Autoport - stuffed to the gills and beyond [updated]

New cars keep on arriving at Autoport in Eastern Passage, to the extent that they have flowed out beyond the normal borders. There are even cars stored in the parking lot at the Hartlen Point golf course! Several other fields and waste lands are filled with cars and vans. With mud season in full swing, they better move them soon or they will start to sink in.

There is extra security at all these off-site parking lots, so the cars are quite safe.

Some cars leave Autoport by truck, but the vast majority go out by rail. After all Autoport is owned and operated by CN Rail.

With recent government directives to the railways to move more grain, can we expect the Minister of Transport to decree that new cars must be moved? Someone must be waiting for these cars.

The oft quoted figure of 25,000 cars is the Autoport capacity, but with certainly several hundred stored outside the regular borders, and with two more another ships due this week - where will they go?

Fedora arrived over the noon hour today, and Eridanus Leader is due on Wednesday.
Fedora was built in 2008 and measures a whopping 71,583 gross tons. It has a capacity of 7,500 cars, and it will certainly not unload that many on this visit, but it will contribute to the backlog.

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Athabaskan - did they ask the right questions

Thanks to Halifax Shipping News for alerting us to the details of the military report into the investigation of the Athabaskan tow in December 2012. The Canadian Press acquired the report by means of a freedom of information request. The report was dated May 2013, and is only now coming to light. The ship was in St.Catharines, ON for a refit when it became apparent that the work would not be done in time for the ship to clear the St.Lawrence Seaway, under its own power, before the locks were closed for the winter. A towing contract was arranged, but did not get underway until late in December and the tow did not clear the Seaway until December 20 or 21 or 2012. It did not reach the Gulf of St.Lawrence until after Christmas.

 HMCS Athabaskan refueling at Imperial Oil Friday April 4.

I am not disputing the facts of the report, nor the extent of the damage nor the cost of repairs, which are briefly: the towing tug lost power, the tow caught up with and struck the tug, spinning the tug round and scraping alongside, puncturing Athabaskan's hull in six places and causing other incidental damage to stanchions and rails and scraping the hull coating. 

After reaching Sydney in tow of the back up tug, the lead tug was repaired and the tow resumed. In high winds and moderate seas, the tow line parted. A deck crew was ferried out to the ship by SAR helicopter, and the backup line was rigged. When that parted a series of mooring lines were used (two of them parting in turn) while the ship was towed back to Sydney harbour.   

At that point the RCN hired another towing company to complete the tow to Halifax.

Canadian Press estimates repairs at $2 million based on prior interviews, and reports the costs of the two towing invoices at $707,000 (St.Catharines to Sydney) and $546,000 (Sydney to Halifax).

Transiting the Narrows March 7.

Since I have not seen the whole military report, there may be more to it, but based on what has been reported, several question remain unasked.

  1. Why was a $21.7 mn contract awarded to a shipyard at St.Catharines, ON if there was no guarantee that the work could be completed before winter set in?

2. When it was found that the work would not be completed before the close of the St.Lawrence Seaway, why was the ship not left in the shipyard for three months until the opening of the Seaway at the end of March 2013? 

3. A tow in winter conditions, is normally done under in an emergency only. If the navy did a risk analysis on this and decided to take the gamble, then the result could and should have been predicted. They rolled the dice and took the consequences. It appears that the Report blames to the towing company, when in reality there should have been no tow at all. It talks about measure that should have been taken, etc., but the tow was a risk that the navy took. Has anyone in the navy learned anything? Has anyone's judgement been brought into question?

There are standard towing contracts, usually of the "knock for knock" variety [see Notes] Did the RCN have one of these contracts? 

4. It seems to me that the RCN was fortunate that the holes were above the waterline, there didn't appear to be internal damage (none was mentioned in the Canadian Press piece) and that the ship survived the experience. Maybe they were lucky that it only cost $2.2 mn for repairs. [It does appear that they paid a bit of a premium for the second tow, based on distance towed! The tug owner drove a hard bargain there].

 It also appears that the ship still has not completed its refit. Even though it has been in and out of port many times in the last year it does not appear to have a full complement of radars and other instruments. So the final question is - what was the rush?

A late April Fool photo? - no the Athabaskan is not for rent.

Note 1 an overview of towing law:

http://www.theshippinglawblog.com/2010/09/towage-claims.html

Note 2: a standard towing agreement:

https://www.bimco.org/~/media/Chartering/Document_Samples/Sundry_Other_Forms/Sample_Copy_TOWCON_2008.ashx

Outport Report

Following a rainy and brief visit to Bridgewater today I am able to report that the sunken trawler known as Cape Rouge has been raised and is now sitting on an even keel at the city wharf, but the sound of pumps can still be heard. They may be keeping the boat afloat, but are more likely removing pollutants, including a significant quantity of fuel oil.

As previously reported the trawler sank inexplicably March 10 and was raised by the Canadian Coast Guard and hired contractors.  Its official name since 2003 has been Ryan Atlantic II, but it was built by Halifax Shipyards in 1967 as Cape Rouge for National Sea Products and re-adopted its original name for use in film work after Clearwater had sold it to a private owner.

Just a ahead of it along the pier is fleet mate Hannah Atlantic, built as Cape Anne by Halifax Shipyards in 1964, also for National Sea Products. It too migrated to Clearwater, but in 1985, and was sold off to private owners.

 Built for the new groundfish plant at Battery Point in Lunenburg, the boat was launched January 30, 1964 after its 75 ton bow section was joined to the stern. Its aluminum and steel superstructure and engine were fitted after launch, at the fitting out berth.

Seen in Clearwater ownership, it was based in Shelburne.Note the distinctive bridge wings, which were not given to later trawlers such as Cape Rouge.

Ahead of these is the ill-starred former HMCS Cormorant. The diving support vessel, converted at great tax payer expense from a fishing trawler, has been tied up in Bridgewater since 2002, after a dispute between owners. It would appear to have no seagoing future anymore, and remains mouldering at its berth.

Built as the fish factory stern trawler ASPA Quarto for Armatoriale Sarda Pesca Atlantica SpA, it was launched in 1965 by Cantiare Navale Apuania, Marina-Carrara, Italy. It then measured 1643 gross tons, and was powered by three KHD engines through electric drives to a single controllable pitch prop.
In 1975 the RCN acquired the ship and sent it to Davie Shipbuilding for conversion to a dive tender, and mother ship for submersibles Pisces IV or SLD-1. A large hanger was constructed on deck and a fixed gantry to handle the subs. It also had moveable gantry over is stern ramp. It was finally commissioned November 10, 1978 as the 2,350 tons (displacement) HMCS Cormorant ASL 20 and based in Halifax. It carried out numerous dives on the Atlantic coast, the high arctic and the Great Lakes. It also had another expensive refit at Pictou in 1987, and was paid off July 2, 1997.

On June 18, 1998 it was towed out to Shelburne by the tug Churchill River (now Mister Joe) where it was to be reconditioned for commercial diving and treasure salvage. The work was held up by various disputes, with the ship eventually winding up in Bridgewater, towed in by Swellmaster. Although sold to new owners in 2009 there appears to have been little activity on the ship in recent years.

When in commission with the RCN it was a frequent sight in Halifax harbour, and usually looked quite tidy.

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Kentucky Highway - no repeat

Atlantic Larch and Atlantic Willow have met Kentucky Highway at Middle Ground and are positioned to turn the ship at Ives Knoll for Eastern Passage.

 

When Kentucky Highway arrived today for Autoport, there was probably no one aboard who remembers the visit of April 11, 1993. It was a bright sunny Sunday but the wind began to pick up and just about an hour before departure time, the ship began to part its lines. At that time the Autoport facility consisted of a number of moored barges connected to shore by a ramp. The extra stress from the slewing ship caused the ramp to come adrift. The master called for tugs - which had to come from Halifax, but they got there in time get things straightened out and loading resumed (The ship was loading export Chev sport trucks) . The tugs remained alongside and departure was delayed only a short time.
Kentucky Highway is one of the older autocarriers, built by Imabari Shipbuilding in Marugame, Japan in 1987. It measures 50,320 grt. Although still owned by Taiyo NK, it switched from Japanese to Panamanian flag in 2010.

 Kentucky Highway moored at Autoport, earlier in the day of April 11, 1993.

The Autoport landing has been completely rebuilt since 1993 and is much more secure, with fixed dolphins and gangways. However the ship still relies on head lines leading to a mooring buoy, necessitating the use of a line boat, now usually Dominion Diving's Roseway. In the 1993 photo it is their boat Big Steel that was doing the linework. In those days they used to leave the boat at Autoport while the ship was alongside. Now however, security requirements make it much more convenient for the boat to come and go each time, since no one from the boat actually lands on the pier.

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Siem Pilot - big supplier on coasting license

The big Norwegian supplier Siem Pilot glided in this morning to take up a coasting license for work in Canadian waters.

The 5,086 grt ship was built by Eidsvik Skipsbyggeri of Uskedal, Norway in 2010 and is owned by Meling of Stavanger.

In February Halifax based Secunda LP was granted a temporary coasting license to use the ship  to accommodate a dive team for repairs a hydraulic control system on the subsea isolation valve in the Sable Island gas field. The license covers the period March 24 to April 25, and was granted because no suitable Canadian ship was available.

Using its thrusters, the ship turned smartly in its own length off the pier and backed in alongside pier 27.

After taking on stores and loading gear, the ship will depart for Sable Island.

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Coastal Tankers in and out they go

Algoscotia at anchor this morning.

The coastal tanker Algoscotia shows some signs of wear and tear on her bow, likely due to ice abrasion. The ship has been running all winter from the Valero refinery in Quebec to a variety of ports, primarily the Ultramar depot in Eastern Passage and with in-harbor shuttle runs between Ultramar and the Esso storage terminal in Dartmouth.

This is major change in trade pattern for the ship which used to run almost exclusively from Imperial Oil Dartmouth to Atlantic Canada Esso depots when Imperial's facility was a refinery..

On most visits to Halifax it also takes bunkers form fleet mate Algoma Dartmouth.
A third fleet-mate, Algonova, is undergoing major engine room repairs at the IEL dock in Dartmouth after a fire on January 19.

A miniature ship repair yard has been set up on the IEL dock to work on Algonova. 

(March 29, 2014 photo)

The Jean Gaulin refinery opposite Quebec City also has charters with PetroNav, the Desgagnés tanker subsidiary to deliver refined product to Quebec ports, Newfoundland and the maritime provinces, including Halifax. Their Jana Desgagnes was at the Imperial Oil depot this week, but got away this morning before I could take a photo. Sister Dara Desganés is due tonight.

The refinery, operating by Valero markets its products under the Ultramar brand name, but also sells and trades product with Irving Oil and Imperial Oil/Esso. They receive crude oil by tanker from overseas - witness the "Cap" tankers that have called in Halifax in recent weeks.

Starting this summer however they will also be shuttling crude oil from the Alberta pipeline terminus in Montreal to the Lévis refinery using two newly acquired ships, to be operated by Transport Maritime St-Laurent Inc a new shipping company established as a joint venture with  Groupe Desgagnés.

The company has purchased two panamax tankers from Neste OY and Concordia Ship Management. Stena Poseidon and Palva were built in 2007 and each have a capacity of 500,000 bbls. Due to St.Lawrence River draft restrictions, they will likely carry only 350,000 bbls per trip.

It was only just a year ago that post-Panamax ships were allowed to sail from Quebec City as far as Montreal. Previously the river channel was restricted to narrower ships.Last year only six post-Panamax ships made the trip as far as Montreal last  year. All were foreign flag tankers with import crude oil.

The new Transport Maritime St-Laurent ships will fly the Canadian flag. They will be reconditioned and brought to Canada this summer.Both are familiar sights on the St.Lawrence already, with Stena Poseidon regularly running to Montreal year round. The ice class 1-A ships come from the Brodosplit Croatia yard and measure 42,810 grt and 74,927 and 74,940 dwt respectively.

Meanwhile the articulated tug / barge combination Victorious / John J.Carrick is set to sail from anchor this afternoon after wintering over in Halifax. The tanker barge, which normally carries asphalt, was brought to Halifax to supply the bunkering tanker Algoma Dartmouth when Sterling Fuels, a division of the Miller Group / McAsphalt, took over ship bunkering in Halifax. Now with all the fuel offloaded, the ship will return to the Great Lakes and Seaway where it normally operates. The combo went to anchorage #2 on April 2, and was awaiting changes to weather conditions, and possibly Cabot Strait ice.

 Victorious and John J. Carrick spent the winter alongside McAsphalt's dock (the former Dook's dock) adjacent to Autoport, in Eastern Passage. (March 31, 2014 photo)

The tug's name has an interesting background. When McAsphalt acquired their first tug/barge combination (Everlast / Norman McLeod) they partnered with Upper Lakes Shipping to operate the ship. With the second pair, Upper Lakes chose to commemorate the name of a previous ship in their group, the laker Victorious. Built in 1895 in Chicago, the 4,976 grt steamer was originally called Victory under the US flag, by the Interlake Steamship Co. When ULS acquired the ship in 1940 they modified its name to Victorious. ULS operated the ship until 1969 when it was sunk as a breakwall off the CNE in Toronto, where its remains can still be seen..

The original Victorious, then 71 years old and still steaming, in the Welland Canal May 14, 1966.

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Pacific Ocean - not so peaceful and other activities [pictures added]

The world "pacific" meaning peaceful does not apply to the bulk carrier Pacific Ocean which arrived this morning for mandatory Asian Gyspy Moth inspection and for bunkers.
Freezing rain, ice pellets them snow, driven by gale force winds, blotted the ship from photographic view and thus there is no photo to illustrate this post. It is also too rough for the bunkering tanker to come alongside, so its stay in port may be extended.
Shortly after noon, reports reached me that a crew member was seeking asylum in Canada, which certainly creates a tense situation on the ship.
Details may follow.
Built in 1990 by Hyundai, Ulsan, the 24,606 grt / 42,263 dwtr bulk carrier is fitted with four cranes. It started life with the name Simferopol and in 1994 became Nena F. In 2012 this was shortened to Nena and it was most recently renamed in February of this year. Owners are listed as Pacific Ocean Shipping SA of Panama, but associated with Ceren Denizcilik of Turkey.

The Canadian flag Jana Desgagnés arrived this morning an anchored in Bedford Basin to await her turn at Ultramar. She had an icy trip down from Quebec - see Ship Movements from St.Johns for March 29.
http://wwwshipshots.blogspot.ca/2014/03/jana-desgagnes-stuck-outside-corner.html
The ship is built for navigation in ice, but sister ship Dara Desgagnés limped into port March 28, 2013 with ice damage to her rudder:
http://shipfax.blogspot.ca/2013/03/dara-desgagnes-limps-into-port.html

Early this afternoon the Malteseflag refrigerated cargo ship Frio Kyknos arrived, also for Asian Gypsy Moth inspection. Her arrival was not without drama however, for conditions were so bad outside that the pilot could not board the ship safely. Instead the pilot boat lead the ship in, with the pilot radioing courses to the ship to follow. Once inside Just outside Meagher's Beach, in the more sheltered confines of the harboucr, waters the pilot boarded, and the ship was brought to anchor in Bedford Basin the lower harbour.
Built in 1993 by Kitanihon Shipbuilding, Hachinoe, Japan, the ship measures 6,082 grt, 7,197 dwt, and is a typical Japanese type of reefer. It operated as Cape Blossom until 2013 when it received its present name. It is operated by Baltmed Reefer Services of Athens, Greece. These ships carry a variety of cargoes, including fish, fruit and potatoes.

Photos may follow - or not - depending on the weather.

This evening, Pacific Ocean rides light at anchor, with lots of scope on the anchor cable, heading up in to the gale. Her grey painted cranes are barely visible. 

Frio Kyknos rides very low. No wonder the pilot could not board outside - her side decks must have been awash. The trunked hatches and derricks are typical of Japanese reefers. Also her very fine bow, and stern designed for greater speed. Her 9,598 bhp Mitsubishi main engine can drive her at 17.8 knots.