showing a particularly clean looking hull, suggesting a recent drydocking and painting.

The ship is due to sail at midnight, so no closer picture is likely!

* Forgot to mention that the Largo Desert arrived from the Marathon refinery in Garyville, Louisiana.

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Onego Deusto brings More Rails

 The Canadian National Railway, known as CNR or simply CN is celebrating 25 years as an independent company. Formed in 1919 by the Canadian government when it folded its own government railway into a mix of failing companies, it was truly a national railroad, running from coast to coast and operating in all ten provinces. (Rails in Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland have since been removed.)

CN celebrated its 100th anniversary last year.

In 1995 the government of Canada privatized the company and shares became available on the market. It has since become one of the most profitable North American railways, and has also expanded its reach well into the United States. That growth has fed an inexhaustible appetite for steel rail - either for new track or for upgrade / replacement. All of CN's new rail seems to come from Poland, and enters Canada through Halifax where it is stockpiled. It is then sent on special rail cars to Winnipeg where it is welded into huge lengths before being sent out for installation as "continuous welded rail".

Another rail shipment arrived in Halifax today aboard the Onego Deusto a Netherlands flagged vessel of 6312 gt, 9832 dwt. It is an open hatch type multi-purpose ship with box shaped holds and pontoon tween decks. It carries two 40 tonne capacity cranes.

The ship's hull was built by Vahali Shipyard in Belgrade, Serbia, in 2008 and completed by Volharding in Foxhol, Netherlands. Initially named Beluga Skysails it attracted considerable interest due to the large paraglider type kite which was rigged for wind assist. There are several online images and videos of the ship with the "skysail"  deployed. See: Skysail

The Beluga company failed and the ship was taken over by Briese in 2011 and renamed BBC Skysails. In 2019 management was taken over by Onego Shipping and Chartering B.V. and the ship was given its current name, which seems to commemorate a district of Bilbao, Spain, and makes no reference to sail. 

The ship tied up at Pier 27, the worst place in Halifax to take photos, but that is the pier where rail cargo is stockpiled until needed.

A black painted crane device mounted near the ship's bow was used to secure the paraglider, and remains in place, but is not likely in current use.

The black crane forward and amidships appears to be the telescopic jib used for the skysail.

Also at Pier 27 is the Port Authority's workboat Maintainer 1 hauled out for its own maintenance. 

[See previous post,  Wednesday November 25.]

The ship's current voyage from Szczecin was not without incident. On November 7, while ten miles off Beachy Head in the Dover Strait, the ship experienced a cooling problem and had to make an emergency shut down of its main engine. The ship drifted for about half an hour while the crew effected a repair. The Dover Strait is one of the word's busiest stretches of water and such incidents have widespread possibilities for disruptions and perhaps the crew were wishing for some sail assistance at the time.

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