Some of Each

 It was a sort of smorgasbord of shipping in Halifax today, July 7, 2024, with representatives of most of the various types of ships that call here.

At PSA Halifax Atlantic Gateway there were two container ships, ONE Hawk at Pier 41 and Tropic Hope at Pier 42.

The ONE Hawk is a regular on THE Alliance's Asia -North America EC5 service and is one of several "bird class" 14,056 TEU sister ships on the route. It is westbound from Colombo for New York via the Cape of Good Hope.

 

The Tropic Hope and sister Tropic Lissette operate the weekly service for Tropical Shipping. Tropic Hope arrived this morning from San Juan, Puerto Rico, but was not working cargo this afternoon. It has its cranes swung out ready to start work Monday morning, and is due to sail for Palm Beach, FL.

PSA Fairview Cove also had a regular caller, ZIM China, on the the ZIM Container Atlantic (ZCA) service.

ZIM also carries Hapag-Lloyd (and UASC) boxes in addition to its own cargo.

 ZIM China made it first call in Halifax December 27, 2022. Built in 2008 by Samsung Shipbuilding + Heavy Industry in Geoje, South Korea, it is a 40,487 gt, 51,733 dwt ship with a capacity of 4275 TEU. It carried the name Hanjin Kenya from 2008 to 2017 then after a brief spell as Seaspan Kenya it became ALS Fauna later in 2017. It became ZIM China as of April 1, 2022. The tug Atlantic Bear escorted the ship beneath the A. Murray MacKay bridge (pictured) and through the Narrows and the Angus L. Macdonald bridge outbound for sea.

Autoport hosted the familiar Wallenius Wilhelmsen Thermopylae from the usual western Europe ports, Zeebrugge, Bremerhaven and Southampton.

The Thermopylae, 75,283 gt, 23,786 dwt dates from 2015 when it was delivered to Wilhelmsen Lines by Hyundai Samho. It has a capacity of 8,000 RT43 cars and comes with a 320 tonne capacity stern ramp. Its famous namesake was a 991 grt extreme clipper and was once the fastest ship in the world. Built in Aberdeen in 1868 for the China tea trade, it outraced the Cutty Sark, and set a record day's run of 380 statute miles. It was Canadian owned for a time (1890-1895) and lasted until 1907 when it was sunk as a naval target.

There were four tankers in port today. Algoscotia returned Friday, July 5, from its refit in Portugal where it was drydocked and received a new ballast water system. Its return voyage was a little unusual. It went to Sewaren, NJ (also known as Cliffside Port Reading) and took on a cargo for Imperial Oil. Algoma tankers rarely make international voyages, and this may be a first.

Algoscotia docked bow south at Imperial Oil No.3 dock.

Irving Oil had their own ship East Coast (not pictured) arriving early this morning, and it berthed at the Woodside terminal on arrival. The foreign flag CB Pacific arrived yesterday and anchored until the East Coast sails.

The CB Pacific has become a more or less regular, calling in Halifax in February, March, and May as it made its way between Boston, New Haven, Albany (twice) , New York (twice) and Montreal. Although it has been carrying product for Irving Oil it has not called in Saint John, NB as far as I can tell. It appears to be in ballast. or very lightly loaded this time.

 The CB Pacific, built by Jiangsu New Hantong shipbuilding in Yangzhong, China, was delivered in 2020. The 27,250 gt, 37,787 dwt ship is equipped to handle crude oil, clean petroluem products or chemicals in twelve phenolic epoxy coated tanks (plus two slops tanks). The ship is also built to DNV Baltic Ice Class 1B and is fitted with a hybrid exhaust gas scrubber which can be run at zero emissions. As previously noted it has a covered fore deck - a feature rarely incorporated in tankers.

The fourth tanker is the heated asphalt carrier barge John J.Carrick with its integrated tug Leo A. McArthur, which arrived yesterday from the Great Lakes for McAsphalt.

 

McAsphalt ordered a 12,000 dwt tanker from China in 2021. It was launched in June 2023 and at last report it appears to have been delivered July 1, but is still in China, with no ETA for Canada.

I have taken better pictures of the cruise ship Island Princess on previous visits, such as this one in 2023: 

The best I could do today was a hazy "going away" shot - not its best aspect:

 

It is a rare day when I catch every ship arrival and departure. The only one I seem to have missed today was the 0130 hrs departure of the Oceanex Sanderling, making is rare second trip to St.John's during the past week.

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Fairview Cove traffic

 The PSA Fairview Cove container terminal was a busy spot this morning (August 26) with a departure followed immediatley by an arrival.

NYK Constellation arrived late yesterday afternoon for an evening start to work. It still had one crane working at pilot order time of 1030 hrs today, but was ready to go soon after. It was off the berth and underway off Africville park for a photo at 1115.

A member of the NYK Daedalus class, the ship was built by Hyundai Heavy Industry Co Ltd in Ulsan in 2007. At 55,534 gt, 65,919 dwt, it has a capacity of 4922 TEU including 330 reefers. Most of the eight ships of the class have called at Fairview for THE Alliance's AL5 service. Since PSA acquired management contracts for both terminals, some of the ships have been handled by the South End Container Terminal (SECT), PSA Atlantic Gateway. 

That was not the case this time since the SECT had the Ultra size ONE Apus and the Vistula Maersk to handle.

While the NYK Constellation was clearing Fairview Cove the ZIM China was making its way inbound with the tethered escrort tug Atlantic Oak and was in the Narrows approaching the A. Murray MacKay bridge at 1112 hrs. The two ships passed just inside Bedford Basin in a neat bit of passage planning. [No photo due to impending rain and very wet grass.]

ZIM China made it first call in Halifax December 27, 2022 on ZIM's ZCA service. Built in 2008 by Samsung Shipbuilding + Heavy Industry in Geoje, South Korea, it is a 40,487 gt, 51,733 dwt ship with a capacity of 4275 TEU. It carried the name Hanjin Kenya from 2008 to 2017 then after a brief spell as Seaspan Kenya it became ALS Fauna later in 2017. It became ZIM China as of April 1, 2022.

ZIM has just recently shifted its operations to Fairview Cove with its feeder Contship Leo's first call on August 4 and the first Atlantic service ZCA ship, ZIM Vancouver on August 5. The benefit of the rationalization of services was evident today as the terminals were operating continuously and the ships were minimally delayed if at all.

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Two for One - UPDATED

 PSA Halifax Atlantic Gateway was a busy spot today, April 27. No sooner had they completed work on one ship, but two arrived to take its place.

The 14,026 TEU ONE Stork arrived yesterday [see previous post] and occupied pier 41-42 until about 1700 hrs today. It sailed in a rain shower, so I did not get a photo of it on departure. However it was well loaded from what I could see earlier.

 

The next ship for the berth, MSC Roshney V, does not show on any of MSC's regular schedules and seems to be an extra sailing or sweeper. It is arriving from Boston, but before that called at three German ports, Wilhelmshaven April 12, Hamburg April 12-13, Bremerhaven April 13-14, arriving in Boston April 24 and sailing April 25. [See Update at the end of this post.]

 

MSC Roshney V arriving today, lightly loaded.

The ship is not unknown in Halifax as it was once a regular caller under its previous name. NYK Deneb

 

NYK Deneb arriving Halifax June 23, 2022.

Built by Hyundai, Ulsan in 2007 the 55,487 gt, 65,953 dwt ship has a capacity of 4922 TEU. One of a dozen ships in the Daedalus class it operated in THE Alliance services along with several sisters (see yesterday's post). It was acquired and renamed by MSC as of February 2023.
  

Following close behind, in another rain shower, was the ZIM China. It took its time, waiting for the MSC Roshey V to secure.

 

A recent addition to ZIM's ZCA service, it made it first call in Halifax December 27, 2022. Built in 2008 by Samsung Shipbuilding + Heavy Industry in Geoje, South Korea, it is a 40,487 gt, 51,733 dwt ship with a capacity of 4275 TEU. It carried the name Hanjin Kenya from 2008 to 2017 then after a brief spell as Seaspan Kenya it became ALS Fauna later in 2017. It became ZIM China as of April 1, 2022.

With both berths, Pier 41 and Pier 42, occupied the Oceanex Sanderling completed loading at Autoport and will spend the night at anchor and move in the PSA Halifax in the morning.

Update:

Thanks to a reader for providing the following info on the MSC Roshney V. The ship is on the Boston Express service which MSC inaugurated in April 2022. Initially the service ran from Antwerp and LeHavre direct to Boston, then to Montreal. It appears that the European ports have been revised to Bremerhaven and Antwerp.

 The ship was due in Montreal April 24, with a sailing date of April 30, but it could not ballast down enough to reduce its air draft to clear the Laviolette bridge at Trois-Rivières. Spring water levels on the St.Lawrence are high and are expected to keep rising for the rest of the week and so the ship was diverted to Halifax.

On completion of working cargo in Halifax early in the morning of April 28, the ship sailed for Antwerp and Bremerhaven.

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Catch Up Day

 It was unusually busy in the Port of Halifax today, December 27. There were several reasons for this, including improved weather and the end of the Christmas break (not for ships and terminals,but for truck traffic). Ships had been holding off shore to avoid the recent high winds and others scheduled arrivals to avoid overtime / holiday pay for longshore workers.

Although the weather was benign here (cloudy with snow showers, no appreciable wind, temperature around or above Zero C) the weather inland as far as the US mid-west has had a major impact on rail traffic. A derailment at Grafton, ON, December 24, blamed on a faulty switch, but in the midst of a snow strom blocked the CN main line between Montreal and Toronto. The derailed train was number 121, out of Halifax with a lot of international containers and intermodal boxes bound for Toronto, Detroit and beyond as far as Chicago. With the line blocked, train traffic bound for Halifax has been held in Toronto and west.

It was also an unusual day, with four ships calling in Halifax for the first time (to my knowledge).

At Autoport the Eukor carrier Morning Charlotte arrived from Goteborg and other European ports.

A flotilla of Mallard ducks wintering over in ice-free Halifax, took off en masse when I arrived.

The 61,002 gt, 22,362 dwt ship was built in 2007 by Imabari Zosen in Marugame, Japan. It has a capacity of 6502 CEU and is operating on Wallenius Wilhelmsen's transatlantic service.

It is also unusual to have two autocariers in port at the same time, but the second arrival headed for Pier 9C first to offload heavy machinery and other RoRo cargo. Talia carries a Wilhelmsen name and is also operating for Wallenius Wilhelmsen Ocean. It will move to Autoport tomorrow after Morning Charlotte leaves.

Talia glides through the Narrows to Bedford Basin with the tugs Atlantic Fir (forward) and Atlantic Oak (aft).

Once in the Basin the ship begins a wide "U- turn" and returns to the Narrrows.

 

The ship must berth starboard side to the dock at Pier 9C.

 

 Talia is a 57,692 gt, 21,021 dwt ship with a capacity of 6500 RT43 autos and is equipped with a 150 tonne capacity stern ramp. It was built by Stocznia Gdynia in 2006.

 

 

PSA Halifax's Atlantic Hub hosted two ships today, both first time callers.  ZIM China is a newcomer on ZIM's ZCA service.It tied up at Pier 42.

Built in 2008 by Samsung Shipbuilding + Heavy Industry in Geoje, South Korea, it is a 40,487 gt, 51,733 dwt ship with a capacity of 4275 TEU. It carried the name Hanjin Kenya from 2008 to 2017 then after a brief spell as Seaspan Kenya it became ALS Fauna later in 2017. It became ZIM China as of April 1, 2022.

 

Later in the morning it was joined at Pier 41 by MSC Margarita a 67,466 gt, 67,644 dwt ship with a capacity of 5770 TEU including 632 reefers. It was also built by Samsung SB + HI, Geoje.

The ship was originally named Santa Virginia, but was renamed OOCL Thailand on delivery. It became Santa Virginia again in 2009 then Cap Verde in 2010 and Santa Virginia again in 2013. It was renamed MSC Margarita in 2014. It is now operating on MSC's Turkey / Greece to East Coast North America service.

Another caller, which arrived yesterday, is certainly not a first timer, but is a regular for Irving Oil. East Coast discharged product at Irving Oil's Woodside terminal then this morning shifted to Imperial Oil's number 3 dock.

The various competing oil companies in easternn Canada make transfers to meet demands, so it it is not unheard of to see an Irving Oil tanker at Imperial Oil. This is the second time I know of that it has happened in 2022. Product from Suncor in Montreal and Valero in Lévis also arrive at Imperial Oil's depot from time to time.

While observing the ship from afar (that is from Halifax) it appears that two of Imperial's mooring buoys have been brought ashore. This could be regular maintenance or the result of storm damage. Imperial has upgraded the moorings at number 3 dock to withstand heavier weather, but it is still an exposed location and ships frequently move off the dock in times of high winds.

Two red and white buoys can be seen under the bow of the ship and a couple of backhoes seeem to be working in the area too.(Apologies for the out of focus view - too far for my camera.)

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