Where are the Ships?

 I am not a shipping analyst - merely a ship watcher, but I cannot help but notice that there have been very few container ships in port lately. In fact during the past week (September 12 to 19) Cerescorp has handled only two ships for THE Alliance and three ACL ships. PSA Halifax handled no ZIM ships (a feeder is due September 20), no Tropical Shipping ship (one is due September 20), two Maersk/CMA CGM  transatlantic ships, but no CGM long haul ships, one Eimskip ship (two calls - one westbound and one eastbound) and three MSC ships.

So aside from strictly transatlantic ships and North American routes, there was very little activity. Shipping lines have "blanked" sailings because the ships are not available. Some 65 ships are anchored or drifting off Los Angeles / Long Beach, California and other west coast ports are experiencing delays.

Shipping lines are therefore diverting ships from their regular routes and sending them to the Pacific in hopes of keeping up with demand (and making more money). However LALB, for instance, is working to capacity and cannot increase throughput even if there is demand.

Therefore we are seeing fewer ships in Halifax since they are either delayed in the transpacific legs of their trips or they are being taken off Asia /Europe or transatlantic routes and sent to the Pacific.

MSC Anya anchored off Halifax August 2.

MSC for instance has recently transferred MSC Anya to the Pacific. It has been a regular on one of MSC's Canadian services. MSC has also acquired more ships so will likely make up the difference. Of more concern are ZIM, THE Alliance and CMA CGM whose absence will surely reduce Halifax's annual cargo figures substantially.

In the next few days we will begin to see some "extra loaders". These are unscheduled ships spot chartered or diverted slightly from other routes, to deal with delayed cargo or to pick up desperately needed empties to send back to Asia.

And an almost footnote is the reduction in automobile imports due to a shortage of computer chips. Again it is difficult to measure the reduction in cars carried per trip, since the auto carriers continue to come to Halifax from Europe, but all automakers worldwide are experiencing production issues due to the dearth of chips. 

WW's Torino moving from Pier 31 to Autoport today (September 18) has some cars on board despite the chip shortage.

So far traffic from Asia has not been diverted in significant number to Suez/Med/Atlantic or Panama/ East Coast but it may happen as cargo shippers grow frustrated with delays. In the meantime we will be seeing fewer container ships in Halifax, but some unusual ones too.

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Big Moves

There were a couple of big moves in the harbour today, keeping the tug fleet very busy (see also Tugfax).

The biggest move was the arrival of the jack-up drill rig Noble Regina Allen.

Siem Commander and Atlantic Osprey brought the rig into harbour where harbour tugs came along to assist.

The rig is just coming off some work with Exxon Mobil in decommissioning gas wells off Sable Island. It will spend January and February in Halifax at the IEL dock in Woodside in refit then go to work for Encana until June when it will return to the IEL dock again before heading for Trinidad.

Built in 2013 the rig is a Friede Goldman type JU3000 capable of working in 400 ft of water and drilling to a depth of 3500 ft. The three jack-up legs are 554.7 feet in length.

Also moving at the same time as the arrival was the autocarrier Torino. The Pure Car and Truck Carrier had discharged some industrial vehicles at pier 31 and was moving over the Autoport to offload cars. Two of the harbour tugs carried out that move leaving two others for the rig.

Torino sporting the new Wallenius Wilhelmsen colour scheme.

The ship was built in 2009 by Mitsubishi,  Nagasaki and has a capacity of 6,354 cars (RT 43 type) and measures 61,828 gt, 22,160 dwt.

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Another Busy Day

It was a three cruise ship day (Maasdam, Seven Seas Navigator and Regal Princess) and three merchant ships working at the deep water piers.

Algoma Mariner will complete unloading its grain cargo this evening and will sail at midnight..

Torino made a stopover at pier 31 en route to Autoport. It unloaded a score of timber harvesting trucks and other oversize cargo.

The ship's particulars were given here on its last call May 28.

Meanwhile at pier 28, BBC Maple Lea arrived with an unsual deck cargo of several yachts. They do not appear to be for Halifax however, since the cargo being unloaded is coming from a hold. Numerous large crates and several metal fabrications were quickly off loaded to a dozen or so trucks.

BBC Maple Lea is one of those ubiquitous former Beluga ships. Built as Beluga Flirtation in 2007. When Beluga collapsed, it became Thorco Horizon in 2001, then Maple Lea in 2012. It received its current name in June of this year. Qingshan, Wuhan, China turned out the ship and fitted it with a pair of 120 tonne cranes that can combine for a 240 tonne lift. The ship itself measures 9611 grt, 12,719 dwt. [See Footnote 1]

 Later this evening some cargo will be off loaded to the barge NT 1509 which arrived in tow of the tug Keewatin October 8 see: Tugfax


Meanwhile there were two tankers at Imperial Oil:

STI Seneca is a nearly new tanker, emerging from the Hyundai Mipo yard in Ulsan in June of this year. Of typical handy size it measures 29,785 grt, 49,990 dwt.Owners Scorpio Tankers are based in Monaco. Tye operate more than 75 owned tankers, totaling in excess of 4.9 mn dwt. They operate another 17 tankers of more than 1mn dwt and have several more on order. More on them here: Scorpiotankers.com

At the number 3 dock next astern, is the Irving charter East Coast ex Nor'Easter. Also a product of Hyundai, Mipo, but in 2005, it now sports an exhaust scrubber (previously covered here .)

Last arrival, at dusk, was the tanker Acacia Noir. The appropriately named ship is carrying a cargo of asphalt for McAsphalt Industries. It used the western channel inbound, giving the straighter eastern channel to the outbound Maasdam, and thus a rare starboard to starboard passing.

One of the smallest tankers to visit Halifax at 3,923 grt, 5,895 dwt Acacia Noir was built in 2004 by Selah Makina in Tuzla, Turkey. It is operated by Wisby Tankers AB of Lidkoping, Sweden. Built as Mar Paula, the ship took its present name in September this year. Its last port was Paulsboro, NJ, home of the independent PBF Energy refinery.

Footnote 1

On February 17, 2013 the ship, then called Maple Lea had mechanical problems off Cape Breton and was taken in tow. It then became stuck in ice. While breaking ice around the ship CCGS Louis S. St-Laurent "made contact" and both ships sustained hull damage. The owners took action in the Federal Court against the Crown. I have not heard if the matter has been resolved.

Slim pickings

It was slim pickings in the harbour today, as compared to yesterday, and due to various timing conflicts it was only possible to catch one ship underway, and that was the autocarrier Torino sailing from Autoport.

Torino strikes out for sea late this afternoon.

Owned by Wilhelmsen Lines Car Carriers through its Southampton office, the ship flies the British flag and sails for the combined Wallenius Wilhelmsen Lines. It was built in 2009 by Mitsubishi, Nagasaki and is 61,328 grt and 22,160 dwt.

There will be two departures after dark from Imperial Oil. Irving Oil's Acadian from number 3 dock and STI Texas City from number 4.

With the George's Island's jetty in the foreground, STI Texas City is in the last stages of unloading. Acadian, just astern, will also finish up tonight.

The aptly named STI Texas City works for Scorpio Ship Managwement of Monaco and flies the Marshall Islands flag. It was built in 2014 by SPP Shipbuilding Co of Sacheon, South Korea, and rings in at 29,732 grt, 49,990 dwt. It will go to anchor over night before sailing in the morning.

STI Texas City, shortly after arriving at Imperial Oil on May 25.

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Torino - New Year's Day arrival

 1. The tugs Atlantic Willow and Atlantic Larch have come alongside Torino to assist. The ship must be turned ninety degrees and backed in to the pier.

A rare mid-day arrival for an autocarrier, and also unusually, tying up at pier 30-31. Most autocarriers arrive early in the morning at Autoport, but with New Year's Day a holiday for longshoremen, Torino opted to go to pier 31 first, and to be ready for work when work resumes tomorrow. Whatever she has on board appears to have been loaded last and must come off first - likely a large object!
The ship will move to Autoport tomorrow to unload her cargo of cars.
Torino was built in 2009 and is registered in Southampton, UK, where her owners, Wilhelmsen Lines Car Carrier division is based. The Wilhelmsen parent company is Norwegian and the ship works in the pool with Wallenius Lines of Sweden.The ship measures 61,328 gross tons and has a capacity of 6,354 autos.

2. Viewed from abeam, the ship's size is evident.

 

3. Now alongside pier 30-31, the crew has just lowered and secured the stern ramp and it appears that Canadian Border Services Agency members are preparing to board.