Rhea Leader and Porgy meet

The header might have read "12,000 cars cause traffic jam in Halifax Harbour." But here's what really happened:
1. Rhea Leader begins to pick up her tugs at Middle Ground.

2. As she rounds Ives Knoll, Porgy has cleared Eastern Passage.

3.By the time Rhea Leader reaches Indian Point Porgy has passed Ives Knoll and is outbound.

One autocarrier leaving and another arriving and passing each other in the harbour, with a cruise ship inbound (see following) and a big tanker plunk in the middle of anchorage number one created quite a potential traffic jam in the harbour this afternoon. All was handled adroitly and no incidents resulted, but it was a pleasant change to see so much activity at once.

First inbound was Rhea Leader picking up her pilot about 1700 hrs and making her way up to the Middle Ground where she was met by the tugs Atlantic Willow and Atlantic Larch.

Meanwhile the Porgy was getting away from Autoport with assistance from Atlantic Oak.

As Porgy cleared Indian Point Rhea Leader was making her turn around Ives Knoll. Due to the Jasmine Knutsen at anchor, Porgy headed north about the ship and headed outbound. with Atlantic Oak standing off her quarter to assist in the turn.

While all this was going on Balmoral, took her pilot at 1715 hrs and was inching her way inbound, meeting Porgy at Middle Ground.

Neatly done!

The punch line of course is the capacity of these two large autocarriers:

Rhea Leader 63,004 gross tons, built 2008, capacity: 6,324 cars.

Porgy 58,752 gross tons, built 2009, capacity: 6,284 cars.

.

RMS Titanic

The sea will not be conquered..............

Hoegh Maputo - another new car carrier

1. Hoegh Maputo raises its 120 tonne capacity stern ramp as it prepares to leave Autport late this morning.

The steady stream of car carriers coming into Halifax speaks to an increasing market for imports in Canada. The number of new Audis alone is staggering.

Hoegh Maputo is a 47,266 gross ton ships, built in 2011. It was delivered in July last year by Xiamen Industries in China and named at a ceremony in Mozambique in Ocotober. It can carry 4300 cars, and other RoRo cargo using its 120 tonne capacity stern ramp.

Owned by the legendary Leif Hoegh & Co, the ship is just one of the huge Hoegh Autoliners fleet.

See http://www.hoeghautoliners.com/ikbViewer/page/hainternet/home?p_dimension_id=56089

If you go to fleet list, then look for "fleet over time" you will see particulars on the 291 ships the company had owned from 1928 to 2008. They have added several new ships since then!

The ship arrived before dawn this morning and sailed by noon, leaving more new Audis on the dock.

.

Azamara Journey - first of the season

It's awfully early for a cruise ship in our waters, but Azamara Journey is on a Titanic themed cruise out of New York, and so arrived today to take in several Titanic related sites (and sights) in Halifax. It sailed this evening bound for the site of the sinking, which will also be visited by Balmoral on the day/night of the 100 th anniversary of the famous incident.

Azamara Journey was built in 2000 as R.Six one of similarly named vessels. If memory serves, the owners went broke before the ships were completed and they were put up for sale.

This ship became Blue Dream in 2005 and took on its present name in 2007. It is managed by Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. Azamara is considered a boutique cruise line, offering specialized cruises, with relatively small numbers of passengers (694 in double occupancy) but only 440 on this particular trip.

The only other ship in the Azamara fleet, Azamara Quest (ex Blue Moon, Delphin Renaissance, R. Seven) made headlines when it experienced an engine room fire March 30 off Malaysia. It arrived safely in Sandakan April 1. The crew received high praise from passengers for their professional handling of the situation which left the ship without propulsion for 24 hours.

Not only is Azamara Journey the first cruise ship of the season, it is also the first visit to Halifax by this particular ship.

.

HMCS Windsor - afloat once again

1. In February the cocoon that covered the sub all winter began to come off.

2. Once afloat in the synchrolift slip there was a fly past by a Sea King helicopter.

3. Tugs gingerly moved the sub around the end of the synchrolift to bring it alongside its fitting out berth.

4. Despite my secret camouflage vantage point, there was no avoiding power lines and wires.

After an age on the synchrolift HMCS Windsor is back in the water again today. The former HMS Unicorn, acquired by the RCN in 2001 and commissioned in 2003 has been in refit at HMC Dockyard, and out of the water, since 2007.

It may re-enter service by the end of 2012.

The slow process of lowering the boat down into the water and easing it out and alongside a jetty took all morning, and was ably handled by three Dockyard tugs.

.

Highlanders makes Halifax debut

1. Highlanders lines up to pass under the Macdonald bridge with tugs in attendance.

2. Passing HMC Dockyard, with HMCS Iroquois in the background.

3. As seen from pier 9 - this is a large ship!

After less than a year in service for Marine Atlantic Inc (MAI), the ferry Highlanders arrived this morning for drydocking at Halifax Shipyard.

Built in 2007 in Russia and completed in Norway as Stena Traveller, for Stena Rederi AB of Sweden, the ship initially ran under the Dutch flag between Hoek van Holland and Killingholme, UK. That service ended in 2009 and in 2010 Marine Atlantic chartered the ship and its sister Stena Trader (renamed Blue Putees) for five years with options to extend.

Over the winter of 2010-2011 the ships were modified at Bremerhaven for service as Seabridge class ships for the North Sydney-Port aux Basques route. Work included shortening the ships by 12 meters, adding a third bow thruster and more accommodation for passengers.

As completed the ships have 96 passenger cabins and 500 recliner chairs.

Highlanders arrived in North Sydney for the first time March 3, 2011 and entered service April 21. Both ships seem to have settled in well to the service and have been generally well received by travellers. With much increased capacity now, Marine Atlantic seems to have resolved the wait times issue.

This morning Highlanders was met by two tugs and backed in to the Novadock at Halifax Shipyard. It is scheduled to return to service on May 2.

.

Fifteen years ago - a bargain for $8

On March 14, 1997 I made a little excursion to Prince Edward Island - my last trip through the ice on a ferry. The Confederation Bridge was to open in June of that year and the Marine Atlantic ferry service from Cape Tormentine, NB to Borden PE would shut down when the bridge opened.
I boarded Abegweit as a foot passenger and made the round trip for the grand sum of $8.

Quoting from my Shipfax newsletter of the March 1997 "John Hamilton Gray left Borden at the same time and appeared to be bobbing and weaving more than we were. Several times we crossed each others' bows as the two ships sought leads in the ice. With a mile or so to go [before we met] both vessels straightened out for a clear port to port passage.
" As the Gray drew abreast the thrum of her eight 12 cylinder Fairbanks-Morses [total 16,000 bhp] was audible in the cold air and her funnels were pumping hazy streamers of hot exhaust."
The return meet was equally exciting as more ice had built in and I can still almost hear the Gray's engines humming.

On a previous winter trip in 1983 I crossed on the Gray and got similar photos of the Abegweit. Her six Rustons totalling 18,000 bhp did not sound nearly as good, but it was an equally impressive crossing with lots of crunching ice.

Both ships were sold off and eventually scrapped despite efforts to find other work for them.

John Hamilton Gray 11,260 gross tons, built by Marine Industries Ltd in Sorel in 1968. Carried 165 cars and loaded and unloaded through a stern door. It was sold to Contessa International Cruise Line, renamed Contessa I, but plans to convert to a cruise ships fell through. Sold to Texas Treasure Casino in 2001 and renamed Texas Treasure for conversion to a casino-also failed. Remarkably the ship sailed on its own from Texas to Alang India, arriving June 29, 2004 where it was broken up. It was renamed Treasure for the delivery trip. Abegweit 13,483 gross tons, built by Saint John Shipbuilding & Dry Dock in 1982. Carried 250 autos and originally fitted with rail tracks for 20 rail cars. Had bow and stern doors. Sold in 1999 to Accrued Investments of Houston, TX and renamed Accrued Mariner for use as a casino in Galveston. In February 2004 it was also sold for scrap, renamed Mariner and also sailed on its own to Alang.