Famous Fog

 Halifax certainly lays no claim to be the foggiest port in eastern Canada (two other ports, which shall remain nameless here, may fight it out between them for the title*.) Never mind, there is often fog in Halifax in June, and if it is not within the port, it is lingering not far offshore and creeps in and out with the tide or the breezes.

Today, June 17, there were lingering traces for most of the day, but they held off enough so that arriving and departing ships were visible.

Among the arrivals was the auto carrier Supreme Ace. When it docked at Autoport the fog had pretty well lifted, but the undergrowth has sprung up to partly block the view.

By comparison. last August 8 when the ship was here, the undergrowth was shorter (and there was no fog).

    The ship was built in 2011 by Minami Nippon in Shitanoe, Japan. It is a 59,022 gt, 18,384 dwt vessel with a capacity quoted at 6,183 small cars, 5,063 medium cars or 4,425 large cars. As it was on its last visit the Supreme Ace is not following the usual trajectory for imports, but is eastbound from Houston, Veracruz, and Davisville, Rhode Island heading for Emden, Germany. Most of the major auto manufacturers build cars in Canada, and although most are exported to the United States, some are presumably exported to Europe.

Another arrival was the familiar MSC Tamara arriving from Sines, Portugal on the CANEX1 service from Italy for Montreal. The ship was delivered by Zhejiang Shipbuilding Co, Ningbo, China in 2008. With tonnages of 41,125 gt and 50,446 dwt, it has a capacity of 4254 TEU including 550 reefers.

The ship was in the clear by the time it reached the PSA Halifax Gateway terminal and tied up at Pier 42 to reduce draft for the St.Lawrence River. The ship certainly looked well laden. (Draft was reported as 12.3 meters / 40 feet 4 1/2 inches).

The early morning arrival at Pier 41 was still in port when the MSC Tamara arrived, but there was lots of room for the two ships, even though the other ship was the Ultra size CMA CGM Chile. Its 149,314 gt, 157,076 dwt size and capacity of 15,072 TEU made it the largest container ship to call in Halifax when it began calling here in 2020. It has since been surpassed by the CMA CGM Marco Polo at 176,546 gt, 187,625 dwt and 16,020 TEU capacity.

On departure the ship was quickly swallowed up in the evening fog.

Cruise ship passengers on the Seven Seas Navigator may be in for an unpleasant night of it as high winds are predicted.  

The ship got away from Pier 20 and headed north about George's Island, which was still visible (the fog was still well offshore - that is MSC Tamara docking in the backgound.)

The story of the Seven Seas Navigator may be well known, but is worth repeating. Laid down in 1988 by the Admiralty Shipyard in St.Petersburg, USSR, it was to be the satellite tracking ship named Akademik Nikolay Pilyugin. It was launched in 1991 but not completed, and Radisson Seven Seas Cruises bought the ship as an unfinished hull. Mariotti Shipyard in Italy built a new superstructure and fitted it out as a cruise ship in 1999. It has a capacity of 490 passengers and a crew of 340.

The converison process also included fitting sponsons on the stern to improve the ships behaviour at sea. 

The ship is en route from Montreal, Quebec City, Port Alfred and Sydney to Hamilton, Bermuda. Its four planned calls in CornerBrook, NL in May and June have been cancelled due to lingering ice off the west coast of Newfoundland. 

 * Famous Fog

The Fourchu fog signal in Yarmouth set a record in July 1938 when it blew for a total of 498 1/2 hours out of the 744 total hours in 31 days (it blew 180 hours in 1936 and 457 hours in 1937). At one point it blew 121 hours straight (= 5 days 1 hour). The resident light keeper and others living in the immediate area must have had a ringing in their ears well into August.

I don't know what records are kept these days, but as most signlas are automated perhaps some computer somewhere logs the hours.

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Cruise Times Two (plus later addition)

 The Port of Halifax cruise season traditionally hits its stride in September / October, but this year it is getting off to an early and busy start. Resuming activities after two years on April 26, the port greeted two ships, then one ship on April 29 and two more ships today April 30.

First in this morning was another large one - the 92,250 gt Norwegian Dawn with a capacity of 2,340 passengers, with a crew of 1,032. It arrived before full daylight and monopolized Pier 22 when it tied up. In fact its bow overhung the end of the seawall, projecting several feet into the Pier 23 camber.

The ship was built in 2002 by Jos. L. Meyer, Papenburg, Germany and has had several noteworthy incidents in its career. For a summary see:  Wikipedia

Later in the morning it was a smaller ship, the Seven Seas Navigator rated for 490 passengers and 340 crew. 

Because of the larger ship's position at Pier 22, and the other available berth at Pier 24, the Seven Seas Navigator called for tugs, a very rare occurrence for cruise ships calling in Halifax.

Cruise ship operators hate to have their pristine white paint scuffed up by black tug fenders. Sometimes tug operators drape white canvas sheeting over their bows, but not this time.

I have related the ship's history before, which I repeat here:

The Seven Seas Navigator ship started life in 1988 in the Soviet Admiralty Shipyard in St.Petersburg as a naval support ship for satellite tracking, launched in 1991 as Akademik Nikolay Pilyugin. However it was bought incomplete by Radisson Cruises. They has it towed around to T.Marrioti SpA in Genoa and had  it completed and outfitted in 1999. It initially had 250 cabins and could carry 542 passengers but this was reduced to 490, but with a crew of 340 giving a very high degree of service for those travellers.
The 28,550 grt ship is strengthened for navigation in ice, but has had vibration issues. Its stern, including props and rudders, was re-built by Blohm+Voss in Hamburg in 2010, including the addition of sponsons, or bustles, but that does not seem to have had much effect, and the ship is noted as "lively" at sea.
Radisson Seven Seas Cruises re-branded itself Regent Seven Seas Cruises in 2006 and in 2016 reportedly spent $40mn on a two month long refurbishment to bring the ship in line with Regent's décor standards.

The Sevesn Seas Navigator made headlines when it inaugurated the cruise season in Saint John, NB April 28, 2022, and it was reported that one crew member (who did not have contact with passengers) was isolating on board with COVID-19. The reports stated that there were only 124 passengers but 374 crew.

After Halifax the ship will go on to Sydney, Charlottetown and Corner Brook as part of a 15 night cruise that started in Miami. Its last port was Boston.

Addendum:

Norwegian Dawn was the first NCL ship to carry so called "hull art".

(This beholder's eye does not see art, but superfluous applied decoration.)

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Normal Comings and Goings

Seven Seas Navigator, arrived this morning and tied up at its usual berth at pier 23. To make the tight turn into the camber, the pilot used the tug Atlantic Oak to assist.

The ship has a somewhat unusual early history. It was originally laid down by the Admiralty Shipyard in Leningrad, USSR, as a satellite tracking ship, in 1988, and launched in 1991. To be named Akademik Nikolay Pilyugin. Caught up in collapse of the Soviet Union, the ship languished unfinished until 1998 when Radisson Seven Seas Cruises bought the hull. They had the T. Mariotti yard near Genoa build the superstructure and complete the ship for 490 passengers and 340 crew in 1999. Due to its relatively small size of 28,550 gt, almost all the cabins are outside with verandah.

Now operating as Regent Seven Seas Cruises, the company carried out a major refit to all public areas and suites in 2016.

The tanker Ardmore Sealifter arrived yesterday from Amsterdam for Irving Oil and was well along unloading this afternoon.

Built in 2008 by Onomichi Zosen, it is one of 26 or so ships in the Ardmore fleet of MidRange tankers, and measures 26,900 gt, 47,472 dwt. Its original name was Pacific Innovator but was renamed in 2014 when it joined the Ardmore pool. The bulkhead markings on its hull are still bright white from a July drydocking.

Arriving this morning at Ceres, Fairview Cove, the regular caller MOL Paramount also looked particularly neat and tidy as it transited the Narrows.

Dating from 2005 when it was built by Koyo Dockyard, it is a 71,902 gt, 72,968 dwt ship with a capacity of 6350 TEU , including 500 reefers. Industry wide slow steaming probably means that it never achieves its published maximum speed of 26 knots. The huge diameter exhaust pipe in the funnel leads from a 62,920 kW (84,377 bhp) MAN-B+W main engine.

Atlantic Bear is the tethered escort for braking and steering as they approach the Mac Kay bridge.

MOL Paramount is, at least for the time being, still maintaining its MOL identity despite the merged container interests of MOL, K-Line and NYK Line in Ocean Network Express. I am not looking forward to the day when it adopts the ONE hull color to match the ONE containers.

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Business as Usual

There was nothing particularly remarkable happening in the harbour today, but as with most days there were arrivals and departures, sometimes with a little more than meets the eye.

The cruise ship Seven Seas Navigator arrived early this morning, and due to its relatively small size, tucked in at pier 24, its usual berth.

The tug Gulf Spray and its barge remove refuse from the ship for disposal on shore. At least some of the material appears to be recyclables.The rest will be incinerated as "international waste."

The seawall, piers 20-22 was left open for Adventure of the Seas which made a somewhat odd noon arrival at the pilot station.

The Singapore flag product tanker BW Lynx arrived for Imperial Oil from Philadelphia with what appears to be a partial cargo.

Tugs line the ship up and push it alongside Number 3 dock.

 The former Elandra Lynx to 2014, was built in 2013 by SPP Tongyeong, and measures 29,737 gt and 49,999 dwt.

The Integrated Tug / Barge Leo A. McArthur / John J. Carrick arrived from the Great Lakes and tied up at the McAsphalt dock in Eastern Passage.

It made a wide swing west and north of George's Island, instead of cutting south of the Island at Ives Knoll. It probably did this to allow the autocarrier Valiant Ace to clear Autoport, which is the adjacent dock to McAsphalt.

CCGC G.Peddle S.C. sailed from the Bedford Institute for patrol along the South Shore.

The Peddle is regularly based here, and shared patrol duties with Corporal McLaren M.M.V. That boat has still not returned to service since vandals severed is mooring lines and it slipped off its cradle at Sambro last November. CCGC Constable Carrière has been drafted in from the Central Region to take its place.

White on White

As the penultimate cruise ship day for the 2018 season, Halifax greeted the Seven Seas Navigator. The last day of the season will be November 6 with both Insignia and Silver Wind scheduled. However for today visitors were "treated" to a good old pea souper that developed as the morning wore on. Passengers were seen emerging with complimentary blue brollies and boarding buses for sites that may also be almost invisible.

Essentially the same scene as my October 23 post, minus the wind - plus the fog 

(and a supervising gull.)

The late days of this season have brought frightful weather which goes some way to explaining why there have not been many posts lately.

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Big White Ships, Little White Boats

While cruise ships (the big white ships) are still calling in Halifax there is still demand for harbour tour boats (little white boats). There are still two weeks left in the cruise season  - the last ship is scheduled for  November 6 - and so the tour boats carry on despite chilly temperatures.
Today there were three cruise ships in port, Norwegian Dawn, the giant Anthem of the Seas and the more modestly sized Seven Seas Navigator. (The Victory I is due late this afternoon).

Seven Seas Navigator at pier 23 with Anthem of the Seas looming at pier 22.

That's the tug Gulf Spray with a scow alongside removing refuse and blocking the view of the ship's stern sponson.

The Seven Seas Navigator ship started life in the Soviet Admiralty Shipyard in St.Petersburg as a naval support ship for satellite tracking, launched in 1991 as Akademik Nikolay Pilyugin. However it was bought "on the stocks" so to speak by Radisson Cruises and towed around to T.Marrioti SpA in Genoa and completed in 1999 as a cruise ship. It initially had 250 cabins and could carry 542 passengers but this was reduced to 490, but with a crew of 340 giving a very high degree of service for those travellers.
The 28,550 grt ship is strengthened for navigation in ice, but has had vibration issues. Its stern, including props and rudders, was re-built by Blohm+Voss in Hamburg in 2010 but that does not seem to have had much effect, and the ship is noted as "lively" at sea.
Radisson Seven Seas Cruises re-branded itself Regent Seven Seas Cruises in 2006 and in 2016 reportedly spent $40mn on a two month long refurbishment to bring it in line with Regent's décor standards.

Among the little white boats, at least two were busy today, Kawartha Spirit went out on a nature cruise beyond Chebucto Head - perhaps looking for whales or maybe even white sharks. Built in 1964 by Hike Metal Products in Wheatley, ON, the boat worked as Miss Muskoka then Kawartha Spirit until 2016 when it was acquired by Murphy Sailing Tours Ltd of Halifax. There has been talk of a name change, with  more local content,  but nothing has happened yet.

 Summer Bay (left) outbound for McNab's Island and Kawartha Spirit inbound with a number of hardy sightseers.

Summer Bay was on its way to McNab's Island to pick up hikers as the tow passed my vantage point. It was built as Gaffer IV by Gatheralls Boat Tours Ltd in Bay Bulls, NL. A twin screw vessel with RFP hull, it initially showed up in Nova Scotia working out of Lunenburg as Summer Bay, but came to Halifax in 2004.

Murhys also operate the faux stern wheeler Harbour Queen I (which is also white) and the three masted schooner Silva which is not - it's black.

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More going and going

It seemed to all about going today.

The cable ship Responder sailed this morning after an overnighter at pier 26. It is a sister ship of Decisive and Resolute that were here earlier in the year laying the new Hibernia Express cable between Halifax and Ireland.

Built in 2010 by Keppel in Singapore as Tyco Responder, the ship arrived from Portsmouth, NH and sailed for New York.

There were two autocarriers in Halifax today and I happened to be in position to see them sail.

Hoegh Xiamen was the morning ship. It was built in 2010 by Xiamen Shipbuilding Industry in Xiamen, China.It sails under the Norwegian flag for Hoegh Autoliners.

Taking its place and sailing late in the afternoon was CSCC Tianjin. Despite its China Shipping billboard, it is owned by Ray Car Carriers of the Isle of Man and managed by Stamco of Piraeus, Greece, under the Bahamas flag. It was built in 2008 by Uljanik in Pula, Croatia.

Also going, was the last cruise ship of the season, Seven Seas Navigator is an exclusive ship with only 250 cabins and a crew of 345. It was built originally in 1999 in St.Petersburg, Russia to be a USSR naval support vessel to be named Akademik Nikolay Pilyugin. However it was completed by T.Mariotti of Genoa for cruising. It has been a Halifax caller since 2003.

Also going was the Princess of Acadia. Not sailing however for the Turkish scrapyards (at least not yet) it is only going as far as Sydney, NS. That suggests a cold layup of many months until a sale can be arranged.

Arriving today, but going tomorrow, the tug Boa Odin and Boa Barge 33 will be taking away the second and last section of the Novadock floating drydock.

The drydock's departure leaves Halifax with no available drydocking capability for civilian ships. Halifax Shipyard's Graving Dock is continuously occupied by refitting naval vessels, and HMC Dockyard's synchrolift is for the exclusive use of the relatively light weight naval vessels, mainly submarines.

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End of Cruise Season

It was a dreary day for visitors to Halifax today, with a cold rain and gusty wnds - not to mention the start of Standard Time again and thus an early onset of evening.
The weather did not seem to dampen the spirits of the passengers from AIDAmar who could be seem trekking all over Halifax.

The ship is on a positioning voyage from Helsinki to New York, and I am sure the passengers were quite happy to come ashore after some days of rough weather.

Meyer Werft in Papenburg, Germany built the 71.304 grt ship in 2012 for Aida Cruises of Rostock, part of Carnival Corp. Actual owner of the ship is Costa Crociere, and so the ship is registered in Italy.
It carries 2,686 passengers with a crew of only 620.

This is the second last scheduled cruise ship of this season, and with tomorrow's visit of Seven Seas Navigator it will be all over for another year.

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Cruise Ship Countdown

The end of the cruise ship season is upon us. The Emerald Princess, due October 31, is to be the last for this season, which saw the first ship arrive May 6. With 136 visits scheduled, 2013 stands to be another record or near record year for passengers. (In 2012, the previous record year, there were 134 calls with 252,000 plus passengers.)
Today saw two ships bidding farewell. Seven Seas Navigator

 1. Seven Seas Navigator getting away from pier 20, made a slow departure to allow for a an unaware yachtsman to get out of the way.

Laid down as Akademik Nikolay Pilyugin by the Admiralty Shipyard in St.Petersburg the ship was originally intended to be a naval support vessel. Those plans were changed and the ship was completed by the Mariotti yard in Genoa as a cruise ship.Radisson Seven Seas Cruises operate the ship from 1999 until 2006 when it was sold to current owners Regent Seven Seas Cruises. Promoting its crew to guest ratio of 1:15, the ship carries only 500 passengers, and many of the cabins have private balconies. 
In 2010, with the intention of addressing severe stern vibration issues, the awkward sponson structure was added by Lloyd-Werft in Bremerhaven. The work also included new rudders and props. While the work helped the ship's maneuverability and speed through the water, there are still vibration problems according to some sources.

Crystal Symphony 

2. Crystal Symphony makes her way outbound, with the shadow of the old Haltern crane falling just aft of amidships.

Built in 1995, Crystal Symphony, with 940 passengers is not among the newest or largest ships by far, but is one of the better looking ones, - free of all the extra graphics, and with remarkably clean and relatively unbroken deck lines.

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Dutch treats -- light and heavy loads

The unusual appearance of no less than four Dutch flagged ships in Halifax at the same time was impossible to capture in one photo - unless I had a helicopter.
Speaking of which, the lightest load lifted in Halifax harbour today was made by a Canadian military Search and Rescue Agusta/Westland CH-149 Cormorant off George's Island this afternoon. (The SAR version of the proven military EH-101 is the helicopter the Canadian navy should have in service by now if the previous government had not cancelled  the order. The substitute from Sikorsky has not been delivered yet, and may never be).

1. Where I would need to be to take a picture of four Dutch flagged ships - no thanks.

Among the visitors from the Netherlands was the big cruise ship Eurodam:

2. Eurodam sails, leading Seven Seas Adventurer.

Heavy lift ship Fairlift brought in some large cargo packages and sailed this afternoon for Hamilton, ON.

3. Outbound Fairlift stows its heavy cranes in a vertical position.

Fairlift was built in 1990 and carries one 400 tonne and one 250 tonne crane, which can work in combination. It is a shallow draft ship with a single large hold served by a single hatch. It called in Halifax in 2006 and 2007  loading GM EMD export locomotives both times.

The fourth Dutch ship in Halifax today is Hollandia, operating for Nirint and off-loading the usual cargo of nickel sulfides from Cuba. (For a photo see Halifax Shipping News.)

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Seven Seas Overnighter

Seven Seas Navigator extended its October 31 scheduled visit to an overnighter and sailed this morning - still into the teeth of a gale.

With The World due to sail this evening that will leave only Emerald Princess to arrive November 1 and  end the Halifax cruise season. The ship spent an extra night en route, sailing to Port Saguenay, then Corner Brook, to avoid storm Sandy. The ship skipped Bar Harbor April 28 and will also skip Newport on its return leg.

Seven Seas Navigator

The Seven Seas Navigator has made several calls in Halifax this year and is due for two more before the end of the cruise season. Since I hadn't attempted a photo of her yet this year, I was pleased when she got away from pier 22 and made course northbound around George's Island before turning south for sea and her next port of Bar Harbor. On an fairly dismal evening with mist in the air, she still looked pretty good.
As I am not a close follower of all developments in the cruise industry, I had missed the fact that she had a duck tail and sponsons added in a major refit in 2009-02010. These do nothing to improve her appearance, but did have other benefits.
Originally laid down as  naval support ship for the USSR, her hull was launched by Admiralty Shipyard in St.Petersburg. She was towed round to the T.Mariotti SpA yard in Genoa for completion as a luxury suite cruiser for Radisson Seven Seas Cruises in 1999. As a sort of Eliza Doolittle in the luxe cruise world she was noted for her excellent amenities, including mostly all verandah cabins, and high crew/guest ratio. Nevertheless there were many complaints about the build quality, systems, vibration and stability/comfort.
Regent Seven Seas Cruises took over in 2006 and have made numerous upgrades, including the big refit at Lloyd-Weft, Bremerhaven in 2009-2010.
The duck tail and associated sponsons (and new stern geometry) coupled with new high lift rudders and new props have by most accounts reduced the vibration issues to tolerable levels. New water tankage (whether for ballast or potable I don't know) have improved stability, maneuverability and speed. More recent renos in early 2012 have seen many cabins refurbed too.
Originally to be delivered as Akademik Nikolay Pilyugin, the Seven Seas Navigator measures 28,550 gross tons (this may not include the added sponsons and duck tail) and now carries an advertised 490 passengers with 345 crew (that's a 1:1.5 crew/pax ratio).

2. A large duck tail and sponsons added on each side did not improve the ship's appearance but had some other benefits. 

3. As the ship looked in her pre-sponson days, sailing on a brighter day in October 2004.