ONE Falcon - on the rebound

 With the Red Sea deemed a war zone, many shipping lines are making schedule changes and have altered routings to avoid the area. Some lines are committed to the Red Sea and Suez Canal and have employed armed guards or naval escorts, but others have opted to re-route via the Cape of Good Hope.

Today's arrival (March 6) of the ONE Falcon although a bit unexpected, is not all that surprising. 

The ship's last call here was on February 9-10 when it was on the westbound leg of THE Alliance's EC5 service from Asia to the North American east coast. It had sailed from Colombo January 8 and after Halifax next called in New York (February 13-15), Norfolk (February 17-18) and Savannah (February 22-24). Its normal routing would have taken it next to Jacksonville then returning to Colombo via the Mediterranean, the Suez Canal and Saudi Arabia. It appears that the ship skipped Jacksonville and instead headed north for Charleston (February 27-28) and New York (March 1-4) before arriving back in Halifax.

It is now expected to sail for Singapore via the Cape of Good Hope (due April 6) thus missing its usual call in Saudi Arabia. It appears well loaded to its near maximum capacity of 16,026 TEU. Built by Japan Marine United, Kure in 2017 as NYK Falcon the 146,287 gt, 138,907 dwt ship adopted its current name (and paint scheme) in 2021.

 

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New Ferry Service for Halifax

 The three levels of government (municipal, provincial and federal) have come together to fund a major expansion of the Halifax harbour ferry service. The current five boat service operates from one terminal in downtown Halifax to two terminals on the Dartmouth side of the harbour - one at Alderney Landing and one at Woodside.

The new service will operate from Mill Cove in Bedford to the Halifax terminal. Five new electric ferries will operate that service, which will also involve a new dock and multi-use terminal building in Bedford. A bridge over the CN Rail line in Bedfrod is also included to allow access for buses, bicycles, and pedestrians. The Halifax terminal will be replaced with a new building and a new jetty will be added for the new boats. The new boats will be an entirely new design and will not be interchangeable with the current fleet. I have found no details on them, but they appear to be catamarans and are rumoured to be inspired by the Vancouver Sea Bus ferries (although those are double enders).

Funding from the federal government is to be $155.7 mn, the Province $65 mn and the Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM) more than $38 mn. Work is expected to be completed during the 2027-2028 fiscal year.

There has been talk of a fast ferry service from Bedford to downtown Halifax for many years. The recent huge growth in population, thanks in large part to the National Shipbuilding Strategy and all the spin-offs, has stressed many of the HRM's infrastructure - transportation not least among them. Major residential growth in the general area of Clayton Park West and Bedford through Hammonds Plains and beyond has been the greatest stressor on roads and transit, and will contunue to be the main area for new residential devlopment.

I do have certain reservations about the proposal, although it seems to be essentially sensible.

1. The COVID-related shift to work-from-home hit the downtown office buildings and most have high vacancy rates even now.  I therefore wonder if the ridership numbers justify such a large system, However I am willing to acknowledge an "if you build it they will come" possibility. That was certainly the case with the previous transit system if you go far enough back in history. (Development of the west end of Halifax was spurred when a street car line was built to the Simpson's store.)

2. The new ferries will transit the Narrows to reach downtown, resulting in potential conflict with big ship traffic. Aside from the obvious safety issue, it will also result in slowing down, for the ferries which will have to give way to the larger ships. Schedule keeping may be an issue if 10 knot speeds are needed for significant portions of the route.

The boats are expected to run on a 15 minute intervals, at least at peak times, with an 18 minute transit time. That certainly suggests some high speed running in the open waters of the Bedford Basin.

3. En route to downtown the new ferries will pass the Halifax Shipyard and HMC Dockyard - both major employers. It seems to me that a stop at a point between those two facilities would make sense, but there has been no mention of that in the HRM's publicity material.

4. Naming the boats will, as usual, be controversial. Since it is highly likely they will be named after persons (usually deceased) I suggest some prominent Bedford residents, (with Wikipedia links): Andrew R. Cobb,  a noted architect [ironically he died in a car / bus accident], Arthur Lismer, artist, member of the Group of Seven [narrowly missed dying in the Halifax Explosion when he did not take his usual train from his home in Bedford to Halifax, where he was president of the Victoria College of Art, now NSCADU]. He was a war artist during World War I and painted many harbour scenes, several of which can be seen on line, e.g. this CBCpost from November 11, 2023

That leaves three more possibilities, which I will leave for now.

Aside for cost over runs (virtually guaranteed) and schedule shifts (ditto), the project is a very exciting one and will be interesting to watch as its various aspects come to fruition.

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MSC Sao Paulo V - FIRE - update #2

 Ship traffic on the St.Lawrence River off the Escoumins pilot station was delayed this morning when fire broke out in the engine room of the ship MSC Sao Paulo V.

The Escoumins pilot station located on the north shore of the St.Lawrence,  255 km (158.4 mi, 137.7 n.mi.) downstream from Quebec City is a busy spot. All ships of any size embark or disembark pilots there for the St.Lawrence and Saguenay Rivers.

The MSC Sao Paulo V was outbound for Sines Portugal from Montreal when the fire broke out near Escoumins and both pilot boats and the nearby icebreaker CCGS Amundsen responded. As a result pilotage operations were halted for a time and some ships had to stand by. 

I have no detailed information on the current situation, but it seems that the fire did not spread to the cargo. The tug l'Anse du Moulin from Baie Comeau was on the scene. It has firefighting capability, but can also provide towing as I assume the ship's engine is inoperable.

The MSC Sao Paulo V has been in Halifax several times, most recently on February 24 when it was on the westbound leg of the trip from Europe to Montreal. Its previous calls were on the Turkey-Greece service on July 4, 2022 and August 27, 2023.

Another of MSC's older ships, MSC Sao Paulo V was built in 1998 by Hyundai Ulsan as Pohang Senator. In 2008 it became CSAV Pyrenees and in 2013 became Pohang.  In 2013 it was renamed MSC Sao Paulo and in 2023 it became MSC Sao Paulo V. Its tonnages come in at 53,324 gt, 63,537 dwt giving a capacity of 4688 TEU. (The Roman numeral has been added to MSC ship's names to categorize the ship by container capacity class. In this case V for 5 indicates that the ship carries more than 4000 but less than 5000 TEU.)

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I will update this post when more information becomes available.

Update #1

From press reports and official statements, it seems that the fire broke out at about 11 pm Sunday, March 3 when the ship was off the mouth of the Saguenay River, near Bergeronnes, QC. The ship lost power and began to drift toward shore. 

The two pilot boats from Escoumins responded and, according to reports (not necessarily reliable), pushed on the ship to prevent further drift and stood by while it was able to anchor. 

The tug Anse de Moulin from Baie-Comeau arrived on scene late morning Monday. A CBC photo shows the tug spraying water on the ship. This appears to be hull cooling - a common tactic for shipboard fires to prevent spread.

The fire was declared under control mid-day Monday, March 4.

The crew of twenty-five was not evacuated, but the CCGS Amundsen was prepared to do that if needed, and deployed a work boat to the ship. There was no report of pollution, and the cargo does not appear to have been damaged.

Two ships, MSC Celine and MSC Don Giovanni stood by presumably to assist if evacuation was needed. There was no indication that they sent personnel to assist.

The ship is anchored, and will need to be towed, but as yet no destinaiton port has been declared.

Update #2 (2030 hrs AST March 5)

Despite earlier reports, the fire aboard MSC Sao Paolo V has spread to the superstructure. The tug Ocean Taiga from Quebec City is now on scene and the two tugs are spraying down the ship. Presumably the crew has been evacuated.

This has become a far more serious event than orginally anticpated, since most fires of this type have not been extinguished without significant damage to ship and cargo.

 I will update this post again if more information becomes available.

 

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Tirranna takes a turn

 The Wallenius Wilhelmsen auto carrier Tirranna arrived yesterday at Autoport. Unionized employees are still on strike there, but replacement workers unloaded the cargo - perhaps more slowly than the usual work force. Early this afternoon today (March 5) the ship moved to Pier 9C to off load RoRo cargo. As usual it proceeded through to Bedford Basin, turned and came back to the Narrows tying up starboard side to the pier. The sun made a temporary appearance for the turn, so that pictures could be taken.

 Moving northward through the Narrrows, theTirranna has the tugs Atlantic Oak forward and Atlantic Bear aft to assist in turning.

Once into Bedfrod Basin the ship made a tight counter clockwise turn (ships often make a wider clockwise turn.)

The turn gave lots of clearance from the CCGS Kopit Hopson 1752  which was exercising or trialing in the north end of the Basin.

Heading back toward the Narrows, the tugs are out of sight on the port side.

Coming in toward Pier 9C, the ship passes a huge consignment of gas pipe which is stockpiled for export. (There is no ETA for a ship yet.) 

The Tirranna is on the usual Wallenius Wilhelmsen transatlantic route from Bremerhaven, Goteborg and Zeebrugge and is due to sail this evening for US ports.

Built in 2009 by Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering in Okpo, South Korea, the 71,673 grt, 29,936 dwt ship has a capacity of 7,620 automobiles.

This is the fourth ship in the Wilhelmsen fleet to carry the name of the Albanian capital, (Wilhelmsen ship names begin with the letter "T").

For more on that previous ship, and photos from a revious visit of this ship, Shipfax January 14, 2018

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End of an Era - Federal Steam Navigation Co Ltd

 Another in the series describing the last of the traditional general cargo ships calling in Halifax.

The Federal Steam Navigation Company* was a British company founded in 1895, tracing its roots to the unusually named Mr. Money Wigram (1790 -1873) a shipbuilder, sailing ship owner and director of the Bank of England, based in London. The company operated ships to South Africa, Australia and New Zealand in association with other companies until 1912. At that time it was taken over by the New Zealand Shipping Company, also of long standing. Federal continued to operate under its own name, but in conjunction with NZCS. The Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company (P+O) purchased both companies in 1916 but they continued to retain their indivual identities even though sailing on common schedules.

The original trade route was from various UK ports to Las Palmas (originally as a bunker stop for coal) to Cape Town and on to Australia and New Zealand. In 1936 they formed the MANZ Line (Montreal-Australia-New Zealand Line) in partnership with Ellermans and Port Line (owned by Cunard) using Halifax in winter. 

With containerization on the horizon, FSN and NZSC were absorbed by P+O and disappeared from the scene in 1971.

Among the last Federal Steam Navigation ships to call in Halifax was the Westmorland in August 1970. Seen here alongside Pier 27 (note the new grain galleries at Pier 28) it was loading cargo by old fashioned derricks and slings. There were some continers on deck however. Meanwhile at the opposite side of the camber at Pier 31 the first container ships had appeared in advance of completion of the south end container terminal. Australia was an early adopter of containers. but the much smaller New Zealand was slower to make the change.

 The Westmorland was built by Lithgows in Port Glasgow in 1966. A relatively large ship of 8,230 gt, 12.048 dwt, it had double tween decks and tunnel tanks for liquid cargo. Its holds were served by one 30 ton, three 15 ton and four 10 ten derricks (the bipod masts were a touch of modernity). Its 8 cylinder, 17,600 bhp Sulzer engine gave the ship a high speed of 19.5 knots to cover the long sea routes.  It also had substantial refrigerated capacity, accessible through side doors, and was able to maintain -18ºC in maximum sea temperatures of  +30ºC.

Ownership went over to P+O in 1973 then Strick Line in 1979 before the ships was sold to Lebanese owners and renamed Fares Reeefer in 1980 and to Hong Kong owners as Beacon Hill in 1981. It was broken up in 1985 in Huangpu, Shanghai.

There are several pictures of the ship on the excellent Scottish built ships website  Clydeships.

* The Federal Steam Navigation Copmany had no relation to the Montreal based Federal Commerce and Navigation Company Ltd. That company, now known as Fednav, has a fleet of 120 ships, trades regularly to the Great Lakes and is the largest Canadian owned shipping company. Trading world wide, most of its ships are registered offshore.

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Still the Biggest

The Biggest

The ship that holds the record as the largest container ship to call in Halifax arrived again today on the Columbus JAX service of the Ocean Alliance.  CMA CGM Marco Polo is one of several ships of the Explorer class that call here regularly, but this one edges out the other members by millimeters in measurements.

 Due to its overall length of 396 meters, it is required to use two escort tugs tethered astern. A third tug is also needed to berth at PSA Halifax Atlantic Gateway. The ship used the deepwater western channel on its way into port. The stern tugs assist the ship in braking and steering as it makes its way through the channels.

Built in 2012 by Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering in Okpo, the 176,546 gt, 187,625 dwt ship has a capacity of 16,020 TEU.

As the ship made the crossover from the western channel to the main channel as it approached the pier an other Ultra size container shipc could be seen waiting in the outer anchorages. The ONE Swan a 14,026 TEU ship is due to come in tomorrow. 

 

The extension to the southend terminal and the addition of two more cranes was supposed to allow two Ultra size ships (more than 10,000 TEU) to berth at the same time. 

The CMA CGM Marco Polo deviated from its normal route on this voyage. After sailing from Singapore and the Malacca Strait (January 28) it skipped its usual call in Colombo and sailed directly to the Cape of Good Hope, reporting off Cape Town February 11. It then made for Tanger Med, passing the Canary Islands February 21, and arriving in the Moroccan port February 24. It cleared the same day and headed directly for Halifax. 

Due to the long diversion in order to avoid the Red Sea, the ship was probably given priorty for berthing, although I suspect that PSA Halifax would be hard pressed to work two Ultras at the same time.

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End of an Era - H. Hogarth and the Baron Line

 Another in the End of an Era Series, highlighting the last conventional general cargo ships to call in  Halifax.

H. Hogarth + Sons Ltd traced its roots back to the 1860s when Hugh Hogarth of Ardrossan, Scotland partnered with Capt. James Goodwin in a ship's stores company. They began to purchase sailing ships, initially wooden hulled, many of which were built in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Quebec. The first vessel associated with the company was a 238.60 gt brigantine named Fearless built in 1861 in Annapolis, NS.

They transitioned to iron sailing vessels then into steamships, by which time Henry Hogath and his two sons had established a shipping line to Portugal, and had begun to name their ships with the prefix "Baron". Over the subsequent years the company built new, sold old and lost ships due to hazards of navigation and two world wars. Of its 39 tramp ships owned in 1939, 20 were lost during the Second World War, plus an additional five ships that the company managed on behalf of the UK government.

Hogarth's was one of the few companies that never had to lay up a ship during the Great Depression of the 1930s. In doing so it earned the sobriquet "Hungry Hogarths" - a nick name that followed the company ever after. (The company's houseflag with the letters "H H" was a reminder.)

In all Hogarths had owned more than 150 ships and managed another 42 during wartime by the time they closed their doors in 1986.

Halifax was not a regular port for the "Baron Line" although its ships did call here while tramping and during wartime. The only Baron ship that I can claim to have seen had ceased being a Baron by the time I caught it loading at Pier 9B in 1970. It was then carrying the name Bordagain. (Ciboure Bordagain is a village on the French coast of the Bay of Biscay in Basque country, near the Spanish border).

Cargo was largely palletized and was moved from transit sheds to brow by "towmotors."

Built as Baron Garioch in 1958, it came from the John Redhead + Sons shipyard at South Shields on the River Tyne. It was a 8337 gt, 11,675 dwt ship with engines amidships. Its 4 cylinder Doxford type main engine generated a paltry 4400 bhp, and pushed the ship along at a stately13 knots. Its five cargo holds were served by 10 winches and one 25 ton and ten 5 ton derricks. (Such power and speed were normal for tramp ships at the time, as they di not have to adhere to schedules.)

I have no information on crew size, but there appears to be accommodation for a large number, especially aft.

Hogarth's sold the ship in 1968, and it was renamed Bordagain under Liberian flag by Bordagain Shipping Co Ltd. In 1976 it was renamed Erini Patera under Greek flag by Canero Cia Naviera SA. and was broken up in Bombay in 1982.

[It is not often that ship's names can be traced, but in this case I have learned that Erini Patera was the wife of Spyros A. Lemos (1897-1962), founder of a shipping dynasty that continues to this day. The Lemos and Pateras families (and the Hadjipateras family) originally from the island of Oinoussis, have been involved in shipping since the 1840s, and formed Lemos and Pateras in London in 1937. Under the guidance of Nikolas S. Lemos the company has evolved into Enesel Group which currently operates seven tankers (plus three on order), eight container ships and five bulk carriers.  Similarly the Pateras family is now in its seventh generation as shipowners. Nikolas D. Pateras is the founder of Contship Management which currently operates close to fifty container ships.]

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