Saimaagracht witth plane parts

Today, October 9, the Dutch flag multi-purpose ship Saimaagracht joined the long list of ships that have delivered aircraft components from Belfast, Northern Island. The components, including wings and tail sections, are quickly trucked away from Pier 9C and on the road to the aircraft factory, believed to be in Downsview, ON.

 This latest ship is part of the fifty-ship Spliethoff fleet of multi-purpose and heavy lift ships, with box shaped holds and moveable tween decks. Built in 2005 by Stocznia Szczecinska Nowa in Poland, it measures 18,321 gt and 23,660 dwt, it is one of the SL2 class equipped with three 120 tonne capacity cranes and side loading elevators.

(What look like containers on deck are the housings for the side doors on the ship's starboard side.)

Spliethoff ships are named for canals (gracht in Dutch) and usually Dutch canals, but in this case the Saimaa Canal is located in Finland and joins Lake Saimaa to the Gulf of Finland near Vyborg, Russia.

The ship sailed again at the end of the working day, giving Norfolk as its destination.

. 

more business,

With breakbulk exports way down last year, the Port of Halifax must be pleased to see another Spleithoff ship arriving. In recent months they have been regular callers, loading what appears to be reinforcing steel. Re-bar as it is called is an unusual Canadian export, but the high production standards used in this country make it a more desirable then unreliable re-rolled third world material often derived from ship scrapping.

 Logistec's mobile crane swings another bundle of re-bar aboard.

One of Spleithoff's S2L class, it was built in 2005 Szczecinska Nova in Poland. It is equipped with two 120 tonne cranes and five sidleloaders. It measures 18,321 grt and 23,660 dwt. Later in the day the ship shifted to Fairview Cove for container cargo.

And yes that is a pleasure craft on the deck of the ship. Spliethoff has a large business in the dry transport of yachts.

The luxurious trawler yacht Penny Lane gets a dry trip. The 65 foot Fleming, built in 2009 carries a rigid hull inflatible craft called - what else but Rubber Soul.

 A ship that has not called in Halifax since late 2013 put in another appearance today to take bunkers. CSL Acadian is a coal carrier and it is headed back from a delivery to Belledune, NB. A self-unloader now, it was built as a tanker in 1982 by Tsuneishi ZKK in Numakuma, Japan. Named Janus for the Anders Jahre fleet, it measured 40,482 grt, 67,208 dwt. It was renamed Skaulake in 1991 then Cabo de Hornos in 1992.

CSL Acadian picked up some frozen spray during  its passage from the Gulf of St.Lawrence and Baie de Chaleur.

When single hull tankers were banned in most countries following the US lead after the Exxon Valdez grounding, the ship was still in good condition, with a quality B+W main engine (built under license). CSL International acquired the ship and renamed in Cabot in 2004. It was then rebuilt with a new forebody as a self-unloader and renamed in 2006. Now measuring 45,740 grt, 74,517 dwt, it has many years service left.


Travellers between south western Nova Scotia and New Brunswick will have to go the long way until March 20. The ferry Fundy Rose made its last crossing between Digby, NS and Saint John, NB January 24 and headed for Halifax.

It is now berthed at pier 9 for a refit. When the Minister of Transport acquired the Blue Star Ithaki in 2014 it was renamed Canada 2014 and came to Halifax where it received an extensive refit before entering service July 18 2015.  It was named to commemorate Rose Fortune a notable Digby citizen, born a slave and credited with being the first female police officer in Canada.

The ship has been well received on the Fundy service, and has been working steadily until now. It certainly shows cosmetic evidence of that hard work.


The exodus of RCN ships for warmer climes happens every winter, but this year there is a bit of a twist as Kingston and Summerside headed for West Africa this week. Newspaper accounts report that the ships of this class were built as minesweepers and intended to be coastal vessels but now seem to be able to "go anywhere". Several have indeed made trans ocean voyages. These two will head to the Caribbean first before taking the shorter equatorial crossing of the Atlantic to join Operation Obangame Express 2018 in the Gulf of Guinea.

Orange clad matelots tidy up on deck and stow fenders as Windsor heads for sea.

Also sailing today was HMCS Windsor Since it did not declare its destination I can only assume it is headed south also.

At Autport Glovis Companion was unloading another batch of cars. The ship was built in 2010 by Mitsubishi, Nagasaki as Ocean Challenger. The 60,213 grt, 18,671 dwt ship has a capacity of 6,340 cars and was acquired by NOCC (Norwegian Car Carriers AS) in 2013 and renamed.

 The tide was way out in Eastern Passage, and a conveniently discarded tire will serve as the copyright mark for this photo.

Late in the afternoon the ship moved to pier 27 to work more cargo, and free up the berth for the next ship, Mediterranean Highway. There is a steady stream of ships into Autoport this winter as usual, stocking up the lots for the spring.

Always impressive, Atlantic Container Line's Atlantic Star arrived  on its regular slot this afternoon. The first of the G-4 ships to call in Halifax, it made it first visit January 6, 2016. 

All five of the new G5s have had breaking-in issues, but now that the bugs have been largely ironed out ACL has announced that it will accept up to 12 fare paying passengers on transatlantic voyages. A variety of fares, depending on ports and choice of accommodation sound quite reasonable for such a unique experience.

Finale
The autocarrier Mediterranean Highway almost missed the last call for photos as dusk descended rapidly this afternoon. It is passing the Maugher's Beach lighthouse in bound.

Built in 2002 by Imabari Zosen, Murugame, the 55,493 grt, 17,228 dwt ship has a capacity for 6015 cars.

.

Roundup

Shipfax was beset in the space of a few days last week, but has now overhauled most of its rigging and has resumed its course. What happened in the harbour was noted but not photo'd  observed, but there is still left over info from the previous weekend.

April 1

The bulker Longshore (ex Ethel -16) 23,456 *grt, 34,399 dwt arrived and anchored in Bedford Basin.
After few days of hold cleaning the ship moved to pier 28 and loaded grain.

It sailed April 8. Although the AIS shows its destination as Belledune, NB, that is clearly not the case since it headed south.
* with a grt of 23456 it should have a dwt of 34567!

Sailing April 1, the cargo ship Saimagraacht made its second call this year, on what has become a regular service for Spliethoff's.
Built in 2005 by Szczecinska Nowa in Poland the 18,321 grt, 23,660 dwt ship has side loading doors and enclosed elevators specifically for forest products, but as on this trip she was also carrying a few containers on deck. She can carry 1273 TEU.

The ship is also retro-fitted with an exhaust gas scrubber system (and none too elegantly either)  - which like most of those installation smokes like an old stogy. Nothing like removing SOx and NOx and leaving a trail of particulate.

The Frankenstein version scrubber system was added after the ship was built.



Also sailing on April 1, the CCGS Alfred Needler on temporary winter assignment to work out of Halifax, the research trawler headed for the Gulf and Argentia.

The ship was built in 1982 in Pictou and based in Halifax. After an engine room fire in 2003 it was laid up, but then rebuilt and transferred to Newfoundland,replacing sister ship Wilfred Templeman when it was retired in 2011.
Three replacement ships (one for the west coast) will be built by Seaspan as part of the National Ship Procurement program now under way.

April 2: becalmed 

April 3: in irons

April 4: broached to

April 5: decks swept

April 6: abacked

April 7: bilges pumped , jury rigged

The veteran Newfoundland based offshore patrol vessel Cape Roger sailed on another of its frequent patrols. It works out of Halifax in winter (February to April) then returns to Gulf and Newfoundland waters.
Built in 1977 by Ferguson Industries Ltd of Pictou it was modernized in 1996 at Shelburne, and wintered over in St.Catharines, ON 2010-2011 where it was refitted at the Port Weller drydock. At that time its flight deck was decommissioned and hangar removed.
Construction was well underway April 1, 1976 when fisheries minister (and later Governor General) Roméo LeBlanc announced its name and spring 1977 delivery. This year is its 40th anniversary.
A later vessel of the same basic design and class is CCGS Cygnus, built in 1982, and distinguishable by its full width all weather bridge and some smaller details such as mast placement. It is alo based in Newfoundland.

April 8: re-rigged and underway 

The big cable ship Dependable got underway for a cable repair job off Nova Scotia. It arrived April 6 to load cable for the work. Followng that job it will return to its normal base of Baltimore.

Dependable arrives in misty weather. The davit forward of amidships is used to deploy a buoy to mark one end of a severed cable while the ship goes off to retrieve the other end.  

Built in 2002 the ship is one of six sisters operated by TE-Subcom (formerlyTyco) world-wide. Some of the sisters, including Reliance and Responder have worked out of Halifax in the past.

 A 12,184 grt ship, built in 2002, it does its cable work over the stern through multiple sheaves.

There is also a gantry (here in the stowed position) that can be hoisted out over the stern to deploy is trenching plow.

The blue structure at left is the shoreside cable loading conveyor.

The usual run of  "car boats" visited Autoport during the week. However Wilhemsen's Toscana unloaded a large quantity of wheeled material and odd loads at pier 31, before shifting to Autoport.

Built in 2009 by MHI Nagasaki Shipyard and Engineering Works, the 61,328 grt ship can carry 6542 cars.
Odd loads? How about a shrink wrapped helicopter?

It was transferred from its Maafi trailer to a highway trailer today, ready for the next leg of its trip.

April 9: arrived in port

There was early morning activity in the harbour as the small chemical tanker Lutsen prepared to sail after taking bunkers overnight.

A.P.A. No.1 takes the pilot out to the departing Lutsen at number 2 anchorage, as Toscana unloads at Autoport.

Lutsen was built in 2006 by Samho Shipbuilding Co Ltd in Tongyong as Songa Diamond. It weas quickly renamed Brovig Bay, then in 2007 it became Liquid Velvet and Ben. It was renamed Lutsen in 2016. Measuring only 8,450 grt and 12,901 dwt, it is small by contemporary standards.  It headed for Montreal.

Also at anchor April the general cargo ship Norderney underwent Asian gypsy moth inspection before proceeding to pier 9c.

At pier 9c work began to fit the ship with prefabbed cable tank components. This is a regular activity at the pier, with several ships fitted with the steel frames in the past few years.

Built in 2012 the ship measures 4591 grt, 5475 dwt. It flies the Antigua and Barbuda flag for German owners. It carries a pair of what appear to be 40 tonne cranes, serving box shaped holds.

Container traffic continues apace with several new faces, but some familiar ones too.


OOCL Kaohsiung a 5888 TEU (including 586 reefers) ship built in 2006 by Koyo Dockyard in Mihara, is operated under OOCL long term charter by Nissen Kaiun Co Ltd.

Where it will go when OOCL finally leaves the G6 Alliance, will be interesting to see since larger ships are displacing "old post Panamax" ships in large numbers.

.