Yantian Express arrives

The much anticipated arrival of the Yantian Express this morning was obscured to a degree by rain. As the ship worked its way up the harbour, the rain intensified, but it was still possible to see some of the impact of the fire that destroyed 202 containers and damaged as many as 460 others.

The ship was en route to Halifax January 3 when the fire broke out northeast of Bermuda. Weather conditions were severe and firefighting was difficult for the small crew. Help arrived in the form of a nearby tug Smit Nicobar and over the next several days it was assisted by the Maersk Mobiliser out of St.John's and Horizon Star from Halifax and relived by the Sovereign, sent out from Rotterdam. By the time the ship finally arrived off Freeport, Bahamas January 30 the fire was subdued, although there was still concern about hot spots.

The laborious process of removing damaged containers and inspecting others, then cleanup and making repairs to the ship's hatch covers took until early this month. The ship was finally cleared to sail May 15.

On arrival today two other ships were occupying the berths at Fairview Cove and they had priority, so for the present Yantian Express is anchored in Bedford Basin awaiting its turn.

The ship is carrying no containers in the forward holds where the fire took place, and thus is trimmed down slightly by the stern, with the top of the bulbous bow just visible above the waterline. Containers originally destined for Halifax will be unloaded here, but it is unclear how the other containers will be dealt with.

Atlantic Bear on the flank and Atlantic Fir on the stern escort the ship to the anchorages.

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No Holiday

Although it is the Victoria Day holiday weekend on land, it does not appear that Monday will be a holiday at sea. The three herring seiners that have been in port since Friday sailed this afternoon for the fishing grounds.

 Morning Star is the newest and smallest of the three, built in 1991 by Caraquet Marine in New Brunswick. First owners, from Wilson's Beach, Grand Manan Island, registered the vessel in St.Andrews, NB. Ownership has since changed to Scotia Pelagic Inc of  Yarmouth, NS, but the port of registry remains unchanged.

Quick snap from my phone caught Morning Star easing away from its dock at Bishop's Landing early this afternoon.

Once Irving Oil's East Coast completes its work at Woodside early tomorrow morning. Its place will be taken later in the day by DL Rose which is currently unloading at Imperial Oil's #3 dock. (see yesterday's post).

East Coast is due to sail in the wee hours.

Since DL Rose will only be at Irving Oil for a few hours, I expect it will be there to take on bunkers rather than discharge or load any cargo.


The harbour looks to be quite busy tomorrow with three ships scheduled for Fairview Cove. Regular callers Atlantic Star and Budapest Bridge will dock on arrival, but the third will go to anchor.

That ship is the much anticipated Yantian Express, originally due the first week of January. Delayed by fire and the subsequent cleanup and repair in Freeport, Bahamas, the ship will now arrive with the surviving cargo destined for Halifax. There is no clear information from the shipping line or insurer what will happen then. I expect only the Halifax cargo will be unloaded here and the ship will proceed to New York for cargo that was destined there and on to its other east coast ports until all cargo is discharged. 

It is also unclear what condition the ship is in, and whether it will take on new cargo or will only unload  and eventually proceed to a shipyard for refit. Reports indicate that the hatch covers that were damaged by the fire have been repaired sufficiently for the ship to sail safely, but there must be other damage that will require substantial repair work.

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How Windy Was It

Very high winds earlier in the week forced many ships to remain in port and even dredging off Halterm was suspended for for Tuesday and Wednesday. Conditions improved by Friday and some ships decided to sail, others opted to wait until today, but then winds picked up again. However but it was business as usual.

The cruise ship Fram must have changed its itinerary a couple of times after arriving 12 hours late on Wednesday. It was supposed to sail later then same day, then yesterday, but finally got underway today.

Tucked in out of the wind at pier 24, the ship had an extended stay in Halifax.

Another departure after a short stay in port was the schooner Avontuur.  It arrived in Halifax Tuesday (see previous post) May 14 and off loaded a part cargo of fair trade coffee beans.

Getting away early this evening, the vessel made a maneuver that is rarely seen today. Berthed bow in at pier 25, the ship turned in camber using a spring line from the starboard quarter.
 

(The spring line ran to a bollard on shore, that appears just off the ship's stern in this photo)

Once turned about 180 degrees, the line was let go and the ship moved out quite smartly under power, destination Horta, Azores.

Arrivals seem unhindered by today's weather, but precautions were taken.

Glen Canyon Bridge took its stern escort tug Spitfire III well before reaching the lower harbour and had the tug Atlantic Oak on its port side until rounding George's Island. It then stood round to the starboard for the bridge passages and the Narrows. A fair amount of spray was in evidence.

Geln Canyon Bridge, still wearing K-Line colours, is now part of ONE ( Ocean Network Express) the amalgam of the three primary Japanese container lines. Built by Hyundai Heavy Industries in Ulsan in 2006 it is a 68,750 gt, 71,291 dwt ship of 5624 TEU (including 600 reefer) capacity.

Happily in shelter for the weekend were three herring seiners. The familiar Sealife II, Morning Star and Lady Melissa are the usual scouts sent out to find the spring migratory herring run.

Also sitting calmly in the harbour discharging its cargo at Imperial Oil is the Koean tanker DL Rose

Although the vast majority of MidRange tankers were built in Korea, we don't often see them owned and flagged from that country. DL Rose is the rare exception. Built by SPP Shipbuilding Co in Tongyeong in 2007  it is owned by the Daelim Corporation. Management is by Wilhelmsen SM's Indonesia operation. It is of typical MR size, 39,990 gt, 49,997 dwt. It also exhibits its name in Korean lettering on the bow, just above the name in English. Its last port was Antwerp.

Arriving early this morning at Autoport was a new to me autocarrier. Morning Celine belongs to the Eukor fleet and was built in 2009 by Imabari Zosen in Marugame, Japan. At noon it moved over to pier 31 to offload some  other RoRo cargo.
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Tugs Atlantic Fir and Atlantic Bear have accompanied the ship from Autoport and are preparing to turn it to back in to pier 31. They are in the lee of the north wind.

After unloading some heavy cargo at pier 31, using the ship's 100 tonne capacity stern ramp, the ship sailed early this evening.

With the tourist season now in full swing the tour boats are back in business, including Kawartha Spirit returning from a Northwest Arm tour butting right into the headwind.

What ever happened to the plan to rename the boat something more appropriate to Halifax?

Usual and Unusual

Traffic in the harbour has been nearly as per usual in the past couple of days, with a few unusual twists.

Usual
Today Lomur arrived from St-Pierre, on its pinch-hitter role for SPMI while Nolhan Ava is in refit in Freeport, Bahamas.

Lomur rounds east of George's Island en route to Fairview Cove, inbound from St-Pierre.

According to press reports, Macquarie, the former operators of Halterm (they sold it to PSA last week) are still seeking in excess of $1.2 million in damages from the March 23, 2017 alision of Nolhan Ava and one of Halterm's old unserviceable cranes. Nolhanava (as it was then) was approaching the berth at pier 36-37 when its bridge wing struck Crane #2. The crane was shifted out of position, striking a concrete barrier which in turn struck Crane #3. Apparently Halterm is claiming that damage to #2 crane was so severe that immediate demolition was necessary. That is a matter for the courts to decide.
Damage to Nolhana Ava was apparent shortly afterwards.

Crumpled bridge wing was tarped for safety until permanent repairs could be made. In order to damage the starboard bridge wing and impacting the crane, the ship had to be backing in towards the berth

As far as "immediate" goes, it was not until early September that a large crane was set up to begin demolition of the crane. (The crane boom is lying flat on the pier and has not been raised yet.)

It was past mid-month before demolition actually got under way on crane#2, with demolition of #3 and #1 following.

 Usual

Today it was just another in the seemingly endless stream of autocarriers  Eurasian Highway made its call at Autoport. The ship was here before in 2016, but I did not get a photo then.

The ship is still in the old (and boring) K-Line livery of plain grey hull. Newer ships have adopted a more dramatic colour scheme shown here recently.

 

 Eurasian Highway 59,029 gt, 18,709 dwt, built in 2012 by Imabari Shipbuilding Co Lt in Marugame, Japan has a capacity of 6215 autos.

Not so usual

Not so usual visitors sailed last evening (Thursday) for Boston. The tug Salvage Monarch, towing the tall ship Caledonia had arrived Sunday to get out of high winds in the area. No photos were possible for me, but there are some excellent ones of Shipspotting Canada-East Facebook among other locations.

Caledonia was covered here recently and the tug Salvage Monarch is the subject of a Tugfax post today.

Unusual

Another not so usual visitor is the Brigitte Bardot the latest in a long string of Sea Shepherd Society protest vessels to call in Halifax. Several of these have had lengthy stays here through arrest or other circumstances. 

Brigitte Bardot (the boat) features two outriggers for stability, and a narrow main hull permitting speeds up to 27 knots (50 mph) using diesel fuel. Prior to Sea Shepherd ownership it set a (since broken) speed record for round the world sailing. 

This one appears unlikely to have an extended stay.  It is named the now 80 something French film star, a long time animal rights advocate, whose fame drew considerable attention to the east coast seal hunt when it was still a major commercial enterprise. She ventured out on the ice to see the seal pups for herself in 1977, bringing down the wrath of Newfoundland sealers.

Brigitte Bardot has been based in Australia since it was acquired by Sea Shepherd in 2010.

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Why No Posts

It's not as if there has been no activity in Halifax harbour since Friday, but weather has not been conducive - particularly for photography. Here are some highlights.

On Monday the Liberian flag, Greek owned tanker Elka Eleftheria arrived at Irving Oil Woodside from Amsterdam.

Photo taken Tuesday, by which time some cargo had been discharged. The large white shapes that appear to be on the ship's deck are in fact on shore and are part of Irving Oil's propane terminal. The Imperial tank is actually next door to the Irving facility, and the checkerboard tank on the horizon is part of Canadian Forces Base Shearwater.


The 27,539 gt, 44,787 dwt ship dates from 2001 when it was built by Brodosplit in Croatia as Fulgar. It was very quickly renamed  by European Product Carriers Ltd of Athens, part of European Navigation  Inc. All its product tankers carry the name "Elka"  followed by a Greek geographical or mythological name.

Arriving Tuesday under marginal sea and weather conditions the diminutive cargo schooner Avontuur tied up at pier 26.

The crew rig tires as fenders as they prepare to berth. Sea conditions outside prevented the pilot from boarding at the usual place, and so it had to lead the vessel in to a point inside Maugher's Beach where it was safe to get aboard. Conditions did not deter lobster fishermen as they enter the final weeks of the season and try to maximize their catch.

Built in 1920 by Otto Schmidt in Stadskanal, Netherlands, the 138 gt vessel plies the world's trade routes with paying crew, transporting cargo (for example coffee) and spends as much time under sail as possible.

On Tuesday pilotage operations were suspended due to extreme high winds and building seas. Operations did not resume until late this afternoon, and even then some ships did not arrive until  after 1900 hrs.

Grande New York was one, and it only became visible through the rain when it was well into the Middle Ground area.

The 62,134 gt, 18,360 dwt ship was last here 13 months ago - to the day. With a 6700 CEU capacity, the ship was built by Jinling, Nanjing in 2017. After off loading some cars at Autoport, the ship will move to pier 31. Its last port was Valencia, Spain, and unusual source for autocarriers, but it likely came from Italy before that.

Also inbound a few minutes earlier, YM Movement was barely visible until it got well into the harbour.

 It was still raining heavily when the ship passed under the MacKay bridge. A regular caller on THE Alliance EC5 service, the ship has a 6258 TEU capacity, and measures 71,821 gt, 72,370 dwt. Koyo Dockyard in Mihara, Japan built the ship in 2013.

Last to arrive this evening was the little cruise ship Fram. It sailed from Saint John yesterday, expecting to disembark passengers in Halifax first thing this morning. Instead they spent the day rolling around outside the harbour, before finally tying up about 12 hours late. The ship was to sail this evening, but will now stay in port until tomorrow afternoon.

The famous Norwegian coastal passenger line has extended its range to include the arctic and antarctic regions, but so far has bot included Nova Scotia fog and rain as highlights of their cruises.

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Pictor J - new to Eimskip and an exercise

It was my intention to to get a photo of the latest addition to Eimskip's Green Line service from a good angle. However the onset of rain deterred me, and I had to settle for another "going away" view. Maybe next time.

 
Pictor J joined the rotation in April, replacing Lomur (which was also in port today for SPMI's St-Pierre et Miquelon service) but did not call in Halifax on its first trip.

The gearless 10,965 gt, 12,640 dwt ship with a 965 TEU (including 300 reefers) capacity dates from 2009 when it was built by Naval Gijon S.A. as one of series built to the Sener 950 design. Featuring a full width wheelhouse, sheltered forecastle peak it is classified as Ice Class III . 

The ship is owned through the Jüngerhans Group, a German company of long standing, but is registered in Limassol, Cyprus. See their interesting web site: https://www.juengerhans.de/en

As the ship was getting away from pier 42, Halterm, a Royal Canadian Air Force CH-149 Cormorant search and rescue helicopter was hovering at very low altitude over Dominion Diving's Halmar just south of Ives Knoll. Four Cormorant helos and a Hercules are tasked to SAR work and operated by 413 Transport and Rescue Squadron based in Greenwood, NS, covering a gigantic area of 1.8mn square miles, stretching from Nova Scotia, to Quebec City, to Baffin Island and out so sea.

This was some form of exercise presumably, not a real life emergency, as the pilot boat Nova Pilot hastened past to work the outbound Pictor J.

Both Scotia Pilot and Nova Pilot are back in full service after several months, and APA No.18 has returned to Saint John, NB.

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Augusta Unity

Never one to focus entirely on the more popular waterfront activities (such as cruise ships) I usually pay more attention to the mundane, because they often carry interesting stories.

Today's departure was one of those, Augusta Unity one of Nirint's ships running from Cuba with nickel sulfides for processing in Canada. After unloading here, the ship carries on the Europe then circles back to Cuba with general cargo and containers.

The ship has been calling here for several years for three different lines and under three different names, however the ship has had no less than eight names(one of them more or less famous) since it was built in 1999, and has been covered here before.

See: http://shipfax.blogspot.com/2015/11/bumper-to-bumper-at-piers-27-and-28-and.html

Since 2015 it was renamed Onego Pioneer then in 2016 Atlantic Pioneer and in 2017 Augusta Unity. It seems to have had the same owners throughout, Aspire Navigation Co Ltd of Cyprus, so the name changes were made to suit the various charterers.

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