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More Saturday

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With gloomy weather and snow showers in the forecast I thought my early morning shot of Monte Toledo might be it for the day, but conditions improved somewhat allowing for a few more photos.

Over at Autoport it was more business as usual with Morning Cindy in port all day. The Panama flag ship owned by Excel Marine of Fukuoka, Japan arrived from Bremerhaven in the early hours of the morning. Sailing for the Eukor fleet (EURope-KORea) The 59,432 grt, 18,954 dwt ship was built in 2012 by Imabari Shipbuilding's Marugame shipyard in Japan.


It is low tide in Eastern Passage but Morning Cindy is immune thanks to the design of the pier, which allows ship's ramps to remain operational in all states of the tide.

Autoport is once again stuffed full of cars, with Greeen Cove anchored off awaiting her turn tomorrow.

Across on the Halifax side, it was (nearly) all systems go at Halterm, with Maersk Penang at pier 42 and the CMA CGM Cendrillon arriving for pier 41. Oceanex Sanderling was back at pier 36, ballasted down by the stern again - probably to complete bow repairs from ice damage.


Tugs Atlantic Oak and Spitfire III take CMA Cendrillon in hand south of George's Island and turn it to back into the pier.

The 90,931 grt, 109,021 dwt ship, with a capacity of 8465 TEU was bilt by Samsung in 2009. Jusrt a coincidence, but Cendrillon translates as Cinderella in English - no relation to the Cindy at Autoport.

At pier 31 the Pure Car and Truck cxarrier Tosca was finishing off discharging non-car RoRo cargo. It had unloaded its cars yesterday at Autport.

Fairview Cove was all out too, with Atlantic Star and NYK Daedalus sailing early and Itea arriving late afternoon.

 Atlantic Oak moves Itea toward the Fairview Cove pier.

Itea has been calling for ACL since last July. The 39,582 grt, 48,304 dwt ship with a capacity of 3842 TEU is operated by Costamare under Liberian flag.  Built in 1998 by Hyundai, Ulsan, as Bunga Raya Satu, the ship was renamed KY Parissia in 2012 and MSC Itea in 2014. It was renamed Itea in 2016.

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Wonder where the Bahris went

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With all the container traffic in the port (and it is up again in  the last quarter) and the proliferation of new-to-Halifax ships, it is easy to overlook the fact that one of the port's regular callers seems to have forsaken Halifax, at least for the time being.


Bahri's handsome ConRos were welcome sights, after endless ranks of conventional container ships.(Bahri Jazan file photo)


The National Shipping Company of Saudi Arabia (Bahri) has not been seen in Halifax for since February because it has shifted its activities to Saint John, NB. The line had been making monthly calls in Halifax for many years, using pier 31 as its base until last year. Its new generation of ConRo ships came on stream from 2013 and last year it shifted operations to Fairview Cove, but that pier is so busy, the ships were sometimes forced to wait for a berth.

That is the likely reason for the shift to Saint John, which will continue monthly calls there until December when the line has two calls scheduled in Halifax again.


When the line shifted to Fairview Cove last year, it made it possible to see the ships up close as they transited the Narrows. (Bahri Tabuk file photo)

Perhaps Shipfax is to blame too. I frequently photographed the light armoured vehicles the line was transporting from Canada for Saudi Arabia's military. The LAVs, built by General Dynamics in London, ON were trucked to Halifax and could often be spotted in the parking lots for the piers. There has been political fallout for the Canadian government  over the manufacture and sale of the vehicles, which are not supposed to be used against the country's civilian population. The current federal Liberal government inherited the deal from the previous Conservative regime and decided to honour the contract, despite a public outcry.
The LAVs were highly visible at pier 31, and even after the move to Fairview Cove, the controversial vehicles were still visible from time to time and appeared in Shipfaxand companion blog Truckfax.
Saint John is a shorter truck trip from London, ON, but also more secure from prying eyes.


There are six sister ships in the Bahri ConRo fleet. Two ships, Bahri Jeddah and Bahri Tabuk are currently assigned to North Europe service, the other four, Bahri Jazan, Bahri Hofuf, Bahri Abha (most recently in Saint John last week) and Bahri Yanbu are on the North American service.
Bahri also operates 37 VLCCs (and nine more on order), 36 chemical carriers and five dry bulkers.


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THE Alliance gears up

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The new shipping consortium, THE Alliance, that replaced the former G6 Alliance this month, is now almost in full swing. The Transatlantic Loop 6 service, called AL6, saw its first ship Brevik Bridge last week (see Shipfax April 21). The five ship rotation - with all K-Line ships has a port rotation of Livorno, La Spezia, Genoa, Fos, Barcelona, Valencia, Salerno, Halifax, New York, Norfolk, Savannah, Salerno, Valencia, Livorno.

Today saw the arrival of YM Essence inaugurating the Transatlantic Loop 1, AL1, to be operated by four Yang Ming ships, with a rotation of Bremerhaven, Antwerp, London Gateway, Norfolk, Philadelphia, New York, Halifax, Bremerhaven.

 YM Essence takes its escort tug in the lower harbour. The ship is well laden aft - mostly with empties, judging by the ship's draft.

YM Essence is a 47,952 grt, 56,500dwt ship with a capacity of 4662 TEU. Built in 2014 by China Shipbuilding Corp in Kaohsiung, it flies the Taiwan flag for Yang Ming Marine Transport.
 
I wasn't the only shipwatcher. A group of well dressed photographers followed the ship through the inbound, getting some closeups as it passed the pier 9 knuckle. They may have been Yang Ming officials.

 
 The ship favoured the western side of the channel as it made its way through the Narrows.

Yang Ming is new in Halifax, so it was interesting to see the company's logo and funnel marking.  



THE Alliance will also be serving Halifax with its Southeast Asia / North America EC5 service, with ships from a variety of lines, including Hapag-Lloyd, APL, Evergreen, NYK and MOL. It will also have a strategic co-operation with ZIM, and at least one of its ships may be included. The service has begun, but the first ship to reach Halifax is expected to be Ningbo Express in early May..
Port rotation on that service is Laem Chabang, Cai Mep, Singapore, Colombo, Halifax, New York, Savannah, Norfolk, Halifax, Jebel Ali, Singapore, Laem Chebang.

However the ship that did arrive today, Mary is on the G6 AZX Asia-North America Eastbound leg, completing the obligations of the old consortium.

 Escort tug Spitfire III takes up position astern as the ship comes up to Halifax Shipyard.
(See also Tugfax)

It has been a regular on this long haul run, since its first call in September 2016. The ship ship has a capacity of 6900 TEU (including 800 reefers). It was built in 2013 by Hyundai, Samho and measures 71,021 grt, 80,274 dwt. Owned by Technomar Shipping Inc of Athens it is on charter to one of the G6 partners.

Spitfire III leans in on its line rounding the pier 9 knuckle, passing an RCN small craft out for a Sunday spin.

 
At present there is no scheduled THE Alliance Transpacific/Panama Canal loop that includes Halifax.

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First (again) for Amadea

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Amadea inaugurated the 2017 Halifax cruise season for the third time today. The ship, operated by Phoenix Reisen of Germany, was the first ship of the year in 2008 and again in 2015. Each time it has been on the last leg of a long cruise. This year's 135 day / 136 night tour began in France, included the Mediterranean, Africa east coast, Cape of Good Hope, Brazil, South America west coast, Panama Canal, through the Caribbean. It arrived in Halifax from Boston and will be going on the St.John's (ice conditions permitting) then Ireland and Hamburg.



The ship arrived very much down by the stern. This was not "squat" brought about by high speed. As soon as the ship was tied up the bunkering tanker Algoma Dartmouth came alongside for refueling, so my guess is that the ship was trimmed by the stern intentionally and will be on an even keel again after taking on the new fuel.




Built in 1991 by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in Nagasaki as Asuka, the ship sailed for NYK Lines until 2006 when it was acquired the current owners, Amadea Shipping Company. Vessel management is by VShips Leisure for the charter to Phoenix Reisen.


While inbound, Amadea passed another German owned ship, the Louis S. This ship is a newcomer to the Maersk Transatlantic service, possibly covering off drydockings of the other ships. It is more than a week later than expected, so may have had trouble keeping up to the demanding Maersk schedule. This has happened before on this service when substitute ships have lagged behind the advertised dates. 

Built in 2003 by Stocznia Szczecinska in Poland, the 35,881 grt, 41,833 dwt ship has a capacity of 3108 TEU including 500 reefers. It is also fitted with three 45 tonne cranes. It is registered in Antigua for Reederei Rudolf Schepers GmbH+Co. The ship was laid down as Amasia, was renamed Patricia in 2003 for Peter Doehle and renamed Libra Santos in 2004 - a name it carried until 2012.

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Sunday Tankers

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Following a week of fog and drizzle, Sunday was an ideal day for ship photos, but the only ships to be seen moving were tankers.


The most interesting of three that I saw was the Panama flag Oceanic Crimson. Not your usual product tanker, this is a chemical tanker of 8,508 grt, 13, 273 dwt built in 2008 by the Jinse Shipyard in Busan, South Korea. It runs under an operating lease with Team Tankers (well known as the Sichem fleet) the ship has epoxy coated tanks, allowing it to carry certain chemicals (some other chemical carrier have stainless steel tanks).


As with most chemical tankers, its hull paints suffers from exposure to the fumes from its various cargoes, and looks to be in worse condition than it probably is. Many of the cargoes are volatile and the numerous red devices mounted above the deck allow for venting.
The ship is in very light condition and is headed for Norfolk, VA.




In port this afternoon, at Imperial Oil's number 4 dock, Glenda Megan is a typical product tanker of 29,130 grt, 47,147 dwt, built in 2009 by Hyundai, Mipo. Its owners Glenda International, which is 50% owned by the Italian d'Amico International Shipping, have several ships with the Glenda prefix, and are frequent callers in Halifax on charter to d'Amico. The ship arrived from Port Arthur, TX with refined
products.


And arriving for Imperial's number 3 dock Torm Thyra, a 30,058 grt, 46,308 dwt product tanker built in 2003 by STX Shipbuilding Co of Jinhae, South Korea. The Singapore flag ship (but formerly Marshal Islands, and originally Danish) is saved from being just another product tanker by its owner's distinctive colour scheme. Torm  A/S of Denmark is well known for its bright orange superstructures. This ship called here before, April 18-20, 2014.

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Another week of frequent fog and rain might discourage some shipwatchers, but it brings about the little appreciated side benefit of ship's whistles. The sound of those deep throated bellows penetrating through the soup and echoing endlessly off downtown buildings is a wonderful feature of this port city.

Today's arrivals and departures, while largely unseen, were certainly not unheard. Of particular note was Oceanex Sanderling, which early this evening made the half hour or so move from Autoport to Halterm. It sounded its fog signal for the entire trip. Much of that time if was steering a nor'west to westerly course, which meant that its fog horn was pointed directly at the southern half of the Halifax peninsula. I hope everyone appreciated it as much as I did.

Normal comings and goings during the past week included another load of rail for CN. The huge demand for track upgrade sees pier 27 stockpiling thousands of tonnes, which is sent out on special rail cars  on an almost daily basis. Once the stockpile begins to become depleted, along comes another ship from Poland with another load.

The ship's sponsoned hull - sure sign of a Damen and Carisbrooke ship - maximizes hold and hatch size while maintaining a narrower bow and stern.
 
The most recent ship arrived April 28 and sailed Friday, May 5. Margaretha discharged about 10,000 tonnes, using its own cranes. The ship is a popular type for this work, because it is built with boxlike holds, that help to keep the cargo from shifting. Its large hatches make it easy to pick the cargo directly from the hold without having to shift it within the ship.

The ship was built to their own standard design by the Dutch company Damen. The hull was built at their shipyard in Galati, Romania, but the ship was completed at the home yard in Hoogezand, Netherlands in 2002. Measuring 7752 grt, it it has a deadweight capacity of 10,526 tonnes.

It was built originally for Carisbrooke Shipping, based on the Isle of Wight in England. It was to be named Anna-C, bu t was renamed Hanna-C before launching. It was soon after renamed Corral then in 2006 Opal Ace and in 2009 became Hanna C. In 2012 it took its present name, and management was shifted from Carisbrooke to Reederei Rudolf Schepers GmbH+Co. It is registered in St.John's, Antigua.


I did observe on odd activity on Wednesday May 3 as the container ship  Zim Constanza sailed from pier 42. The ship seemed to slide well south along the pier face, before its bow could be lifted off by tugs. Ships usually stay well clear off the end of pier 42 due to relatively shallow water.

The ship's stem was almost even with the end of the pier - something rarely seen. The ship etehn reversed, then began to move off.

 Once clear the ship took the normal outbound course.

ZIM Constanza was builtr in 2019 by Jiangsu Yangzijiang Shipyard in Jiangyin, China. It has a capacity of 4256 TEU (including 698 reefers)  and measures 40,542 grt, 50,170 dwt.
The ship (known by some wags as the ZOM George Constanza) is on the ZIM Container Service Atlantic (ZCA), from Haifa to Piraeus, Genoa, Tarragona, Halifax, New York, Savannah, Kingston, Tarragona, Haifa. This ship inaugurated the service June 28, 2012 and has been a regular caller ever since.

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Big Ship - Big Fog

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With zero visibility most of the day, it was nice to get a glimpse of the Ningbo Express anchored in Bedford Basin off Birch Cove.


It was awaiting a berth at Fairview Cove, under the large cranes on the west end of the pier. That space was occupied by Atlantic Sea which was also using the RoRo ramp. It was originally thought that Atlantic Sea would move to the east end of the pier when its RoRo work was done and then use the smaller cranes to complete its container work.
As it turned out Atlantic Sea must have finished work early, because it went directly to sea without moving berths.
In fact the move did take place after all.
Both ships are 100,000 tonners (deadweight) but Atlantic Sea does not require the higher cranes.
Ningbo Express, built in 2002 as Hong Kong Express carries 7506 TEU (including 700 reefers) and measures 88,493 grt. It has been pictured here before in 2015 and 2016.

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Short stay for distinguished visitor

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The name ship of the large Arleigh Burke class of guided missile destroyers made a brief visit in Halifax today. Tying up at HMC Dockyard about 1000 hrs, the ship sailed again at 1600, with the assistance of civilian tugs.

USS Arleigh Burke slips out of Halifax in misty conditions this afternoon after a six hour port call.
 
Launched in 1989 and commissioned in 1991 (and subject of at least one major refit) the ship was the first in a class that now numbers more than 60 ships.  The impressive looking vessels are cruiser size, but are classed as destroyers, and are the only destroyers in the current USN.

The namesake of the ship was one of the great USN figures in modern times. Despite relatively short stints of sea-time he was a destroyer hero in World War II ending his career as an Admiral and longest serving Chief of Naval Operations. He was also the first living naval officer to see a ship commissioned with his name.

The ship is based in Norfolk, VA.

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THE Alliance - new to us

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As THE Alliance swings into action, its new shipping roster continues to bring ships to Halifax for the first time.
Today there were two "new to us" ships at Fairview Cove.
Bilbao Bridge arrived early in the morning and sailed just at sunset.


The tug Spitfire III waits to put a line up on Bilbao Bridge as the last of the sun strikes the ship about 2004 hrs this evening.

 The ship is one of several K-Line ships that will be maintaining the Transatlantic route for THE Alliance. It is rather lightly loaded, but that is the nature of a new scheduled transatlantic service, as it builds its customer base. One thing of note  was the large number of UASC (United Arab Shipping Company) boxes on deck. UASC has been acquired by HAPAG-Lloyd, on the THE Alliance members.

Built in  2011 by Samsung SB+HI , Koje, the 46,444 grt, 58,200 dwt ship has a capacity of 4526 TEU. It is owned by Seaspan, the international ship financing arm of the Washington Group, based in Vancouver.

Arriving mid-day was the Malleco a member of the Peter Doehle fleet of Hamburg. The 75,752 grt, 60,400 dwt ships was built in 2009 by China Shipbuilding in Kaohsiung. With a capacity of 6589 TEU (including 1162 reefers) the ship flies the flag of Madeira, a Portuguese offshore registry.



 Despite its size, the ship seemed to navigate the Narrows with ease, and tethered escort Atlantic Oak did not have to work to hard to keep the ship in line.
 
A sister ship Maule has been a frequent caller for the old G6 Alliance. 

Wit the addition of these new ships, one wonders how much longer old G6 Alliance ships will continue to call.

The May 8 arrival of OOCL Kuala Lumpur may be the last we see of OOCL ships until a new alliance comes along.

Also among today's arrivals was the Adriatic Highway, which is now monthly caller trying to keep up with the demand for new automobiles in North America.

 Adriatic Highway enters port after a period at anchor offshore. Also anchored outside is the general cargo ship Thorco Luna which has been there for a week or more. It is due to enter port Monday, probably to load undersea cable drums.

Low financing rates and digressive German export policies has put such cars as Mercedes, BMW and Audi within reach of more Canadians.


CMA ties the record and Woodside moves

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The 9,365 TEU CMA CGM Loire arrived this morning, tying the record for largest container ship to call in Halifax. Sister ship CMA CGM Tage set the record May 28, 2016 when it arrived for the first time.  We have not surpassed the 10,000 TEU ship yet, but that will happen this summer according to the Port of Halifax.

Early riserscaught sight of the CMA CGM Loire in number one anchorage, where it under went Asian Gypsy Moth inspection.

CMA CGM Loire was built in 2015 by Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Company and measures 95,263 grt, 112,279 dwt. It also features the split superstructure of the larger ships. With the accommodation block moved forward for visibility, there is no superstructure aft except the engine casing and funnel.


 The true bulk of the ship could best be appreciated from the Dartmouth side of the harbour. The ship carries some container stacks eight high.


Early this afternoon the ship moved alongside pier 41 at Halterm.


Meanwhile in Dartmouth, it was a busy day at the Industrial Estates pier. The Woodside annex of the Halifax Shipyard has been busy fabricating hull cradles to be used to support the various hull components of ships under construction. 



A giant Manitowoc crane was busy this morning lifting the cradles aboard the venerable barge Atlantic Sealion (once known as the Irving Whale, it spent 26 years on the bottom of the Gulf of St.Lawrence before it was raised in 1996.)


The Shipyard is also using the Woodside facility to fabricate complex bow and other shapes for the current program of Arctic Offshore Patrol Ships. The first bow was wheeled out this morning on a transporter and loaded aboard the Sealion.
 


Other shapes followed, and soon after the moves, the rail line to Autoport was re-opened, as it had been closed all day to allow the transporter to cross the tracks.

Tomorrow the cargo will be transported to Halifax Shipyard and landed at pier 8.

 In due course the bow components will be connected to the well advanced hull of the first AOPV, to be named HMCS Harry De Wolf.


Also in Woodside, Irving Oil welcomed the tanker NS Pride

A puff of smoke on the starboard side is from an accompanying tug making fast.

Built in 2006 by the ShinA Shipbuilding Company of Tongyeong, South Korea, it is a ship of 25,467 grt, 40,000 dwt and is operated by  SCF Management Services Dubai.
ShinaA Shipbuilding was one of the victims of the global financial crisis and was declared bankrupt in 2015 and liquidated in 2016.

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YM's fourth and updates

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The AL1 transatlantic service of THE Alliance, consisting of four ships, all belonging to Yang Ming Line, has now completed an entire cycle, with all four ships making an appearance in Halifax. The first ship, YM Essence arrived April 23, and the fourth arrived today: YM Enlightenment.

Atlantic Oak (on the stern) and Spitfire III shepherd YM Enlightenment through the Narrows.

Built in 2015 by China Shipbuilding Corp in Kaohsiung, it is a sister ship to the other three, with a 4662 TEU capacity on 47,952 grt, 56,500 DWT.  The ships normally arrive in Halifax on Sunday. It is registered in Liberia, as is YM Express. The other two, YM Evolution and YM Essence are registered in Taiwan.

Update: The barge Atlantic Sealion made its trip from Woodside to the Halifax Shipyard this morning, where a number of cradles and components for the first Arctic Offshore Patrol Vessel were unloaded at pier 8. [see also yesterday's post.]


A banner on the barge's gunwale says "Proudly Building Ships for Canada" and features the Canadian and Nova Scotia flags and the Irving Shipbuilding logo. The tug Atlantic Willow handled the move and the return later in the day to the IEL dock.

Update:  For the past week or two, we have had a "guest" pilot boat working in Halifax harbour. The Fundy Pilot. As the name suggests it is normally based in Saint John, NB, but came to Halifax initially for refit at the CME shipyard in Sambro. Once the refit was completed it took over duties from the Chebucto Pilot while it has its own refit.


Built in 1983 by the well known US pilot boat builders, Gladding-Hearn in Somerset, MA, the 17.5 kn boat is backed up by the APA No.1 dating from 1977.

Somewhat dwarfed by APA No.1 at the pilot dock, Fundy Pilot was en route to her refit when this photo was taken in March. APA No.1 takes its design origins from Gulf of Mexico crew boats, whereas Fundy Pilot is an evolutionary step in the Gladding-Hearn repertoire of scores of pilot boats.

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RHL for TA4

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Maersk and CMA CGM operate the TA4 service jointly from Antwerp, Rotterdam and Bremerhaven to Montreal and Halifax and back. As noted, of late they are using replacement ships as Maersk Pembroke had a broken crankshaft (or camshaft). With no ship last week on the usual Saturday, or sometimes Sunday, it was apparent that they had called in another replacement from the spot market. (Last month the Louis S was a late arrival substitute on April 24.)

The ship that finally arrived in Halifax today was RHL Agilitas. Flying the Liberian flag it is a modest sized ship of 18,480 grt, 23,665 dwt with a capacity of 1732 TEU. It is also fitted with two 40 tonne cranes.



The ship was built as Wilhelm Busch in 2007 by Guangzhou Wenchong Shipyard Co Ltd of Guangzhou, China but was renamed on delivery by Reederei Hamburger Lloyd (hence the "RHL"). 
In this age of 20,000 TEU mega ships, a ship of this size looks puny, but one needs to remember that the first fully cellular container ships to call in Halifax carried barely 1,500 TEU! and they were thought to be huge at the time.


Dart Europe built in 1970 was a 33,400 grt, 28,484 dwt ship with a capacity of 1556 TEU. It was 759'-8" x 110'-6" and had a 29,000 shp Sulzer engine to make 21 knots.
RHL Agilitias measures  about 567' x 90' and can do 20 knots, on a very much smaller engine.

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Long Weekend Assignment - Part 1

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The Victoria Day weekend - a Canadian holiday to commemorate the birthday of Queen Victoria (May 24) - involves little celebration of that notable empress, because it generally marks the first weekend of summer. This year's weekend was no exception, including some summer like weather on Friday with record high temperates for the date, but it was a much cooler Saturday with stiff a stiff breeze off the ocean.

Friday saw another new to us K-Line ship, Brotonne Bridge another member of the same class of ships serving THE Alliance AL6 service (also Zim's ZCI).


Samsung SB+HI Co Ltd delivered the 46,444 grt, 58,200 dwt ship in 2010. With a capacity  of 4526 TEU it is operated by Seaspan on a 12 year charter (with two three year options) to K-Line.

Another new to Halifax ship showed up on Saturday. YM Movement is also on THE Alliance service, but this time the EC5 run.


The ship dates from 2013 when it was built by Koyo Dockyard Co in Mihara, Japan. It rates 6258 TEU on 71,821 grt, 72,370 dwt.



Arriving Thursday, the Radcliffe R. Latimer discharged its grain cargo from Thunder Bay at pier 25. On Friday night it moved to National Gypsum to load and is due to sail overnight Saturday/Sunday.


Named for a now retired President of Algoma Corp, the ship is the former Algobay built in 1978 by Collingwood Shipbuilding for Great Lakes and ocean work, called the "Nova Scotia class".  After a three stint under the Liberian flag, from 1990 to 1993 it then had a three year charter from 1994 to 1997 to CSL as Atlantic Trader, after which reverted to its original name.
It was laid up in 2002 but in 2007 Algoma announced it would be rebuilt in China. With its engine and self-unloading boom and other gear removed it was towed from Hamilton, ON (May 13, 2008) to Shanghai, China (September 7, 2008) then to Jiangyin 100 miles upstream.
The forward part of the ship was removed and broken up and the superstructure attached to a new self-unloading cargo body.
It returned to North America via the Panama Canal, arriving in Portland, ME, December 30, 2009 where it wintered over, entering service in 2010. Its first load out of Halifax was September 11 of that year.
Since then it has been a infrequent caller, but with the closure of US Gypsum's facility in Little Narrows, NS, we can expect to see it more frequently.

Also in port is the general cargo ship Thorco Luna at pier 9c. It arrived off Halifax in early May and entered port May 15 (in less than ideal photographic conditions.) At pier 9c it is being fitted with cable racks.



The ship was built by Honda Heavy Industries Ltd [no relation to the car] in Saiki, Japan, in 2014, one of ten ships of the same class for the Danish Thorco Shipping. Sister ship Thorco Liva was here in October last year, also to be fitted to carry cable.
Measuring 13,110 grt, 16,953 dwt, it carries a pair of 50 tonne cranes that can work in tandem.

As the crew closes the forward hatch, several portable tween decks are stacked forward. Note also the yellow 100 tonne spreader on deck behind the forward crane (right in line with the base of the transmission tower). 

Another sign of spring - is the annual arrival of the herring fleet. Four seiners appeared on the waterfront over the past few days.

Left to right: Morning Star, Lady Janice II, and Lady Melissa. The fourth, Dual Venture was also in port and possibly another - not visible due to waterfront congestion.

And as a bonus to the May 7    post, Ningbo Express sailed today on the eastbound (return)leg of its trip - this time in clear weather. It sailed just in time to allow YM Movement to dock, and this time it was Atlantic Cartier at the east end of Fairview Cove yesterday and Itea today.


assignment to be continued..........

Long Weekend - Assignment 2

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What could have been a serious incident was averted today more by luck than good planning.

The cruise ship Maasdam arrived this morning and tied up at pier 22 on one its regular visits.

Maasdam gliding in to port this morning.
 
Soon after tying up it was joined by the tug Gulf Spray with its scow and motorboat, used to remove garbage and recyclables. The barge tied up on the waterside of the ship and the transfer got underway. Normally the barge (or sometimes more than one barge) remain beside the ship all day, along with the motorboat. The tug usually does not remain.

Gulf Spray sets out from the old Coast Guard base in Dartmouth to pier 22 to remove refuse from the Maasdam. The motorboat and barge remain alongside for most of the day.

Late in the afternoon the CCGS G.Peddle S.C. entered port and raced up the west side of George's Island, paying no heed to the barge alongside, leaving a significant wake, which tore into the barge tossing it about madly.

By the time CCGS G. Peddle S.C. reached the Narrows it was travelling at a sensible speed.

Fortunately the barge and motorboat crews were alert and took precautions, and there were no parted lines nor injuries.

This incident raises two questions:
1. Is the CCG immune to the harbour speed rules?  There was no emergency which would have caused the G.Peddle to exceed the safe speed in the harbour.
Who was on watch on the G.Peddle that could not have seen the barge alongside the cruise ship or would have been so unaware that there was likely to be a barge alongside?
The only objective as I could see was that  the G.Peddle was in "hurry home" mode.

2. Who was on watch at Halifax Traffic? Surely an attentive watchstander at Halifax Traffic would have noted the G.Peddle's speed and been aware that it was bearing down on the barge.
I do not know if the barge had asked for a "low wake" notice - if they did, then Halifax Traffic was really asleep on the job. But even if they didn't, Halifax Traffic should have alerted the G.Peddle to the effect that there was a barge alongside.

There is a great reluctance by Halifax Traffic (and most VTS services) to interfere with the ship's master's conduct - but if there had been an injury or damage, I think Halifax Traffic would have been found to have a duty beyond that of a spectator like me. I could see a potential disaster about to happen but had no power to stop it. Halifax Traffic did have that power.

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Atlantic Sky

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The long awaited fourth ship in the ACL fourth generation (G4) series made its first call in Halifax today. Under typically gloomy May skies, Atlantic Sky was in and out of port in less than 12 hours, working both containers and RoRo cargo.
Driving rain deterred this photographer from catching her arrival, but things had improved somewhat for the departure.

Atlantic Sky is clear of Fairview Cove and is lining up for the Narrows with assistance of the tug Spitfire III.

Built by Hudong-Zhonghua in Shangai the 100,430 grt, 55,828 dwt ship made an impressive sight as it glided out through the Narrows.

Despite the gloom and mist, the ship's white paint was almost glowing. 
Note the unusual rubbing strakes on the ship's side. These are protection when using the Gladstone lock in Liverpool to reach the Seaforth Dock. The ship is 37.6m wide and the lock is 40m, so some scraping is likely to occur!

This ship, and the fifth member of the series were due to be delivered before the end of 2016. However both ships were held in the shipyard - possibly to deal with issues experienced by the first three ships of the group. Atlantic Sky conducted sea trails in July 2016, but it was not until March 22 of this year that owners Atlantic Container AB (part of the Grimaldi Group) accepted delivery.

The fifth and last ship Atlantic Sun conducted sea trials in November, but has not been delivered yet, and as a result the two veteran third Generation (G3) ships Atlantic Cartier and Atlantic Conveyor are carrying on into this summer. The first G4 ships are apparently still experiencing issues, and early drydockings for them may extend the lives of the G3s into the fall.

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Harbour Spot Check

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With intermittent fog and drizzle, there were a few opportunities for spot checks on the harbour over the weekend.

At Irving Woodside the Vroon tanker Iver Exact arrived Friday and sailed later the same day.

The Dutch company Vroon, active in tankers and the offshore, distinguish their ships with a large letter "V" near the bow.

Built by Hyundai Mipo, Ulsan in 2007 the 29,456 grt, 46,858 dwt product tanker is a slightly larger version of Irving Oil's chartered fleet, which are also owned by Vroon (known now as Iver Ships BV) and under long term charter.

On Saturday CMA CGM brought in another of its split superstructure ships, APL Danube. The ship was built as CMA CGM Danube in 2014 by Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Co and at 95,263 grt, 112,560 dwt, it has a capacity of 9,365 TEU (including 1458 reefers).


 Monopolizing number one anchorage for a few hours, APL Danube had to undergo Asian Gypsy Moth inspection before tying up at pier 41. The ship's last port of call before Halifax was Colombo, Sri Lanka.


In 2016 the ship was renamed NileDutch Orca for service with the family owned NileDutch, which as the name suggests operates between Europe and Africa, although its concentration is more on West Africa than it once was. It also serves North America and Asia. Earlier this year, the sip was reassigned to the Columbus JAX service and was renamed APL Danube. APL (American President Lines) is owned by CMA CGM through APL's parent company Neptune Orient Lines, acquired by CMA CGM in 2016. NOL and APL will retain their identity to a degree for a time.


Also new this weekend was NYK Terra, filling a slot on THE Alliance's service.  Built in 2008 by Hyundai Heavy Industry, Ulsan it is a 76,928 grt, 80,282 dwt ship.

The tug Spitfire III has a line up on the port bow and Atlantic Oak (not visible)  is on the stern as NYK Terra passes under the A. Murray MacKay bridge outbound.

With a capacity of 6661 TEU (including 460 reefers) it is about equal in size to the OOCL ships that used to call on the G6 service, which THE Alliance has supplanted.

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What's in a name

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As a self- proclaimed connoisseur of ship's names, I do like to see a ship that shows some originality in its name. Today I managed a bit of a double header.

First was the bulk carrier Desert Serenity, arriving fully laden from Baie Comeau. The ship tied up at pier 31 and was met by at least one fuel truck. It also appears to have taken on a couple of containers on deck (most unusual for a bulk carrier).

Built in 2008 by Kouan Shipbuilding Co in Taizhou, China, it was launched as Serenade. However it was renamed on delivery with the pleasantly evocative name Desert Serenity. The 31,091 grt, 53,280 dwt bulker is fitted with four cranes and is operated by The Greek owned, Marshal Islands based Atlantic Bulk Carriers Management Ltd. Their fleet has several ships with the "Desert" prefix.


While arriving it passed a lobster boat, tending traps (the season closes in the Halifax area May 31.) Named Hurtin' Unit it was built in 2008 by Wedgeport Fibreglass Ltd. It is 12m long and 27.44 grt with a 200 bhp engine.

While difficult to see in a distant photo, Desert Serenity's hatches are tarped over. However the tarps did not appear to be in great condition, so perhaps that may have something to do with why it called in Halifax. It's destination is listed as Lagos, Nigeria.

Memorial Day Visitor

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Monday May 29 was Memorial Day in the United States. As usual there was a United States military presence in Halifax, to  commemorate U.S. war dead. This year it was a color guard from a United States Navy submarine that did the honors.








All US subs are nuclear powered, and restricted to the Shearwater jetty in Eastern Passage (known to the RCN as November Alpha). The sub sailed this morning.







There are several sites in Halifax where US service persons are buried, including Deadman's Island in the Northwest Arm and Holy Cross Cemetery.


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Friday inaction

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There was lots of action in Halifax harbour today - unfortunately I was somewhere else when most of it was happening, so almost all the photos were of static ships.

The autocarrier Manon finally got out of port after a lengthy stay. It arrived  Tuesday at pier 31, but when it completed unloading machinery, it remained there until late Thursday while Columbia Highway and Oceanex Sanderling did their work at Autoport.




Offshore fog swirls outside Eastern Passage while Manon completes unloading at Autport..

Manon sailed late this afternoon.

Back in service:

 Chebucto Pilot getting underway looking very smart after its refit. It is heading out with pilots for the inbound Budapest Bridge and will disembark the pilot from the outbound UACC Manama.

The Atlantic Pilotage Authority will soon be welcoming two more pilot boats.Under the current names of SC Lynx and SC Cheetah they are water jet propelled boats with 20 knot plus cruising speed, they were built in 2011 and 2012 respectively, and have been working in Europe.


In for CFIA inspection:

 Just getting underway after inspection UACC Manama exhibits no less than 27 manifold connections, signified by the dots between the "A" and the "C". This means that the ship can carry a wide array of chemicals at the same time. Note also the array of piping on deck compared to typical product carriers.

The chemical tanker UACC Manama bound for Quebec, stopped off for Asian Gypsy Moth inspection. A 2010 product of the SLS Shipbuilding Co in Tongyeong, South Korea, the 29,124 grt, 45,612 dwt ship was built as Bunga Balsam for MISC Bhd but was acquired by United Arab Chemical Carriers and renamed in 2014.

Short end of the pier:
K-Line's Budapest Bridge got the short end of the Fairview Cove container pier on its arrival on THE Alliance AL6 service.

The 4526 TEU ship is one of 5 on the Med/Transatlantic service, and is relatively small and lightly loaded, so can be served by the smaller cranes at the east end of the pier.

Long end of the pier:

Yang Ming's 6258 TEU  YM Movement occupied the west end  of the pier and used the bigger cranes.


The ship, an "old" post-Panamax is the leading edge of the wave as the new Panama Canal permits much larger ships to reach the North American east coast from the Pacific.
Although Cerescorp, operators of the pier, have not announced any future plans, they need to step up to the plate with bigger cranes and a longer pier if they are to stay ahead of this development. Most of the 6,000 TEU ships can make it under Halifax's bridges, so should be able to use the piers for some time to come.
I expect some announcement soon as the primary Japanese container lines consolidate, and Cerescorp's owners K-Line may have access to more capital.


Meanwhile back at the downtown waterfront the three herring seiners that have been in and out of Halifax for the past week, sailed again this afternoon.

Lady Janice II foreground and Lady Melissa back, sailed soon after, following Morning Star which had already sailed.

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Quiet Saturday

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Things were quiet in Halifax today-see Tugfax to see what I did instead.

The small general cargo ship Vera made a morning visit for Asian Gypsy Moth inspection en route Charleston, US to Sorel, QC.

In glass calm conditions, Vera's anchor cable is straight up and down.  Anchored northeast of George's Island, that is Chebucto Head in the background - the entrance to Halifax Harbour.


The ship was built by the Dongang Shipbuilding Group Co in Yueqing, China in 2011. It measures 7138 grt, 7930 dwt and carried the name Vera under Antiguan flag for owners Vera GmbH+Co KG. In 2013 it was renamed Industrial Karoline for a charter, but reverted to its original and present name in 2016. This time however it was registered under the Portuguese offshore registry in Madeira.
Vera carries a pair of 80 tonne cranes and is a multi-purpose ships that can carry bulk, breakbulk or containers (444 TEU capacity) and operates for the four ship Concord Shipping GmbH+Co KG of Jork, Germany.
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