Kurdistan remembered

 
On March 15, 1979 the tanker Kuridistan broke in two off Nova Scotia while loaded with crude oil. The incident resulted in one of the largest salvage operations ever undertaken in Nova Scotia, and a review of ship construction and steel design.

The bow section of the ship contained 7,000 tons of oil, all of which was lost, and the stern 16,000 tons most of which was recovered. Nevertheless the spill that came ashore, some in ice, some floating below the surface effected 700 miles of shoreline and did untold damage to wildlife including fish stocks. Oil continued to wash ashore for six months and the cleanup effort was extensive. Some of the oil was spread about by the Nova Scotia current and dispersed at sea where it could not be recovered.

The spill was not as large as that of the Arrow which struck a pinnacle and sank in Canso Strait in February 1970. It spilled about two thirds of  its cargo of  16,000 tons. Therefore the Kurdistan incident has to take second place among tanker sinkings in Nova Scotia waters.

The tanker itself had a a bit of a controversial history. It was built in 1973 by Swan Hunter's Hebburn yard and named  Frank D. Moores, after the premier of Newfoundland. It was owned by Nile Shipping Co Ltd, managed by Common Brothers Ltd and built for a charter to Shaheen Natural Resources, the developer of a refinery in Come-by-Chance, NL. When Shaheen was declared bankrupt in 1976, the charter was ended, and a new charter arranged with Golden Eagle Refining of Quebec. [Both refineries still exist but with different ownership structures.]

Kurdistan had loaded bunker C oil at Point Tupper for transport to the Golden Eagle refinery in Lévis and sailed to the Cabot Strait. Soon after encountering ice, the the hull began to crack and within a very few hours the ship was abandoned by the crew and several family members. CCGS Sir William Alexander took them all aboard except the master who was finally evacuated by helicopter. From the initial  hull cracking, reported at about 0425 hrs, through the evacuation at 0830 hrs the ship's condition continued to deteriorate until it broke in two at about 2200 hrs.

 The Halifax built CCGS Sir William Alexander (i) evacuated the ship's company and stood by the salvage operations.

Tugs from the Strait of Canso and Halifax were scrambled to assist but there was little that could be done with the ship's bow. It was taken in tow out of the ice area, but it became increasingly unmanageable. On March 28 the tow line to the tug Point Gilbert parted and CCGS Alert, which also had a tow line, cast off its line. On March 30 HMCS Margaree sailed out of Halifax and on April 1, 200 miles off Halifax, sank the bow with gunfire..
 

Also a Halifax built ship, HMCS Margaree was called upon to dispatch the bow section.

Tugs had also secured the stern section for towing and it was taken back to the Strait of Canso and anchored in sheltered waters quite close to the Canso Causeway off Port Hastings. A major flotilla of support craft attended the tow in on March 23. Lead tug Point Valiant was assisted by Point Viking. Point Carroll (port side) and Point Valour (starboard side) prevented the tow from yawing. CCGS Louis S. St-Laurent, CCGS Edward Cornwallis (i) and CCGS Sir William Alexander attended. 

With the work barge Genmar 132 alongside preparations were underway to remove the cargo. A number of local small craft were hired to assist in operations and the barge Genmar 132 was tethered alongside as a work platform.

More patching took place and once its remaining cargo was lightered off Irving Birch towed the hulk to Saint John, arriving April 14, where it was drydocked for more repair.

On June 2 the British tug Guardsman took the stern section in tow, arriving Ijmuiden, Netherlands June 26. A new bow section was fitted in Amsterdam and the ship sailed again November 29 with the new name Simonburn. The ship saw several years of service, under two subsequent names, Aura Bravery from 1982 and Seabravery from 1986. It eventually arrived in Alang, India, June 13, 2000 where it was broken up for scrap,

In subsequent investigations it was found that the stress of heated oil on very cold steel, coupled with some faulty welding from previous repairs was the root cause of the hull cracking. Ship designers have since taken this into account, and the advent of double hulls has lessened the risk of a repeat. Use of high tensile steel, to reduce weight, has also been revised.

The Department of Public Works boat Maces Bay heads to the anchored stern and CCGS Sir William Alexander stands by at Port Hastings. The first Sir William Alexander was built by Halifax Shipyards in 1959. It was replaced by a ship of the same name in 1987 (which is still in  service).

While the Kurdistan was the most memorable event of spring 1979 it was not the only casualty.

Among the others:

On March 2, the tanker Marilia, loaded with Venezuelan crude, was also bound for the Golden Eagle refinery in Lévis when its bow was pierced by ice in the Cabot Strait. There was no oil spill, but the ship diverted to St.George's Bay for temporary repairs. It then backtracked to Halifax, arriving March 16. CCGS Sir William Alexander had also stood by this ship, but was called away to the Kurdistan.

 A deeply laden Marilia begins to lighter off its cargo to the Golden Spray in number 5-6 anchorage in Halifax. Note the lack of oil boom.

On arrival in Halifax Marilia met with the tanker Golden Spray which had been outbound from the St.Lawrence in ballast at the time. A cargo transfer took place in the anchorages and Golden Spray sailed March 18 for Lévis with the crude. Marilia, once repaired, returned to service. 

Built in 1967 by Gotaverken, Gothenborg as Beauval, the tanker measured 48,429 gt, 85,750 dwt. City Marine Inc acquired the ship in 1978 and registered it in Liberia as Marilia. It lasted until 1984 when it was broken up in Nantong.

 Golden Spray was a much larger ship at 63,573gt, 121,185 dwt, built in 1966 by Kockums MV, Malmo as Sea Spray for Salén. It was registered Panamanian as Golden Spray in 1976 and surprisingly was broken up in Kaoshiung in June of 1979.

Also while all this was going on the Danish Partner-Ship was in trouble off Cape Race on March 19. I don't have details at hand about exactly what occurred but the ship was taking water although it had no holes below the waterline. Due to a lack of tugs in the area - many were tied up with the Kurdistan - it was taken in tow by HMCS Assiniboine and arrived in Mulgrave March 20.

Partner-Ship safely tied up at Mulgrave.

Partner-Ship was carrying an oil rig derrick on deck, and it appears that part of it collapsed, possibly holing a hatch cover or the deck itself. The load was apparently re-secured and the ship went on its way.

Starting life in 1975 at Santierul  Naval Galati in Romania. the 4998 gt, 8299 dwt ship carried the name Frendo-Partnership from 1975 to 1977. Sold in 1981 it was renamed Mari Elena under the Venezuelan flag and broken up in Brazil in August 1988. 

The ship was ice strengthened and fitted with two 22 ton and two 12 ton derricks on elaborate masts, over large hatches, suggesting that it was built for specialized loads. Note the enclosed crow's nest mounted low on the foremast, perhaps used as a conning station when visibility from the bridge was restricted by deck cargo.

To add to the shipping woes most of the Marine Atlantic ferries were stuck in ice for varying periods. Marine Atlantica was trapped for two and half days.

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Onego Elbe sails

The cargo ship Onego Elbe sailed this afternoon after discharging a cargo of rails for CN at pier 27. The ship arrived from Poland on March 9, and was unloaded by Logistec's mobile shore crane.

Onego Elbe outbound for Barranquilla, Colombia.

The ship dates from 2008 when it was built by the Damen Yichang Shipyard in China measuring 7878 gt, 11,083 dwt.  Originally named Katharina, it was renamed Marmaui in  2014 and Onego Elbe in 2018.
The ship is of the open hatch, box shaped hold type of multi-purpose carrier. Its two holds are completely accessible, without overhangs, when the hatch covers are removed. (A travelling gantry lifts and stows the covers.)  The ship carries five tween deck panels that can be used to convert hold number one or in various combinations to create tween decks if needed. It is also fitted with a pair of 80 tonne cranes that can be combined for a 150 tonne lift.

Onego Shipping and Chartering is based in the Netherlands and specializes in cross-Atlantic bulk and breakbulk industrial cargoes. Its St.Petersburg branch, Onego Shipping Ltd, specializes in the Baltic, and Onego Shipping Inc has its office in Houston and half a dozen ships working in the Americas. Onego in total currently controls about 25 ships, all under time charter.

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Port Security

People have if  I have a permit from the Port of Halifax to take pictures of ships?

The answer to the question is a definite no. I have certainly been quizzed by Port security people on several occasions as to what I am doing, since I am clearly on Port Property. However I do not intrude on secure areas which are usually marked with signs.  When I explain I am taking a picture of a ship that seems to be a satisfactory - as long as I am not a "professional photographer".

I have to add that the security people are unfailingly polite, even when they have to explain to me where the magic (and sometimes invisible to me) security line is located. Now I know. Aside from some grammatical errors, the signs are clear.

 I am also told they do not like people taking photos of the secure areas. Why this should be must remain a bit of a mystery - not that I would want to take pictures of chain link fences with signs on them. However you will frequently see my photos are framed by fence posts and sometimes by the edges of chain link fencing.

My defense - if I have any at all - is that unless the area is posted as secure, I can be there. This may be a weak argument since I am technically not on so-called "public" property.  I have found however that public property is inevitably owned by someone, and public really only means access is not restricted. I am therefore careful not to stray onto restricted places, even though my camera lens may project into it from time to time.

For the record, I have been taking photos of ships from Port property since 1966. When the Port had its own police force, I was well known to them and considered harmless. Since that force (the National Harbours Board Police) was disbanded, I have never rarely had occasion to speak with the Halifax police who took over, however their presence is minimal.

After 9/11 Port security ramped up and almost all working areas of the port were fenced and gated. The Port has security guards under contract from a local agency and monitors the areas with a plethora of cameras.

The reason I am posting this at all is to advise others not to wander about too freely in the port and pay attention to the signs.

The reference to MARSEC 1 comes from definitions in the ISPS Code and Canada's Marine Transportation Security  Regulations. MARSEC 1 is the base level of security requirements and may go up to MARSEC 2 or MARSEC 3 based on identifiable threats. All ships and port facilities normally operate on MARSEC level 1. 

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Cars and Stripes

It was a day for car carriers of all stripes so to speak. Three ships from three different lines all within a few minutes of each other, made their way through the harbour, each exhibiting a distinctive colour pattern.

In the order that I took the photos, the first was Arabian Sea inbound for Autoport. Unusual amongst autocarriers is the paint scheme of an inverted V on the sides.This is apparently the design used by Sunship, the German operator. Built in 2010 by Xiamen Industry Co in China, the ship is small by current tonnage measurements at 46,800 gt, 13,059 dwt. With this it has a capacity of only 4900 CEU.

While Arabian Sea was making its way in the Viking Conquest was just leaving Autoport and the two ships met in the area of number 1 anchorage.  

Just getting away from Autoport in the background, Viking Conquest is partially hidden by Macnab's Island, while Arabian Sea has been joined by tugs and is turning toward Eastern Passage.

Viking Conquest has a more traditional paint scheme with a solid blue hull, typical of the ships owned by Gram Car Carriers. It was built in Jiangsu Jinling shipyard in Yizheng, China in 2017 and measures 62,105 gt, 18,488 dwt, still relatively small compared to other recent newbuilds.



While all this was going on another inbound was approaching.  Asian Empire is making its way in for pier 31. It will then move to Autoport tomorrow.

Viking Conquest (right) takes the western channel neatly avoiding a clash of cultures as the Asian Empire uses the main channel inbound.

 

Built in 1998 it is a still larger ship of 71,383 gt, 25,756 dwt. Operators Eukor [Europe/ Korea] had the ship built by Hyundai Ulsan, and in fact it carries its name in Korean and English characters on the bow. This is the first time I can recall seeing a ship with Korean characters in Halifax.

The ship sails under Wilhelmsen management, a company that frequently brings RoRo cargo other than cars to Halifax.

 Asian Empire's name spelled out in Korean characters on the bow.

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Quebec visitors

Two ships with Quebec connections made pit stops in Halifax today. Their Canadian careers are oddly parallel, though they are not connected in any way. Both came to the Canadian flag one day apart and both were registered in ports close to base of operations, rather than one of the larger ports.

First in was the geared bulker Ferbec owned by CSL. The ship is returning from the winter working under the Barbados flag (port of registry Bridgetown), and is in port to be reflagged Canadian. The ship was brought to Canada in 2017 to work a contract for Rio Tinto Fer et Titaine (RTFT).  Prior to that CSL had run the ship in Australia since 2010 as CSL Melbourne. It was built in 2002 by Nantong COSCO in China as Orientor, and also renamed Orientor 2 the same year. It and is a handymax bulker of 27,198 gt, 49,052 dwt, equipped with four cranes and clams. It is the only ship in CSL's domestic fleet that is too large for the St.Lawrence Seaway.

 Ferbec arrived in Halifax in March 2018 to be re-flagged.

CSL first registered the ship in Sorel, QC May 18, 2017, but it has been flagged out for the last two winters. During the navigation season it operates a constant shuttle between Havre St-Pierre and Sorel-Tracy. It carries ilmentite ore from the Tio open pit mine 43km inland from Havre St-Pierre. The mine produces blast rock which is crushed to 7.5cm and transferred by the Chemin de fer de la Rivière Romaine railroad to Havre St-Pierre. Once loaded on the ship it is transported to RTFT's reduction plant in Sorel-Tracy. There the ilmenite is reduced to its major components, iron and titanium dioxide. The latter is the main source for white pigment in paints and many other products.

 Upbound on the St.Lawrence river with a full load of ilmenite.

Ferbec transports enough ore each season to meet most of RTFT's needs. However they also have mines in Madagascar and Africa which are less expensive to operate, despite harsh criticism on environmental issues. The Tio mine also stockpiles its production and does not work year round. Last year it operated for 30 weeks, starting in mid-March with a  four week holiday break in July and shutting down in early November. For the previous two years it only operated for 24 weeks. This year it is expected to operate for 32 weeks. (There is year round activity at the mine site, but that is related to maintenance.)


Ferbec 's last port was Belfast, and it is expected to resume service by the end of the month.
As a footnote, Rio Tinto renamed the operation when it took over. It was previously known as Quebec Iron and Titanium (QIT) and some of its operations still use those initials. Also the mine is near a lake called Lac Allard, but since there is another Lac Allard in the Laurentian region north of Montreal, the RTFT mine area is now referred to as Tio or Lac Tio.

A bulk carrier of a very different sort arrived at noon time. NACC Quebec is specialized cement powder carrier. Built as the general cargo ship Tenace in 2011 by Tuzla Gemi Endustrisi, in Turley, it was converted in 2016 to transport bulk cement and to unload via a special pneumatic system. It can also carry different grades of cement. As part of the conversion, carried out in China, it was fitted with an Alfa Laval Pure SOx (sulphur dioxide) exhaust gas scrubber. Its tonnages are now 10,243 gt, 15,286 dwt.

The ship is owned by NACC Shipping Canada Ltd, a joint venture of Algoma Central Marine and Nova Marine Holdings of Switzerland.The ship operates from the Ciment McInnis facility in Port Daniel-Gascons, QC, and delivers the cement seasonally to the Great Lakes region. In winter it delivers to Providence, RI and Bronx, NY. It was first registered in Gaspé on May 19, 201, and has remained under Canadian flag year round.

 An unmistakable sight on the St.Lawrence with its odd funnel, containing an exhaust gas scrubber, and its unusual unloading system.

McInnis (founded by the Beaudoin family, descendants of the Bombardier founder) quarries the limestone, produces Portland cement, and loads ships all at the same site on the south shore of the Gaspé peninsula on the Baie de Chaleur. Despite environmental concerns over its huge carbon emission footprint, the $1.5 billion operation has created jobs and pays a hefty tax bill in an area of low employment. Cost overruns estimated at more than $600 mn forced the main investors, Quebec government agencies, to take over control of the operation. They tried to sell the operation to recoup their losses, but bids were too low and so far its production has not risen to break even levels. 

Atlantic Willow stands by to assist the ship into pier 9B. The scrapes on the ship's hull are signs of many passages through the St.Lawrence Seaway.

The ship has remained Canadian all winter, although someone should touch up the acute accent on its port of registry. 

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Anticosti sold - REVISED

Not the island, but the ship named Anticosti has been reported sold, but some details are lacking. Built as an offshore supply vessel, the ship served the Royal Canadian Navy from 1989 to 2000. It then became  a civilian craft of the same name, used for research and other charter work until 2014. Its Canadian register was closed at that time, and it has been languishing in Newfoundland ever since.

It was thirty years ago that the ship first arrived in Halifax, . on March 20, 1989 to be precise, to take up its naval career. It was not a new ship however, but was built in 1973 by Allied Shipbuilding of North Vancouver as the offshore supply vessel Lady Jean. The owners were International Offshore Services (Liberia) part of the British shipping company P+O, owned by Inchcape plc.  In 1975 the vessel was sold to Tidewater Marine of Liberia and became Jean Tide.

[    As a totally unnecessary aside, the onetime chairman of P+O was James Lyle Mackay, 1st Earl of Inchape. He was born in Montrose, UK  in 1852 - the same town where my great-grandfather was born. He was the son of another James Mackay and Deborah Lyle. Ms. Lyle was the daughter of the owners of the Lyle shipyard in Dartmouth, NS. James Mackay, the elder, was a ship's master whose vessel was at one time under repair at Lyle's yard. Despite her father's best efforts to shield her from the likes of a sailor, the two met and eventuiually wed. The Lyles went on to be part of the Tate + Lyle sugar empire.
James Mackay, the younger, through canny investing became a partner in a Bombay ship's agency,  and a member of the Legislative Council of India. He was later appointed to negotiate a treaty with China and signed it on behalf of the British government in 1902. He went on to become vice president of the Suez Canal Company, and chairman of the Peninsular + Oriental Steam Navigation Company (P+O). For this and many other  achievements he was knighted and elevated to the peerage.
One of his daughters married Rajah Brooke, another went missing in 1928 while attempting a transatlantic flight. Not only the peerage, but chairmanship of P+O and Inchcape plc seemed to be hereditary and  the 3rd Earl, Kenneth James William Mackay, who died in 1994, had a huge influence in Britsh business  in his years as chairman.
I mention this only in passing as it has little significance to the story of the Anticosti, except though its brief connection with P+O, and its coincidence of being in Halifax.]

In 1988 as part of the planning for a new series of Maritime Coastal Defence Vessels the RCN put out a request for a pair of ships that could be used as "trial horses" for testing equipment, and for crew preparation. The only stipulation was that they were to be Canadian built. From the several offers, the RCN acquired Jean Tide and sister vessel Joyce Tide (ex Lady Joyce.)

Both were staffed by RN crews and delivered from Europe to Halifax. Joyce Tide arrived at HMC Dockyard March 21. After extensive refitting at Marystown Shipyard in Newfoundland the boats were commissioned as naval auxiliary minewsweepers in 1990. Jean Tide becoming CFAV HMCS Anticosti MA 110 and Joyce Tide becoming CFAV HMCS Moresby MA 112. The latter was transferred to the west coast in 1997.

During their time with the RCN in additon to trials use, the boats participated in naval exercises, including refuleing at sea, and Anticosti assisted in recovery efforts after the SwissAir crash in St.Margaret's Bay.

When the MCDVs were built by Haifax Shipyard and commissioned, the two ex suppliers were no longer need and were laid up in March 2000.  Star Line Inc of Clarenville, NL purchased Anticosti in 2001. On December 19 of that year McKeil's Escort Protector towed the ship out for Clarenville.

Ownership later moved to North Atlantic Shipping Corp of St.Johns under the Cape Harrison Marine management.The boat was refitted for a variety of research and offshore chores. On May 10, 2013 while Anticosti was shifting piers in St.John's, fire broke out in the crankcase area. In its haste to get alongside for assistance from the fire department the ship slammed into the pier. By the time the ship was secure the crew had extinguished the fire, but damage from the allision proved to be more severe than that from the fire.

On August 8, 2014 Anticosti's Canadian registry was closed by then owners North Atlantic Trading Ltd and the ship hoisted the Panama flag. Eventually the ship was renamed Todo Pedoroso but it remains tied up in St.John's. Available on-line sources still list North Atlantic Trading Ltd as owner. It is also possible that its Panamanian registry was closed in June 2017. Shortly before that the ship's AIS signal came to life for a time, but went off line not long after.

• A previous Anticosti served with the RCN from 1942 to 1945. It was one of sixteen Western Isles class anti-submarine trawlers built in Canada for the Royal Navy. Eight were loaned to the RCN but commissioned as RN vessels, complete with RN crews. 

• Moresby MA112 was to have been named Baffin (as was one of the Isles class Anti-submarine trawlers) but the name was changed to a west coast name before it was commissioned. It was sold in 2002 and is still listed as operational. Now in its ninth name change and having been registered in St.Vincent and Cambodia, it has settled on the Panamanian flag with the name DOS Explorer for Deep Ocean Salvage Inc, based in Riga, Latvia. The boat has been reported in Liepaja, Latvia since 2015.

REVISION

The ships were formally commissioned as RCN vessels and entitled to use HMCS. I mistakenly ascribed CFAV (Canadian Forces Auxiliary Vessel)

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P, P and F

= Past, Present and Future

When Shipfax began as a newsletter in 1986, it was typed (yes using a typewriter - albeit electric) photocopied and (snail) mailed or faxed (a now largely forgotten way of communicating) to a small group of interested parties. It was limited to four double sided pages so that it could be mailed at letter rate. It later evolved to using a word processor, permiting type variation including cyrillic characters for Russian ship names, but for a time was printed on a dot matrix printer. The print version evolved eventually to digitally embedded colour photos and colour copies.

After going bi-monthly, then after a hiatus of a few months, on March 11, 2009, Shipfax was unleashed on the world as a blog. Since then there have been more than 2,687 posts, reaching numbers of people beyond comprehension in 1986. And with digital photography and scanning, it has been possible to illustrate most posts with images either current or archival. The first Shipfax newsletter that contained a photo resulted from pasting a photocopy of a print on the typewritten page before it was photocopied. The result was predictably awful.

But it is not just the method of publishing Shipfax that has changed. So has shipping and so has Halifax.  In the next few posts I will be looking back at some of the changes and developments over that time span, while still looking at current activities. I will also take the liberty of speculating on how I see the future unfolding.

Footnote:
The name Shipfax owes its inspiration to the cable addresses used by shipping agents and companies in the age of telegraphy. Amalgams of words were popular to distinguish the companies, but also as an abbreviation to simplify the address.

"Ship" is obvious - the newsletter was about ships. When there became enough information to justify a newsletter on tugs, Tugfax came along, and it became another blog in its own right in December 30, 2009.

 "fax" is a multi-valent pun, intending to convey both the intention of the newsletter to relay facts but also that it was from Halifax and that it would be sent by facsimile transmission (fax). It is still the intention to report facts from Halifax, but the facsimile machine has gone the way of the dodo and the typewriter, not to mention the telegraphic addresses that I emulated.

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