Harbour Miscellany

HMCS Charlottetown - cold day for boat work

A thin skim of frozen spray coats the hull of Charlottetown as it arrives this afternoon to disembark some of its people. There is frozen spray on the waterlines of Algonova (left) and Atlantic Condor (right background)

HMCS Charlottetown arrived from sea mid-day today and disembarked some people to an open boat. At -20C it was the coldest day so far this winter, but with a good breeze blowing the wind chill was truly frigid.


Onego Trader - buttoned down for sea

After a lengthy port stay to unload rails Onego Trader was finally finished working its cargo today and had its cranes stowed for sea. According to AIS its next port of call will be Bull Arm, NL.

 The ship arrived February 4, and even allowing for several days delay due to weather conditions, it still took a very long time to unload. Perhaps there was some problem with the cargo - either it had shifted during the voyage or was frozen in place, or there was limited room on the pier for more cargo to be landed.

Tasman Strait - finally sailed this afternoon

Colds air but calm seas for Tasman Sea as it heads outbound.

The Melfi Lines ship finished loading and sailed today after several days off. Late arrival of cargo by train is the suspected cause of the delay. The rail line between Halifax and Moncton was blocked for several days due to a stalled train. So much outbound cargo had backlogged in Halifax that there was no room in the Rockingham rail yard for inbound cargo. The ship arrived February 18 and shifted to pier 26 for the weekend to make room for other ships. It was back at pier 42 yesterday, and it appears to have taken on an almost full load of containers.

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A switch for Tasman Strait

Melfi Lines' Tasman Strait arrived on  Monday February 16 and tied up at pier 42 as usual. This is the fourth  voyage for the ship on Melfi's Europe/ Halifax/ Cuba run. By Friday the ship was still at the berth, and with other ships due, it was moved around to pier 26.

Pier 26, with the grain unloading facility, is little used these days since grain now arrives by train, and it rarely sees a container ship.

An unusual berth for a container ship, no cargo can be worked at that berth, so the ship must either be undergoing repairs or waiting for incoming cargo to arrive by train.

There have been delays in rail movements due to weather, and an impending lockout at CN will not improve that very much if at all. No estimated time of departure has been set for the ship.

The ship first called here as Ocean Emerald in March 2014, and was renamed by the time it made its second visit in October.

http://shipfax.blogspot.ca/2014/03/ocean-emerald-voyage-1-for-melfi.html
http://shipfax.blogspot.ca/2014/05/ocean-emerald-for-melfi.html

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Bunkers, Passengers and a New Name

It was active in Halifax today with ships arriving and departing at all hours.
Arriving for bunkers, Vectis Falcon showed off her unusual bow.
 

Owned Carisbrooke Shipping of the UK, but built by Jiangsu Yangzijiang in China, the 6190 grt, 8555 dwt general cargo ship boasts better seakeeping and fuel economy with the innovative bow form and other green features. http://www.carisbrookeshipping.net/Vectis-Falcon.aspx.

Also with a distinctive bow, Havelstern sailed after bunkering.

The Canadian flag, former German ship has an icebreaking bow, and sees extensive use in the high north during the shipping season there. Based in Newfoundland, it is owned by Coastal Shipping Ltd, part of the Woodward Group.,


There were hardy passengers from cruise ships in Halifax today too. With cooler fall temperatures and rougher weather, it has been quite an experience for some.

Pearl Mist is off schedule due to weather, and has adjusted its port call rotation and dates as a result. It is in a day Halifax early, and will stay overnight. but sailed this evening.

 
Maasdam is on schedule, but met high winds and ten foot seas on its trip down from Sydney last night. It should have a pleasanter night tonight on its way to New York if conditions in the harbour are any indication..

Melfi Lines' caller today is Tasman Strait. This is its first call here with that name since it was applied last month. When it first called here in May it was bearing the name  Ocean Emerald see also http://shipfax.blogspot.ca/2014/05/ocean-emerald-for-melfi.html

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