Banner Year for the Port

 The three container ports in eastern Canada have published their statistics for the year 2022 and all are showing increases in container throughput.

The Port of Halifax exceeded 600,000 TEU for the first time.

The Port of Halifax can accommodate the largest ships now calling on the east coast of North America. This CMA CGM T. Roosevelt, with a 14,414 TEU capacity, arriving January 18, is typical of the larger ships (the largest are closer to 16,000 TEU). Investment in new cranes and other equipment in 2023 should see the Port remaining competitive.

The Port of Saint John, NB experienced a surge in traffic and exceeded 150,000 TEU - well in excess of previous years - thanks largely to a new interest in the Port by CP Rail. Terminal improvements and two more cranes (due in the next few days) may result in more growth in 2023.

The Port of Montreal has by far the largest container volume in eastern Canada with a 1,596,750 TEU throughput in 2022. A minimal increase of less than 1% over 2021, it is nevertheless an impressive number. Imports accounted for 794,444 TEU and exports for 802,305 TEU.

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Ale for the Basin, Morning Celine for Pier 9C

 A resident of Pier 9C since January 3, [see January 4 post]  the bulk carrier Ale was obliged to move off the berth today January 18 to make way for another ship. The autocarrier Morning Celine will be moving this afternoon from Autoport to unload machinery at Pier 9C. 

Tugs Atlantic Fir (bow) and Atlantic Beaver (stern) tow the disabled Ale from Pier 9C to anchorage in Bedford Basin.

  The hardluck Ale damaged its hull, rudder and propellor in September when it ran aground in Long Pond, NL. It was towed to Méchins, QC for temporary repairs by the tugs Atlantic Larch and Atlantic Fir. In December it was to be taken in tow by the Italian tug Kamarina and headed for Setubal, Portugal for permanent repairs. [The nature of the damage was beyond the capability of the Verreault shipyard to repair due to other commitments for its drydock, and winter conditions.] 

However when leaving the drydock, the ship made contact with one or two of the shipyard tugs and a tanker that was lying alongside. [It did not run aground contrary to early reports]. Then while in the Gulf of St.Lawrence, one leg of the towing bridle parted and the tug and ship diverted to Halifax to re-establish the connection. 

 

The Ale does not have the use of its own engine or steering, so is required to have a tug alongside at all times when at anchor. The tug Kamarina moved to be alongside the ship for the day.

 The tug Kamarina moved to Bedford Basin anchorage Monday, January 16 (date of photo).

Once the Morning Celine completes its operations late this evening the Ale will be returned to Pier 9C nad Kamarina will move back to another anchorage position in Bedford Basin.

In order to unload at Pier 9C the Morning Celine has to dock "starboard side to" because its stern ramp is fixed for starboard side unloading only (like most autocarriers). Therefore it must go through the Narrows to Bedford Basin, turn, then come back under the MacKay bridge to tie up in the correct orientation at Pier 9C. This is now becoming a fairly common sight as RoRo cargo operations have moved from Pier 30-31 to Pier 9C. It is still impressive however to see autocarriers in the Narrows. (Assist tugs are not visible on the ship's port side.) 

Morning Celine has turned in Bedford Basin and is passing back under the bridge and coming alongside at Pier 9C.

Built in 2009 by Imabari Zosen, Marugame, Japan, it is a 60,931 gt, 22,415 dwt vessel with a capacity of 6458 cars. Although actual ownership is shrouded in Panamanian anonymity, it operates for Eukor / Wilhelmsen, currently on the transatlantic turn for Wallenius Wilhelmsen Ocean. Previous ports include Southampton December 20-21, Goteborg December 26-27, Zeebrugge January 3-8.

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Algo Update

 With Algoma tankers all over Halifax harbour (four at least count if you include ex vessels) it is time for a brief update.

The former Algoma Hansa, officially removed from the Canadian register on January 13 and renamed Algo remains at Pier 25 -26. The weather has finally co-operated enough for the painters to modify the name and add Monrovia as the port of registry. 

The painters also hastily covered the Algoma crest on the funnel. Most ships sold for scrap are renamed (as economically as possible) and any traces of prior ownersdhip are obliterated before sailing.

If the ship is going to India for scrap it is usually re-registered under a marginal flag of convenience such as St.Kitts and Nevis. However registering the ship in Liberia (a higher standard flag of convenience) indicates that the ship will remain insured until it reaches its destination, likely Turkey, and will sail under its own power, rather than in tow. There is little chance that the ship will be re-sold for further trading, but that is still an outside possibility. I have heard reports that it will be used for bunkering or for shuttle service.

Once the Algoma shield was painted over on the funnel, there appeared the original Dannebrog swallow tail pennant which was not just painted on, but built on, with steel plate.

 Algoma's latest acquistion Algotitan (ex Chataco) remains at Pier 27. Algonorth is due to sail this afternoon with the newly arrived Algoscotia standing by to to take its berth.

Street views of the harbour, such as this one from Sackville Street, are sometimes rewarding. Algoscotia arriving from Sept Iles, did a "harbour tour" around George's Island while the Algonorth was getting underway for Sydney.

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Long Trip Home

 The Canadian Coast Guard patrol vessel Private Robertson V.C. departed Patricia Bay, BC January 14 en route for its home base at the Bedford Institute in Dartmouth (Halifax Harbour).

It was the lead ship of nine in the Hero class of Damen Stanpatrol 4027 variants built by Irving Shipbuilding Inc's Halifax Shipyard. The ship was launched May 12, 2012 and was handed over to the CCG in August 2012 and assigned to Sarnia, ON where it was engaged in border policing and other CCG duties such as Search and Rescue.

In 2019 it sailed on its own hull to British Columbia to cover for other vessels as they entered refits. It also underwent its own extensive refit from March to November 2022. 

Another of the Hero class vessels, the Corporal McLaren M.M.V. remains out of service after it partially capsized due to vandalism in November 2018 at CME Shipyard in Sambro, NS. After recovery,  crews removed salvageable equipment and essentially gutted out damaged material. It was estimated that it would cost $11 million to repair. In the meantime a contract in excess of $500,000 was awarded to CME Shipyard, Pictou in July 2022 to stabilize and prepare the ship for long term storage until it can be repaired - possibly in 2023, but likely later.

The shipyard was insured to $10 million according to press reports, and the Canadian government had two years from the time of the incident to commence legal proceedings for damages.

The other Hero class boats in the Atlantic and Central regions do not usually see much if any winter service, and so are laid up or in refit until spring. Constable Carrière is in Pictou, Caporal Kaeble V.C. and Corporal Tether C.V. are in North Sydney, G. Peddle S.C. based at BIO, Dartmouth is scheduled for refit in January-February (unknown location), and A.Leblanc is in winter layup at Sorel-Tracy. The two remaining units, M.Charles M.B., and Captain Goddard M.V.M.  are west coast based.

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Too Wet

 There was no work at Pier 28 today, January 16, due to rainy and windy weather. The bulk carrier Midland Trader arrived on Saturday January 14 in high winds and rain, and aside from a mix with snow pellets and freezing rain on Sunday, the wetness has persisted, with temperatures rising to an unseasonal +10 degrees C.

The ship is classed as a "Handysize" bulk carrier of 22,918 gt, 35,762 dwt and carries four 36 tonne cranes [marked as 36t on hook, 26t on grab and 45 tonnes SWL at 26m] and four 12 cubic meter grabs to serve its five holds. The ship was built in 2019 by Samjin Shipbuilding Industries Co Ltd in Weihai for Oldendorff Carriers GmbH + Co KG of Lubeck, Germany.

Sources differ on the name assigned to the ship when it was laid down. Some say Christiane Oldendorff and others Conrad Oldendorff. However it was delivered as Midland Trader for long term employment with "a major trading house", assumed to be Archers-Daniel-Midland. The giant Chicago based agri-business has large holdings in transportation and logistics, including 23,500 rail cars and its own Mississippi river barge fleet of 1700 barges and 58 towboats, not to mention 1600 truck trailers, and at least five (chartered) bulk carriers.

The ship appears ready to load when conditions suit. Unlike some ports, Halifax does not rig tarps over ship's hatches when loading sensitive products in the rain (in this case soy beans or wood pellets), so must await dry weather. 

Note the ship's "sliced off" bow, which brings it in at 179.99m (590 ft 6.3 inches) length overall. I am not sure why it has this feature, inless there is a specific place the ship must fit. Oldendorff's fleet of bulkers now numbers in the range of 750 ships of 65 million tonnes deadweight, and they come in all sizes. This ship is not restricted to carrying food products, as the stanchions indicate that it is fitted to carry deck loads of timber.

 To make room for the Midland Trader at pier 28, the tanker Algonorth [see previous post] moved out to anchor in the lower harbour. The tanker its awaiting its turn to load at Imperial Oil.

As mentioned in that last note, service in the St.Lawrence Seaway has not done the ship's paint scheme any favours. All that scraping in and out of the locks has resulted in a case of "lock rash". The black boot topping also shows normal erosion of the anti-fouling paint. The friction of the water exposes fresh layers of biocide in a controlled release of the toxic molecules, thus preventing the build up of marine organisms on the hull. Though effective, it is does not improve a ship's appearance. With drydocking due this year, there will likely be new paint above and a touch up below the waterline

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Three's a crowd

 The old phrase that "two's company, three's a crowd" might well be leveled at Algoma Tankers Ltd today (January 12) as there are ships from the fleet at Piers 26, 27 and 28.

The latest arrival is Algonorth which moved over from Imperial Oil this morning to Pier 28. It is bow to bow with Algotitan which is receiving its new name today. (It was officially registered in Halifax under the new name yesterday.) At nearby Pier 25-26 the Algoma Hansa, the third member, awaits a sale and transfer to new owners.

Algonorth built in 2008 by Tuzla Gemi, in Turkey, is a 12,164 gt, 16,979 dwt ship, originally named Gan Gesture, until 2009 and Ramira until 2018.

Algonorth is still wearing the (once) attractive red hull colour of its previous owners Alvtank Rederi AB of Sweden. Most of the ship's certificates expire 2023-10-17, so I anticipate a drydocking for renewal  this year, at which time it is likely to be repainted in Algoma's customary deep blue.

The only repainting expected on the Algotitan, is the name, which was underway earlier today. The former Chataco had its new name on the starboard bow, and there were painters working from staging on the port bow (no more bosun's chairs for this work.) 

The only ship wearing traditional Algoma colours was Algoma Hansa which, with extra lines and fire wires overside, is settling in for an indeterminate layup peroid until it is sold.

The reason for Algonorth's arrival in Halifax was to load cargo from Imperial Oil, and I am supposing that it moved over the Halifax to allow for the arrival of more product today on the Danish flag tanker Nord Superior. It is a 30,229 gt, 49,753 dwt vessel built in 2015 by STX Offshore + Shipbuilding in Jinhae. The ship features an unusually tall funnel, which carries the colours of Damps. NORDEN A/S.

The ship operates in the Norient Product Pool APS (an operation founded 50:50 by NORDEN and Interorient, but now100% owned by NORDEN). The ship has not followed the usual route of  Imperial's imported product. [See previous post.] Instead of sailing from Exxon/Mobil's refinery in Antwerp, the ship sailed from Al Fujayrah, Saudi Arabia December 9 and after transiting the Suez Canal December 17 it anchored off Barcelona December 24-30, then spent December 30-31 in the port itself. The Lipsa refinery in Barcelona is a large producer of bio-fuels.

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Algoma Hansa - retires

 The Canadian flag tanker Algoma Hansa arrived in Halifax on January 7. It came from the Great Lakes with stops at Kildair Sorel-Tracy and Montreal. It arrived in ballast (and likely with tanks cleaned and gas freed) and will be laid up until it can be transferred to new owners.

The ship was built in 1998 and is nearing the end of its economic life. After twenty-five years of service ships must undergo a major refit to maintain their classification, and the expense is usually not warranted. Owners then sell the ship for further use where its classification will not be renewed, or in many cases the ship goes to scrap.

Algoma Hansa is an unusual ship in many ways. It was built at Alabama Shipyard in Mobile, AB for Dannebrog Rederi A/S of Denmark. Named Amelienborg it was delivered in April 1998 and a sistership, named Aggersborg was delivered in November of the same year. Measuring 11,290 gt, and 16,775 dwt it was registered in Denmark and was a double hull chemical / product tanker with phenolic coated cargo tanks. Algoma Tankers Ltd acquired the ship in 2006 and operated it in the Hanseatic and later Navig8 tanker pools, largely in Europe, but it did make some trips to the Great Lakes. 

Algoma renamed the Aggersborg as Algosea in 2005 and registered it in Canada. They renamed the Amalienborg to Algoma Hansa in 2008 but did not bring into Canadian registry until 2014. By that time its projecting bridge wings had been cut back flush with the ship's sides to permit safe passage through the St.Lawrence Seaway locks.

It will now be replaced in the Algoma fleet by the recently acquired Chantaco which arrived in Halifax December 30 [see post]. Algoma has selected the name Algotitan for the new acquistion, and when it enters service (expected shortly) it will operate this winter with Algoscotia which arrived in Halifax January 8. 

Algoscotia sailed again January 9 for Sydney with cargo from Imperial Oil for its Sydney depot.

There is no word yet on when the sister Algosea will be retired, and it is operating this winter on the Great Lakes. Its replacement, the future Algoberta, is currently working in Europe as Chiberta.

On Monday January 9 the Algoma Hansa swapped places with its replacement. The Chantaco moved to Pier 27 and the Algoma Hansa to Pier 25. Once along side at Pier 25 the workboat Allen Clipper came along to carry out some underwaterwork (perhaps hull cleaning or camera survey). 

There is some indication that a sale has already been arranged for the Algoma Hansa and handover and renaming will take place shortly.

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