Zim out, Zim in with fog

Dense fog descended on the south end of the harbour when it was time for Zim Constanza to sail this afternoon. The incoming Octavia, also for Zim, was inbound at the same time and the two ships passed without seeing each other - except on radar.
Their automated fog signals were well synchronized, and from my vantage point the sounds bellowed most impressively and continued to echo back and forth from the fog and the land for several seconds after the initial blasts.

Longshoremen are standing by to let go the lines as Zim Constanza readies to sail.

Once clear, the ship was almost totally enveloped in fog.

 

This what I saw, but the camera could be coaxed into revealing a bit more:

Zim Constanza dates from 2010 when it emerged from the Jiangsu Yangzijiang Shipyard. It measures 40,252 grt, 50,107 dwt with a capacity of 4256 TEU, including 698 refrigerated. On June 28, 2010 it initiated a new Zim service from the Mediterranean to Halifax, New York, Savannah and Kingston, Jamaica before returning to Tarragona and Haifa.It flies the Liberian flag for Rickmers Ship Management (Singapore) Pte Ltd.

The somewhat larger Octavia barely emerged from the fog.

 

What I saw,

 what the camera revealed.

The tug Atlantic Larch, which was alongside, but barely visible in the photos above, is swinging the ship around,

and it almost disappears as it comes alongside.

Octavia was built in 2005 by Hyundai Heavy Industries in Ulsan for the Herman Dauelsburg company under the Atlantic Lloyd banner. Its capacity of 5117 TEU, including 500 reefers, is carried in 53,807 grt, 66,501 dwt. The ship is registered in Majuro, Marshall Islands.

Earlier in the day it was quite clear as Toscana worked cargo at pier 30-31.

The supplier Scotian Sea at pier 27 unloads some special gear as Toscana unloads.

Toscana later moved to Autoport (also in dense fog) to work its automobile cargo.

Toscana was the last of a series of ten sister ships built for Wilhelmsen Lines by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in Nagasaki. Completed in 2009 by Mitsubishi Nagasaki Shipyard and Engineering Works, it measures 61,328 grt, 22,144 dwt and has a capacity of 6350 CEU. It is specially fitted to carry other types of RoRo and project cargo, and has a 307 tonne capacity stern ramp.

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Fundy Rose sea trials

The much awaited Fundy Rose was one step closer to entering service this morning when it embarked on day long sea trials. Refitting work is not completed yet, but must be getting close as a lot of gear on the dockside has been demobilized.

With the name Fundy Rose now appearing on the port bow (but not on the starboard yet), the former Blue Star Ithaki is looking very neat and clean. There is still no sign of Bay Ferries logo on the ship's side, but there is one blank spot where a new fender has not been painted yet.

 Returning from trails late this afternoon, the ship was a fine sight.

Gem

Norwegian Gem is the latest cruise ship to put in an appearance in Halifax. A regular since it was built at Meyer Werft, Papenburg in 2007, it can carry 2,384 passengers with a crew of 1154. It measures 93,530 grt.

The ship features "decoration" on its hull - a feature which seems to have taken hold for certain types of "free style" cruise ships.

t is also one of many cruise ships with a live bridge cam: http://www.cruisin.me/cruise-ship-webcams/norwegian-cruise-line/norwegian-gem.php

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Qamutik update

The cargo ship Qamutik unloaded a quantity of steel plates yesterday and sailed in the evening for Valleyfield, QC.

Qamutik unloading on Sunday afternoon.

By this afternoon many of plates had been loaded on trailers and several trucked away. Some of the steel is no doubt headed for Irving Shipbuilding inc, but other parcels are destined for other users.

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The Campbells are coming

Well only one Campbell, and it is USCGC Campbell WMEC 990, a Famous class medium endurance cutter based in Kittery, ME. It has called in Halifax on several other occasions as a courtesy visit, often towards the end of military exercises.

USCGC Campbell glides past Macnab's Cove on its inbound passage this morning.

Built in 1986, commissioned in 1988, the cutter has figured in several important drug busts in addition to the usual search and rescue operations. It is a member of the Famous class, named for previous USCG cutters that achieved fame. In fact it is the sixth cutter named Campbell, but it was the fifth one that achieved the most fame, a veteran of World War II., Korea and Viet Nam, that lasted 46 years in service.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USCGC_Campbell_%28WPG-32%29
Also see the current Campbell's official web site:
http://www.uscg.mil/lantarea/cgcCampbell/

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Finesse new to Nirint

Nirint Shipping's regular service from Cuba brought in a ship that has not been here before. Finesse anchored first for Asian gypsy moth inspection, then moved to pier 31 to unload the usual cargo of bagged nickel concentrate.
Finesse was built in 2008 by Qingshan Shipbuilding in Wuhan, China for the now defunct Beluga Shipping as Beluga Finesse.

Finesse has the blank sided accommodation of the Beluga ships, originally used to display a large graphic of a whale's tail.

Beluga, of Bremen, Germany, was taking the shipping world by storm with is new fleet of multi-purpose ships with heavy lift capacity when it collapsed amid fraud charges. Its fleet was dispersed among many different owners, several of them from Germany. Finesse and some sisters went to Peter Doehle of Hamburg in 2011 and has operated for them ever since.
The ship can carry 665 TEU, including 25 reefers, and has two 150 tonne cranes that can be combined for a 300 tonne lift. Its tonnages are 12,684 grt and 12,782 dwt.

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Quiet on the eastern front

It was a quiet day on the waterfront - if you don't count herring seiners - which I do. There were six. All arrived this morning and it was a major traffic jam at pier 24 as they unloaded and some took on ice.
Aside from the four boats that have been here regularly, the Tasha Marie finally made an appearance.
Built in 1979 by John Manly Shipyard in Vancouver as Cindy H, it is owned by the intriguingly named Turpentine Seiners Ltd of Wedgeport, NS.

Tasha Marie tucked in at Queen's Wharf after unloading then returned to pier 24 to take on ice. 

The skull and cross bones on the right was part of a waterfront event, not associated with this boat.

Also arriving for the first time this year was Sealife II. It is now owned by Comeau's Seafoods Ltd of Saulnierviulle and sports the company's blue hull colour, but it was always a red hull before that.

Sealife II rounds up to come alongside the Tall Ships Quay.

Built in 1970 by Ferguson Industries in Pictou, NS, it is a sister to Lady Janice II, which started life as Sealife No.1 in the same yard in the same year. Sea Life Fisheries (1988) Ltd is a division of Comeau's Seafoods, however it was a previous company that owned these boats during the original herring boom. 

Comeau's is a large business and also has a ship repair facility in Saulnierville Meteghan, which includes a marine railway [edited]. When I was there last November, Sealife II was on the cradle.

Most of the other comings and goings of the day took place in pouring rain, which is my excuse for not taking photos.

However the air cleared off somewhat for the late afternoon arrival of the "off again/on again" Canadian ship Qamutik. The ship dates from 1994 when it was built by Friesian Welgelegen at Harlingen, Netherlands for Spliethoff's. Named Edisongracht, it traded for them until 2008 when an arrangement was made with Umialarak Transportation for seasonal service to do northern supply work in Canada.  To be managed by Transport Qamutik In (Logistec) it would return to Spliethoff's for the remaining eight months of the year. 

It was renamed Qamutik (translation: ice sled, also known as komatik) for the summers of 2008 and 2009. reverting to Edisongracht each fall. In 2010 it became Qamutik permanently, and is now bareboat chartered back to Spliethoff's in the off season without change of name.

 Amongst its deck load of containers, the ship is also carrying a shrink wrapped pleasure craft. Spleithoff's has a large business in transporting yachts.

Its arrival today was under the Dutch flag, but it is due in Valleyfield, QC, its loading terminal, later this month where it will hoist the Canadian flag again and sail June 21 for the north.

Still wearing Spliethoff's funnel marking and flying the Netherlands flag. Note the stern anchor, fitted for compliance with St.Lawrence Seaway rules, but also for anchoring in the north where there are no permanent harbours, and cargo must be lightered ashore.

The ship measures 8448 grt, 12,754 dwt and carries three 60 tonne cranes and can carry 730 TEU. It berthed at pier 9c where it will offload some containers.

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