Roll Out

Today was Roll Out Day at Halifax Shipyard. Crews moved mega-block #2 of the Arctic Offshore Patrol Ship Harry De Wolf from the Assembly Hall to the hardstand at pier 7, where it will be joined to the other two mega-blocks.

Mega-block #2 on dollies, during final positioning.

Mega-block #2 is the midships portion of the ship and includes the engines and the bridge structure.
Mega-block #1, which is the aft section is likely to be rolled out tomorrow. Mega Block #3, the bow section, is still being assembled and will follow.

The structure to the left of the ships (which includes an elevator) allows workers access to the various levels of the ship. The white tower on the far left is the base for a crane.

Workers are in the process of lowering the dollies.

A rare glimpse inside the main assembly hall with mega-block # 3 on the right.

 
Each mega-block consists of a number of large blocks (nine in mega-block #2). These 21 blocks were assembled from 63 smaller blocks which were built up progressively and moved along in assembly line fashion until roll out.

With the high level of work completed in the blocks the ship is said to be 60% complete.  Once the three Mega-blocks are joined and the internal structural connections are made, the ship will be ready to launch in 2018. Launch will be by means of a floating drydock, which is currently under construction off-site.

Final fitting out will be done once the ship is afloat at pier 6, alongside the shipyard.

There will be a restricted open house at the shipyard tomorrow, Saturday, July 15. An invitation process on line was necessary to get a pass for the event. Guest will not be allowed to carry cameras or have any form of back back, fanny pack, computer, and must wear safe footwear, among other requirements.

 By mid-evening the multi-wheeled dollies have been removed and the blue cradles are bearing on the ground.

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All new to us

Four ships, all new to Halifax, put in appearances today.

BBC Nevada arrived in the early hours of the morning at pier 31, and by the time I caught up with it, it had apparently completed its cargo work - possibly loading a heavy lift.
Built in 2006 by Qingsham, Wuhan as Jasper it was quickly renamed Belgua Federation, but equally quickly became Jasper again in the same year. Due to financial irregularities, Beluga shipping failed and its fleet was redistributed. In 2011 the ship was renamed Frida Scan and in 2013 Thorco Diva. Then in 2015 it became BBC Nevadas as it moved into another charter, altough still managed by Thorco Shipping.

 Late this afternoon the ship's cranes are re-loading the tween decks hatch covers.

Sailing this evening, the ship even has a few containers on deck.

It is a typical Beluga F class multi-purpose heavy lift ship with a pair of 120 tonne cranes (combinable for 240 tonne lifts) and removable tween decks and box shaped holds. Tonnages are 9611 grt, 12,737 dwt.


The product tanker Cape Bradley arrived at Imperial Oil after a week at anchor outside.

Built in 2004 as J.Shartava by Hyundai Mipo, UIlsan, the ship was renamed in 2005 and is owned by Cape Parry Shipping Co Ltd, and managed by Columbia Ship Management. It operates in the United Product Tanker (UPT) pool. At 25,108 grt, 40,305 dwt it is a mid-size vessel of the Mid-Range (MR) type.

THE Alliance brought in YM Modesty on its EC5 service. The ship is a 6258 TEU vessel of 71,821 grt, 72,730 dwt. Although sailing for Yang Ming it is owned by Ben More Shipping Inc, an affiliate of Zodiac Marine of London, on long term charter.

ZIM continues to up the ante with ever larger ships. Today's arrival  ZIM Ningbo is 91,158 grt, 108,427 dwt with a capacity of 8440 TEU (including 700 reefers).  It was built by Hyundai Samho, and is chartered to ZIM by Flamingo Navigation (NSC Shipping).

 
It needed the large cranes at Halterm, so berthed at pier 41, causing Oceanex Sanderling to anchor for the night.

A bridge over troubled waters

The new pedestrian floating sidewalk, the "Sea Bridge" has finally opened. Spanning between the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic and the Cable Wharf, it allows pedestrians to avoid the big hole at Queen's Wharf that has closed the regular sidewalk on one side of Water Street. That closure has also narrowed the already busy street, creating major traffic jams and forcing pedestrians to cross the street.

From the end of the Maritime Museum wharf, right under the bow of Acadia, the floating sidewalk runs to the Cable Wharf. A Harbour Hopper swings in close to give everyone a closeup.

All this has been brought about by construction of the Queen's Marque a mixed use project that will dominate this part of the waterfront when it opens in a few years.


The new walkway offers a slightly different experience, and if today's foot traffic is any indication, it will be quite popular. Right now it is open in day time only, but when the lighting is installed it will be open until 11 at night. Depending on the wind speed and sea conditions it may be closed from time to time for safety, and it will be towed away into winter storage in the autumn.

The "Sea Bridge" offers some interesting views of the Museum complex and the construction activity.

The excavation in the foreground is for the Queen's Marque project. It is now below sea level and has been dammed off with sheet piles. Workers are in the process of driving deep piles. The white tarp in the background covers stone restoration work on the Dominion Federal Building. A Halifax landmark it once dominated the waterfront, and from its spire provided a commanding view of the harbour. From his post there H.B.Jefferson took the collection of World War II photos displayed on the Public Archives of Nova Scotia web site: https://novascotia.ca/archives/eastcoastport/results.asp?Search=ch3&Language=English#results


As for our own views, the "Sea Bridge" gives us a close up view of the World War I and II veteran Acadia with HMCS (ret'd) Sackville of World War II as a backdrop.

The "Sea Bridge" may be in place for up to three years until Queen's Marque is completed.

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Latest merger - WHERE WILL IT END

The latest mega deal in the container shipping business is another stunner.

The Chinese state shipping company COSCO Shipping Holdings Co Ltd  has bid $6.3 bn to acquire OOIL (Orient Overseas International Ltd) owners of OOCL (Orient Overseas Container Line). 70% controlled by the Tung family, OOCL was a leader in many areas of the industry but a relatively small player compared to the giants. However its acquisition by COSCO vaults COSCO into third largest line after Maersk and MSC and ahead of CMA CGM.

The last (ever?) OOCL ship to call in Halifax, OOCL Kuala Lumpur was winding up the old G6 Alliance service. OOCL was not included in a new group called THE Alliance.

But it is not over yet! A 24% owner of CMA CGM, the Yildrim family, is tendering its shares (through a Chinese bank) and it is expected that COSCO will snap them up. Should that be the case they will become the world's second largest container line.  There is speculation by the experts that indeed COSCO's goal is to take over top spot from Maersk.

Paying a bewildering 31.1% over market value of OOCL shows that COSCO is not playing on the same playing field as private industry. Surely someone has to put a halt to this.

OOCL to be part of COSCO 

CMA CGM, (including APL) soon to be part of COSCO

Maersk then to be  #2 ?

Lets hope the various national regulators have the guts that tiny South Africa did recently when it condemned the much less contentious Japanese K-Line, MOL, NYK alliance. That Alliance will not be able to call in South Africa as a result, even though other nations' regulators approved or turned a blind eye to it.

Regulators should find a way to put a halt to either the OOCL buy or the CMA CGM buy. As it is now there is barely enough competition (even though with historically low rates, lines are still competing, but hurting in the process). 

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Sunday over niters

The HAPAG-Lloyd  cruise ship Europa arrived early this evening (earlier than I expected it - so no photo of this arrival) and will stay in port over night. The H-L cruise ships of this name (I have seen three so far) tend to do things a bit differently and have often stayed over night, and for a few years were the last of the cruise ships for the season.

The first Europa that I remember was the former Swedish-America Line's  Kungsholm - a transatlantic liner, that became a cruise ship for HAPG-Lloyd in 1966. It used to call in Halifax in its liner days, and was, in my mind at least, one of the most beautiful ships ever built. Even the H-L funnel marks did not detract from its graceful line and superb proportions.

Built in 1953 by Royal Schelde in Flushing (De Schelde Koninklijke Maatschappij, Vlissingen) Netherlands It made its first crossing from Gothenburg to New York in November 1953. HAPAG acquired it in 1965 and it made its first voyage as Europa in January 1966 sailing to New York. In 1981 it was sold to Costa Line and renamed Costa C.   On July 29,1984 it struck a breakwater at Cadiz, sank and was declared a constructive total loss, and was broken up in Barcelona the next year.

For some more on this ships see Shipfax October 14, 2015

The second Europa, also a fine looking ship in its own way came from the Bremer Vulkan yard in Vegesack in 1981. It was a Halifax caller in its prime until sold in 1999 to make way for the current Europa.

After it sale the ship has changed hands several times and has been extensively rebuilt twice. After five renamings, it is still sailing as  Saga Sapphire and called in Halifax in 2015. Again see Shipfax October 14, 2015 for more on this ships.

The present Europa dates from 1999 and has received many accolades from the cruise industry for the high level of service. I think its lines would have been improved without the inexplicable "blank spots" in its superstructure amidships.

Built by Kvaerner Masa in Helsinki it carries a maximum of only 408 passengers in 204 suites and has a crew of 275 to cater to the needs of its guests. It proved so popular that HAPG built another similar, but larger ship and named it Europa 2. It has yet to put in an appearance in Halifax.


On a more mundane level, another ship full of Germans also arrived today. The autocarrier Athens Highway is bringing another load of German cars to Autoport. It will spend the night offloading into a nearly empty staging area. Autoport has apparently caught up with its back log, so will be processing this shipment quickly.

As the Athens Highway sails along past Ives Point a lone boater in a small inflatable strikes out from the cove.  

The ship has rounded Ives Knoll, with tug assistance, heading for Eastern Passage on a bright and hot summer day.

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Saturday ins and outs

Fog early meant no photo of CMA CGM Otello on the Columbus JAX serice. The 8488 TEU ship is similar to several other CMA CGM fleet mates that have called here before, but it is the first time for this ship.

There was better luck later in the day and in the early evening as the fog had disappeared (at least for now). Budapest Bridge arrived for THE Alliance AL6 transatlantic service. It is a sister ship to the other ships on the service, and is owned by Seaspan and on long term charter to K-Line.

 Budapest Express crosses the ferry track with the tug Atlantic Oak taking the tethered escort position aft.

Built in 2011 by Samsung Shipbuilding and Heavy Industries Co Ltd in Koje, South Korea, it has a 4526 TEU capacity on 46,444 grt, 58,200 dwt.

After it entered Bedford Basin it waited off Fairview Cove as NYU Atlas sailed. It is servicing THE Alliance also but on the long haul run which is heavily populated with NYK Line ships.

 NYK Atlas is trimmed down by the stern - perhaps to reduce air draft - as it transits the Narrows.

This one was built by IHI Marine in Kure, Japan in 2004 and measures 75,484 grt, 81,171 dwt with a capacity of 6492 TEU including 450 reefers.

Meanwhile alongside pier 9b the tanker Torm Atlantic is ballasted down by the bow for prop repairs.

Evidence of hasty renamings on the stern where the original name and port of registry (Majuro) in welded letters are still in place.  Although the ship has the Torm funnel mark it does not (yet) have the orange superstructure of typical Torm tankers.

A Medium Range tanker of 30,221 grt, 49,999 dwt, it was built in 2010 by Guangzhou International in China as Giacinta. In 2015 it very briefly carried the name Maersk Malta, before assuming its current name later in the same year. The ship arrived at Imperial Oil July 4 from Montreal. If it unloaded cargo it may be one of the unnamed ships chartered by Algoma and given temporary coasting licenses to carry Esso products.

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Queen Mary 2 night visit

The Queen Mary 2 made a very brief visit to Halifax in the wee hours of this morning. A passenger was suffering from respiratory problems and had to be landed for treatment. The nature of the ailment precluded the use of a helicopter (thick fog probably didn't help either).
The ship took a pilot as usual and entered the inner harbour, and as soon as the passenger had been disembarked the Queen got underway again and returned to sea.
The ocean liner (as opposed to a cruise ship) then resumed its transatlantic voyage from New York to Southampton.
The Queen Mary 2 has made two scheduled visits to Halifax this year and is due again on August 10 and October 4.