SLNC Severn

Most ships that load aggregates at Martin Marietta's Porcupine Mountain quarry at Auld's Cove, NS (adjacent to the Canso  Causeway - and the source of the rock for that structure) come and go without bothering with Halifax.In the case of the SLNC Severn however, the ship seems to like Halifax and has been here at least four times in the last year or so.

Each time it has been here I have essentially repeated the basic facts about the US flagged ship.It is  owned by Oldendorff America and has been bareboat chartered since 2020 by Schuyler Lines Navigation Co LLC of Annapolis, MD. It was built in 2017 by Samjin Shipbuilding Industries Co in Wehai, China as the Frederike Oldendorff. Measuring 33,737 gt, 57,888 dwt it is equipped with four 35 tonne capacity cranes and four 12 cubic yard grabs.   

There is a huge demand for construction aggregates in the US, which the ship supplies, but it has also travelled widely. Recent ports include Dakar, Sengal, Tyssedal, Norway and Vlissingen, Netherlands. The ship has also delivered aggregate to Ascension Island. (SLNC also has a regular cargo ship service to Ascension Island from Jacksonville, FL, and supports a US military base there.)

On sailing this evening, the ship was kind enough to use the western sidee of the harbour and pose for a very nice photo.

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Another Initial Day

 Initials, abbreviations and acronyms are much favoured by shipping lines as a way of reducing lengthty company names. Today (February 24) saw the arrival of two ships using intials in their names.

Item 1

First in was the bulk carrier SLNC Severn en route from Auld's Cove, NS to a US port with a cargo of aggregates. A fairly unusual sight, it is a US flag ship. It was built in 2017 by Samjin Shipbuilding Industries Co in Wehai, China as the Frederike Oldendorff for Oldendorff Carriers of Germany.

 SLNC Severn picked up a bit of frozen spray on its trip down the coast from the Strait of Canso over night.

The 33,737 gt, 57,888 dwt bulker carries four 35 tonne cranes and four 12 cubic meter grabs. The cranes can be paired for 70 tonne lifts and the ship can carry containers. (The tops of the grabs are just visible near the bases of the cranes.)

The ship was chartered in 2020 by Schuyler Line Navigation Co LLC of Annapolis, MD, hence the "SLNC" initials. The choice of company name comes from the United States Merchant Marine Academy in Fort Schuyler, the Bronx, NY, where the company principals studied. The ship is still owned by Oldendorff America Ltd (hence the Egon Oldendorff funnel marking).

Schuyler Lines operates a varied fleet of about six ships, some of which were built in the US and qualify for domestic (cabotage) trade under the Jones Act. Others, like SLNC Severn, which was not built in the US, cannot trade between US ports, but still receives some of the benefits of US status.

The ship was here previously, in June and September of last year. Since then the two forward cranes have been repainted in a rust colour. 

Item 2

The next "initial" ship saves a great deal of paint and ink and a mouthful of words by reducing the Mediterranean Shipping Co Ltd to MSC.

 The crew are washing down the anchors as the ship enters port. [See footnote]

MSC Qingdao is making its first port call to Halifax on MSC's Indus 2 service from northern India. A 89,097 gt, 105,162 dwt ship, it dates from 2004 when built by Samsung Koje. It has a capacity of 8063 TEU including 1400 reefers. Originally named OOCL Qingdao it took its present name in 2019 when chartered in by MSC. 

[Ships owned by MSC typically carry women's names, whereas chartered ships use place names.]

Qingdao is a port city located in Shandong province in eastern China. The port handles more than 20 million TEUs per year (!) and is thus perhaps the third busiest port in the world for containers. (Halifax by comparison handled 595,751 TEU in 2021).

The name Qingdao has been used by other containerships, and ZIM Qingdao is a regular caller here. In fact it is due February 26, but it doesn't seem that the two ships will meet in port.

Footnote

 A ship must confirm that its anchors are free and ready for use before receiving clearance to enter the port of Halifax, particularly in winter, in case they are locked in place by frozen spray. On a day like today (minus 5C) it is unlikely that the rushing seawater will freeze, but I question the use of wash water when there is no evidence of frozen spray. Ships often wash down the anchor chain before anchoring to reduce clouds of flying rust as the chain deploys, but that is not the case today, since the ship will not be anchoring. However in an emergency, such as engine failure, the ship must be prepared to drop anchor at once. Perhaps the deck crew were just being cautious.

That brings up the case of the ZIM Vancouver - see yesterday's post - which lost both its anchors during the recent storm. Too much strain on the anchor chain may have resulted in the chain parting. However it is more likely that the two chains became entangled, and the crew had no choice but to let them go since they could not be retrieved. (There are shackles in anchor chain every 15 fathoms, or 90 feet, where the chain can be disonnected.)

In any event it was not safe for the ship to be at sea without anchors (in fact it is considrred to be unseaworthy without anchors.) The ship was given special clearance to enter port as long as it was under the control of tugs and pilot.

It will be interesting to see if any effort is made to recover the anchors. There may be others out there too, and with present day sonar it may be possible to find them if they are worth something.

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Departures

 Shorter days in our latitude (roughly halfway between equator and north pole) mean that most ships arrive in darkness and now the light is fading for many departures. There was barely enough light for photographing two ships as they sailed this evening.

First off the berth was MOL Experience sailing from Cerescorp, Fairview Cove.  

It was last here September 7 on the westbound loop of THE Alliance's AL5 service. It is now bound for Port Everglades, FL before stops in Panama and Colombia then the Panama Canal. Due to congestion on the west coast it may be skipping Los Angeles and Oakland, instead heading directly to Seattle, then Vancouver. On its return eastbound leg it may also skip Oakland and LA and may skip Halifax too on its way back to Southampton.

Sailing from Pier 9C, SLNC Severn first headed into Bedford Basin to turn outbound.

The ship arrived September 30 for fuel and for other unspecified business. The ship is now bound for Auld's Cove on the Strait of Canso to load aggregates for the United States. It is a rare US flag (non-Jones Act) ship.

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Business, more or less as usual

 September 30 was observed as a Canada's first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. However it was not declared as a statutory holiday, so some businesses remained open. Others closed out of respect for Canada's indigenous population and in particular the victims of the residential schools program.

Even the port of Halifax did not have a consistent approach. PSA Halifax reduced its truck gate hours to a half day - 0800 to 1200 but Cerescorp kept its truck gate closed for the day. Both terminals had ships alongside however, and they were worked as usual.

At PSA Halifax it was a first time caller, CMA CGM J. Madison. It was built in 2018 by Hyundai, Ulsan and is a 140,872 gt,, 147,966 dwt ship with a capacity of 14,414 TEU. It certainly appeared well loaded with containers stacked seven to eight high on deck.

There are reports that PSA Halifax has confirmed its order for another super post-panamax crane, which it certainly could use if it is to handle two ships of this size at the same time.

Cerescorp was also handling a very large ship for its facility. ONE Hangzhou Bridge is a 96,760 gt, 96,980 dwt ship with a capacity of 9120 TEU. It was built for K-Line by IHI Kure in 2012 as Hangzhou Bay Bridge and renamed in January 2021 and given its new hull colour. The ship made its first call here on THE Alliance's EC5 service June 28, 2021 and is scheduled again for October 20.

Fairview Cove could also use a new crane to replace the old crane at the far end of the pier. It seems to be out of service. ONE Hangzhou Bridge shares the pier with the Nolhan Ava which makes its usual weekly sailing to Argentia and St-Pierre on Fridays.

Imperial Oil also had an arrival today. Quartz brought in a cargo of refined product from Beaumont, TX.

The ship is operated by Sinokor Petrochemical Co and was built by SPP Shipbuilding Co, Incheon, South Korea in 2015. The ship is a 29,767 gt, 49,990 MidRange type.

At Pier 9C it was a return call for the United States flag bulk carrier SLNC Severn. It was here for the first time June 26, 2021 for a compliance inspection by Transport Canada.

    

This time the ship appeared to be taking bunker fuel (under the watchful eye of the Canada Border Services Agency). The ship's operators Schuyler Lines Navigation Company (SLNC) have been carrying aggregates from Auld's Cove, Strait of Canso, where there are no bunkering facilities. The ship has also been reported in the South Atlantic (Saint Helena), and Cape Verde and the Canary Islands recently. 

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More bulkers

 Two more bulkers called in Halifax today, June 26, but neither one came for cargo. (The only bulk cargo usually handled in Halifax is gypsum -see footnote.)

The first arrival was the Panama flag, but Chinese owned Hong Sheng. 

A 40,896 gt, 76,546 dwt gearless vessel, it is bound for Port Cartier, QC to load iron ore, but anchored in Halifax for Asian Gypsy Moth inspection. Despite vigilance by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, central Canada is experiencing a major infestation, which is expected to weaken huge swaths of urban and rural trees of all types.

The Chinese COSCO Bulk Shipping Co Ltd operates Hong Sheng, which dates from 2010 when it was built by the Guangzhou Huanpu shipyard. [COSCO=China Ocean Shipping COmpany].

The second bulker is an unusual customer. It is flying the flag of the United States and is registered in Annapolis, Maryland, home port of the Schuyler Line Navigation Co LLC.

SLNC Severn was built in 2017 by Samjin Shipbuilding Industries, in Weihai, China as Frederike Oldendorff. It was renamed early this year when it was bareboat chartered by SLNC. A 33,737 gt, 57,888 dwt ship it is fitted with four 35 tonne capacity cranes and 12 cubic meter grabs.

SLNC has both Jones Act and non-Jones Act US flag ships including tankers, general cargo/heavy lift and cargo barges. After inspection and maintenance the ship will be heading for Auld's Cove to load aggregates. The ship is still carrying the Egon Oldendorff initials on its funnel. 

Bulker Footnote

Although Gold Bond's mine in Milford is closed short term for maintenance, it still has a gigantic stockpile at its facility in Wright's Cove, Bedford Basin. Yesterday it loaded the Canadian flag self-unloader Thunder Bay, which sailed for the Great Lakes.

Thunder Bay at the Gold Bond dock with its boom swung out to clear the mobile ship loader.

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