Scrapping Begins

 The last couple of years have been very good to the world's shipping companies. Rates went through the roof and vessel values rocketed. The companies, awash in cash, ordered scads of new ships and some companies hoovered up used ships to meet demand.

With conditions returning to pre-COVID status, rates are now dropping and demand is down. Shipyards are starting to deliver the new ships and ship owners, as expected, will soon be shedding older ships - many to the scrap yards.

One line, Hapag-Lloyd, has announced that they will be sending three ships to the breakers. All three were built to Lloyd's Ice Class 1A and designed for year round service between Europe and the St.Lawrence River. Now approaching 25 years of age, they would require costly refits to keep them in operation.

The ships were built with relatively shallow draft and greater width than most ships. The designs compensated for restrictive drafts on the St.Lawrence while maintaining capacity. (Unlike conventional ships on the service, which frequently call in Halifax to reduce draft or top up to ocean draft.)

To my knowledge none of the three ships has called in Halifax. They are:

>   Milan Express 33,622 gt, 33,659 dwt, built in 1996 by Samsung, Geoje, and capacity of 2330 to 2499 TEU (depending on source.)

Milan Express at full throttle on the St.Lawrence, August 18, 2015.

Originally named OOCL Canada it became Cast Premier in 2003, Cielo di Los Angelese in 2005, CP Los Angeles in 2005 and Milan Express in 2006.

>   Ottawa Express built in 1998 by Daewoo SB + ME Co Ltd, Okpo, 39,174 gt, 40,879 dwt, with a capacity of 2808 or 2992 TEU (depending on source).It was built as CP Honour and renamed in 2006.

Ottawa Express upbound off St-Joseph-de-la-Rive August 10, 2017. From this angle ship shows off its most distinctive feature, the fully enclosed navigation bridge.

>   And Mississauga Express the former CP Pride to 2006 built to the same spec by Daewoo SB+ME, also in 1998: 39,174 gt, 40,881 dwt and 2808 TEU. (no photo available).

There was another sister ship in the Daewoo series. OOCL Belgium, also built in 1998 and 39,174 gt, 40,972 dwt with a capacity of 2808 TEU including 200 reefers. It was also built to ice class 1A and for year round St.Lawrence service.

  OOCL Belgium off Cap-aux-Oies, QC, August 24, 2017.

OOCL Belgium was re-assigned by OOCL some time ago and has most recently been reported operating in China and Malaysia. There has been no word on its future, but it seems likely to continue operating for at least five more years as it just passed its latest survey early in May. In 2017 the giant Chinese company COSCO Shipping purchased the Hong Kong based OOCL (Orient Overseas Container Line).
 

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Louis S. St-Laurent and others - Quebec Report #4

The veteran Canadian icebreaker CCGS Louis S. St-Laurent completed sea trials today and headed for St.John's.

 In mid-river, well out of the normal shipping channels, CCGS Louis S. St-Laurent conducts trials. The town of La Pocatière is to the left on the south shore.

Leaving Davie shipyard early this morning, it made its way down river past Cap-aux-Oies where the river widens out to about 12 miles, and spent a few hours doing evolutions as far downstream as Kamouraska, and upriver off La Pocatière.

It then returned up river as far as St-Joseph-de-la-Rive, where it disembarked a party of shipyard workers via the tug/workboat Ours Polaire.

With trials completed, the ship is met by the tug Ours Polaire and an outboard powered aluminum skiff, which seems to be on standby for lifesaving.

 Forced along by the tide, the ship is directly off the St-Joseph-de-la-Rive ferry dock.

Ours Polaire with a deck load of shipyard techs, heads in where a bus is waiting to take them back to Lévis. Since they were not wearing PFDs I assume the skiff was a precaution.

"The Louie" turns up the revs. The stern squat is real.

It made a very tight turn to port, and then took off, soon reaching 17 knots.

The ship had been on a $14 mn refit since February and really took the chance to kick up its heels. Perhaps it is moving with such alacrity because there is still time to participate in northern operations.

While awaiting the return of "The Louie"  there was more shipping to see from the vantage point of St-Joseph-de-la-Rive.

Upbound the HAPAG-Lloyd container ship Ottawa Express was getting a little boost from a powerful full moon tide.

Ottawa Express also making haste.

Built in 1998 by Daewoo SB+ME Ltd, Okpo, the 39,174 grt, 40,879 dwt ship has a modest container capacity of 2808 TEU. It was designed for year round St. Lawrence service to the restricted drafts of the time. It has carried the names Canmar Honour to 2005 then CP Honour to 2006.


A ship that is actually older (in part) than "The Louie" was creeping down river against the last of the tide. CSL's Cedarglen is an amalgam of the 1959 German-built Ems Ore. That ship was acquired  by Hall Corp  (with two sisters) and in 1977-78 Davie built a new forebody, and moved the island bridge aft. (That necessitated extending the funnel.) Renamed Montcliffe Hall it served Halco until 1988, when that company went out of business. It then went to N.M. Paterson + Sons Ltd where it served as their Cartierdoc. Paterson wound up their business after sister ship Windoc was badly damaged by a untimely bridge lowering in the Welland Canal. CSL acquired the Paterson fleet in 2002.

With a full load of grain, and against the last of the rising tide, Cedarglen makes no haste.

As Cedarglen the CSLer is one of the oldest cargo ships still operating on the St.Lawrence. It is headed from Montreal for Baie-Comeau, and at 6.4 knots was soon overtaken by the racing "Louie".

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