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Nor'easter blows in to East Coast

October 7, 2014, 4:01 pm
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Irving Oil has brought the Marshall Islands tanker Nor'easter into Canadian registry October 6 and renamed it East Coast*. One of four ships built by Vroon at Hyundai Mipo for long term charter to Irving Oil, only Acadian was Canadian flagged. The other three, Nor'easter, Great Eastern and New England were flagged in the Marshall Islands, since they would be trading internationally between Saint John and mostly US ports.



With the closure of Imperial Oil's refinery in Halifax, Irving Oil has found the need for more domestic tanker capacity and has had to apply for three coasting licenses this year alone to allow Nor'easter to run between Canadian ports. Now they have made the decision that the ship is needed more in Canada.

This is the fourth foreign fagged tanker brought under Canadian flag this year. Algoma Tankers brought in Algoma Hansa  in July, also as a result of changing trade patterns due to the Imperial closure. Both Irving and Algoma will be transporting refined products with their tankers.

 Desgagnés bought two tankers to run from Montreal to Lévis with crude oil from the newly configured Alberta pipeline.

The fall out from Imperial's closure has seen a spike in the number of ships arriving in Halifax, with all refined product for the area arriving by ship. If only we could get top quality furnace oil, instead of the low grade, mostly kerosene, that comes from Texas, consumers might be happier.

Asmentioned in the prio post Algoma Dartmouth has gone to Port Hawksburyto load bunkering fuel, which is no longer produced in Halifax.

Now that Nor'Easter has become East Coast the large code letter "N" on the superstructure below the funnel will have to be changed to an "E". This quick way of identifying which ship of an identical quartet is perhaps unique.

Also on the Irving Oil front, construction has started on Canaport 2, their crude oil export facility, which will connect to the yet to be built TransCanada's Energy East Pipeline. That project is intended to bring Alberta crude to tidewater, with terminals in Cacouna, QC and Saint John. The Cacouna project (next door to Riviere-du-Loup) has been put on hold due to environmental concerns. On the edge or in the middle of the endangered beluga territory and a bird sanctuary, drilling for foundations was halted this summer.

Irving Oil is weaning itself from rail deliveries of crude oil, but will still be bringing in Bakken crude from the US by train. They will be upgrading their tank cars ahead of the regulatory deadlines. Those rail cars go through Sorel, QC which has also become a crude export port.


* There was already a Nor'Easter, a Nor'Easter I and a Nor Easter 07 on the Canadian Registry, so the existing name was not available unless the owners of at least one of those craft could be persuaded to give up the name.
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Slotergracht - odd spot

October 8, 2014, 5:33 pm
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It was an unusual to see a Spliethoff ship at Fairview Cove this morning.



It's usual berth would be at the deep water piers in the south end, but there was a lot of cruise ship activity there today, and so the ship went to Fairview Cove first  It did have some company containers on deck, although it hasn't been a regular line here for boxes. Spliethoff did inaugurate a monthly container service from Antwerp to Cleveland, OH this year. The service started in April with the Port of Cleveland in essence chartering the Fortunagracht (and making up its losses to the tune of several millions of dollars). In September it was announced that Spliethoff it would add a second ship (at its cost) to make a twice monthly service. The ship also carries other cargo in an out of the Lakes, so is not dedicated to containers.
The CEE (Cleveland-Europe Express) boasts "year-round service even when the Great Lakes are closed". With ice class ships such as Slotergracht they could reach Montreal in winter, but perhaps they have decided to use Halifax instead. Their containers would still reach Cleveland in just about the same time if sent of Halifax by rail.

When Carnival Splendour vacated pier 31 this evening, Slotergracht moved and took her place.

Part of the 11 ship "S" type of multi-purpose ships operated by Spliethoff, Slotergracht was built in 2000 and measures 16,641 grt, 21,402 dwt and is equipped with all the specialized ventilation and ballasting equipment common to Spliethoff ships. It has three cranes rated at 120 tonnes each (one offset) and sideloading doors and conveyors. Its box-shaped holds holds with moveable tweendecks and bulkheads can accommodate a variety of cargoes from bulk to breakbulk and containers and its large hatches are reinforced for heavy loads, including containers.
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Captain Goddard M.S.M. to Canadian Coast Guard

October 9, 2014, 4:50 pm
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Irving Shipbuilding Inc handed over Captain Goddard M.S.M. to the Canadian Coast Guard today. The midshore patrol vessel is the final boat in a nine boat contract with Halifax Shipyard.

Captain Goddard M.S.M. approaching the Coast Guard base at Bedford Institute this morning.

During the summer of 2009, Irving Shipbuilding won the $194 mn contract to build the boats, using a modified Damen Stan Patrol 4207 design. Beginning with Private Robertson V.C. launched May 5, 2012 and delivered in July of that year, the yard has been cranking out the Hero class boats every three months or so. When it was launched February 23, Captain Goddard M.S.M. was the last ship to be launched on conventional launchways by Halifax Shipyard. Since then the remnants of the launch ways have been removed and the new building hall has been erected. Future "launches" will be float offs, using a floating drydock.  

Worm's eye view of the massive new building hall at Halifax Shipyard.

The Canadian Coast Guard will be conducting their own trials on the Goddard in the next few weeks before the boat is shipped to the west coast with M.Charles M.B.

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Insignia - another first timer

October 12, 2014, 6:53 am
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Insignia's arrival this morning marks the eighth of nine scheduled inaugural visits of cruise ships to Halifax this season.
A mid-size ship, Insignia at 30,277 grt carries 684 passengers (lower berths only) or 824 if all upper berths are pressed into service. A crew of 400 operates the ship and caters to the guests.
 
Insignia passes a tide-bared Ives Point on it way inbound. 
(Seen from the Dartmouth side of the harbour)

Built in 1998 by Chantier de l"Atlantique at St-Nazaire, France, the ship was to be the first in a large series of "R" class ships for Renaissance Cruise Lines and was given the weird name of R One. Renaissance did not have the right formula apparently, and folded up with its ships creating a bit of a glut on the market. R One remained laid up from 2001 to 2002 before Prestige Cruise Lines snapped it up, and it became Insignia. A refit and was followed by a two year charter to HAPAG-Lloyd from 2012 to 2014 as Columbus 2. The ship reverted to Insignia earlier this year for Oceania Cruises. 

Passing the Halterm container terminal inbound to pier 22.

The ninth inaugural ship is to be HAPAG-Lloyd's Hamburg due on November 5.It will also be the last ship of the season.
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Pier 9C open for business

October 14, 2014, 6:01 pm
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The newly extended pier 9C is now open for business and welcomed its first ship this evening.

Onego St.Petersburg arrived with the components for overhead cranes to be installed in the new Halifax Shipyard building.



Built in 2011, the ship measures 5425 grt, 8215 dwt, and carries two 40 tonne cranes that can work in tandem. It is typical of the new breed of multi-purpose carriers with full width hatches, box shaped holds and pontoon type hatch covers, strengthened for heavy cargoes.Most visible from shore as it arrived were the orange beams for 100 tonne Kone overhead rolling cranes. Shipped in short sections, they will be bolted in place on site.

The new pier 9C extension (which used to be called pier 9D) was estimated to cost $73 mn, including a new concrete pier face, consisting of concrete cells and cope walls, asphalt surfacing for heavy loads, rail tracks,  a refurbished and extended storage shed with railroad loading doors, electric lighting and the usual equipment such as bollards and fenders.
The new facility will ease the pressure on the south end piers and bring back the Richmond Terminals (piers 9 , 9A, 9B and 9C) as a busy part of the port. Some advantages are the access to roads without going through downtown traffic and a quicker access to the rail yards in Rockingham.

In the pre container era, Richmond Terminals was a busy spot. At pier 9 the Volvo assembly plant was busy off loading crated car bodies, frames engines and other components.

Pier 9

Pier 9 also had a tanker facility, which still exists, connecting to tanks on Barrington Street.


Piers 9 A, B and C were almost always busy with the "Sun" ships of Saguenay Terminals

Pier 9A

Built as a corvette, but converted to a cargo ship, Bedford II operated from Pier 9A to St.John's for Newfoundland Canada Steamships - a precursor to Oceanex.
The jog in the rail just below the ship's name is the division between Pier 9A and Pier 9B.
On the right is one of the covered sideloading ramps which CSL used for only one year as a pallet load service to Newfoundland. Forklifts transferred the palletized cargo from the pier 9A shed to the ship, unaffected by weather.

The Newfoundland coastal schooner Delray at Pier 9A, handballing cargo from a CN boxcar. The jog in the pier face is just ahead of the schooner.There is no traffic on the MacKay bridge, which was brand new but had not opened officially when this photo was taken.
 
Pier 9A and B were equipped with a rail line and freight sheds, and their own population of pigeons.

Pier 9C handled a variety of ships for breakbulk cargo such as packaged timber. The piers were well served by rail lines.

Pier 9D had no seawall, only a roughly filled shoreline, and when it wasn't in use for parking truck trailers, it could be used to unload and store coal as it did several times over a period of years.


The new facility is quite splendid:

 Looking south, there is a huge open area for laydown. Note the Power plant as three stacks now (but only one in 1970)

Looking north, a portion of the new Pier 9C shed extension on the left. A line of  rubber fenders on the pier had not been installed yet when these photos were taken September 28.The pier now extends almost to the foot of the MacKay bridge west tower.

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More from pier 9c

October 15, 2014, 4:43 pm
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With Onego St.Petersburg looking very tiny in the vast new pier9 extension, it nevertheless went to work today to unload its gantry components.

Looking south on a cloudy morning, it was possible to see the extent of the new pier area, without the glare of the sun.

With the sun out this afternoon Onego St.Petersburg was busy offloading the gantry crane beams onto waiting trucks,

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Halifax visitors in trouble in Australia

October 16, 2014, 6:24 pm
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Two frequent callers to Halifax made the headlines after a vicious typhoon struck Australia on Tuesday.
With insufficient warning of the 126 km per hour winds (which lasted for 9 hours) the storm set the container ship Kiel Express adrift.  Despite risking their lives, tug crews could not control the ship and it struck OOCL HongKong, parting its lines and driving it into the pier. Kiel Express then struck another ship, Marutu then sideswiped it. OOCL Hong Kong could not be moved far from its berth since many of its containers were not lashed for sea. Apparently loading operations were in full swing when the storm struck.

Kiel Expresswas built as Hannover Express.

Kiel Express began calling Halifax in 1991 when it was new from builders Samsung, Koje, and then named Hannover Express. It was renamed Kiel Expres in 2007 and Halifax was its first port of call with the new name when it arrived June 19. It is now registered in Bermuda, but still owned and operated by HAPAG-Lloyd. With a capacity of 4,639 TEU, it measures 53,783 grt. Soon after renaming its was displaced from Halifax calls by larger ships.


OOCL Hong Kong turning in Bedford Basin March 2, 2013.

OOCL Hong Kong is registered in its namesake port and measures 66,046 grt, with a capacity of 5,344 TEU. It was built in 1995, aslo by Samsung, Koje, and is a post-Panamax ship.

 By May 13, 2013, the ship had been repainted.

All three ships received various degrees of damage, including hull punctures One tug narrowly escaped being crushed between the ships, and another had a mooring line caught in a prop.

This is a cautionary tale for Halifax - as if we needed one. When Hurricane Juan struck in 2003 ships in port also parted their lines and smashed into one another, and tugs were helpless to assist. The ships would have been safer if they had put to sea to avoid the storm - there was lots of warning. Juan was barely a category 1 storm at 100 kph  re-classified as a category 2 =100 mph/160 kph. The cyclone that struck Australia was category 2.
Hurricane Gonzalo, now nearing Bermuda is a category 4, with winds of 145 mph. It is expected to pass east of Sable Island on Saturday, however it may strike the Avalon Peninsula of Newfoundland. High seas are predicted, in which case ships would probably be safer in Halifax than at sea, but would certainly need to make extra mooring provisions.
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Return of Capri

October 18, 2014, 3:31 pm
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The German owned Capri made its third trip to Halifax this morning just over a year after its last arrival.  The 6806 grt / 10,273 dwt ship once again tied up at pier 27 with a cargo rails, just as it did July 1 and October 6 of 2013.


Built in 2002 by the Korean company Daewoo, but at is shipyard in Managalia, Romania, it is noted for its box shaped holds, pair of 40 tonne cranes and large turtleback over its forepeak. The ship can carry bulk cargoes, containers or general and oversize cargo.
It was originally to be named Onego Capri and Sider Alie, but was delivered as Sider Capri. It carried that name until 2009. Owners are Eckhoff GmbH+Co of Jork, and it is registered in Antigua and Barbuda. It is also likely on charter to Onego for this trip, since they seem to be the favoured carrier for rail imports.

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S.S.Shatford - not a steamship

October 18, 2014, 6:40 pm
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A familiar, but unheralded vessel in Halifax harbour for many years was named S.S.Shatford. However "S.S." did not stand for Steamship. The letters were the first initials of Sidney Smith Shatford, a native of Hubbards, NS (b. 1864). He established Shatford Brothers in 1885 and began importing kerosene and lube oil from the US and wholesaling and retailing it throughout Atlantic Canada. In 1894 he merged with Joseph Bullock of Saint John to form Eastern Oil Co, however in 1898 they sold out to Imperial Oil.

S.S.Shatford, the man, was then appointed head of Imperial's interests in Nova Scotia, and is credited with bringing Imperial's refinery into operation at Imperoyal on the Dartmouth side of Halifax Harbour.  He retired in 1930 and died in 1956.

During World War II, the refinery was so busy that it could not accommodate all ships alongside, particularly those requiring lube oil in barrels and other non-bulk supplies. Many of the ships anchored in Bedford Basin awaiting convoys were in need of these products, so Imperial built an 80 foot long wooden cargo vessel in Mahone Bay. (Steel was restricted for military and strategic use.) To honour their local founder Imperial named the boat S.S.Shatford - thus causing endless confusion about it being a steam ship. In fact it was a motor vessel of 152 bhp, and 82 gross tons. With a schooner-like hull, and typical coaster deck house, it also had a derrick with a long boom to lift cargo to ships' upper decks.

S.S.Shatford alongside the Cable Wharf, shortly after returning to Halifax in 1974.  It was still in superb condition, with no hogging of the hull, and a new stem post.

After the war the boat continued to work in Halifax for a time, but was sold to Claude White of North Sydney, NS, primarily to carry coal to Newfoundland outports. By the 1970s that was no longer a paying proposition, and the vessel returned to Halifax in 1974 under the ownership of Atlantic Salvage Ltd.. Based at the old Western Union cable wharf, legendary salvage man Walter Partridge, and his son Toby and other family members also operated harbour launches for people and stores to ships at anchor. S.S.Shatford went back to familiar work.

With its namesake's refinery in the background,S.S.Shatford makes one of its last harbour moves before being retired.

In 1982 the boat was in very poor condition and on December 9, 1982 while under tow to the Eastern Shore to be dismantled, it began to flood through the engine room and sank in 42 fathoms of water.


Today S.S.Shatford and Atlantic Salvage are no more, but the Cable Wharf is still there, adjacent to the Halifax ferry terminal. It is now home to a restaurant, gift shop, moorings for pleasure craft, and home base for harbour tour boats. It also houses the offices of the Waterfront Development Corporation.

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Lady Carina - in for a pit stop

October 19, 2014, 6:46 pm
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The cargo ship Lady Carina made a brief pit stop in Halifax this morning. It tied up at pier 31 and was met by a fuel truck and the Canadian Border Services Agency. By 1300 it was ready to sail and departed for Montrose, Scotland. It did not appear to work any cargo.


Arriving from the south, it must have had a rough trip, being chased up the east coast by Hurricane Gonsalo, but didn't appear to have suffered any visible effects.


 The 4235 grt, 5360 dwt ship is fitted with a traveling gantry crane and hatch lifter of 35 tonne capacity, and has two high cubic capacity holds. Built in 2001 by Niestern Sander in Delfzijl, it is owned by Wijnne Barends of the same city. The company is best known for coastal and short sea ships, but Lady Carina is one of four sisters that are the largest ships in the fleet, and travel more widely.

Halifax also escaped the wrath of the  storm, although we did see some swells and surf. By this afternoon, Halifax was enjoying a warmer than normal fall day.

Zim Constanza sailed past a race of small sailboats, but they were clear of the channel when Lady Carina sailed by a few minutes later.

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Season ends, not with a bang but a whimper

October 20, 2014, 7:03 am
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A sure sign of the impending end of the tourist season is when Sackville moves from its summer berth back to HMC Dockyard for winter safekeeping and maintenance. That move happened this morning, with motive power supplied by the tug CNAV Glenside.



As the last surviving World War II corvette, and Canada's naval war memorial, Sackville's move should be heralded with a lot more fanfare. As an example, in Boston, when Old Ironsides, USS Constitution, is moved it is a major event in the harbor. There are parties, unofficial escorts, fire tug displays and a lot of vying for places aboard the ship for the brief move when it is turned side for side at Charleston. Why can't something similar happen here?

In a very few years time Sackville is expected to become a static display in a new museum complex, and these twice yearly moves will be a thing of the past. We should celebrate them while we still can.
Sackville also moves form its berth for Remembrance Day wreath laying, but it is rarely seen off its berth.

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Explorer of the Sea - explores a new itinerary

October 20, 2014, 4:31 pm
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Hurricane Gonzalo brought some new business to the port of Halifax with the arrival this morning of Explorer of the Seas. The ship was originally intended to sail to Bermuda, but the routing was changed to visit Saint John and Halifax instead. Although damage was relatively low in Bermuda, most of the island was without power and many services have been disrupted.
However on September 14, 2012 when peacefully mooredin Bermuda, high winds resulted the Norwegian Star losing control and striking Explorer of the Seas in the stern. Damage to both ships was minimal, but a hurricane could have resulted in a more serious situation.


Explorer of the Seas heads for the western deepwater channel to give clearance to the inbound Atlantic Cartier this afternoon. The 137,308 grt ship was built in 2000 by Kvaerner Masa in Turku, Finland. It has a capacity of 3,114 passengers and 1,180 crew.



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Queen Mary 2 rules

October 21, 2014, 3:59 pm
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The world's biggest ocean liner (but not the world's biggest cruise ship) always attracts attention. And when it is tied up at pier 22 in Halifax it dominates the waterfront. Unfortunately its before dawn arrival and after dark departure prevent any underway photography. However during daylight hours it seems to be in view from every corner.

 Seen from nearby Barrington Street, with the Via Rail train in the foreground,


Seen from the Young Ave bridge, it looms over the grain galleries.

Seen from Inglis Street, it tops an apartment building.

Even from the Dartmouth side of the harbour Queen Mary 2 dwarfs George's Islandas the harbour ferry Christopher Stannix makes its way to Woodside.

It also tends to overshadow other cruise ships in the port, displacing them to the commercial piers.

Grandeur of the Seas at left at pier 30-31 and Brilliance of the Seas at right at pier 33-34 play second fiddle, and compete with overhead wires for a clear view.

This is Queen Mary 2's third and final visit of the 2014 cruise season. Its next call is in Quebec City October 24.

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Dawn to Dusk (and 1984)

October 22, 2014, 4:20 pm
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At this time of year, many ships arrive at dawn or before and sail at dusk or after. I call the 8 to 10 weeks of the year when this happens the dark ages, because photogrpahy is a challenge. However some ships just squeeze it close enough that I can get a photo.

This morning, with three cruise ships arriving in misty/rainy weather, it was not going to be a pleasant day for passengers or harbour watchers.



A brightly illuminated Crystal Serenity picked up its pilot at 0715, and it was well after sunrise when it reached the inner harbour at 0755 - but the sunrise wasn't visible!


Silver Whisper and Royal Princess were due for their pilots at 0730 and 0800 and were both some distance off by 0800 when I had to be elsewhere. Both these ships are remaining in port for the night, having jiggled their schedules due to weather.

At the other end of the day, two Zim container ships passed each other at Middle Ground.


 As Zim Haifa left Halterm it met the inbound Zim Texas, which held quite far to the east in the channel. Tugs met it and prepared to swing the ship round to back into the Halterm berth.


Note the lightly loaded Zim Haifa with a huge stack of empties on the stern, and the deeply laden Zim Texas. Nothing speaks so clearly to the trade imbalance than heavily loaded ships inbound from the orient, with little to go back except empties.

Meanwhile back in 1984
I have been asked to show more pictures from my deep archive, and what better than the following, which begs the question- why can't we have more days like this? A beautiful white ship against a dramatic black sky.


The cruise ship Mermoz sails from Halifax May 24, 1984, with tug assistance. Built in 1957 as the French cargo passenger ship Jean Mermoz by Chantier de l'Atlantique (Penhoet-Loire) in St-Nazaire, it ran between Marseille and West Africa. With capacity for 854 passengers (144 first class, 140 second class, 110 third class and 460 troops) it also carried mail and significant quantities of cargo. It was one of the last ships built for this type of trade, and lasted longer than many. Finally in 1970 it was rebuilt by T.Mariotti in Genoa, with a new funnel, and accommodation for 750 (later reduced to 580) cruise passengers in one class, and renamed Mermoz . Jean Mermoz (b.1901 - d. 1936) was a legendary French aviation pioneer.


 Although it changed hands from Paquet French Cruises to Costa Cruise lines it retained its name until 1999 when it went to Louis Cruise Lines of Greece, becoming Serenade, then in 2008 Serena for its trip to the scrap yard in Alang.

The rebuild retained the ship's elegant sheer and cleverly reused its cargo derricks to handle shore excursion boats.


 Not seen in the photo is the Point Vigour with a tremendously long bow line. Point Vibert stands by the stern, with orders not to touch the ship unless needed - her tire fenders would leave nasty black marks on the white hull.

Over the course of the next few weeks I will be flashing back to 1984 regularly. 
 
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Heroes at Rest

October 24, 2014, 6:28 pm
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It seems fatuous for this blog to comment on recent events not related to shipping, but it is a time for everyone to remember that this country has many heroes whose deeds allow the rest of us to carry on a very normal life.




As two Canadian Coast Guard Hero class patrol boats, M.Charles M.B. and Captain Goddard M.S.M., rest quietly at the Bedford Institute this evening awaiting assignment, harbour traffic carries on as normal. The  CCGS Sir William Alexander stands by at her berth, and the tug Gulf Spray and barge return from a stores delivery to the bulker Atlantic Erie loading at National Gypsum.

Paralleling events in Ottawa, Quebec and Halifax, the calm harbour conditions follow almost three days of turbulent seas that prevented most ships from entering or leaving Halifax. The weather induced "lockdown" was eerily similar to the situations when many Canadians found themselves locked out, or as in my case, twice, locked in when familiar, and usually placid places were barricaded.
 


The cargo ship Zeelandia was held off Halifax for two and a half days due to weather, and finally made port this morning, and will now unload. The Swiss flagged ship works for the Dutch Nirint Shipping Co, carrying nickel ore cargo form Cuba, to be processed in Canada and sent on to Europe.

That Canada is able to carry on trade in this manner, with many nations, is thanks largely to heroes - sung and unsung - who have made possible the things we take for granted.

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Bunkers, Passengers and a New Name

October 25, 2014, 6:00 pm
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It was active in Halifax today with ships arriving and departing at all hours.
Arriving for bunkers, Vectis Falcon showed off her unusual bow.
 

Owned Carisbrooke Shipping of the UK, but built by Jiangsu Yangzijiang in China, the 6190 grt, 8555 dwt general cargo ship boasts better seakeeping and fuel economy with the innovative bow form and other green features. http://www.carisbrookeshipping.net/Vectis-Falcon.aspx.

Also with a distinctive bow, Havelstern sailed after bunkering.



The Canadian flag, former German ship has an icebreaking bow, and sees extensive use in the high north during the shipping season there. Based in Newfoundland, it is owned by Coastal Shipping Ltd, part of the Woodward Group.,


There were hardy passengers from cruise ships in Halifax today too. With cooler fall temperatures and rougher weather, it has been quite an experience for some.


Pearl Mist is off schedule due to weather, and has adjusted its port call rotation and dates as a result. It is in a day Halifax early, and will stay overnight. but sailed this evening.


 
Maasdam is on schedule, but met high winds and ten foot seas on its trip down from Sydney last night. It should have a pleasanter night tonight on its way to New York if conditions in the harbour are any indication..

Melfi Lines' caller today is Tasman Strait. This is its first call here with that name since it was applied last month. When it first called here in May it was bearing the name  Ocean Emerald see also http://shipfax.blogspot.ca/2014/05/ocean-emerald-for-melfi.html




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Sunrises

October 26, 2014, 4:19 pm
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Halifax is noted for its spectacular sunrises. Since those often coincide with ship arrivals, I see the sunrise on many mornings of the year. Today's was particularly impressive, even though it meant that the ship had to take second place. Perhaps sailors took warning, from the red sky. Certainly passengers on Ruby Princess were treated to quite a sight for their arrival, although it did rain most of the afternoon.


By departure time however the sun reappeared.

Passengers on Seven Seas Navigator got the same treat on arrival, but they sailed in driving rain.



Once up the sun cast a wonderful glow, making the gypsum carrier Barkald almost luminescent.



Meanwhile in Bedford Basin there was an explanation for the tanker Travestern's stay at anchor. Last night the Hong Kong flag Atlantic Muse arrived and once it was anchored, Travestern came alongside to take off cargo.  We can probably expect more of these floating transfers since there is no point in offloading to storage tanks if the delivery tanker is immediately available.



Built in 2009 by STX Shipbuilding in Jinhae, Atlantic Muse is a typical handy size product tanker of 29,753 grt, 51,149 dwt. It is operated by Hyundai Merchant Marine.

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Princess of Acadia replacement on the way

October 27, 2014, 6:34 am
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The ferry Blue Star Ithaki made its final visit to the island of Syros on October 25. It is now in Piraeus, making preparations to sail for Canada.

http://greece.greekreporter.com/2014/10/26/citizens-of-syros-bid-farewell-to-blue-star-ithaki/

The schedule for replacement of Princess of Acadia was to have the selected vessel in Canada by July 31, 2014 and have it fully refitted and ready for service by December 31, 2014. Allowing the early spring for training and handover to operators, it was to enter service March 31, 2015.
That schedule slipped, due to availability of the replacement vessel, and it is now due in Halifax in November. It will tie up at pier 9 for an estimated four month refit, which will include a heads-off engine rebuild. It has four Wartsila engines, and the manufacturer has a major service depot here.
The Blue Star Ithaki, flies the Greek flag, and is owned by Blue Star Ferries SA of Athens. Built by Daewoo Heavy Industries in Korea, it has a capacity of 1500 passengers, and has been running Piraeus to Tinos, Syros and Mykonos for fourteen years.
Meanwhile Princess of Acadia passed Halifax (which no longer has drydock capacity) October 19 en route Méchins, QC for repairs to its bow thruster. The thruster has not been operational for many months, but the ship has been able to berth without too much difficulty, although a miniature tug has been stationed in Digby just in case. However with winter coming on, it will need an operational thruster.
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Transfer complete

October 27, 2014, 6:26 pm
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The fuel transfer from the tanker Atlantic Muse to Travestern was completed late this afternoon.


Tugs Atlantic Oak and Atlantic Willow pulled Travestern away and while it recovered its fenders, Oak then went to Atlantic Muse and secured on her stern as tethered escort.



Travestern headed for an overnighter at pier 27. Its blue hull paint appeared gray in the low red sun.[As painters know from the colour wheel, Red plus Blue produces gray.]



Regrettably light had faded before I could catch Atlantic Muse outbound. It is headed for Montreal. As we near the end of daylight saving time, late afternoon photos will  become rarer and rarer until January.

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Arctic Offshore Patrol Vessels - one step closer (we hope)

October 28, 2014, 5:42 pm
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The first traveling gantry was lifted into position into the top of the new Halifax Shipyard building today.  It wasn't the only point of interest at the yard however - read on.
After several days of working round the clock assembling the crane sections on the ground using a 412 tonne capacity crane,
 

 a second crane, of 300 tonne capacity was brought in. With slings rigged, the first gantry was lifted off,

and lowered through a slot in the roof, to sit on its orange coloured rails.

It will be rolled along on its dollies, leaving room for the subsequent gantries to be lowered in.

Construction on the first ships to be built in the new building, the Arctic Offshore Patrol Vessels, will begin next year.

Meanwhile Parliament was presented with the Budget Officer's opinion that Canada can't afford to build six arctic offshore patrol vessels, but maybe it could get four at the price in the estimates. The government vigorously denounced the report, as did the navy and Irving Shipbuilding. A contract will be signed before the end of the year, and it will be interesting to see how it will be managed. No warship known to man, at least in recent history, has been built for the original budget price - particularly, when the original estimate was based on a sketchy design with with few of the details worked out - whether it is an icebreaker or a warship or some delicately balanced product in between. The original mandate was to build six with an option for eight. May it will become four with an option for six.

Opposition parties of course will make hay of this talk as will others, but there is no doubt that four arctic offshore patrol vessels would be inadequate. If the role of these ships is to be realized, there is no point in halfway measures. Build the ships!

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