Wet Feet?

Residents of Halifax may have very wet feet by the end of the century if sea levels continue to rise and Nova Scotia continues to sink as expected.
Particularly in storm surge conditions, much of the waterfront will be under water.
A presentation to City Council recently is shown on the following (it is a large file, so be patient)

https://www.halifax.ca/council/agendasc/documents/100209cow4.pdf

Although the study does not show the commercial port, one can imagine the effects on container piers, shipyards and other installations if sea levels rise as predicted.
Solutions: a Thames Tidal Barrier type of gate system seems out of the question due to the exposed harbour entrance and the size of ships we expect here.
A lip around the edge? Maybe, but there will be places where that won't work. For example container cranes will need to be raised to reach the top of ships.
Floating landing stages? We have those at the ferry terminals but the land side will still be under water.
It looks to me like a massive undertaking to raise sea walls, elevate certain areas and rebuild many others.

And off they go again

The big clear out at Halterm today saw all three ships leaving. Venice Bridge at noon time, Zim New York (see above) at 4:30 and Melfi Iberia at 5 pm.

A 24 hour stay for Zim New York was perhaps a little longer than planned (she had been due to leave at noon.)

Traffic Jam at Halterm

Who says the port of Halifax isn't busy (at times.)

There was a real traffic jam at Halterm late this afternoon as Venice Bridge and Zim New York arrived and had to wait until Cala Paguro and Zim Barcelona finished loading and departed. Melfi Iberia was also in at pier 42.

First in was Venice Bridge. She was met by the tug Atlantic Oak in the Middle Ground area and swung out into the harbour off pier 31 to leave room for Cala Paguro to leave, assisted by Point Chebucto.

Meanwhile Svitzer Bedford had met Zim New York at Middle Ground and was turning her off pier 41. When Point Chebucto had finished with Cala Paguro she went in to assist Zim Barcelona to leave.

Unfortunately there was no vantage point to capture all this on film.

The photo above shows Venice Bridge and Zim New York arriving.

A sign of Spring?

Withe this past week's unseasonably warm weather, perhaps spring is on the way.

The Norwegian tanker Bow Spring arrived yesterday and is certainly a good sign!

She is anchored awaiting a berth at Imperial Oil. later today when the crude oil tanker SCF Byrranga sails.

Built in 2004, she flies the flag of the Norwegian International Register, and is operated by Odfjell Ship Management of Bergen.

HMCS Charlottetown

HMCS Charlottetown arrives in Halifax after several days of exercises off Halifax and at the sound range.

She came in west of George's Island to allow the loaded gypsum carrier Atlantic Superior to take the east side of the island, and the easier course.

Algoma Discovery

In anticipation of the elimination of duty on foreign built ships, and in view of their ageing fleets, some Canadian shipping companies have purchased ships from overseas. CSL (Canada Steamship Lines) and Algoma Central Corporation are at the forefront of this movement, picking up a half dozen ships in recent years.
Both companies acquired ships built to transit the St.Lawrence Seaway, but which can work deep sea. They have also laid up several of their domestic ships as a consequence, and we can expect to see a parade to the breakers when scrap prices warrant.
Regrettably (in my opinion) these acquired ships are far from new, and have been operating under flags of convenience, in some cases, for several years. At this time Algoma is running their ships under Bahamas flag.
On such ship is Algoma Discovery, which has not exactly distinguished itself in Algoma ownership, having been aground twice within the last few months. Most recently this morning she discovered the bottom of the St.Lawrence River off St-Laurent, Ile d'Orléans, just east of Quebec City.

What the screen grab above does not show is that the river is 100% ice covered, the ship had a list to port of 5% or more, and she was about 200 yards off shore.
Fortunately she did not plow in too hard, and found soft bottom. With the assistance of two tugs she was refloated at high tide and returned to Quebec for inspection.
The location is just down stream of the power cable crossing. One hates to think what might have been had she plowed into one of the supports.
In September she was hard aground on the River Weser in Germany and had to be lightered off to free her.

To add insult to injury she ran ashore opposite Beaumont, the site of a proposed LNG port, which has raised considerable opposition in Quebec. The foes of the LNG port were out in force following this incident spinning fantastical stories about LNG disasters- great fun! The St-Laurent wharf and marina, near the grounding, are accessed through a church and school yard, which added a dramatic backdrop to their protest.

Where is Marine Atlantic going?

Marine Atlantic's Joseph and Clara Smallwood exited the Novadock floating drydock yesterday and after a short trials trip tied up at pier 31.
Marine Atlantic is under the gun to upgrade its service, including replacement of an aging fleet and shore establishment.
After a report by the Auditor General in September 2009, which found that many of the 2004 observations had not been followed up, Marine Atlantic agreed to try to pull up its socks. However, dependant as they are on federal government funding, it remains to be seen if changes are on the way.
Issues - replacements for Caribou and Joseph and Clara Smallwood, built in 1985 and 1989 respectively. Urgent need to plan for this. With the removal of the federal duty on imports it is almost certain that replacements will be built abroad. Lets hope they are new built and designed for this service.
At the end of her 5 year charter Atlantic Vision will probably be purchased and brought under Canadian flag. The ship is too big for the service, yet does not carry the number of cars or passengers that she was expected to. This is what happens when you try to find a used ship.
Terminal upgrades - badly needed.
Security- Pedestrians walking from one side of North Sydney to another are now escorted by commissionaires because they would be violating port security by walking across Marine Atlantic's waiting area. Waiting passengers can't exit the area and re-enter. This hurts North Sydney merchants. Solutions needed.
Marine Atlantic has suffered for years from political manipulation- this is unlikely to change, but perhaps the current government will be in power long enough to arrange for stable funding for 25 years, and get Maine Atlantic on a good path for the future.