Clipper Helvetia for the record

Clipper Helvetia sailed last night [http://shipfax.blogspot.ca/2014/11/clipper-helvetia-look-what-just-blew-in.html]- still with its deck cargo of wind turbine blades. These were not destined for Halifax. Instead the ship unloaded rails from its aftermost hold.
It then went on to Liverpool, NS where the blades are to be unloaded at the former Bowater Mersey paper mill site at Brooklyn. The site is being used as the staging point for the blades for transport overland to the South Canoe Wind Farm near New Ross.
There will be 34 turbines at the South Canoe site when it is completed.
By coincidence, the blades come through the port of Bilbao, Spain and so do rails for CN. The ship was able to combine the two cargoes. 

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Sidedoor pilot boarding now and 1984

I mentioned in the previous post about ACL G1 ships that the sponsoned hulls presented problems for pilot boarding. Regrettably I don't have photos of the actual boarding or disembarking operation. However, if you can visualize it, the pilot boat must come alongside the ship, often in swells, and align itself with the ship so that the pilot can use the pilot ladder safely, timing his movements with the swells so that he is not crushed between pilot boat and ship.

Nowadays
On high freeboard ships, such as some container ships and autocarriers, there is a door let into the ship's hull, below the weather deck and closer to the waterline. This reduces the height the pilot has to climb.
OOCL Oakland is an example of how this works:

A pilot ladder is suspended adjacent to the hull door. Although the pilot needs some agility to transfer from ladder to doorway, the door is sufficiently high that he is out of the way of the boat whern he makes that transition. The is also a safety railing around the doorway.

On the current Atlantic Container Line G3 ships, the ladder is rigged from the doorway itself, Atlantic Cartier is typical:

The door is also sufficiently high above the waterline that it will be clear of the pilot boat except in extreme sea conditions. In that case, the companionway is positioned such that it could be used instead of the doorway.

In 1984
When the G1 (S class) ACL's were lengthened, large sponsons were attached to the hull for strength and stability. Atlantic Song is typical:

The sponsons prevented the pilot from getting alongside the ship's hull, and thus to reach a pilot ladder. The solution was to recess the pilot door in a recessed area of the sponson (well aft of amidships), and extend a small platform and steps for boardng directly into the ship.

Here's a blowup:

It doesn't take much imagination to visualize how awkward this could be in any kind of sea. I suspect that there were may wet pilots in those days.

Another feature of the lenghtening of the G1s and G3s were long steel plate battens welded to the ships' hulls just below the deck line. These added longitudinal strength to the longer ships.

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UPT times two at Imperial Oil

For the second time in a month, two United Product Tanker ships are in port at the same time. On October 1 it was Mount Kibo and Conti Guinea : http://shipfax.blogspot.ca/2014/10/upt-times-two-in-basin.html
This time around it is Conti Guinea and Cape Beale and this time both have red hulls.

Cape Beale arrived after dark on November 1, anchored in the Basin and moved to number 4 dock yesterday. It is owned by Columbia Ship Management of Hamburg.


Hyundai Mipo Dockyard  in UIsan built both ships, Cape Beale in 2005, at 25,108 gt, 40,327 dwt. Conti Guinea in 2008 at 23,403 gt, 37,554 dwt. Both tankers operate in the United Product Tanker pool, and wear their respective owners funnel marks and colour schemes, which include similar hull colours.

Conti Guinea arrived for this visit before dark on November 1, and anchored in Bedford Basin and moved alongside Imperial Oil's number 3 dock yesterday.

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Reefer madness - then and now

Nowadays most refrigerated cargo goes by container, where plug in diesel generators provide shore power and ships are equipped with plug ins and monitoring systems. All the container lines using Halifax carry extensive reefer capacity, not least of which are Zim, Maersk and HAPAG-Lloyd.

Meat, produce, fish and other temperature sensitive cargoes are all carefully climate controlled in containers these days. There are still dedicated refrigerated ships, but even they carry containers.
 
While in Hamburg in June I was reminded that 'was not always thus. The preserved refrigerated cargo ship Cap San Diego is an excellent example of the late reefer era, when fruit and produce, especially bananas, was transported by fast ship, generally painted white, that were designed for speed more than capacity. Germany was one of the biggest users of reefer ships, with Hamburg being a primary port for refrigerated cargoes.

Cap San Diego  is one of several preserved ships in Hamburg.

Many general cargo liners had reefer capacity too - but usually only in one or two holds.

Even in 1984 (Shipfax's featured year this time around) and well into the container era, there were still lots of refrigerated ships calling in Halifax.

In 1984 Satsuma was operated by Swedish company Salén, but was originally one of the Maritime Fruit Carriers fleet from Israel, named Satsumacore built in 1970 in Norway.

When MFC went into bankruptcy in 1975 due to the collapse of its tanker business, its fleet of 42 attractive modern ships, many with engines 3/4 aft, were dispersed to different owners. Sold again in 1988 and renamed Copacabana, it was damaged by fire in Piraeus in 1993 and broken up in Aliaga, Turkey later that year.

But looking deeper into the shoebox we can find more reefers:

  

In 1970 The United Fruit Co (Chiquita) was still operating its traditional looking Great White Fleet. 

The newly renamed Patia was built in 1947 at Sparrows Point, PA by Bethlehem Shipbuilding 

and broken up in Italy in 1972. It had carried the name Yaque until 1970, when it was transferred within UFC to Fyffes Group Ltd. It was in Halifax loading corrugated cardboad to take to South America for banana cartons.

Now known as Chiquita Brands International, the company's shipping arm still exists, and uses its former nickname as part of its corporate identity:   http://www.greatwhitefleet.com/About/AboutGWF.asp

Cuba had a fleet of reefers for exporting fruit and transporting its fish products. Golfo de Guacanayabo was built in Japan in 1978. After a lengthy career, with a variety of names it was broken up in Turkey in 2013.

One well known reefer operator was the Dutch Dammers and van der Hiede. Their Atlantic Star measured 499 tons and was in Halifax to load fish and general cargo for the Caribbean.

From 1964 to 1973 it operated on charter to Shaw Steamships of Halifax. It then had nine subsequent names, and flew the flags of Panama, Ghana and Honduras until removed from Lloyd's in 2012.

The Japanese were large reefer operators, and Ryusei Maru was in Halifax in 1984 following the tuna fishing fleet.

The most prized tuna catches were airfreighted to Japan, but some went home the long way by sea. However, on this trip, the ship was carrying frozen squid from South America, used to bait the tuna hooks.

In 1995 the ship was converted to a livestock carrier and scrapped in 2011.

  

Only a few Canadian ships had refrigerated capacity. Caribou Reefer ran between Newfoundland and Gloucester, MA with fish, returning with produce and general cargo.

It made some trips further afield as well, participating in Northern Supply in 1966, reaching Frobisher Bay.

A 1963 product of Collingwood Shipyard, the 490 tonner was reflagged to the Bahamas in 1976 and was sold in 1979, then carried the names 79: Polar Queen, 80: Toma, 87: El Cancun, 90: Transcargo, 91: Caonabo I. It was removed from Lloyd's in 2012.

Polar Ecuador accelerates out of Halifax in 1979 working up to its 23.5 knot cruising speed.

The best looking reefers ever built in my opinion were the six twin funnel sister ships of the Polar class, of Hamburg-Sudamerikanische D.G. Built by Blohm+Voss in Hamburg, they came out in 1967-68, and featured early computerized engine controls, shaft powered generators, and even a hands free flag dipper. They were plagued with glitches however and their 14,880 bhp Pielsticks had an unfortunate history of crank case explosions. Most were sold after ten years, and went through a variety of owners and names.

Polar Argentina was lost by engine room fire in 1982, Polar Brasil was scrapped in 1986, Polar Colombia lasted until 1998, Polar Ecuador was scrapped in 1985. Polar Paraguay was arrested in Halifax in 1985 and sold at auction, but lasted to 1993.

Dedicated reefer ships are not extinct - they still run on many routes, but the reefer can has certainly cut in to their numbers.

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Clipper Helvetia - look what just blew in

The Swiss flagged Clipper Helvetia arrived this morning (in driving rain) and tied up at pier 27.
It carries on its deck a cargo of wind turbine blades, apparently from Spain.

Built in 2013 by Sanfu Ship Engineering Co in Taizhou, China, Clipper Helvetia measures 14,941 gt / 17,551 dw and carries three 80 tonne cranes, which can combine for 150 tonne lifts. The ship's bridge is also offset to the starboard side of the superstructure.
The ship is owned by Enzian Shipping of Zurich, but operates in the Thorco pool, which includes Thorco and Clipper Projects ships.

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From the archives - back by popular demand

The Shipfax archives contain thousands of old photos, which will begin to appear again on this blog.

Wooden Ships

In the late 1960s it was not uncommon to see wooden hulled ships in Halifax. There were still lots of fishing vessels being built of wood in those days, but wooden cargo ships were still trading with Newfoundland and St-Pierre et Miquelon.

Trade from the Magdalen Islands was multi-directional. The islands, stuck in the middle of the Gulf of St.Lawrence are part of the Province of Quebec, but the fish catches were exported not only to Quebec, but also to Cape Breton, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia. The Co-opérative de transport maritime et aérien (CTMA) was responsible for much of that trade, (and as the name implied also operated aircraft).
They ran a weekly service to Halifax via the Strait of Canso and Canso town, using two Nova Scotia built wooden ships.Generally carrying fish to Halifax and returning with a variety of freight.

Flojald II was built in 1936 at Metéghan, NS and measured 92 gross tons. First owner was LeRoy E. Russell of Grand Manan, NB. He traded to the east coast US as far afield as Gloucester and Salem, MA, carrying lumber from such ports as Weymouth, and Metéghan  NS and returning with general freight. After World War II  ownership passed to Ernest L. Cormier of the Madgalen Islands then to the CTMA.
Flojald II was retired in 1969. Built along rum runner lines, it housed its crew forward in a traditional schooner-like forecastle. Its hull was sheathed in hardwood from just above the waterline for work in ice.

Maid of Clare came from A.F.Thériault + Son shipyard in Metéghan River, NS in 1944 (Clare is the district of Yarmouth Digby County where Metéghan is located). It measured 145 gross tons. It was slightly modified from the rum-runner form with crew's forecastle, but with its galley in the deckhouse. Its hull was also sheathed for working ice.

 First owners were Bernard Melanson and Ernest Melanson of Gilbert's Cove, NS. Ownership passed to  the Co-op in the early 1950s. On June 23, 1969 a galley fire broke out while the ship was in the Strait of Canso while en route to Halifax. All seven crew escaped, and landed on Cranberry Island off Cape Canso, but the ship was a total loss. Her cargo of smoked herring, canned clams and other general freight was also lost.

The ships used a rickety old pier that is barely recognizable now as the tourist friendly Privateer's Wharf.

With the Made of Clare fire the wooden boat era was over for the Co-op, but the service was resumed with the steel ship Brion, which had a story of its own - but that is for another time.

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Halifax container look ahead

Container business in Halifax is down, but that is as a result of the current national and world economies. All the lines are still calling here, but are scrambling hard for more business or more economies in operation. .  

The world's two largest lines have overbuilt and capacity exceeds demand. In order to achieve more efficiencies, they have come up with a plan. A.P.Moller (Maersk) and MSC (Mediterranean Shipping Co) have managed to convince regulators in Europe, China and the US that a ten-year VSA (Vessel Sharing Agreement) is not a merger, a monopoly, or a threat to other operators. Therefore it will come into effect in January, involving 185 ships on 21 strings on Asia-Europe, Trans-Pacific, and Trans-Atlantic routes. There will be five strings on the Trans-Atlantic alone.
Known as the 2M it replaces the P3 which had included CMA CGM, but which was rejected by China earlier this year. One difference is that the P3 would have had joint management, and was deemed to be an effective merger, at least by China. The new 2M is supposed to have only a small coordinating office, with both Maersk and MSC operating independently. How this will actually work is a mystery, since the lines use different terminals in most ports and have somewhat incompatible practices.

Halifax appears to be fairly immune to direct impact from this new VSA, but there may be fall out.

Maersk Pembroke arriving this morning from Montreal is one of four Maersk and one CMA CGM ships on the TA-4 service.

Maersk has let it be known that their TA-4 (Transatlantic 4) service from North Europe to Montreal, Halifax and return, will remain, and not be included in the VSA. However it is possible that the bumping of mid-size ships may result in different ships on the TA-4. Maersk has a sharing arrangement with CMA CGM, which  provides one ship on the five ship rotation.

The 22 knot MSC Kyoto at speed on the St.Lawrence in 2013.

Built in 1981 as Lexa Maersk it was lengthened in 1984, then sold to Costamare and renamed Maersk Tokyo in 1997 and MSC Kyoto in 2007. It was scrapped in July of this year. 

It operated on MSC's Caribbean service.

MSC does not call in Halifax, but has two services to Montreal. SLSC1 (jointly with HAPAG-Lloyd and OOCL) and an independent service from Montreal to the Caribbean that calls in Saint John.
They will not be effected likely because their ships have a high ice class and were built for the route, altough MSC has been known to put odd ships on the run.

 OOCL Belgium was built for the St.Lawrence service.

As was Montreal Express - they operate year round.

MSC has also announced that its North Europe/Boston/Philadelphia service will be maintained outside the 2M VSA. The 2M's Trans-Atlantic service will concentrate on New York and ports farther south.

Halifax Express is one of the ships on the G6 Alliance service to Halifax that will compete head to head with the 2M.

There are numerous other VSAs and pooling arrangements between shipping lines, notably the G6 Alliance which calls in Halifax and includes HAPAG-Lloyd, OOCL, APL, MOL, NYK and Hyundai. That agreement ends in 2016. It has also announced a winter ship reduction for its Asia-US West Coast and Asia-US East Coast (including Halifax) services. That is as a result of week trading, and will see some 16 ships laid up or reassigned.

One possible ray of sunlight is the immense backlog of ships in Los Angeles/Long Beach port due to logistics delays on land, brought on by larger ships. Many of the ships delayed are ones we see in Halifax, so shippers may decide to re-route their cargoes.

Another point of future interest is the embryonic Canada Europe Trade Agreement (CETA) that still must be ratified by EU countries. If adopted as is, it will allow European shipping lines to trade between Canadain ports. Maersk's TA-4 would then be able to transport empties from Montreal to Halifax (which they are not allowed to do now) and even some cargo or make it a feeder service. MSC could do the same between Montreal and Saint John.

A well loaded Zim Tarragona sails on misty October 29, carrying numerous HAPAG-Lloyd boxes

 
Left out of all the above is the notable exception of ZIM. It is the only major not included in any of these VSAs and alliances (altough it does have slot charter arrangements). Whether this will be to the line's advantage or disadvantage is hard to tell. Some say it will benefit them. As they enter a new era after financial restructuring, they are expected to order larger ships (they are already chartering in larger ships that call in Halifax). Working from their hub in Kingston, Jamaica, it is possible they will be able to compete even on trans-Atlantic work, which they abandoned years ago. Unfortunately ZIM has been targeted by protestors in the US due to its association with the state of Israel. In recent weeks ZIM ships have been delayed in Oakland, CA, and Tampa, FL, by demonstrations against Israel's recent actions in Palestine.

Amoing other factors that will bear on Halifax in the coming months:
- the new Panamax canal and its larger size limits (which will be exceeded by improvements to the Suez Canal)
- fuel surcharges on containers to compensate for the new low sulphur content regulations that come in to effect in January.  
- pressure for improved port efficiency. With some Asian ports moving 120 containers per ship per hour, major US ports in the 80-85 range, Halifax's and Montreal's 51 seems slow. However the number of cranes per ship in some of those ports is twice what we offer.Halterm has already added new cranes this year and Fairvew is expecting some next year, but the giant ships that would justify more cranes are not on the horizon. Productivity in our case would be to ensure that ships get out of port in 8 hours, without overtime charges.

One big ship and seven cranes would certainly show vastly more moves per hour per ship than Halifax could produce. One mid-size ship with three cranes or maybe four would be about our limit, but usually it is only two.

Cerescorp's two large cranes work the largest sizes of ships that come to Halifax. Its smaller cranes don't have the height or reach to work the big ships fully.

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