Lifting On

 The Canadian Coast Guard lifeboat Cadboro Bay took to the air briefly today. A crane lifted the boat aboard the re-purposed offshore supplier Atlantic Condor as the first step in its transfer to the west coast.

After a dry run yesterday, the boat returned to the BIO base, then came back alongside this morning at the IEL dock in Dartmouth where the operation began in earnest.

Cadboro Bay was built by Chantier Forillon in Gaspé and arrived in Halifax for the first time October 12, 2020. It has seen some service as a stand-in for the Sambro lifeboat while it was off for refit.

See http://shipfax.blogspot.com/2020/10/cadboro-bay-first-of-two.html

Sister boat Florencia Bay, which arrived from its builder, Hike Metal Products in Wheatley, ON on October  13, 2020 is also at the Bedford Institute, and will also be loaded aboard for the westbound trip.

See: http://shipfax.blogspot.com/2020/10/florencia-bay-second-of-two.html

The Atlantic Condor was been a familiar sight in Halifax, following its construction by Halifax Shipyard in 2011. It worked a ten year contract supporting Encana's offshore gas activity. When the gas was depleted and the installation decommissioned last year the vessel was laid up Stephenville, NL.

http://tugfaxblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2021/01/new-gig-for-atlantic-condor.html

Atlantic Towing Ltd contracted to transport the two Bay class lifeboats to Victoria, BC before the end of March. The Atlantic Condor just returned to Halifax October February 8 after drydocking in St. John's. It has been fitted with special cradles (not visible) to support the boats for their voyage.

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Trawler Primo sinks in Lunenburg

 This winter has been hard on old trawlers, with two coming to grief in recent days.

In Halifax, commercial and Coast Guard crews are still at work removing contaminants from the Hydra Mariner (ex Cape Mira) which drifted ashore on Navy Island after parting its mooring line in a storm January 14. See January 30, 2021

Now secured with a line ashore (!) Hydra Mariner is boomed off at Navy Island with CGE 310 alongside.

The latest casualty - and a far more serious one - is also a product of the same  George T. Davie + Sons shipyard in Lauzon, QC. The Primo also dates from 1963 when it was built for St.Lawrence Sea Products as a side trawler.

Primo preparing to haul out at Dartmouth Marine Slips.

The vessel was delivered in March 1964 and made its own way through 740 miles of severe ice en route to Lunenburg, without icebreaker assistance. In December of the same year it had a fire on board while 23 miles off Halifax. Crews from HMCS Terra Nova and HMCS Gatineau put out the fire, but five crew were injured suffering from exposure and one was missing and presumed lost.

In 1982 it tipped over on the slip at Sydney Engineering and Drydock, but was righted with only minor damage. 

Safely on the slip at STENPRO in Liveprool, Primo shows off its fine hull lines.

After several changes of ownership it was converted for scallop dragging and fished out of Riverport, NS until 2005 when it retired from fishing. New owners planned to convert the boat to a cargo ship to work under sail, but this work seems to have stalled and it has remain neglected in Lunenburg for many years.

Zebroid (at left) was converted to sail, but Primo (at right) languished at the pier.

Under the weight of a heavy deck load of snow from the storm of February 7 the boat gradually sank alongside its berth.

Prospects for anything beyond scrapping seem unlikely for the veteran vessel.

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BBC Opal - in before the storm

 With a major winter snow storm approaching ships have the option to come into port or to remain out at sea. The auto carrier NOCC Oceanic will be taking the latter course and riding out the predicted high winds and heavy snow, rather than tying up at Autoport. That facility relies on mooring buoys and has only a light jetty which could well be damaged by a high sided ship alongside during a storm. Also attempting to unload autos during a heavy snow fall may not be wise.

The heavy lift ship BBC Opal took the former option, entered port and tied up this afternoon. What appears to be a heavy object, such as a transformer, is awaiting the ship on a rail car at Pier 27. It is unlikely that it could be loaded before the snow starts later this afternoon, but perhaps blocking and other prep work in the ship's hold can proceed under cover.

BBC Opal was launched as Senda J. in 2011 by Sainty Shipbuilding (Jiangdu) Corp in China. It is a 12,810 gt, 14,359 dwt vessel with two 400 tonne and one 80 tonne capacity cranes. The two large cranes can work in tandem for an 800 tonne lift. The ship's holds are box shaped and "open hatch" (meaning that the hatch coamings do not overhang the sides of the holds).

The ship can also carry 958 TEU (nominal) or 683 at 14 tonnes, and has 28 reefer plugs on deck.

The ship was renamed Industrial Faith on delivery, but reverted to Senda J. later in 2011. It became Mirabella in 2015, Industrial Faith again in 2016 and finally assumed its current name, BBC Opal in 2019. [There was a Dutch heavy lifter named Mirabella - a different ship - which called in Halifax in 1986 for Jumbo Shipping, carrying locomotives to Indonesia. See October 27, 2016.]

The ship is one of more than a dozen ships of this design in the 150 ship BBC Chartering fleet operated by Briese Schiffahrts for a variety of owners. Interestingly the ship is also listed in the owner's Reederei Juengerhans fleet, managed by the specialist heavy lift brokers ARKON Shipping and Projects. Also oddly the ship is still carried on the Juengerhans fleet list as Senda J (with no period after the "J").

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Follow up on Giulia I

 I feel that I did not express my sympathies adequately in yesterday's post. 

To the families and crew mates of the deceased seafarer from Giulia I I do wish to express my deepest condolences. I understand that the wonderful local Filipino community in Halifax is providing what support they can to the crew and as always the Mission to Seafarers is there to assist. Also the International Transport Workers Federation is working on behalf of the crew to arrange for relief / repatriation since their employment contract(s) ended some time ago.

To free up Pier 27 for tomorrow's arrival of the heavy lift ship BBC Opal, the Giulia I moved this afternoon, with tug assistance, to Pier 9C. The ship seemed to be in good order, moving under its own power, so perhaps it will be cleared to sail as soon crew issues are resolved. As their are no international airline flights in and out of Halifax, it may take some time to bring a new crew from overseas.

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Running on all cylinders

 The Port was bustling today. There were arrivals and departures of "repeat customers" at the container terminals, and Autoport and there were several ships in for repairs.

Autoport welcomed back Siem Confucius the pioneering LNG fueled auto carrier. This time I was able to catch the ship before it tied up.

I gave the ship's particulars when it called here the first time June 26, 2020

PSA Halifax greeted CMA CGM A.Lincoln another of the 14k TEU class ships that are the backbone of the Columbus service. The ship made an unusual Western Channel passage inbound and gave an interesting broadside view to boat watchers at Point Pleasant Park.

I also covered this ship's particulars when it called here April 14, 2020

Among the ships in port for repairs, Singelgracht was able to sail today. After arriving here January 23, 2021 in tow from a few miles offshore, it haD been tied up at Pier 9C.

As the ship sails outbound it passes Siem Commander (red hull in background) the tug that was mobilized to tow the snip into port in a matter of a few hours.

Not visible from forward, is the added exhaust gas scrubber, installed to allow the ship to continue to use heavy fuel and meet environmental regulations.

Perhaps it is a coincidence, but a sister ship, the Snoekgracht had an engine failure January 30 in the English Channel off Dover. It was able to anchor and self repair in a few hours.

Another ship that has been in port for some time is Imedghassen, an Algerian flag vessel that was to sail for Melfi Lines, but has remained tied up at Pier 34 since January 9, 2021.

I saw a crane landing some material on the ship several days ago, so some sort of repair was underway. The ship may now be waiting for its turn to come again in the rotation if its charter has not been voided.

At Pier 27 the unfortunate Giulia I remains tied up since its arrival January 31. The ship encountered severe weather January 30 and was struck by a  heavy wave resulting in the death of one crew member and injuries to three others.  

Bound from Norfolk, VA for Tunisia the ship was 320 nautical miles SE of Halifax when it was overcome by a near hurricane. In view of prevailing conditions it made for Halifax, the nearest safe port. The 25,303 gt, 39,2020 dwt bulker was built in 2014 by the Yangfan Group in Zhoushan, and carries four cranes and grabs.

Due to its position at Pier 27 it is difficult to see if there is damage to the ship or cargo, but in view of the circumstances, the crew must be traumatized at the very least. Depending on the severity of the injuries to the three seafarers, the ship may also be below safe manning levels. Acquiring replacements for some or all of the crew will certainly be difficult under current travel restrictions. It has been reported that the crew may have been aboard the ship for more than a year.

With the recent loss of six Yarmouth area fishermen, Nova Scotians do not need to be reminded of the dangers of seafaring. Nevertheless it is still a chilling fact that seafarers risk their lives every day to carry cargo for those of us who enjoy comparative safety on shore.

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News - not all good, not all bad

 Perhaps the bad news was not a total surprise, but it is still sad to learn that there will be no cruise season in Halifax in 2021. The Port of Halifax made the announcement today. With COVID-19 still not under control the federal government has apparently made the call through the Minister of Transport. Some cruise lines are still operating elsewhere in the world in a limited way, but most have extended last year's shut down as ships continue to be idled and even scrapped.

Most of the modern ships are being kept in "warm layup" but without income, one has to wonder how long the industry can retain the ships it has, let alone continue to build new ones. It will be many years before pre-COVID levels of travel resume, by which time some of the better known ships may be too old to return to work. Queen Mary 2 seen above was built in 2003, for example.

The good news was not delivered by the Port of Halifax, but was well covered in the trade press, and that is MSC's confirmation that its temporary calls in Halifax have become "permanent". Starting in August 2020 the world's second largest line, Mediterranean Shipping Company, diverted ships from Montreal due to labour issues in that port. Once those were resolved the line continued to call, having found local business to support. They could also reduce ship's drafts here to meet seasonal restrictions on the St.Lawrence.

MSC's Canada Express 2 service, which runs from Valencia to Montreal and Barcelona will likely call on both the east and westbound legs of their trips. Montreal will remain the terminal port, but there will still be significant traffic for Halifax - reportedly 700 moves per call. Access to MSC's two Mediterranean hubs is a major attraction to local shippers also. 

With congestion at west coast US ports reaching crisis levels, cargo diversions via Suez can be expected. These Mediterranean hub ports could be instrumental in easing the demand. At last report more than 40 ships were awaiting a week or more for berths in LA/Long Beach and Oakland was backing up too. Seattle/Tacoma was next in line but will be hard pressed to make a dent in the log jam.

On a very un-February like day, a few speculative starlings await picnic table activity in Point Pleasant Park as MSC Rochelle works cargo at Pier 42 PSA Halifax. [A closer shot was not possible as the breakwater remains closed to pedestrians - for dubious reasons.]

The Canada Express 2 service is currently maintained by five ships: MSC Rochelle, MSC Eleni, MSC Angela, and MSC Poh Lin. 

Scrappers take a pair - Bernhard Oldendorff and Caroline Oldendorff

Ships going for scrap are not usually news, since most ships end up at the scrap yard eventually, if they do not succumb to the dire circumstance of sinking. Thirty years is about the maximum life expectancy for a ship these days since insurers and the classification societies that rate them require major overhauls at that age. These refits are so extensive that the cost usually exceeds the residual value in the ship.

A pair of sister ships arrived at Chittagong January 27 for their appointments with the breakers. The ships have worked in tandem since built in 1990 and 1991, and will now go under the torch together. Daewoo Shipbuilding and Heavy Machinery in Okpo, South Korea built the ships as self-unloading bulk carriers for Fearnley + Eager of Oslo. That company went under before completion, and they were taken over, along with long term charters, by Egon Oldendorff of Luebeck, Germany. The ships were given the names Yeoman Burn and Yeoman Brook on delivery in 1990 and 1991 respectively to take up charters with the British construction materials company Foster Yeoman, carrying aggregates in the UK and Europe. 

In 1993 Egon Oldendorff and CSL (Canada Steamship Lines) formed a pool to operate ocean going self-unloading bulk carriers, and were later joined by Klaveness and Algoma. The pool was managed by CSL Americas, now called CSL International out of the unlikely port of Salem, MA.

Yeoman Brook had a serious fire that started in the self-unloading structure May 6, 1994 while tied up in Bremen, however the ship was repaired and returned to service August 25, 1994.

Later in 1994 Yeoman Burn was renamed Caroline Oldendorff 43,332 gt, 77,549dwt and Yeoman Brook was renamed Bernhard Oldendorff 43,332 gt, 77,548 dwt and both were chartered to CSL. The ship's paths did not cross often as they were assigned to various trades with CSL International.

Bernhard Oldendorff delivered coal to Nova Scotia, and usually loaded aggregates as backhaul. However when it came to load gypsum in Halifax it was found to be too high out of the water to fit under the loading device at National Gypsum in Dartmouth. A smaller ship, Atlantic Erie came in to transfer enough cargo to allow the ship to get in alongside. Even then it could not load to full draft due to shallow water at National Gypsum. 

 Atlantic Erie starts off the loading process at anchor in Bedford Basin.

Unloading aggregates at Tampa.

Therefore the ship was a rare caller in Halifax, but a notable one due to its size. Its last visit was in July 2015 when it called for bunkers.

Sister ship Caroline Oldendorff did not call in Halifax as far as my records go.

In 2018 Oldendorff sold the two ships and withdrew from the CSL International pool, selling its remaining three ships to Algoma. 

New owners, reported to be in Abu Dhabi, renamed them Berni and Carol for a short time and sold them on later in 2018 to Hong Kong, where they were to work on a large land reclamation project and were renamed Berni HK and Carol HK.

As the ships were approaching thirty years of age it can be imagined that the last owners did not make much of an investment in terms of maintenance, and that on completion of the Hong Kong work they were quite ready for the breakers.

 

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