Ships sold

 Two Canadian ships have been sold to foreign buyers recently. Both were operated by affiliates of Transport Desgagnés and they have Halifax connections - one more so than the other.

Sale Number 1

The most recent sale is the tanker Maria Desgagnés which has been laid up in Montreal since October 25, 2021. Having passed 20 years of age, the ship was considered a liability by the major oil companies, and was restricted from loading at their facilities or carrying their products.  

Earlier this year it was renamed Maria and its Canadian registration was closed March 3. On March 9 the new name of Aram Khachaturian appeared and the ship was reported sold to so far unknown Georgian owners, and registered in Panama. The close ties between the country of Georgia and Russia (and the namesake's similar close ties to the USSR, despite Armenian ancestry) have raised questions about Russian involvement - directly or indirectly.

 Maria Desgagnés was an infrequent caller in Halifax, usually carrying refined products from the Valero refinery in Lévis, Quebec. Built in 1998 by Qiuxin, Shanghai as Kilchem Asia it was acquired by Transport Desgagnés when the first owners, Kil Shipping of Denmark, defaulted on the construction contract and shipyard sold the ship in early 1999. It is a double hulled chemical/product  tanker of 8848 gross tons, 14,335 deadweight and was built to LR Ice Class 1A. It made regular trips to the north to refuel arctic outposts. The ship was sub-chartered to the Desgagnés tanker subsidiary PetroNav Inc. So far no sailing date has been posted.

 

Sale Number 2

Although not seen in Halifax for many years the small passenger / cargo ship Nordik Express was once based here and was rebuilt here.

 The ship was built in 1974 as Theriot Offshore IV by Todd Pacific in Seattle as one of a series of six numbered offshore suppliers of 1258 gt. It had a large open cargo deck and below deck tanks for cement, drilling mud, pot water, fuel and other materials. In 1977 the ship was renamed Scotoil 4. In 1979 the newly established Secunda Marine Services of Dartmouth, NS acquired the vessel (and its five sister craft) through J.Ray McDermott, and renamed it Tartan Sea.

As Secunda grew it needed more sophisticated and modern suppliers and it sold off five of the Theriot boats, which were converted for fishing by new owners. However Secunda found another use for the Tartan Sea and converted it to a passenger / cargo ship in 1987. The work was mostly done at the Woodside dock in Dartmouth. Secunda signed a five year contract with the Quebec Minister of Transport to use the ship for seasonal service to a dozen or more isolated communities on the lower north shore of the Gulf of St.Lawrence between Sept-Iles and Blanc Sablon on the Labrador border. With the conversion it had facilities for deck and cabin passengers and 1300 tonnes of freight. Operating from Rimouski they also called in Port Menier, Anticosti Island. The ship, now measuring 1619 gt, and fitted with a 35 tonne capacity cargo crane, was renamed  Nordik Express.

At the end of the 1987 season Secunda sold the ship, and contract, to a Transport Desgagnés affiliate called Relais Nordique. Although the ship was ice rated, it initially did not operate between January and April.

 

The ship retained the name but was repainted in Desgagnés colours. In 2001 further modifications included an upper deck lounge and more cabins. Passenger capacity was then rated at 268 with 72 cabins and container capacity was 60 TEU.

 A serious grounding in Harrington Harbour in 2007 resulted in extensive bottom repairs, which likely extended the life of the ship.

Nordik Express continued the service until  2013 when a new ship, Bella Desgagnés was delivered See Shipfax April 9, 2013 Even then however, teething problems with the new ship saw the Nordik Express brought back out of well earned retirement as a substitute and back-up.

The ship was effectively laid up for five years in Quebec City, until January 2021 when it was again pressed into service temporarily, under Transport Canada exemption, when the Bella had engine trouble. Nordik Express sailed out of Sept-Iles to carry 45 containers of much needed supplies to the outports. However to return to regular service, the ship would have needed extensive hull work, which the owners felt was not warranted for a ship of its age and it went back into layup and listed for sale.

In January of this year it was sold to Dominican Republic owners who renamed the ship RD Express. After some refit work it sailed from Quebec City on March 18 but an engine failure caused the ship to return to port where the crew made repairs. (It has two V-20 GM's totaling 7200 bhp). It then sailed March 22, for Santo Domingo where it is expected to take up a passenger / freight service with Puerto Rico.

As a bit of a footnote the small 40 ft. long tug/workboat Flo-Mac, dating from 1960 was also sold to Dominican owners and left Quebec as deck cargo on the RD Express. The tug's name is an abbreviation of Florence Mary McKeil (1938-2007), wife of Evans McKeil, original owner of the tug and founder of McKeil Workboats - now McKeil Marine. Another tug, the Florence M and a bulk carrier Florence Spirit still carry Mrs.McKeil's name.

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Langlade: from the Where Are They Now Department

 It has been some time since we heard from "Where Are They Now", but a recent press release from Tahiti of all places rang a wake up call in the WATN Department. 

The Société de Navigation Polynésienne has ordered a new container and RoRo ship for delivery in 2025. Although the ship will be built by Royal Bodewes in the Netherlands, it will service a route between Huahine, Raiatea, Taha'a and Bora Bora, replacing a smaller ship. It is that smaller ship that tripped the bell.

Now named Hawaiki Nui (or Hawaikinui depending on references) it was built in 1980 by La Société Nouvelle des Ateliers et Chantiers de La Rochelle-Pallice in France and came in at 800 gt, 1050 dwt. It was equipped with a stern door and ramp, a cargo derrick and was ice stengthened. Named Langlade it served the French islands of St-Pierre et Miquelon. Its name came from Miquelon - Langlade, two islands connected by an 8 mile long sandspit and 3 miles west of the island of St-Pierre. The archipelago is located 12 miles off the south coast of Newfoundland and is a French territory.

 Operating as SPM Ro-Ro, the ship made weekly trips between Halifax and St-Pierre with containers, RoRo and a small number of passengers. (It was noted for its hospitality, particularly when the bonded stores were opened). As France's remaining outpost in North America, St-Pierre et Miquelon relies to a large degree on cargo movements to and from France. The ship made the connection in Halifax with Atlantic Container Line's container / RoRo service from Le Havre since the island ports cannot accommodate large ships.

The ship ran under French flag from 1980 until 1989 when it was sold to Puddister Shipping Co Ltd of St.John's. They ran the ship as Northern Cruiser until 1998 on Labrador supply and other coastal runs. In 1998 it returned to the French flag and was transferred to Tahiti, where it has been operating ever since under the name Hawaiki Nui. For more on the meaning of the name see: Hawaiki Nui Va'a

From the various on-line images I can see the current ship has been reconfigured somewhat, with the addition of a cargo crane and possibly more passenger accommodation. Tonnages are now listed as 895 gt and 1158 dwt.

The replacment ship, to be named Hawaikinui 2, will be of more modern appearance, with a wave piercing bow - not likely ice strengthened however:

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Spring Signs

 Among the annual signs of spring is the opening of the St.Lawrence Seaway, which took place (officially*) today, March 22. With that the CSL bulk carrier Baie St.Paul got underway from its "winter layup" berth at Pier 25-26 in Halifax. 

 Traditionally Great Lakes ships went into winter layup in December and remained idle or had maintenance work until spring. The newer generation of ships have extended the season, and often work outside the Great Lakes well into the winter, if not year round. Baie St.Paul, a Trillium class self-unloader has been upgraded to make coastal voyages. This winter it was kept busy carrying salt from the Magdalen Islands until it arrived in Halifax February 15. (In 2021 it worked until March 11).

This morning the Baie St.Paul headed for Bedford Basin to load gypsum at the Gold Bond dock, but once in the Basin plans changed due high winds. Instead the ship turned around and returned to the lower harbour and anchored.

 The Baie St.Paul heads back to the lower harbour.

Bedford Basin is not ideal for anchoring in certain conditions, as the bottom is not considered to be good holding ground, and anchors tend to drag. Even in the lower harbour anchorage area the ship took a long time to fetch up on its anchor, with the wind continually pushing the ship southward.

The pilot boat is alongside to disembark the pilot when the ship finally comes to a stop with its nachor holding.

All indications are that the winds will die down after sunset, and the ship is now scheduled to move to the gypsum dock at 2100 hrs ADT. It will carry the product to the St.Lawrence River or Great Lakes.

* Some ships were moving in the Seaway prior to the official opening. The CCGS Martha L.Black has been icebreaking for several days in the Beauharnois area of the Canadian sector and the US Seaway tug Seaway Guardian likewise bertween the US locks. Also CSL's sister ship CSL Welland was upbound March 21 to be on hand for the official (ceremonial) opening of the Welland Canal, also scheduled for today.

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Asterix sails

 The Royal Canadian Navy's supply ship Asterix sailed today March 21, after a brief visit to the Naval Ammunition Depot in Bedford Basin.

 Asterix outbound in the Narrows this morning.The elaborate derrick systems permit the ship to carry out refueling and replenishment at sea.

As the name implies, the Naval Ammunition Depot (NAD) also known as the Bedford Magazine, is the storage facility for the RCN's ordnance. Presumably the ship stocked up so as to be able to re-supply Canada's warships when they are far away from their home port. In addition to ammunition the Asterix also carries the other supplies that ships need, including fuel and consumables. It can also serve as a spare parts and repair facility and has a large medical ward.

In the lower harbour, the ship heads for sea.

Unique among Canadian naval vessels, the Asterix is privately owned and operated by a civilian crew with naval specialists on board for specific missions. The ship is normally unarmed itself and has limited combat damage control.

(For a quick refresher see Wikipedia here.)
 

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Links in the Supply Chain

Much is written these days about the supply chain and current and potential future disruptions. Two important links in the chain are ships and trains, and the two meet in Halifax - but perhaps not always in obvious ways.

It is pretty hard to miss the "ships" part as they arrive and depart almost constantly. The Mediterranean Shipping Company, MSC, is one of the most frequent callers with several of its lines calling here. Today, March 20, it was the Canada Express 1 service from Italy, Malta and Portugal, represented by MSC Donata. 

The ship is en route to Montreal and has stopped in Halifax to offload some cargo to reduce the ship's draft for the St.Lawrence River. MSC Donata dates from 2002 when it was built by Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries Co Ltd, South Korea. It is a 40,108 gt vessel of 52,806 dwt with a capacity of 4132 TEU and is fitted with 500 reefer plugs.

As befits the eve of first day of spring and the last day of March Break, Point Pleasant Park was full of people, most apparently oblivious to the fact that a lot of what they consume is carried by the ships passing nearby.

Containers from ships are transported to their landside destinations by truck or train. In the case of Halifax those trains are operated by the Canadian National Railway (CNR). The trains run on steel rails which take a considerable beating from heavy trains and eventually need replacement. New rails are  manufactured in Poland and arrive by ship as in today's arrival of Onego Neva.

The ship's hull was built in 2008 by Damen Yichang, in China, and completed by Damen Gorinchem, in the Netherlands. First named Leandra it was renamed Thorco Cobra in 2014, Marmindoro in 2016 and Onego Neva in 2018. The ship is operated by the Tom Worden company from Germany, on charter to Onego Shipping + Chartering of the Netherlands. The only connection with Russia seems to be in the ship's name. The river Neva is located in Russia and flows through St.Peterburg on its way to the Gulf of Finland.

The ship is a 7878 gt, 11,121 dwt multi-purpose, open hatch type, with portable tween decks and two 80 tonne capacity cranes that can combine for a 150 tonne lift. Its cargo of rails will be stockpiled in Halifax and sent out to Winnipeg for processing as CN needs them.

Speaking of rails, Canada's other major railroad, the Canadian Pacific (CPR) is shut down due to labour action. The CPR serves the Port of Saint John, NB and it is not yet known if some cargo will be diverted to Halifax. It is partly dependent on the sympathy of other unions. Saint John is also served by CN, which may take up diversions. 

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Arrivals and Departures

 Among the arrivals and departures today (March 19) were the following:

1. The research ship Atlantis from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute on Cape Cod. Woods Hole is to the United States as the Bedford Institute is to Canada - the country's primary east coast oceanographic research establishment. With so many of Canada's research ships out of service for various reasons, I assume the Atlantis has been engaged to carry out some work for Canada.

The sleek looking ship was built in 1997 by Halter Marine in Moss Point and is a 3,180 gt vessel fitted out to carry 22 crew and between 22 and 34 scientists and technicians depending on the mission. The ship is perhaps best known as the base for "Alvin"  DSV-2, the  HOV (Human Occupied Vehicle) used for deep ocean research. A gantry on the ship's stern is used to deploy the HOV. With a crew of three the submersible has made numerous notable dives, including exploration of the Titanic.

Atlantis is actually a United States Navy vessel, with pennant AGOR-25, but is on bareboat charter to Woods Hole.

2.     Irving Oil's Woodside terminal received the tanker Torm Voyager from Amsterdam. 

Ships of the Danish Torm fleet are usually easy to identify by their black hulls and burnt orange colured superstructures, but this one is clearly an exception. Built in 2008 by Brodotrogir in Trogir, Croatia it is a 26,809 gt, 45,916 dwt chemical/product tanker. 

Originally named Siteam Voyager it  was renamed Team Voyager in 2018. It was only acquired and renamed by Torm AS in June of 2021. The ship is not due for a docking until next year, so Torm will likely wait to repaint the ship. It may then look more like this:

File photo of a typical Torm tanker - the Torm Camilla in Halifax in 2019.

3. HMCS Halifax sailed this afternoon for the Baltic region in support of NATO. It was originally planned that the ship would be going to the Mediterranean, but since the Russian invasion of Ukraine the destination has been changed.

 

The ship has been working up offshore for this deployment for the last several weeks. [ See my post of March 8 ]. Its usual berth at HMC Dockyard makes it one of the most visible of RCN ships.

 

 HMCS Halifax at HMC Dockyard on January 1.

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More is Better

 PSA Halifax announced today that it will be acquiring two new container cranes for its southend terminal during 2023. One crane was already on order, and there was an option for a second which has now been picked up. Both cranes will have a reach of 24 containers, which means they can handle the largest ships currently calling in eastern North America.

One of those ships, the 16,000 TEU  CMA CGM Alexander von Humboldt was alongside today with two cranes finishing up work late this afternoon.

With the addition of the two new cranes, the terminal will have seven "Super Post Panamax" cranes of various heights and reaches.

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