Sarah Desgagnés - close approach and a Book Note

 The Canadian tanker Sarah Desgagnés made a close approach to Halifax today September 18. Coming to a stop off Chebucto Head for only a few minutes, it was soon on its way again, eastbound. It has been a while since the tanker has been in Halifax, and it was too far offshore (and in fog) for a photo today, so this March 2020 file photo will have to do.

The ship is returning from a trip to Philadelphia and I assume it came in close to shore to get into cell phone range for crew members to phone home.

Its current AIS signal is not giving a destination, but its heading is well offshore, possibly for Newfoundland or the St.Lawrence River.

Book Note

The Musée maritime de Charlevoix, in St-Joseph-de-la-Rive, QC has recently published a fascinating book (in French only) which is in fact two books under one cover. The village of St-Joseph-de-la-Rive is the ancestral home of the Desgagnés family, antecedents of the current Transport Desgagnés companies, and founders of the museum. It is therefore appropriate that the subjects of these two stories are the Desgagnés family over two centuries and Maurice "Jimmy" Desgagnés, pioneering schooner captain and the inspiration behind the founding family of the current company.

It will interest Nova Scotia readers to see references to trips by Maurice Desgagnés on his schooner Marie Vigilante to "Cow Bay",  Nova Scotia in 1890. This is not the present day Cow Bay, very close to Halifax, just past Eastern Passage, adjacent to Cole Harbour. That Cow Bay was named for an early settler whose name was Cowie. It has no coal (with an "a").

The Cow Bay that Desgagnés called on is today known as Port Morien and is the site of one of the oldest coal mines in Nova Scotia. (It supposedly received its name after a cow jumped off a ship into the harbour and made for land.) Desgagnés had a contract with the Caledonia Coal Company of Glace Bay and made several trip to load coal at Glace Bay and at nearby "Cow Bay". In October 1890 he opted to return to Quebec by way of the Strait of Canso rather than the Cabot Strait but encountered a severe October storm (possibly a hurricane) and ran aground. After jettisoning all of the cargo, he was able to reach Port Hawksbury for repairs.

Les Desgagnés, deux siècles en goélette du quai des Eboulements à la Terre de Baffin - Catherine Melançon // Maurice Jimmy Desgagnés et ses goélettes: une vie pour les moins aventureuse 1849-1912 - Michel Desgagnés.

Available from: La Musée maritime de Charlevoix, St-Joseph-de-la-Rive, QC.

ISBN 978-2-9801964-1-6, soft cover, 136 pages including a lexique (glossary), family tree, more than a dozen illustrations, including a map, general arrangement drawing (fold out page), priced at $19.95 (postage will be extra)

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South End Too

There was activity in the south end of the port today too.

At pier 27 the Bulgarian owned, Malta flag bulker Rila that arrived yesterday [see yesterday's post] was loading what appeared to be grain.

Most unusually the ship was berthed stern in. In all the years I have been watching ships in Halifax, this is the first time I can recall a ship loading at the grain spouts in the stern in position.

At the south end container terminal operating as PSA Halifax, Melfi Line's Julius-S. completed loading and sailed for Mariel, Cuba.

Amongst the boxes there is another of those bright green La Estancia trailers. I thought they had all gone out on the last Melfi ship, X-Press Makulu on March 3. See: http://shipfax.blogspot.com/2020/03/near-normal.html

There was activity at the oil terminals too, and it is a bit unusual.

At Imperial Oil it is Algoterra fresh from winter maintenance in Quebec City. The ship has not yet been repainted in Algoma colours since acquired last year.

Once it completed its alongside refit in Quebec, it loaded at Valero and headed for Halifax. It is not unusual for the oil companies to acquire product from each other. Interestingly Algoma fleet mate Algoscotia sailed from Halifax March 8 for Houston, TX - another source of product.

Also arriving, but for Irving Oil is Sarah Desgagnés (again) from Saint John.

(Ah - finally a bow shot). This is Sarah's second visit recently. It is  taking up the slack in Irving's own fleet as their Canadian flag tanker East Coast is in drydock in Setubal, Portugal. It sailed from here February 24, see: http://shipfax.blogspot.com/2020/02/tankers-something-for-everybody.html
and arrived in Setubal March 5.

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Louis, Maria, Graceful Leader, CSL Tacoma - playing catchup

After a foggy morning yesterday, then no harbour movements later, today was catch up day.

CCGS Louis S. St-Laurent at BIO.  Pardon the utility lines, but normal photo vantage points are blocked by new fences and old snow and ice.

CCGS Louis S. St-Laurent was tied up at the Bedford Institute pier and this evening it took bunkers. Both the Louis and the Henry Larsen that was in earlier in the week probably took stores, had minor repairs and maybe even had crew changes , taking a few days off from ice breaking activities in the Gulf.

Back at pier 25, Sarah Desgagnés resumes winter maintenance.

The tanker Sarah Desgagnés arrived last Saturday with cargo and after unloading at Imperial Oil, moved over to pier 25. The ship was in for a week earlier in the year for maintenance, but went back to work. Presumably it will continue from where it left off. Last time there were divers working under the ship.

Another odd view of Autoport thanks to snow and ice banks at the normal vantage points.

The autocarrier Graceful Leader sailed late this afternoon after finally being able to complete unloading. It arrived Tuesday, but with icy conditions persisting at Autoport, disembarking cars have to be moved to backup storage areas, taking much longer to unload.

I may never get used to the bluff bow of the new Trillium class CSL ships.

CSL Tacoma sailed early this afternoon with a part load of gypsum. It probably loaded to permissible draft at National Gypsum. It arrived early yesterday morning, so delays due to frozen material likely held up what would normally have been a 12 hour operation.

Unaccustomed visitor to pier 27.

To round off, the supplier Atlantic Condor was over on the Halifax side this afternoon. It uses the Mobil dock in Dartmouth to work cargo and supplies for offshore.When not working it usually ties up at the IEL dock, but space there is a t premium because the tanker Algonova is also in for a maintenance period.

Not photographed, but worth mentioning, HMCS Preserver made a cold move to Imperial Oil today to take fuel.

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More Sunday by the numbers

HMCS Toronto made an ice-clad arrival - which I missed-  and tied up at HMC Dockyard Jetty Charlie 3 about 1000, to be met by dependents and other well wishers. After six months in the Mediterranean, the ship berthed first in St.John's NL last week and came on to Halifax. It must have been making speed to have accumulated so much ice.

Nestled in between Sackville and Preserver, Toronto is shedding some of its frozen spray as the temperature rises.

It was not until later in the afternoon that Cenito finally moved back to Imperial Oil #3. By that time Algoma Dartmouth had moved on the pier 9, where it will take Algonova alongside for bunkers this evening.

 Cenito at anchor yesterday morning in Bedfrod Bains, with a few lingering traces of sea smoke.

Meanwhile Sarah Desgagnés arrived at pier 26 just at dusk. A rare caller in Halifax, the ship usually works abroad under Barbados flag during the winter, but this year appears to be headed for layup.

Atlantic Larch assists Sarah Desgagnés to turn and back in to pier 26 to layup. She shows no frozen spray, indicating an arrival from the south.

Built in 2007 by the Gisan shipyard in Tuzla, Turkey as Besiktas Greenland it was registered in Quebec May 2, 2008. It spent the winter of 2008-2009 trading between the UK and Europe. Over the winter of 2010-2011 it spent nine months in Antwerp when its charterer went into bankruptcy. It was freed in March 2011 and returned in Canada in May. It usually operates on the St.Lawrence and the Great Lakes in the shipping season, but does go farther afield.. It is the second Desgagnés tanker to layup in Halifax this winter - Maria Desgagnés is at pier 33.

In somewhat more clement conditions Sarah Desgagnés makes her way upbound in the Welland Canal in May. Nevertheless she soon met thick ice at Port Colborne as the Lakes had record ice cover in the winter 2013-2014, and it was still clogging the locks well into May.

More tankers: Maersk Katalin, Piltene and Desgagnés

The tankers keep rolling into Halifax, with both Imperial (Esso) and Ultramar (Valero)  hosting a steady stream of ships.
The Latvian Shipping Company's Piltene arrived on January 29 and tied up at Ultramar in Eastern Passage. Then yesterday it moved to #1 anchorage, which would normally mean a short stay. However she will remain there until at least tomorrow.

Built by the 3 Maj shipyard in Rijeka, Crotia in 2007, Piltene measures 30,641 gross otns, 52,648 deadweight.

Also arriving on January 29, Maersk Katalin, from Houston, has been anchored in Bedford Basin ever since. She had under water surveys going on all day yesterday. Built by Guangzhou International Shipyard in China, she is a very similar ship to the tanker Alice built in the same yard in 2013, and which sailed for Saint John January 29 after a prolonged stay in Halifax since January 5.

Maersk Katalin was built in 2012 and measures 24,463 gross tons, 39, 724 deadweight. Registered in Singapore, she is owned by Maersk Tankers Singapore. She carries the full Maersk colour scheme, unlike fleet mate Maersk Elliot (which sails for Maersk Tankers France) which still has the white superstructure from a previous owner's paint scheme.

Maersk Elliot, now anchored in Bedford Basin  has been in port since January 6 and has been on and off berth.

This morning's arrival was the Canadian flag tanker Maria Desgagnés which is understood to be on charter to Imperial Oil. She anchored for bunkers from Algoma Dartmouth (the first such operation since Sterling Fuels took over harbour bunkering in Halifax.)

The ship is due to move to Imperial Oil this evening, and fleet mate Sarah Desgagnés is also due in port this evening. Maria Desgagnés was due to layup for repairs for about a month. When she leaves Imperial Oil, her place is to be taken by Piltene.

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