LR1 tanker - more than meets the eye

Tankers come in all sizes, but the ones we usually see in Halifax are Handysize or Mid-Range chemical / product tankers in the 15,000 to 55,000 dwt size. Today however a LR1, arrived for bunkers. A Long Range 1 tanker measures between 55,000 and 79,999 dwt. There are also LR2 tankers which come in at 80,000 to 120,000 dwt.

Typically tankers of this type are employed in long voyages, since the cost of carrying cargo is less per tonne using larger ships. They are fitted to carry petroleum products and the tanks are epoxy coated to permit easy cleaning between cargoes. They carry petroleum products, as opposed to crude oil. Unlike chemical tankers, that can carry many different types of cargo, this ship can carry a maximum of three different cargoes. Although there is nothing visible from a distance, it is fitted with devices to enable it to load over the bow at offshore, single point moorings.

According to AIS today's arrival is coming from Fujairah, UAE and headed for the St.Lawrence River - certainly a fairly long trip.

At anchorage number one at sunrise with Algoma Dartmouth alongside.

The ship carries an unusual name, FPMC P Eagle. The unique naming system is that of the Formosa Plastics Maritime Corp, a division of the Formosa Plastics Corp, hence "FPMC". It has a large fleet of tankers and some bulk carriers. Their MR product carriers are numbered (e.g. FPMC 25, which was here in  2015.) The LR tankers have the letter "P" - designating "Product", inserted after the FPMC.

 Bunkering completed, the ship begins to weigh anchor in a light drizzle.

FPMC was established to carry the company's own cargoes when they found discriminatory rates applied due to Taiwan's isolation by some countries. Now well established with 37 ships and six more MRs on order, they also participate in charter work for other shippers.


FPMC P Eagle was built in  2009 by STX Shipbuilding Co in Jinhae, South Korea, and measures 42,340 grt, 74,863 dwt. Despite Taiwan ownership, the ship is flagged in Liberia and has multi-national officers and crew managed from Singapore. The ship is on a time charter to Hafnia Tankers of Denmark and operates in their LR1 Pool of about 60 ships, called Straits Tankers, run from Singapore.

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Katmai Bay

The United States Coast Guard cutter Katmai Bay got away this morning heading back to the Great Lakes. The veteran 140 foot class icebreaker has spent the last year off lakes undergoing a service life extension in Baltimore.

The USCG operates nine of these small vessels for use on the Great Lakes, the Hudson River and other east coast locations. They are powered by a pair of 1250 bhp Fairbanks Morse engines driving a single electric motor delivering 2500 shp to a single screw. They are also equipped with a bubbler system that creates a film of air around the hull to reduce ice adhesion.

Built in 1979 by Tacoma Boat in Washington state, Katmai Bay is the lead ship of the class, bearing pennant WTGB-101, and is based in Sault Ste.Marie, Michigan. In April 2017 the boat left the Lakes for its refit. That work must have been extensive, since the boat looks almost new.


Several of this class of boat have stopped in Halifax over the years coming and going from the lakes.

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Moderation in all things

YM Moderation sailed from Fairview Cove - in daylight, unlike most ships from now on to fall and winter.

Yang Ming's three M class ships help to maintain THE Alliance's 11 ship EC5 rotation. Sister ship YM Modesty was in yesterday on the westbound leg, headed for New York, and YMovement sailed eastbound September 30 and is off Algeria en route to Suez.
YM Moderation was built in 2014 by Koyo Dockyard, Mihara. The 71,821 grt, 72,700 dwt vessel has a capacity of 6250 TEU. A few of those are the new ONE boxes, in their distinctive colours.

I noticed today that some of these are 45 footers.

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Flags of many nations - Part 2

More flags to be seen or implied from my second peak at the harbour today. With three cruise ships sailing at about the same time, just as the sun was sinking, it was a good time for a look see.

First off was Celebrity Summit, registered in Valetta, Malta. Built in 2001 as GTS Summit and renamed in 2008, the ship was here first in 2010, and has been here yearly ever since.

Heading out from pier 31 Celebrity Summit does a bit of "vaping" as it makes its turn to sea.

Following closely behind was the Norwegian Viking Sea. Long shadows from landside structures gave the ship a mottled appearance.

Nevertheless Oceanex Sanderling was able to fall in behind Celebrity Summit before Viking Sea came up, also allowing a sailer to scoot across the channel.

The prime attraction for waterfront gazers was the departure of Queen Mary 2 - a ship that draws crowds whenever it calls.

  Barely off the dock, QM2 hugs the Halifax shore so as the make its turn around George's Island in one move. The ship doesn't make tight turns like the more agile cruise ships.


Queen Mary 2 was also flying a seldom seen flag these days. The Blue Ensign is flown by British ships that are in command of  a Royal Navy Reserve officer. Once more common, the Blue Ensign was a sign of prestige for the ship, and the shipping company. Aside from suspension of the privilege during war time,  it has been in use for centuries, and was of encouraging ship's officers to join the RNR.

 The ship was also flying the Cunard house flag with is crown and rampant lion, and the Canadian flag as a courtesy (although its proportions look a bit irregular).


Speaking of irregular, In addition to saluting the Viking Sea when it sailed, QM2 appeared to salute the Harbour Hopper 3 as they passed. A great whoop went up from passengers on the ship when HH3 began to flash its lights, and almost immediately QM2 sounded three deep blasts. Go figure.

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Flags of many nations - part 1

On any given day the flags of many nations can be seen in Halifax harbour. Usually many of those are so called flags of convenience. Ship owners may register their ships in those nations even if they are not residents, and may have taxation or regulatory regimes that are more favourable than their countries of origin.
 
Today however there were three flags in evidence, and a fourth was implied, as I caught a glimpse of part of the harbour.

 
In the foreground the USCG Katmai Bay was taking on fuel at the Tall Ship's quay, and of course was flying the flag of the United States (just above the fuel truck) and that of Canada as a courtesy.  It was also displaying a red flag indicating flammable material was being handled.

Adjacent at pier 20 the Viking Sea was flying the flag of Norway, and displaying its home port of Bergen on the stern. (Norway has an offshore register of its own, which allows shipowners to engage non-Norwegian crew and provides other incentives.)

The prime reason for my glimpse was the arrival of a French navy submarine, which was just rounding Ives Knoll buoy on its way to Shearwater. It did not appear to flying a flag of any sort, but that is not unusual as subs have very limited "mast space" for flags. The sub is one of six in the Rubis class of nuclear attack submarines in the French navy.

Nuclear submarines are usually kept fairly far away from prying eyes, and from centres of population, so they tie up at Shearwater. This is the first French sub to visit Halifax in my recollection.

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Bulker in Ballast for Bunkers

The Japanese owned bulker Coral Queen anchored in the harbour today for bunkers. Not that I have anything against the bunkering tanker Algoma Dartmouth, but it is nice for once to have it on the opposite side of the ship! Due to the wind and tidal conditions, the ship's bow faced east, and Algoma Dartmouth was not visible as it made up on the ship's port side.

Coral Queen is a basic, industrial grade bulker, built in 2012 by Mitsui Engineering and Shipbuilding's Tamano Works, in Tamano, Japan. The 31,756 grt, 56,174 dwt ship is fitted with four cranes equipped with grab buckets. Owner Takanawa Line Inc named Toyo Kaiun Co Ltd as managers, and registered the ship in Panama.

The ship's last port was Bécancour, QC, where it unloaded a cargo of Egyptian salt. [Olin Canada ULC 's Bécancour plant makes a variety of chemicals from the electroysis of brine.]

Coral Queen gave Bston, MA as next port when it sailed this evening.

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Saga Sapphire ex Europa - good from any angle - and a bonus

As Saga Sapphire sailed early this afternoon [see also yesterday's post], it backed out into the stream from pier 23 and turned off the pier. It was a chance to see the ship from several different angles, and remark that it always looks good.

The ship's stern configuration has been modified - I believe during the 2011-2012 refit at Fincantieri - by building out "blisters" that are not really all that noticeable. Stern blisters improve the ship's stability, usually at the expense of appearance.

 The stern blister appears to have been banged up a few times.

Although it does not show well in this night shot, as built Europa had a more rounded cutaway stern.

 (Europa often stayed in port over night, as did Saga Sapphire.)

Bonus:

Another ship that looked good from any angle was HMY Britannia. By coincidence it was in Halifax shortly before the night shot of the Europa, and with the negative only two frames away, I had to scan it too.

Laid down by John Brown  Co in 1952, launched in 1953 and commissioned in 1954 it served HM The Queen and family until it was finally decommissioned in 1997. It has been preserved in Leith, Scotland and is one of Edinburgh's most popular attractions. No wonder.

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