Colorado Star - speaking of Rigel

The recent rash of Rigel tankers (past) now includes a present member of the fleet. Colorado Star arrived last evening and tied up at Imperial Oil. Built in 2010 at 21st Century Shipbuilding Co in Tongyeong, South Korea, it is a ship of 8,851 gross tons and 13,091 deadweight. Although orginally flying the German flag, it is now registered in Malta.
Conditions were not particularly favourable for photography, but to complete the series here it is:

The ship bears little resemblance to Alsterstern and Dara Desgagnés, the past members of the fleet that called recently. Colorado Star also does not appear to be an ice class vessel.

Clipper Round The World Yacht Race

Leg 13 of the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race got underway at noon today with a sail/past race start in Halifax harbour. A minor traffic jam took  place as the 10 boats jockeyed with spectator craft and others for position. First off was Gold Coast Australia with the race leader New York well back in the pack. The closely matched boats have a long transatlantic leg ahead of them to sort out the overall winner.
There is a very good web site to follow the race more closely and cheer on your favourite:
http://www.clipperroundtheworld.com/

AFL New England - sad story continued

June 14 marks the first anniversary of the arrival of AFL New England in Halifax for the start of a new feeder line to the US east coast. Unfortunately no one is celebrating. The saga of American Feeder Lines and the ship AFL New England reached a turning point while I was away. According to newspaper reports the likelihood that the ship's crew would run out of food hastened the Halifax Port Authority's decision to order the ship alongside pier 33. It had been anchored in Bedford Basin since AFL terminated its service, and I understand that numerous maritime liens were placed on the ship by various unpaid creditors.

1. AFL New England anchored in Bedford Basin in April - stormy times were ahead.

Since tying up the crew has been repatriated, although I do not think they have received all their back wages. The Halifax Port Authority has taken possession and is providing security/watchman services.
The owner of the ship is a single ship company and its only asset is the ship, so it will end up being sold to satisfy creditors. The company behind the shipowner would like to have the ship back and put it back in service, but is unwilling/unable to satisfy the liens and unable/unwilling to post a bond to cover them, and is therefore presumably willing to forfeit the ship. Whether he is eligible to purchase the ship by marshal's sale is a matter of legal interpretation.
The ship was bareboat chartered to AFL, and the owner probably does not feel responsible for any of the resulting mess. The judicial sale prpocess may take many months, and so for the time being the ship remains tied up at pier 33.
The unfortunate history of feeder lines running from Halifax has had some bright spots over the years, but there has always been the issue of finding enough traffic to make the service pay.  Most operations were discontinued because they could not generate enough business.
Here is a sampling of some of the earlier ships:

2. Bergfalck as it was then called, began a Halifax/ US East Coast feeder service in 1973 for Maritime Coastal Container Line. It ran for a few years, but the ship was renamed Berglind in 1977 and took up a charter with Saguenay Shipping, and the next year worked out of Iceland. It sank off Glace Bay in 1980 after a collision with the Danish cargo ship Charm.

3. Zim Container Lines started its own feeder service in 1977 with Zim Atlantic It ran between Halifax, Boston, Baltimore and Norfolk.

4. Zim Northland took over the service in 1978 and ran until about 1983.

5. The most successful feeder service was operated by Hapag-Lloyd using the Yankee Clipper, Starting in January 1980. It ran between Halifax, Portsmouth and Boston

6. Later repainted blue, the ship made its last trip in October 1993.

A strange theme runs through all these ships - every one of those pictured (except Zim Atlantic) was built by the J.J.Sietas shipyard in Germany.

Another short-lived operation was Searoad, operated by a Gloucester MA company, using the ship Grey Master in 1974. It was to provide a RoRo, truck trailer service between Halifax and Gloucester. The ship could carry 60 semi-trailers or 75 cars, but its initial thrice weekly service was cut back and eventually discontinued. 

7. Grey Master was a lovely ship, and could even carry 12 passengers.

8. Searoad  did not attract enough business and was gone in a matter of months.

Alsterstern - another first for Coastal and Woodward

Another first time arrival today for a tanker from Coastal Shipping. [see Nanny last week]
This time it is Alsterstern one of a pair of tankers acquired last year from the German Rigel Shipping Co. Neither ship (the sister is Havelstern) has been renamed.

Built in 1994 by MTW Schiffswerft in Wismar, Germany these chemical/product carriers measure 11,426 gros and 17,080 deadweight, and are considerable larger than the similar Desgagnés trio, which were built by the same yard for the same orginal German owners. One of those, Dara Desgagnés was in this week too, and loaded at Esso.

Dara Desgagnés was built in 1992 as Elbestern, and came to Canada as Diamond Star in 1993 for Rigel's Canadian operation. After charter to Desgagnés it was sold to them in 2010. It measures 6,262 gross tons and 10,511 deadweight. The ship usually carries product from the Ultramar refinery in St-Romauld, QC.

Alsterstern tied up at Ultramar in Eastern Passage to load for Newfoundland and Labrador.
Coastal Shipping is part of the Woodward Group a multi-armed industrial/commercial operation, based in Happy-Valley-Goose Bay.

Hooray - it's open

The walkway from Point Pleasant Park out along the breakwater to the end of Pier C (Halterm) has finally reopened to the public!
Now that the extension to Pier C is completed, we can get up close and more personal to inbound and outbound ships.The new walk around the pier is not as generous as the one it replaced-it is very narrow and it does not extend all the way across the end of the pier. It will certainly not be large enough to accommodate the crowds that usually convene to see the Cunarders sail, and it will prove difficult to keep clear of snow in winter. (The old one was wide enough for a bobcat.) All this seems to me to be unnecessarily stingy, but at least it is available and open.
The authorities cited security and safety concerns from ships lines, to explain why the walkway doesn't extend all the way across the end of the pier.
In my opinion these issues could have been dealt with by a more sensitive and accommodating design process. Nevertheless, it is now cast in concrete and will be there for better or for worse, for a long time.

An easy 4 1/2 minute walk will get you from the Point Pleasant Park lower parking lot to the end of the pier.

CCGS Matthew

The hydrographic research vessel CCGS Matthew is preparing for another summer of charting work. The ship is based at the Bedford Insitute and works seasonally in eastern Canada conducting surveys for the Canadian Hydrographic Service (CHS). Using sophisticated sonars it records data which is then used to update marine navigation charts. As a Coast Guard ship it is also multi-tasked to carry out search and rescue if needed and to assist in scientific and other duties.

1. On June 10, CCGS Matthew returns to BIO after trials in Bedford Basin. The open area amidships will house two survey launches when the ship resumes service for the summer season.

The ship is named for the 3 masted caravel used by John Cabot when he "discovered" the New Found Land on the feast of Saint John, June 24, 1497.
The present day Matthew was built by Versatile Pacific Shipyard Inc in Victoria, BC in 1990. A modest 857 gross tons, it is fitted to carry scientific crew and two survey launches. These are carried under heavy davits amidships. The ship transferred to this coast in 1991 and in 1997, acquired the red hull of the Canadian Coast Guard. losing the traditional white livery of survey ships. The Maritime Museum's CSS Acadia, a former survey vessel, still proudly maintains that attractive white, with green boot topping and buff masts.

2. On June 10, 1996, CSS Matthew in traditional survey ship livery sails through the Narrows. Note the dorries stacked on the bridge forward of the wheelhouse.

HMS Protector

The Royal Navy's "new" survey and ice patrol vessel HMS Protector arrived this morning for a two day visit to HMC Dockyard. It is due to sail on June 15.
The ship was built in 2001 for the Norwegian G.C.Rieber Shipping Co. Long associated with work in northern waters, Rieber once had operations in Canada, with research vessels that also worked as sealers and suppliers.
This ship was built in 2001 as Polarbjorn, and used to support oil exploration and research.
In December 2008 the Royal Navy's antarctic patrol ship HMS Endurance suffered engine room flooding off Chile and was nearly lost. It eventually returned to Portsmouth on the deck of the semi-submersible heavy lift ship Target and has been laid up ever since. With current austerity programs in the UK it is unlikely that the ship will ever be repaired. Endurance was the former Rieber ship Polar Queen, chartered in 1991 and purchased in 1992 by the RN. It had been plagued with technical issues for several years.

In 2011, the RN chartered Polarbjorn for three years until the future of Endurance is known. Renamed HMS Protector it is returning from its first antarctic trip. It carries a helicopter landing platform aft (relocated from the bow by the RN)  and a pair of small craft, that appear to be a landing craft and a survey launch. The ship is well fitted with thrusters, but only carries about half the power of its 8,000 hp predecessor, which was rated an icebreaker.