Orion - big crane in demand

 The crane ship Orion, a familiar caller in Halifax last year, made a "non-working" visit today.

Its 5,000 tonne capacity main crane dominates the skyline, even when the boom is secured in the down position. 

When the ship was here last year it loaded monopiles then installed them at the Vineyard Wind project off Massachusets. The ship then returned to Vlissingen, Netherlands where it made preparations for another monopile installation project off Scotland. Working out of Invergordon, it installed twenty-nine monopiles, each weighing 2,000 tonnes over a two month period on the Moray West project.

Its arrival in Halifax early this morning was for a crew change, which was accomplished in an hour or so, with boat(s) from Dominion Diving.  The ship did not anchor, but used its Dynamic Positioning system, to remain motionless. On completion of the transfer, the ship spun round on its own axis and headed for sea.

The ship is destined for Norfolk, VA where it will work to install 176 foundations for the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) project for Dominion Energy. (Installation work for the Vineyard project is now being done by the ship Sea Installer working out of Sydney, NS.)

The Orion was built in 2019 by COSCO Qidong, China. It is a 58,203 gt, 60,575 dwt ship with a payload capacityof 30,000 tonnes. In addition to the 5,000 tonne capacity crane it also carries a 1,500 tonne capacity auxiliary crane. It has an accommodation capacity for 160 persons, expandable to 239 persons.

.

Load and Go

 Another load of wind turbine towers was due to leave Halifax this evening (November 23) on the crane ship Orion. The latest batch only arrived yesterday November 22 on the GPO Emerald, so that is very fast work.

 

The Orion returned to Halifax November 16 from the Vineyard Wind project in Massachussets after installing the previous batch of towers. It tied up at the Woodside Industries pier (also known as the IEL or Industrial Estates Ltd pier, or if you are real old-timer, the Sugar Dock) in Dartmouth and raised its 5,000 tonne capacity crane for some preparatory work.

GPO Emerald departed Rostock, Germany on November 7 with its latest cargo of six towers (in sections), and it arrived yesterday in breezy conditions, with heavy rain in the forecast.

Despite the wind and rain and some legendary fog this morning, conditions cleared gradually during the day, as the transhipment continued.

Temperatures also dropped during the day from above 10C (50F) in the morning to nearer 5C (41F) in the afternoon, but that is still far from winter conditions, and did not hinder the operations.

GPO fleetmate GPO Sapphire sailed from Rostock November 19 with another consignment and GPO Grace arived in Rostock November 20 to take on more towers. GPO Emerald is due to sail tomorrow.

.

Other Port Activity

 The arrival of two Super Postpanamax cranes [see previous post] was not the only large scale activity in the Port of Halifax today, November 6. Across the harbour at the IEL wharf in Woodside the heavy lift crane ship Orion was completing another load out of offshore wind towers.

The Orion returned to Halifax yesterday from the Vineyard wind project off Massachusetts where it had been installing the previous load of monopiles and transition pieces.

 Orion arriving as seen from the Halifax Central Library.

Two heavy lift ships, GPO Grace and GPO Sapphire have been waiting offshore and in Halifax to transfer tower sections to the Orion.

GPO Grace at anchor,

(See HMCS Oriole in right background.)

The Orion uses its 5,000 tonne SWL crane to transfer the sections from GPO Sapphire.

GPO Grace after unloading, returned to anchor.

Once loading is completed this evening, Orion will be sailing to the Vineyard site and GPO Grace will move back alongside the IEL dock for bunkers.

GPO Sapphire (October 26 photo) will also be sailing this evening. It has been in Halifax since October 21.It had previously transferred some of its cargo to the Orion.

 

.

 

Post, post tropical storm

 The storm system that was Hurricane Philippe but gradually diminished in intensity as it worked its way north from the Caribbean, finally crossed Nova Scotia overnight Saturday - Sunday, October 7-8. It was a post tropical cyclone at that point with a few significant gusts, but mostly high winds and heavy rain. It appears to have had little effect on Halifax, except to disrupt some schedules and create some extra work in battening down. By late morning Sunday the rain had stopped, the wind died off and the skies were clear.

Even so, sea conditions outside the harbour were still sufficiently rough that pilotage operations were suspended during the day (October 8) until after 1800 hrs ADT. I did not venture out along the  coast to see the surf, but from town I could see large swells crashing onto the Maugher's Beach Lighthouse breakwater.

Conditions inside the harbour were quite decent in the morning, allowing the cruise ship Star Pride (see yesterday's post) to move from its anchorage in Bedford Basin to Pier 20. It did take the precaution of having the assistance of the tug Atlantic Oak. The ship tied up bows south - an unusual arrangement at Pier 20, but one which will allow the ship to sail directly to sea without having to turn.(Arriving cruise ships generally dock bows north.)

The large "Yokohama" type fenders, placed along the pier face during cruise season, should protect the ship if there is any residual swell in the harbour.

The other cruise ship in port, Seabourn Quest, seems to have made out all right at Pier 23 as did the heavy cargo carrier GPO Emerald which spent the night at Number One anchorage in the lower harbour. (It needed the extra room provided by that position in case it did drag. Equipped with all kinds of thrusters and DP (Dynamic Positioning), it could probably hold position.) Number One anchorage is normally reserved for short term use, so it seems likely that the GPO Emerald will move up the harbour later. Fleet mate GPO Sapphire has been anchored in Chedabucto Bay since mid-September when it went to shelter from post tropical cyclone Lee.  It also has a full load of monopiles to discharge.

 The crane ship Orion remained alongside at the IEL dock in Woodside last night, and seems to have completed loading as many monopiles as it can handle.

The only other commercial ship in the harbour over night - the Augusta Luna at pier 27 - was working today when I went by in mid-afternoon, off loading bagged nickel sulfides from Cuba. It is scheduled to sail mid-day tomorrow.

The pilot boat went out toward the pilot station at 1800 hrs to observe conditions and it was determined to be safe to disembark pilots. Star Pride, Seaborn Quest and Orion then all established sailing times between 1900 and 2000 hrs.

.

.

, 1900 hrs to 2000 hrs (regrettably after dark). Star Pride, Seaborn Quest and Oiron will all be sailing this evening.

Unusual preparations

 Hurricane Philippe, downgraded to a post tropical cyclone, inexoribly making its way toward Nova Scotia, and weakening as it does so, has shipping making various preparations for diversions, reroutings, and in the case of ferries, outright cancellations of some crossings.

For the cruise ship industry ships generally prefer to sail as far away from disturbances as possible, and do not like to be in port during major storms. Late this afternoon (October 7) however there was an exception for the small (by cruising standards) Star Pride (ex Seabourn Pride) arriving in Halifax from Eastport, ME.

The ship was in Halifax September 30 and was covered in this blog. The difference this time is that the ship did not tie up at a pier, but instead headed directly for Bedford Basin and went to anchor. 

The unusual sight of a cruise ship in the Narrows and passing beneath the harbour bridges is only possible because the ship is small, and thus has a relatively low air draft.

Some passengers took in the unique experience by crowding onto the open observation bridge above the navigation bridge.

 While the ship was entering the Bedford Basin, the container ship ZIM Virginia was getting underway from PSA Fairview Cove, and held up long enough for the Star Pride to clear.

Hyundai Heavy Industries built the ZIM Virginia in the Ulsan shipyard in 2002. The 53,453 gt, 66,686 dwt ship has a capacity of 4839 TEU, and it flies the Israeli flag.The ship is bound for New York, so may be able to skirt the storm's path by sailing south and keeping to the east.

Bedford Basin is not exceptionallly good holding ground for ships with high windage to anchor, but is is a sufficiently large body of water (8 km x 5 km) that a little dragging in high winds can be tolerated. It does mean that a ship may have to steam ahead on its anchor during sustained winds. Constant monitoring is necessary while at anchor. Both the ship's bridge watch and Halifax VTS have auto alrms as well as human radar monitoring to detect dragging.

Likely due to the downgrade for Philippe another cruise ship, the Seabourn Quest elected to stay in port, tied up at Pier 23. The camber is relatively sheltered, but I would not be surprised to see some waves sloshing in if there is any storm surge. Again the ship will heve to remain vigilant during the night when the highest winds are expected.

The cargo ship Augusta Luna (centre in photo below) in port from Cuba for Nirint Shipping also opted to remain in port, tied up at Pier 27.

The Articulated Tug / Barge (ATB) Leo A. McArthur / John J.Carrick arriving from the Great Lakes with a cargo asphalt (leftmost in photo above) will remain at the McAsphalt jetty in Eastern Passage over night. It will likely have to suspend unloading operations when the wind picks up, because the mooring is partially secured to buoys.

Eastern Passage is relativeley well sheltered, so sea conditions will likely not be too severe, but there will still be high winds and strong gusts.

The heavy load ship GPO Emerald is due to move back out to anchor this evening. It has been berthed alongside the crane ship Orion (with the barge Atlantic Swordfish between them). 

It is due to move back alongside tomorrow to continue the transfer of six monopiles (in sections) and other gear for the Vineyard wind project offshore Massachusetts. Once loaded the Orion will return to the Vineyard project site and use its 5,000 tonne capacity crane to install the monopiles.

Two other ships that remained in port over night last night sailed today, having given the storm time to move away from their tracks. (Both ships were covered here yesterday)

Balmoral may be able to skirt the storm to the east and south on its way to Portland, ME but there may still be rough seas to contend with.

  CMA CGM Andromeda will likely be following a similar route, but heading farther south for New York.

The Volga Maersk, which arrived from Montreal this morning sailed early this evening for Bremerhaven, so will probably be ahead or well to the east of the storm.

Permanent residents of the port are accustomed to rough weahter by now, so are likely well buttoned down for the night, and will wait to see what the morning llight reveals.

.

 

 

 

Sea Installer

 Another offshore construction crane ship arrived in Halifax today (August 5), The Sea Installer will be working on the Vineyard Wind project from the staging base at the Woodside dock on the Dartmouth side of the harbour.

 The ship was built by COSCO (Nantong) Shipyard Company in 2012 and is registered at 27,584 gt, 5,000 dwt. The ship has just emerged from the Maasvlakte shipyard in the Netherlands where a new Huisman crane was installed. The new unit has a Safe Working Load of 1600 tonnes at 95 meters boom length and 700 tonnes at 115 meters boom length, and replaces a 900 tonne maximum capacity unit. 

It is also fitted with accommodation for sixty, a helideck, a large open cargo deck, a moon pool and thrusters to provide a Dynamic Poisitioning DP2 rating.  If that were not enough it is also equipped with four 82.5 meter legs that allow it to spud down and jack up with a 21,000 tonne capacity (i.e. ship plus cargo).

Companion crane ship Orion sailed Wednesday August 2 [see post] with six more monopiles and transition pieces for the Vineyard Wind project off Massachusetts. It completed installing the first six wind turbine towers last month. The components for another six towers are on board the ship GPO Grace which has been at anchor in Halifax since July 5.

When completed the project will have 62 turbines and will generate 800 MW of power. (By comparison the Nova Scotia Power Corp thermal generating station at Tuft's Cove, Halifax generates 415 megaWatts (using mostly natural gas). Its three chimneys are each 152 meters high whereas the Vineyard towers are 248 meters high with 107 meter blades.

.

 

Much ado #2 - the wind

 The second post outlining the busy action in Halifax harbour today, August 2, involves the ships working on the Vineyard Wind project. Halifax is the staging port for the project off the Massachusetts coast. The wind towers arrive in sections on heavy cargo ships and are then transferred to the installation ship. Today saw the departure of the GPO Sapphire (very early in the morning) after transferring its cargo of six towers to the Orion using the Orion's 5,000 tonne crane. [see previous posts]. The GPO Sapphire gave Rostock, Germany for destination.

Late in the morning the Orion sailed from the IEL dock in Woodside for the offshore construction site where it will assemble and place the towers.

That leaves the second heavy cargo ship GPO Grace at anchor with the components for six more towers. Presumably it will have to wait for the return of the Orion to off load. That may be up to a month depending on weather and mechanical issues at the Vineyard site. The GPO Grace arrived July 5 from Aviles, Spain.

 Once the Orion was clear, the heavy lift ship Pijlgracht moved from anchorage in Bedford Basin to the IEL dock. The Pijlgracht initially arrived July 25 [see updated post] at Pier 9C and unloaded a sonar array for the RCN. It then went to anchor on July 26.

I will keep an eye on the IEL dock to see what the ship will be unloading there. As previously reported it has two 700 tonne capacity cranes that can work in tandem for a 1400 tonne lift.

to be continued...

Wind Power

 Despite advances in power generation, the wind is still popular. Today (July 31) as the offshore installation vessel Orion using its 5,000 tonne crane lifts a wind turbine base component from the heavy lift ship GPO Sapphire, there was a pleasant breeze filling the sails of a few craft in the harbour.

The harbour tour boat Silva of Halifax, a three masted schooner built in 1939 in Sweden, and an unidentified pleasure craft (sail # 51257) draw close for a look at the activity.

Meanwhile the cruise ship Caribbbean Princess called in tug assistance from the Atlantic Fir to depart from Pier 22.

 Cruise ships rarely use tugs because they have multiple thrusters and are thus highly maneuverable (and they like to avoid scuff marks on their while hulls.) However this time the ship needed to do a 360 degree turn off the dock. Because of the Orion and GPO Sapphire activity across the harbour (see above) there was not room to go north about George's Island. Also the autocarrier Sunshine Ace (not pictured) was outbound from Autoport and so the cruise ship could not back out into number one anchorage and turn without blocking its course. The light breeze was likely not much of a factor in this case, but cruise ships are subject to windage and must be handled accordingly.

.

 

.

Halifax Harbour - sublime to ridiculous

 There is seemingly no end to the variety of shipping activity in Halifax harbour. From containers to bulk cargo, tankers to cruise ships, Navy and Coast Guard and personal recreation to super yachts.

Then there are the specialty vessels in several categories, among them the offshore installation ship Orion with its 5,000 tonne capacity crane dominating the skyline again. The ship returned Thursday, July 27 after its first session installing wind turbine towers off Massachusetts.

Due to some technical issues, the ship took a long time to install the first six towers. Now two heavy cargo ships are anchored in the harbour each carrying six more towers. The time clock must be running out on the installation season.

GPO Grace (pictured) and sister ship GPO Sapphire are both anchored in Halifax - each carrying the components for six wind towers. The components are to be transferred (six at a time) to the Orion which will them go to the Vineyard wind site for intallation.

Little notice is thereby given to the "ordinary" ships such as STI Marvel which also arrived July 27 from Amsterdam with a cargo of refined pteroleum products for Irving Oil. 

Built in 2019 by Hyundai Vinashin Shipyard Co in Ninh Hoa, Vietnam it is a 29,991 gt, 47,499 dwt chemical and product tanker operated by Scorpio Tankers Inc. It carried the name Marlin Marvel to 2020. The ship is due to sail this evening (July 29).

Similarlry, without fanfare, the Canadian flag self-unloading bulk carrier Baie St.Paul made its way to the Gold Bond Gypsum pier in Bedford Basin this afternoon (July 29) to take on another load, probably for Hamilton, ON.

The ship delivered a cargo of coal from the Great Lakes to Sydney, NS and arrived Halifax light ship.

The William Hall, the fourth Arctic Offshore Patrol Vessel is undergoing builder's sea trials off Halifax. It left Halifax Shipyard July 27 and after calibrations in Bedford Basin put out to sea. The ship has been put through its paces, allowing Irving Shipbuilding Inc to perform multiple tests and adjustments before handing the ship over to the Royal Canadian Navy later this year.

 At this time of the year the harbour is busy with pleasure craft and tour boats. many of the former are elegant sailing vessels or sleek motor yachts. The tour boat category includes a variety including sailing vessels and motor vessels - the latter are seldom elegant, but well suited to carrying passengers around the harbour and entertaining them as they feel necessary.

One vessel with a fake paddle wheel and fake chimneys and not fooling anyone as a Mississippi River boat. has been a regular in Halifax for decades and has a well earned reputation as a party boat and is very popular among locals and visitors.

Built in the improbable shipbuilding centre of Oromocto,NB in 1985 as Pioneer Princess II it has been operating in Halifax since 1986.

I wonder how long the Mi Cabana will operate in Halifax. Introduced in June of this year by Tiki Tours Halifax it is a pontoon craft built by Soudure Technikal 13 Inc of Shawinigan, QC [soudure translates as welding] earlier this year. It is one of several similar craft operating in Ottawa and Lake Huron all with the Tiki theme.

 Although its gross tonnage is listed as only 4.99 tons and it has two outboard motors, it is registered in the ship registry by name as a passenger vessel. The three aluminum pontoons would provide a stable ride in moderate conditions. That may mean that there will be some days off depending on wind and sea state. (Batten down the thatches?)

.

Orion departing

 The offshore installation ship Orion sailed this afternoon (May 27) on its first trip to the Vineyard Wind project site. While in Halifax the ship loaded the monopile and transition pieces for six offshore wind towers, which it will install off the Massachusetts coast.

 The tower sections arrived from Spain on the heavy lift ship GPO Grace which remains in port. The Orion used its 5,000 tonne capacity crane to transfer the tower pieces to the Orion while alongside the IEL pier in Woodside, but the crane was in the lowered nested position when the ship sailed.

When in the upright position the crane boom could be seen from miles away, but there were also closer views from the Halifax side of the harbour (below) and from the ferries (above and previous posts).

The Woodside pier is a convenient staging point for the project, but there are activities in other areas as well. Another Canadian connection is in Bayside, NB where the ship Flintstone loads gravel to deliver to the Vineyard site to form a filter layer. The ship places the 1 inch to 3 inch diameter stone on the bottom using a fallpipe, precisely positioned using DP2. (dynamic positioning with satellite navigation interfeace)

More turbine components arrived May 24 in New Bedford, MA where the local ILA members have gone on strike. They are refusing to unload the heavy lift ship UHL Felicity until they receive guarantees of permanent work. The components were to be staged in New Bedford, joined and barged out to the tower sites which are roughly 15 miles south of Martha's Vineyard.

The Vineyard wind project is to consist of 62 turbines, some of which are to be operational by the end of the year. Another part of the project is the offshore substation, a 3,200 ton platform supported by 4 piles and a sitting on a 2,000 ton jacket. It is now en route from Denmark on another heavy lift ship.

.

Picture Perfect and Imperfect

 In today's world of digital photography taking pictures is nearly idiot proof - unless of course you forget to check the setting and forget to check the image immediately after taking the picture. That happened earlier today (May 27) when I spent hours driving to the other side of the harbour via Bedford (one bridge was closed for repairs and the other was backed up for miles) and back by the same route. 

It was only when I was back home and downloaded the pictures that I discovered the setting error. I salvaged what I could by fine tuning, but the result is far a from ideal way of noting the first arrival in Halifax of the container ship CMA CGM Pride. 

Delivered in October of 2022 by Hyundai Ulsan Samho it is a 150,783 gt, 160,194 dwt ship. Various sources claim its capacity at 15,264 TEU (nominal) / 10,370 TEU (@14 tonnes) and 1,000 reefer plugs (CMA CGM lists the capacity at 14,806 TEU nominal).

Barely visible in the photo is the proclamation that the ship is LNG Powered - as if to underline the point - in three places on each side of the ship. Whether that is the reason for exceptionally high funnel is a question I can't answer.

While in Dartmouth I was able (using a different camera, with the correct settings) to get some other images, including the articulated tug / barge Leo A. McArthur / John J. Carrick . The duo arrived May 25 from Hamilton, ON with a cargo of asphalt for McAsphalt's depot in Eastern Passage. 

I was interested to see the mooring arrangement (at low tide) which helps (?) to secure the pair at the jetty. They will be sailing again this evening returning to the Great Lakes.

Also in Dartmouth, work is progressing on the transfer and assembly of the wind farm towers from the heavy lift ship GPO Grace to the installation ship Orion.

 The Orion is due to sail tomorrow for Massachusetts to begin the installation process.

And finally conditions for photography were ideal in the early evening, and with the proper settings on the camera, pictures of the arriving tanker MRC Beliz turned out well.

Hyundai Mipo, Ulsan built the ship in 2007 as NCC Sudair for National Chemical Carriers Co of Saudi Arabia. Fitted with polymer lined tanks and equipped to carry 22 different parcels of cargo, it is a 29,575 gt, 46,012 dwt ship. In September of last year the ship was acquired and renamed by MRC Dentzcili Turizm, part of the Mercan Holding family group.

Unusually, the ship is arriving from Galveston, TX for Irving Oil. Irving Oil rarely brings in product that is not from their own refinery in Saint John, NB or from storage in Amsterdam.

.

Big Arrivals

 A couple of big ships were among the arrivals in Halifax this morning, May 14. 

The container ship CMA CGM Marco Polo docked at PSA Halifax Atlantic Gateway with the last of the morning's fog retreating. 

The ship is still the record holder as the largest container ship to call in Halifax, established May 17, 2021 on its first visit here.

Built by Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering Co Ltd, Okpo, the 176,546 gt, 187,625 dwt ship has a container rating of 16,020 TEU. Sister ships CMA CGM Jules Verne and CMA CGM Alexander von Humboldt have the same container capacity rating, but are listed at 186,470 dwt, making them slightly smaller (on paper at least).

On the other side of the harbour the heavy load carrier and semi-submersible ship GPO Grace arrived from Aviles, Spain and docked alongside the offshore installation ship Orion at the IEL dock in Woodside.

Often used to transport oil rigs, this time the GPO Grace is carrying wind farm tower components. Built by the CSBC Corp in Kaohsiung, Taiwan in 2017, it is a 49,091 gt, 63,581 dwt ship with a large clear deck and the capability to submerge the deck 15 meters beow the sea surface.

The GPO Grace is one of four sister ships operated by the Norwegain copmany GPO Heavylift AS.

Also Norwegian operated, but at the other end of the size scale is another of this morning's arrivals. Viking Polaris is a Polar 6 class expedition type luxury cruise ship of 30,114 gt. Its passenger capacity of 378, with  256 crew, although small by cruise ship standards, makes it one of the larger cruise ships to visit Antarctic waters.

Already this year the ship has visited Lunenburg, Louisbourg, Magdalen Islands, Toronto, Trois-Rivières, Quebec City, Port Alfred, Sept-Iles and Charlottetown. It will continue making trips from New York to the Great Lakes (with many stops en route) until September when it sails for Ushuaia, Argentina for another Antarctic season. 

In December 2022 while on an antarctic cruise, the ship encountered a rogue wave and one passenger was killed by broken glass and four injured.

The ship's hull and superstructure was built at the VARD Shipyard in Tulcea, Romania and towed to Aalesund, Norway where it was completed by VARD Soviknes in 2021. 

 

.