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No encore at this concert

September 17, 2016, 5:37 pm
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Another ACL ship has gone to the breakers.Atlantic Concert arrived off Alang, India September 15 and  was beached two days later. Scrapping likely began immediately. Its fleet mate Atlantic Companion was the first to go in September 2015, followed by Atlantic Compass in June 2016.


Last call.

The last time I saw the Atlantic Concert, it was sailing from Halifax July 23, 2016 for the last time and it was certainly obvious that no investment was being made in the ship except to keep it running long enough to get through its last few weeks of service.

 
Atlantic Concert in 1984

The first time I saw the ship it was brand new, in June of 1984. Fresh out of the Kockums AB shipyard in Malmo, Sweden it measured 25,435 grt / 36,500 dwt with a capacity of 2157 TEU and a huge RoRo capacity served by a massive stern ramp, it dwarfed most other ships calling in Halifax.
I was a less prolific photographer then, so it was not until August that I finally got a picture.

Atlantic Concert in 1986

The ship was then owned by Wallenius Lines, an original partner in ACL, and remained under their ownership when ACL began a joint service with HAPAG-Lloyd to Montreal in 1987. The ship was renamed Concert Express and sent to Hyundai Mipo to be lengthened 42m thus increasing tonnages to 57,255 grt / 44,988 dwt (later reported as 51,648) and container capacity to 2908. Its overall length was then 292.01m ( 958 ft).

Concert Express in 1989.
(as seen from the bridge of the tug Point Halifax and through tinted glass)

In 1990 Atlantic Container Line AB was formed in Sweden to own the ACL ships with Grimaladi Group as the owner and managers. In 1994 the ship reverted to its original name again and has been a predictable presence in Halifax ever since. With five G3 class near-sisters, ACLs were the most readily identifiable ships in  Halifax and that is why I chose one for the mast head photo (Atlantic Compass taken November 23, 2014).

Atlantic Concert docks at Fairview Cove Febraury 1, 1986, as the tug Point Vibert stands by to flush broken ice away from the dock. 
(Bedford Basin rarely freezes over, but ice does form or is blown into Fairview Cove.)


The two remaining G3 ships, Atlantic Conveyor and Atlantic Cartier will also be heading to India as the next G4 class ships come into service.

With the new ships ACL is expanding its capacity considerably and has expressed concern about the recent talk of moving Fairview traffic to Halterm and resultant delays in rail loadings. If Halifax cannot compete with New York for delivery of mid-west traffic, we may see the last of ACL ships.

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Quest DX official

September 18, 2016, 5:28 pm
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After nearly two years under the axe, it finally fell on September 2 when a DND memo revealed that in fact CNAV Quest will be decommissioned. Its civilian crew were notified at the same time. The navy's only research ship, built for hydrographic and other research missions, (and able to work in the arctic) will be "gone" by the end of the year and perhaps the employees too. 

Quest at her November Golf jetty, HMC Dockyard.
 
As covered here in February 2014 the RCN docked the ship until the end of the 2013-2014 budget year to slash costs. However there was no money to run it in subsequent years and it has been idle ever since.
Although no date has been announced it is expected that the official decommissioning will take place before the end of 2016 - likely without ceremony- and the ship will be prepared for disposal. At the rate government ships are actually sold it may be years sitting around the harbour until such time as a sale actually takes place.

I have covered Quest many times. If you care to re-read those posts here are some dates:
June 17, 201
April 4, 2011
April 13, 2001
June 3, 2011 
January 19, 2012
April 18, 2013
March 13, 2013
November 28, 2013

Quest was modified several times over the years to increase research space and to perform certain tasks. None of these alterations improved the ship's appearance. And of course there was the unforgivable lack of buff paint on the funnel.

In any even here are some photos of the ship in better times.



In Pictou, NS awaiting drydocking, Quest shows off her good side, before the hull sponsons were added in 2012.
 
The ship's port alley was partially plated over in her 1997-1999 mid-life refit. The work could have been done a bit more gracefully and saved the ship's deck line. 

Before that the ship had a more appropriate, yacht-like appearance:

Sailing into Halifax in 1992, in its more or less original appearance, the ship looked quite interesting. Its enclosed crows nest in the funnel structure gave it a distinctive profile. 

Launched by Burrard Dry Dock in North Vancouver July 9, 1968, Quest was commissioned August 21, 1969. A diesel electric ship, it has two 10 cylinder Fairbanks Morse engines (1775 bhp) driving two GE electric motors (1450 shp) on twin screws. It had a mid-life refit in 1997-1999 and extensive modifications in 1999. It was tied up again in 2009 to correct stability and deck subdivision issues outstanding since 1986 and unaccountably never dealt with in previous refits. It also had some engine problems in 2009 leading up to the 2010 drydocking pictured above.
In 2011 it was fitted out for Radar Infrared Electro-Magnetic Pressure Acoustic Signature [RIMPASSE] experiments and crossed the Atlantic to work with the German and Dutch navies.  At that time it was painted navy grey on one side only and fitted with side curtains and hull cooling.
In 2012 it reverted to its old self and conducted research in the arctic. Its only since that time that it has had the white funnel.
It is also to be noted that it is the last white ship in Canadian government service. We will soon only have CSS Acadia to remind us of the days when hydrographic ships were white!

Footnote: CCGS Matthew, formerly white also, was laid up in 2012 and renamed 2015-03 prior to disposal. It was offered for sale for $2.25 mn, but there were no takers on August 7. It was re-posted for sale for $1.9mn and that sale closed September 7.

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Week's roundup

September 25, 2016, 5:34 pm
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Several events were worthy of note in Halifax harbour this week (although I missed some of them).

The Irving Oil terminal in Woodside was recommissioned this week with the arrival of Acadian. The pier and all the lines running over and undergound to tanks high on the hill behind the terminal have been rebuilt in the past two years. 

Acadian at the Woodside terminal on September 21.

Irving had shared pier facilities with next door neighbour Imperial Oil for several years, but when Imperial ceased refining at that location and began importing all product, their two piers became too congested for Irving's liking. Irving thus rebuilt their old terminal for their own use. A pipeline connecting Esso to Irving's tanks was probably also removed.

HMCS St.John's was elevated on the HMC Dockyard synchrolift for some needed maintenance.


This is the first ship, other than a submarine, to be lifted in a long time.

Speaking of maintenance, Atlantic Container Line's new G4 LoRos are experiencing teething problems. Atlantic Sail has been anchored in Bedford Basin since Thursday September 22 with undisclosed mechanical problems. It has been restricted from sailing by Transport Canada until it has a clean bill of health.


For a time there was a tug alongside, indicating that its main propulsion engines were out of commission. This is the second delayed ACL recently, with G3 Atlantic Cartier hung up in port for several days awaiting parts earlier this month.

Atlantic Cartier sailing without indcident on September 22.

The cruise ship Arcadia was only one of 18 cruise ship visits in the last seven days as the season is in full swing.

Built in 2004 by Fincantieri, Porto Maghera, the ship was originally ordered by Holland America as a Vista class ship, but was transferred to Cunard, to be named Queen Victoria. However shortly before launch, parent company Carnival transferred it to P+O and it became Arcadia. The 84,342 grt ship has a capacity of 1952 regular passengers, but can carry 2388 maximum (the latter figure is used by the Port of Halifax, but I doubt she was carrying that many.)
The ship has been refitted twice, losing the traditional P&O buff colour on its funnel in the process and getting an exploded version of the union flag on her bow. The unfortunate implications of a such a design are too obvious to comment on here.

In 2014 the ship still had its traditional P+O funnel colour, even though the funnel was a Cunard style, less the cowl.


Despite the blue funnel, the ship has kept its attractive red boot topping.

The ship stood out at pier 31, with about 15m of its bow projecting out into the stream.

The expected arrival of Disney Magic at pier 31 tomorrow meant that Nirint Line's usual berth was occupied.


Helga arrived late Saturday night and berthed at pier 27. The 8999 gert, 12,944 dwt ship, was built in 2009 by Damen Yichang and completed by Damen Gorinchen, for Dutch owners Van Dijk Rederij of Westerbroek. Built as Helga, it was renamed Kent Atlas in 2010, Helga in 2012, Clipper Avalon in 2013, Thorco Tribute in 2014 and  reverted to Helga again in 2015.

Today's arrival for Hapag-Lloyd, Ningbo Express, was not deeply loaded, but had an ample quantity of containers aft of the superstructure. Many of these are likely to be empties, heading back to the far east. The 7506 TEU ship, built as Hong Kong Express in 2002 by Hyundai, Ulsan measures 88,493 grt and 100,016 dwt. It received its current name in 2012.


It was met by the tugs Atlantic Larch (filling in for Atlantic Willow which is getting some maintenance) and Atlantic Oak for its trip in to Fairview Cove. 

 The tugs turn the ship off Fairview Cove, where filing continues, presumably to enabel eventaul expension of the pier. Even though doubts have been expressed about the ability of Fairview Cove to continue serving large ships, Shipfax believes it will continue to serve ships up to and beyond the size of Ningbo Express.
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Tankers

September 27, 2016, 3:59 pm
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Many of the product tankers that callls in Halifax show up once and never again as they go about their bueinsss around the world. Some become more or less familiar faces, making several calls. Such is  Energy Patriot, with its third calll in Halifax this year arriving at anchor this morning.


The 29,605 grt, 46,606 dwt ship was built in 2008 by Sundong shipyard in Tongyeong, South Korea. It is operated under the Isle of Man flag by Golden Energy Ship Management of Athens, Greece. After spending the morning at anchor it moved to Imperial Oil this afternoon.

Unfortunately the rain moved in at about the same time, marring the view of a much larger tanker arriving at number 1 anchorage.


Umlma flies the Qatar flag for owners Qatar Shipping Co SPC of Doha. It datres from 2006 when it was delivered by Hyundai's Samho yard in South Korea. The 57,243 grt, 106,005 dwt ship had discharged crude to Irving Oil at Canaport, Saint John and stopped in Halifax long enuough to take on bunkers before sailing for Whiffen Head, NL to take on some Hibernia crude.

Irving Oil has applied to use the tanker to make one trip from Whiffen Head to Canaport between October 18 and November 3 with 700,000 bbl of White Rose crude.
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Anthem of the Seas stands out (an over)

September 28, 2016, 6:59 pm
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The 4900 pasenger Anthem of the Seas towered over Halifax once again on its third call of the month. Its arrival in darkness precluded any photo, but once in port it certainly dominated the skyline and the 210 - passenger, Halifax - built, Pearl Mist.

 



On departure, with a tail wind, spectators in the "North Star" [SM] capsule not only enjoyed the view from 300 feet above sea level, but likely got a good snoot full of smoke. Oh well, all part of the "Quantum Crusing" experience. 


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Averting the unthinkable

September 29, 2016, 5:58 pm
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The National Energy Board of Canada dropped a virtual bombshell September 22 when it ordered an immediate 10% reduction in operating pressure on Trans-Northern Pipeline's Ontario-Quebec line due to numerous over-pressure incidents and other management concerns. The line delivers product from refineries in Nanticoke, Oakville and Clarkson to Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal, and branches to Pearson International and Pierre Eliot Trudeau International airports.

According to producers, the reduction threatens fuel availability in the Greater Toronto area, and they are scrambling to find tankers to maintain supply.

With no Canadian tankers available to take on the extra work, they have turned to foreign ships available on the spot market. The tankers have to be small enough to use the St.Lawrence Seaway and thus are limited in capacity. (A coasting license may be granted to operate a foreign ship between Canadian ports by the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness (upon recommendation of the Canadian Transportation Agency) if no suitable Canadian flag tanker is available.)

Suncor wants to bring in the Duzgit Endeavour, a Turkish owned and flagged vessel of 10,276 grt, 15,995 dwt. It is to make four voyages between Montreal, Oakville and Sarnia carrying 10,000 m3 per trip.

Edzard Schulte on the St.Lawrence in August.

Algoma (working for Esso) has applied for Edzard Schulte, German owned, Isle of Man flag, 11,246 grt, 16,371 dwt to carry 70,000 bbl per trip for multiple trips out of Sarnia ranging between Thunder Bay and Montreal.

Both ships would make their trips between October 5 and November 3 to 5.
The Ontario Quebec pipeline normally delivers 172,900 bbl (27,500 m3) per day.

Meanwhile Pétro-Nav, which works for Valéro (Ultramar) is not effected by the NEB order, but it has also applied to use Harbour Pioneer, German owned, Portuguese Madeira flag, 13,239 grt, 19,122 dwt to make multiple voyages October 5 to November 3 carrying 10,000m3 to 14,000m3 out of Lévis to ports ranging from Thunder Bay to Corner Brook.


Harbour Pioneer also on the St.Lawrence in August.

This is the fourth foreign flag tanker that Pétro-Nav has chartered in this year. Their own fleet has been fully occupied on the St.Lawrence and in the far north.

This periodic shortage of Canadian tankers has been an issue for years, but apparently is not enough for Canadian tanker owners to increase their fleets. There never seems to be a problem finding foreign tankers when needed. Their low cost crews and rates are no doubt beneficial compared to Canadian flagged and crewed ships.
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Busy cruise day

September 30, 2016, 6:35 pm
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Another four ship cruise day in Halifax had every bus with four round wheels on the waterfront to carry passengers to the surrounding sights Celebrity Summit and Serenade of the Seas lined the seawall from pier 20 to 22. Disney Magic was stern in at pier 31 and the smaller Azamara Journey tucked in at pier 23.
Ships are staying in port longer into the evening now and often leave after dark. They usually arrive in darkness of early light, so picture taking is a challenge.
I did manage to get some nice light on the Serenade when she sailed.



The 90,000 tonner (2,490 passengers) is not considered a large ship now, but when she came out of Meyer Werft in July 2003 she was the largest ship ever built in Germany. Royal Caribbean arranged for her August christening in New York by no less than Whoopi Goldberg. This was the ship's fourth of a schedule eight calls this year. (In 2003, its first year, it made twelve calls, including one storm induced over-nighter).


Royal Caribbean also had Azamara Quest in port, one of its exclusive small ships, at 30,277 grt and 702 passengers. Built in 2000 as R Seven for Renaissance it became Delphin Renaissance in 2003, and Blue Moon in 2006. It took its present name in 2007. I don't recall this ship ever calling in Halifax before.


Regular harbour activity included the arrival of the hardworking HMCS Fredericton. After a stint in Operation Reassurance in the Mediterranean from December 30, 2015 to July 5 of this year, the ship is now returning from operation Cutlass Fury with NATO ships off our coast.

The departure of the still shiny Oceanex Sanderling, was marred somewhat by all that unhealthy looking smoke. Although nothing has been announced, Oceanex must be planning on replacing the 39 year old veteran.


Built by Sasebo Heavy Industries in 1977 as Ravenfels for the lamented DDG Hansa, it became Essen in 1980, Kongsfjord in 1981 and Onno in 1983. In 1987 it became ASL Sanderling and has plowed its furrow between Halifax and Newfoundland - often bi-weekly ever since. When Atlantic Searoute morphed into Oceanex it kept up the same routine and was renamed in 2008. It has had some major refits over the years including at least one serious engine rebuild, but time must be catching up on the ship.
Its most recent three month re-do in Gibraltar completed in June of this year will certainly keep it going for a another few years. 


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CMA CGM anniversary, etc.,

October 1, 2016, 4:39 pm
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The CMA CGM Columbus loop service is largely responsible for the large spike in container traffic through Halifax in the last year according to latest figures. (ACL has also increased cargo through Halifax, but some of Zim's business has been captured by CMA CGM.)

The CMA CGM weekly service started up in earnest October 4, 2015 (although there were three trial runs iu August and September) and since then we have seen a steady stream of big ships.


Today's arrival is the second for CMA CGM Tage. When it called here May 28, it was the first large split superstructure container ship to call in Halifax. These larger ships feature engines closer to midships and separate bridge structure mounted further forward to comply with visibility requirements over the bow.
It was also the largest container ship to call in Halifax, at 9,365 TEU. Built in 2015 by Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Co in China, the ship measures 95,263 grt. Its deadweight tonnage has been quoted as 113,800 or 112,500 by different sources.

Although well short of the giant container ships of the world, it is nevertheless too large to pass under the harbour bridges and can only be accommodated at the Halterm container terminal.

The two terminal managers in Halifax are expected to merge soon and that will see a shift of shipping lines, with those using smaller ships moving to Fairview Cove, and Halterm catering to larger ships. It seems inevitable that larger and larger ships will keep coming, and the 10,000 TEU threshold will likely be cleared someday soon.

Among the smaller ships that may shift to Fairvew are those serving Melfi Lines and their Europe / Cuba service. With CMA CGM Tage due to arrive at pier 41 and Maersk Pembroke at pier 42, Henriette Schulte tied up at pier 36.

At pier 36 the ship is served by one crane. The three in the backgound have been decommissioned and are no longer in service.
 
This is the second voyage for the ship since joining Melfi. It was built in 1997 in Poland by Szczinska for Schulte Group of Germany. It has been renamed several times for charters as CSAV Brasilia 1997-98, Fesco Voyager 2000-02, P+O Nedlloyd Lome 2002-2003 and Cap Rojo 2004-08, reverting to its orginal and current name some of the intervening periods. With a capacity of 1684 TEU (including 120 reefers) the 16,281 grt, 22,352 dwt ship has three 45 tonne cranes.

En route to Cuba the ship carries a number of tank containers forward. One of Cuba's largest exports is rum, but they could be used for other sugar based liquids.
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Maule for Hapag-Lloyd

October 2, 2016, 4:08 pm
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Hapag-Lloyd continues to bring in odd ships that they have inherited from the CSAV merger. Today's arrival is Maule a 6589 TEU (1162 reefer) ship dating from 2010. It was built for Box Ships Inc of Athens and chartered to CSAV.
 

The tugs Atlantic Larch (bow) and Atlantic Oak (stern) escort the Maule through the Narrows this afternoon.

CSAV (Cia Sudamericana de Vapores) established in 1872 and South America's oldest and largest shippping line, merged with Hapag-Lloyd during 2014. Controlled by the Luksic family of Chile, along with a banks and copper mining interests, CSAV had a near collapse in the 2008 recession. The company wad the world's seventh largest world container line, but it shed many charters, and increased direct ownership of its fleet, falling to twentieth place before regaining profitablity and into sixteenth place when the merger took place. Its forty ships (about half owned directly) had a 281,796 TEU capacity.

CSAV retains its brand identity, with traditional funnel colour and flag emblem. Now working for the G6 Alliance Maule carries boxes for Hapag-Lloyd, OOCL and other members MOL, HMM NYK and APL.

With the merger Hapag-Lloyd is able to deploy more than 200 ships with more than a million TEU capacity, and suit the ships more closely to the routes. The merger also helped Hapag-Lloyd to return to profitability in 2015 despite plummeting rates.

Maule turns with tug assistance to back in at Fairview Cove.

Maule was built by China Shipbuilding Corp of Kaohsiung, Taiwan and measures 75,752 grt, 80,200 dwt.and is managed by Allseas Marine Inc of Athens under the Liberian flag.

Maule is a river and district in Chile that takes is name from the Mapudungun words for "valley" (mau) and "rainy" (len). It would feel right at home in a gloomy Halifax today.


(This is not the ship's first call in Halifax, that was July 5 - a sunny day)                                                                                                     .
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The breakers have them now

October 3, 2016, 11:19 am
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Two more ships with Halifax ties have gone to the breakers. One ship had recent a connection and the other went much farther back.

AGILE

The latter one was known in its Halifax days as Len Speer and then Agile, but started life with a much different name and purpose.

Built in 1978 by Holming Oy of Rauma, Finland for Baltic Shipping of Russia, its original name was Stakhanovets Kotov. Essentially a barge carrier, it was equipped to flood its cargo deck and float on or off river barges. Using its pair of 350 tonne gantry cranes it could also lift heavy cargoes and stack barges. It could take RoRo cargo and had a 286 TEU capacity. To add to that it was also ice strengthened for Baltic and arctic service. It had two props, each with controllable pitch.

With the break up of the USSR, the Baltic Shipping Co was dismantled and in 1992 the ship was placed under Wijsmuller management with its fleet of heavy lift ships and barges, Stakhanovets Kotov was rated for 5500 tonnes capacity.

In 1996 the ship was arrested in Singapore and sold at auction. The ship arrived in Halifax the following summer in its more or less original condition, bearing the name Len Speer and registered in Barbados, and owned by Secunda Marine Services.



They had the ship refitted and converted to a cable layer, with the addition of shops and five cable tanks in the massive open cargo bay and two stern sheaves in a cut down stern ramp. Renamed Agile it was back in Halifax several times thereafter as it laid the last section of the 360 net cable.



Agile was chartered to Cable + Wireless (Marine) Ltd for five years - a contract that was transferred to Global Marine Systems Ltd in 1999. The ship was renamed CS Agile for a time between 2003 and 2004.
At the end of the charter it returned to Halifax in late 2003 for further conversion by Allswater at Halifax Shipyard and pier 9c which extended for at least a year.

When Secunda Marine was sold to McDermott in 2007, the ship was assigned to McDermott International where it was further converted. Now with a forward high level helo pad, a large construction crane and other equipment for deep sea construction, pipe lay and cable lay it has accommodation for 112 workers.

Earlier this year Petrobras terminated a 5 year contract for Agile and in July the ship was sold to KNK Ship Management of Mumbai, and renamed  Gil under St.Kitts and Nevis flag. It then sailed from Brazil via South Africa to India where it was beached at Alang on September 22.


HAREFIELD

A ship that spent spring of 2015 in Halifax until a new rudder stock was fabricated has also arrived at Alang. Harefield was sailing from Wilmington to Baie-Comeau in mid-March when it damaged the rudder assembly in ice. It arrived in Halifax March 20, 2015 and tied up at pier 9c.


It was not until June 5 that the new part arrived. It took until June 20 for the installation to be completed and the ship could sail.


 The rudder was trussed up to take the weight off the steering gear.

My observation at the time was that the ship, built in 1985, was certainly a very elderly vessel. However as a specialized carrier, with a pair of 35 tonne gantry cranes, fitted to carry paper and aluminum, it was expected to take a longer to pay off and was well maintained.

By the time the new component arrived the ship's travelling gantries were moved to allow the crew to paint the hatch coamings.

Built by Hyundai, Ulsan it ran for Gearbulk under the same name for its entire career. At 27,818 grt, 41,646 dwt the ship was also equipped to carry juice in special tanks.

It was not all work and no play for the crew however, as they did find time to use their improvised basketball net during off hours.

With several sectors of world shipping in a slump, a familiar name or two crops up every week. Bulk carriers and container ships lead the parade to the torch.

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A high level view of proceedings

October 4, 2016, 5:05 pm
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There was concentrated activity in the harbour for a short period late this afternoon, and I took a high level view.

Outbound at the time was HMCS Windsor:
 

The cruise ship AIDAdiva cleared her berth at pier 20 and moved out into number one anchorage for a compass swing.


Windsor was able to squeak in between the ship and George's Island. (That is Oceanex Sanderling in the background at Autoport, loading for a mid-week trip to St.John's.)

All this activity caused NYK Deneb (Panama flag) to proceed inbound west of George's Island. Although not a large ship by current standards, it did make an impressive sight.


I have not been paying enough attention to the NYK ships of this class. No less than a dozen, all named for heavenly bodies, are NYK's contribution to the G6 Alliance. 
NYK Deneb was built by Hyundai Heavy Industries, Ulsan in 2007. The 4922 TEU ship measures 55,487 grt, 65,600 dwt. It is owned by Sumitomo Finance SMFL and operated by NYK Line.


Once AIDAdiva had completed its compass swing, it remained in the anchorage, but backed north, until the inbound Agios Minas (Liberian flag) had passed en route to Fairview Cove. It was able to take the usual path east of George's.




Built in 2001 as CMA CGM Ravel by Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering Ltd in Okpo. It is a 73,059 grt, 79,465 dwt ship with a 6627 TEU (including 500 reefers) capacity. It took its present name in 2014 when it returned to International Maritime Enterprise of Athens, after the CMA CGM charter.

Back at ground level again, the Norwegian Dawn was tied up at pier 22 (not pictured) and Celebrity SUMMIT stern in at pier 31.

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NYK Line - collect the whole set, and a classic arrival

October 6, 2016, 7:27 pm
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As mentioned previously, the NYK Line is member of the G6 Alliance and has contributed a whole class of twelve 4922 TEU / 65,000 -66,000 dwt ships to the Pacific Atlantic 1 service, calling in Halifax regularly. Today's arrival was NYK Remus - the last one that I hadn't seen before. Dating from 2009 it was one of the four built by Hyundai, Samho. The others date from 2007 and 2008, and came from Hyundai's Ulsan yard.


Tall ship Silva embarks on a harbour cruise with cruise ship passengers as NYK Remus arrives.

All the ships carry celestial names, with Remus and sister NYK Romulus named for the two moons of the asteroid 87 Silvia, that themselves are named for the mythical twin founders of Rome, children of Rhea Silvia. These moons were only discovered in 2004.

Sailing just at sunset, NYK Remus passes the Force Defence boom off HMC Dockyard.

The other ships in the class are named Constellation, Daedalus, Delphinus, Demeter, Deneb, Diana, Meteor, Nebula, Rigel, and Rumina. One might think that these names relate to celestial navigation, the fall back for modern sailors when electronic systems fail. But some in fact they figure more in astrology, which some sailors may have to rely on if their navigation skills are rusty.

The classic arrival today is the cable ship IT Intrepid, built as the Sir Eric Sharp in 1989 by Swan Hunter, Wallsend. It has the traditional look of a cable sip, with bow and stern sheaves, but has one concession to modernity- twin funnels.

IT Intrepid inbound passes the Nova Scotia Hospital. 
And no the Sobey's sign appearing above the centre block of the main building does not indicate a change of ownership. The ever increasing Dartmouth skyline extends for many miles back inland behind the provincially owned facility and abounds with new shopping and residential developments, among them a Sobey's grocery store.

The ship passed from original owners Cable + Wireless of the UK, via a series of mergers to IT International Telecom, the Canadian cable company, in 2005 and was renamed IT Intrepid. Sailing under theBarbados flag, it ranges far and wide in its work. IT International Telecom's Pier 9a base will be home to the ship for the next week or so.

This time it is preparing to work under a Canadian coasting license to trench, lay and bury a fibreoptic cable joining the Hibernia and Hebron oil fields to Newfoundland. The nine segments, totalling 727.939 km will land at two locations in Logy Bay, NL. The cable will permit high capacity communication for the oil fields, but will also contain scientific "nodes" that will collect data along the path of the cable for research purposes.
The work is due to start October 16 and last until November 16.

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More stuff from 1986 - part 1 of a series

October 8, 2016, 6:52 pm
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As you are no doubt tired of hearing, Shipfax started as a typed newsletter (yes using an actual typewriter) in January 1986. The ships back then were quite different in many ways from what is calling in Halifax these days, so here is a random selection from 1986:

Marcona Conveyor 

The large self-unloading bulk carrier Marcona Conveyor was actually on its last legs when it arrived here for bunkers January 10, 1986. It had transferred 25,000 tons of iron ore pellets to the laker Black Bay in Sept-Iles, QC. This reduced its draft sufficiently to carry on to Contrecouer where it unloaded he remaining 42,000 tons. It then sailed for Auld's Cove (Cape Porcupine) NS where it took on a cargo of crushed stone.

The sweeping bow of the ship is a sure sign of Livanos ancestry. The third largest Greek shipowner, Stavros Livanos was close behind his two sons-in-law, Stavros Niarchos and Aristotle Onassis.

Built as a conventional bulker of 36,360 grt, 70,478 dwt in 1970 by Hakodate Dock Co as Fontini L. for a Livanos single ship company. It was sold in 1971 and renamed Aragonite Islander. After conversion to a self-unloader in 1972 it was renamed Marcona Conveyor and was to be used primarily to carry bulk sand.
On September 3, 1986 it arrived in Kaohsiung for scrap.  Sixteen years was a relatively short life for such a ship.

There was lots of grain moving through Halifax in the spring of 1986, due to favourable rail rates.
One such ship was a more typical Livanos vessel, Tatiana L.

Bearing the sweeping Livanos bow, the ship arrives in ballast at pier 27 assisted by Point Vibert. The container ship Doris unloads for Eimskip at pier 31, using a shore side crawler crane.

Point Vigour begins to work the ship's bow around for sea as it sails fully loaded on the first of two trips with grain for Cuba.

Built in 1975 by Hakodate Dockyard in Japan, the 14,785 grt, 27,400 dwt bulker was equipped with four cranes. In 1995 it was sold and became Happy Day and in 1999 sold again and renamed  Lucky Lady. It arrived in Gadani Beach February 18, 2009, lasting an impressive 34 years, more than twice the age of its former fleet mate.
Many shipowners made a slow transition into the container age, hedging their bets, by building ships that could carry bulk cargo, general cargo and containers - sometimes at the same time. Companhia de Navegacao Maritime Netumar of Brazil was one of those. Its Alison was classed as a bulk carrier of 15,220 grt and 25,912 dwt. But it was rated for 648 TEU and carried four 25 tonne cranes. It was built by Cia Comercio e Navegacao (CNN) at the Maua Shipyard in Niteroi, Brazil.

 Alison picked up some very un-Brazilian frozen spray on its way to Halifax.

Netumar ships often carried bauxite or alumina in bulk to Canadian ports, and carried some containers at the same time. On this trip Alison was in Halifax to load cargo from Mersey Paper. The ship was deemed to be too large to tie up at the company's mill in Brooklyn, NS and so diverted here.
The ship served Netumar until 1993 when it became: Dalva, 94: Seram, 98: Negril Bay, 02: Elini K, 04: DD Master until arriving in Alang January 29, 2010 for breaking up.

There were many standard class ships in the 1970s and 1980, built to replace the World War II standard ships that had reached the end of their lives. One well known type being the Flensburger built by the Flensburger Shipyard in (West) Germany. Family C. was built as Olga Jacob in 1970 and became  Franz Xavier Kogel in 1976. It had only recently changed hands again in 1985 when it arrived at pier 28 to load grain, flying the Panama flag.


Handy sized ships of 9194 grt, 15,245 dwt, this Flensburger was equipped with one 80 tonne, five 22 tonne and ten 5-10 tonne derricks. It could carry 230 TEU, but was essentially a traditional general cargo ship that could also carry bulk cargoes.
Shortly after leaving Halifax it was sold to the Government of the People's Democratic Republic of North Korea and became  Mor An Bong. In 1988 it became the Chinese Fu Jiang . Its history after that is a little murky, but was renamed Li Long in 1995 and was largely unreported until 2014 when it emerged again under the ownership of the CCC Guangzhou Dredging Co Ltd. If it is still in service, it is a remarkable feat for a ship that was built as an economical replacement for war surplus vessels. Not noted as a particularly durable class, containers soon made them obsolete in most of the world's trades.

Winter ice presented hazards and brought many ships to Halifax - some under their own power and others not. One odd arrival in 1986 was Urrida a small general cargo ship of Danish origin. It has been beset by ice, due to lack of engine power, while bound for Becancoueur, QC, with a cargo of bagged cryolite from France. The mineral was used as a flux in aluminum production and came mostly from Greenland. [It was reportedly depleted there by 1987 and is now very rare and expensive. A synthetic material is now used instead].
The ship turned back, and on arrival in Halifax it was arrested by the charterer and the cargo unloaded and sent on by rail. Once matters were settled, Urrida sailed in ballast for St. Lawrence ports on March 28. The ship was apparently undamaged.
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Urrida sat forlornly at pier 24 until legal matters were resolved. The ship had two small travelling deck cranes, typical of many European coastal vessels.

Built as Merc Europa by Frederikshaven Verft in 1971 the 499 grt, 1372 dwt ship was sold to Eimskip in 1974 and renamed Urridafoss. In 1985 it was sold again to Dutch owners under the Cyprus flag and renamed Urrida. It has had many renamings since, when it went to the mid-East as 91: Guson, 92: Mohammed J, 04: Tyseer, 96: Kaddour II, 96: Haidar, 03: Breeze, 08: Reem. It is still listed as active under the Dubai flag - a remarkable survivor.

Another ship that tangled with ice was Caravel Star, but with more serious consequences. Built as Nagfan Mercury by Koyo Dockyard in Mihare, Japan in 1975 it was sold and renamed in 1984. A traditional bulker of 15,549 grt, 26,901 dwt, it had six 15 tonne derricks to serve its holds. It arrived in Halifax March 4 and two days later entered the Scotiadock floating drydock at Halifax Shipyard. Its propeller was removed and rebuilt and two blades were replaced and the other two straightened. It left the drydock March 21 and tied up at pier 27.

I tried out my new 28mm wide angle lens to capture Caravel Star after it was repaired and moved to  pier 27 to load grain.
 
It was finally able to sail on April 3 but did not last much longer. Sold later in the year it was renamed Pal Pal and arrived in Masan, South Korea  February 19, 1987 where it was broken up.

to be continued ...

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Weekend Report

October 10, 2016, 8:10 am
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It was a slow weekend for all but cruise ships, and even they must have felt a let down due to cloudy weather Sunday and torrential rain and high wind on Monday.

The tanker Seameridian sailed on Sunday after a four day stay at Imperial Oil.


A product of Guangzhou International shipyard in 2011 it is a handysize of 30,241 grt, 50,309 dwt. If it is noteworthy, it is because it is owned and operated by Valles Steamship Canada Inc of Vancouver. Valles is a family owned business with roots in China, but which has been managed from Vancouver since 1995. See
vallesgroup.com

Among the several cruise ships, including Queen Mary 2 yesterday, was the first time caller Viking Star. The first ship in a trio for Viking Sea Cruises of Basel, Switzerland, it builds on the success of Viking River Cruises and their inland tour vessels.

Tour buses and a fuel tank truck service Viking Star at pier 31. The ship arrived and sailed in darkness.

 Viking Star has a "modest" passenger capacity of 930 with 602 crew and was built in 2015 by Fincantieri, Merghera in Italy. In a notable lack of originality, the next two ships in the series are to be named Viking Sea and Viking Sky. But hold on a minute - wasn't there a ROYAL Viking Star, Royal Viking Sea and Royal Viking Sky?

Yes,  but there is no connection unless it is  flattery by imitation. Royal Viking Line was founded in 1971 and  initially built three ships (in the same order of names as the new ones) in 1971-73. The were among the most luxurious cruise ships in the world at the time, but the the line was merged into the Kloster group and went out of business in 1998.
Its three original ships are still sailing as Boudicca (ex Royal Viking Star) and Black Watch (ex Royal Viking Sky) for Fred Olsen and Albatros (ex Royal Viking Sea) for Phoenix Reisen.



The former Royal Viking Star in Halifax as Black Watch.

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Record Day...a bell rings...and a new autocarrier

October 11, 2016, 3:19 pm
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RECORD DAY

It was a record day for cruise ship passengers in the port of Halifax despite or because of weather. It would have been busy enough with the regularly scheduled Anthem of the Seas (4,905 pax) and Carnival Sunshine (3,006 pax) but there was also the arrival of Disney Magic (2,400 more) to contend with.
The Disney Magic was diverted from its usual route out of New York to avoid Hurricane Matthew, and instead headed for Saint John and Halifax.The passengers probably thought they got the worst of it anyway as a fierce storm passed through the area last night with extreme high winds and torrential rain, and certainly very rough seas.

Carnival Sunshine inbound for pier 20, with Anthem of the Seas already occupying pier 21-22, frame the bow of Disney Magic at pier 30-31.

By the time they put in to Halifax however, it was a bright and shiny fall day. Not so last afternoon and evening (Thanksgiving Day) when the southwest bound Norwegian Gem sailed more or less on time, but the northeast bound Rotterdam opted to stay in port until 0230 hrs this morning. It ended up hove too off the eastern shore of Nova Scotia as the storm rolled on. It was scheduled for Charlottetown, but near hurricane force winds in the Cabot Strait and Gulf may change those plans.
Both Newfoundland and PEI ferry routes were shut down for at least 24 hours, and wide spread flooding and power outrages ravaged the Sydney area, which has been declared a disaster zone.
The Canso Causeway was closed to traffic due to boulders washed up on the road by high seas. Car traffic was permitted later as snow plow escorts cleared the boulders for a path.

A LITTLE BELL RINGS

My short term memory may be playing tricks on me, but when a ship named Common Venture was scheduled to arrive today for bunkers, a little bell went off in my head. The name sounded familiar.
It was in March - April 1987 when drift ice from the Gulf of St.Lawrence was blown in to Halifax harbour for few days by a strange combination of wind, tide and the Gulf Stream. This rare occurrence was certainly noteworthy and it did play some havoc with shipping, and even brought the icebreakerCCGS Louis S. St-Laurent into the port to escort ships.

One ship that was in port at that time was called the Common Venture. It arrived to load grain, and was in port for the week long duration of that event.

 On arrival March 27, 1987 a small chunk of ice alongside the Common Venture (i) was the precursor of more to come. There was a ten mile wide band of ice along the coast outside the port at that time.

Once the ship moved to pier 28 to load on March  31, the port was choked with ice and closed to traffic. The ice eventually departed on the tide and the harbour was clear again April 5, 1987.

That Common Venture (i) was built in 1971 as the Kurushima Maru by Kurushima Dockyard in Hashihama, Japan. It was sold and renamed Wealth Venture in 1972 and became the Common Venture in 1974. Her Greek owners retained the ship until 1993 when it was sold and renamed Odysseas and again in 1994 became Valeria R. under the Cyprus flag. In 1997 it sold again becoming Pearl of Dammam under St.Vincent flag.
On June 9, 1998 it broke its moorings during a cyclone and grounded in the port of Kandla in western India with a cargo of sulphur. The ship was refloated by Smit Tak on July 24 and towed to Alang where it arrived September 12, 1998.
The ship was a bulk carrier of 15,589 grt, 26,000 dwt and carried five derricks of 10 tonne capacity.

Today's Common Venture is owned by the same Greek company, Common Progress Compania SA of Athens. Also a bulk carrier, it was built in 2011 by COSCO Dalian in China.


This ship carries four 36 tonne cranes (and four bright blue bucket grabs) and measures 32,987 grt, 57,002 dwt. It is one of  six identical sisters in the owner's current fleet.  See: http://www.commonprogress.gr/fleet.htm

October 11, 2016
March 27,1987

The Dartmouth shore is almost unrecognizable after 29 years, and the ships are quite different too. The newer one is 20m longer, 10m wider and 4m deeper, with more than twice the carrying capacity. It would also have a significantly smaller crew and will operate more efficiently as well.

NEW AUTO CARRIER

Wallenius-Wilhelmsen is in the midst of a fleet upgrade, bringing in new larger and more efficient ships. Today's arrival Theben is the third of the new ships, with an 8,000 car capacity. Sisters are Thalatta and Thermopylae.
The new HERO (High Efficiency RoRo) ships are built to neo-Panamax dimensions, but so far have been working Asia / Europe via Suez.



Theben measures 75,283 grt and was built by Hyundai Samho and delivered in April of this year.

The large funnel structure contains an exhaust gas scrubber.
On entering harbour Theben idled in the anchorages until another ship cleared Autoport. That was Triton Leader a 60, 876 grt ship built in 2010 by Imabari Zosen in Japan. It has a 7,500 car capacity, and is one of more than 120 auto carriers in the NYK fleet.


In one of those strange twists of the shipping business, Theben is not actually owned by Wallenius-Wilhelmsen. It is owned Orix Corp of Tokyo and managed by Eukor Car Carriers Inc, a Wilhelmsen partner company that specializes in carrying Korean cars.

Triton Leader,  although owned by competitor NYK Line, is actually managed by Wilhelmsen Ship Management of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

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More of the same, a newby and some old stuff

October 12, 2016, 4:40 pm
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More of the same


It was five cruise ships today, but much fewer passengers, and two of them were small and one was a hold over.
Disney Magic (2400 passengers) remained in port all night and only sailed this afternoon, giving its passengers a second look around Halifax or shore excursions farther afield.
The extra day gave the ship time to take on fuel and perform some other chores.

 Algoma Dartmouth delivers fuel on the port side and platform lift works from the dock side, and as always the painter attends to the ship's name.

Disney Magic is certainly one of the most striking looking cruise ships.

Zuiderdam (1916 passengers) and Crystal Serenity (1080 passengers) also spent the day in port.

 Zuiderdam is free of the decorative excesses of some other lines and has a remarkably clear upper deck.


Pearl Mist arrived at pier 23 on her final visit of the season. The Halifax-built ship sailed mid-afternoon. With a capacity for 210 passengers, it has a gross tonnage of 5109 grt.

Pearl Mist sailed for Lunenburg, where it will spend the night.


Victory I arrived at pier 24 and sailed mid-afternoon for Yarmouth. It has a capacity of 210 to 215 passengers.



 The ship was a late addition to the cruise schedule after its previous operators went bankrupt after a collision with the end wall of a Seaway lock last year. The former Saint Laurent was hastily re-branded and went back into service. It spent the summer on the Great Lakes from July, with cruises from Chicago, Toronto and Montreal. 
Built as the Cape May Light in 2001it also carried the name Sea Voyager from 2009 to 2015. Last year's planned cruises from Florida to Cuba were cancelled but are scheduled for this winter. 

A newby

Atlantic Sea is the third of ACL's new G4 ConRos. It tied up at Fairview Cove early this morning and sailed late this evening.


The 100,430 grt ship is registered in Liverpool. UK, where it will be welcomed October 10 for a christening ceremony. The sponsor will be Princess Anne. 

Some oldies 

I have been mentioning that Shipfax was started in 1986, and that is the same year that two active Canadian Coast Guard ships were built. In the background of the Atlantic Sea photo above is CCGS Earl Grey, built by Pictou Industries in Pictou, NS. It entered service in June 1986. The ship received a nine month $11mn+ Vessel Life Extension refit at Davie Quebec and returned to Halifax in January of this year.

Also recently refitted is CCGS Edward Cornwallis. It had a $2.6mn re-do at Newdock, St.John's a year ago. It arrived this afternoon.


Built by Marine Industries Ltd in Sorel, QC, it arrived in Halifax for the first time August 21, 1986, with a firetug greeting. It did not enter service immediately due to engine and derrick problems and first set sail in December, but returned to port with electrical problems. It still had issues in January and February of 1987 but those were apparently worked out by March when it was at work icebreaking in the Gulf of St.Lawrence as far north as Blanc Sablon.

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More stuff from 1986 - part 2 of a series

October 14, 2016, 11:03 am
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 Brookings


Some unusual ships called in Halifax during 1986, but perhaps the oddest was the former USS Brookings. It was built in 1944 by the California Shipbuilding Corp in Terminal Island, as a Haskell class attack transport APA-140 for the US Navy.


 Point Vim nudges Brookings toward a pier after it arrived in tow.

Classed as a VC2-S-AP5, it was an offshoot of the standard Victory ships, but fitted out to carry 1500 troops and their equipment and land them with its own fleet of 25 small landing craft (LCVPs and LCMs).
It was also armed with a 5 inch gun and twelve 40 mm and ten 20 mm weapons

Commissioned in January 1945, the ship saw service in the Pacific including the occupation of Japan and troop landings in Korea and China. It was also used to repatriate troops to the US in late 1945 but was laid up in Norfolk in 1946 and decommissioned. It later became part of the National Defense Reserve Fleet in the James River, but was never used.

Alongside at pier 31, there is a very long pilot ladder positioned just aft of the superstructure to allow the tug crew to board the ship for berthing.

Brookings was returned to the USN as  a non-destructive target, and that is what brought it to Halifax in August 1986 in tow of the USN tug Apache. It only remained in port for two days before setting out again. Tugs had to exercise extreme care in getting away because the deck bitts were so badly rusted, they could not take much strain.
[n.b. Wikipedia says the ship was returned to the US Navy in November 1987, but it was clearly in USN control much earlier.]

Point Vim and Point Vigour take it easy as the ship casts off at dusk. The heavy towing gear is rigged and ready on the bow. 

Once clear of the pier the tugs took the ship out in the stream where Apache could take over the tow.

In September 1989 Hurricane Hugo blew the ship aground in Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico and it could not be refloated intact. Resolve Marine Group cut the ship down to refloat it and scuttled the hull offshore April 1, 1992.


USNS Apache a Powhatan class ocean tug, T-ATF-172 dates from 1981 when it was built by Marinette Marine in Wisconsin. The 7200 bhp twin screw tug has a bollard pull of 87 tons and a top speed of 14.5 knots. It is still in USN service, and on October 31, 2015, using side scan sonar, located the wreck of the ship El Faro in 15,000 feet of water. The ship sank with all hands in Hurricane Joaquin October 2, 2015 while en route from Florida to Puerto Rico.

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CSL Tarantau ex Balto

October 14, 2016, 1:55 pm
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It has been some time since a ship loaded at National Gypsum. Despite an improving US economy, demand for gypsum is still low and ships have been few and far between.

Today's arrival is perhaps encouraging. CSL Tarantau arrived in ballast from Baltimore, indicating a demand, rather than just a backhaul cargo.

 
CSL Tarantau arriving in Halifax today.

This is the first time I have seen the ship since it was renamed in January 2016. It had sailed as Balto for  Klaveness Self-unloaders, a partner in the CSL self-unloader pool with CSL, Algoma and Oldendorff. Late in 2015 Klaveness divested its five ships to pool partners CSL and Algoma, and all have since been renamed.

The ship first called in Halifax as Balto.

Balto was built by Chengxi Shipyard in Jiangyin, China in 2013 to the ocean version of CSL's Trillium class design, so it was a natural fit in the CSL Americas roster.  At 43,691 grt, 71,405 dwt it is too large to take a complete load at National Gypsum due to draft restrictions at the Bedford Basin pier. However ships of this class take full loads of stone at Auld's Cove and bring in full cargoes of coal also.

The ship's upper works look fine, but the hull paint is decidedly inferior.

CSL's takeover involved repainting the funnel to CSL colours, and a hasty repainting of the name and clumsy paint over of the Klaveness bow banner. Nothing has yet been done to correct the terrible paint job the ship received at the shipyard. (Its starboard side is much worse). I guess that will have to wait until a scheduled drydocking a few years off into the future. At that time of course it will adopt the CSL black hull to match the rest of the fleet.

The ship's name recalls a Great Lakes self-unloader, built in 1964 and sold for scrap in 1999. That Tarantau also used the unusual spelling and pronunciation TARE'-AN-TOE.

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More stuff from 1984 - part 3 of a series

October 16, 2016, 5:51 pm
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Cruise ships were not as big a part of the Port of Halifax business in 1984. In fact the season was fairly short, ending October 1. There were only nine different ships, making about 33 visits. Ships were much smaller too, and some were veterans.


Royal Viking Sea

The Royal Viking pair Royal VikingSky and Royal Viking Sea were both visitors in 1986. The stylish duo, which set the trend for modern cruisers, were built in 1972 and 1973 by O/Y Wartsila in Helsinki, but were lengthened 93 feet in 1983 increasing capacity from 750 to 848 passengers. The ships actually looked better after lengthening.


Royal Viking Sea before lengthening (1979 photo)

Royal Viking Sea after lengthening (1987 photo)

After many sales and renamings, both ships are still sailing, Royal Viking Sky as Boudicca and Royal Viking Sea as Albatros. The latter called here in 2015.

Royal Viking Sky after lengthening (1990 photo)

Stefan Batory

This remarkable ship was built in 1952 by Wilton-Fijenoord, Schiedam, Netherlands for the Holland America Line. Launched as Diemerdijk it was wisely renamed Maasdam and began a 35 year career as a transatlantic liner. Fitted with GE steam turbines, which were World War II surplus,  it brought many Dutch immigrants to Canada, as its normal route was Rotterdam / Montreal / New York. From 1960 it ran from Rotterdam / Montreal, making its last trip in 1968.
In 1969 it was sold to the Polish government and renamed Stefan Batory and in April began its service from Gydnia via Copenhagen and Quebec City to Montreal. It would also call in Halifax from time to time and made one call in July 1986.
It made its last sailing from Montreal in 1987 and was the last steamship on a regularly scheduled North Atlantic service.

In its last year of service as a transatlantic liner, Stefan Batory makes its way up the St.Lawrence River.
After some short term service in the summer of 1988 it was sold to Greek owners in November 1988 and renamed Stefan. Under Stena management it served as a refugee hostel in Gothenburg, and moved on the Greece in 1991. It arrived in Alang in March 2000 where it was broken up.

Stella Solaris

Another steam turbine veteran of the 1950s was Stella Solaris. However it was built as a passenger cargo vessel by Atelier + Chantier de France, Dunkerque as Cambodge. It served Cie des Messageries Maritimes until 1970 when it was converted to a cruise ship with 329 cabins and 660 berths.

A stylish conversion, Stella Solaris looked more like a liner than a cruise ship with its high lifeboats and closed decks.

The ship was sold for scrap in 2003 and under the name S Solar made its way to Alang, arriving December 11.

Veracruz I

Called Veracruz Primero, this ship was a regular caller in Halifax, but 1986 was its last year to visit here.
Dating from 1957, it was another steam turbine vessel, built as Theodor Herzl for Zim Israel Navigation Co Ltd of Haifa with a sister ship Jerusalem. Initially for Mediterranean liner service between Israel, Greece and Italy, it had cargo holds fore and aft, but became a cruise ship in  1965. It last sailed for Zim 1969.
Sold and renamed Carnivale it was to be the first ship in the Carnival  Cruise line, but was not converted and remained laid up until 1975 when it was sold again and renamed Freeport. Extensively rebuilt as a cruise ship, it was given a more modern appearance with a new funnel wing, and enclosed side alleys.

With a mix of traditional and modern flourishes Veracruz I was a solid looking ship.
With a passenger capacity of 800 the ship was a regular in Halifax until 1986. It was then transferred to the Caribbean and in 1990 was sold and renamed  Sun Ambassador and in 1991 Fiesta. At that time it was in Piraeus for another major refit, but on October 14, 1991 it caught fire. The ship sank due to ingress of water from firefighting and was a total loss. It was later broken up in place.

Illiria

The last ship of the season arrived on October 2. Unlike recent years, when October is the peak season, Illiria was also the only ship to call in that month.
Built in 1972 by Cantieri Navali Pellegrini, Naples for Adriatic service as a cargo / passenger ship it had  accommodation for 181.  In 1977 it was converted for 135 passengers for Greek owners.

Illiria sails smartly up the St.Lawrence in 1988.

In 1986 New Frontier Cruise Lines Ltd of Greece acquired the ship and ran it until 1988. It was then acquired by the unusually named First Security Bank of Utah N.A. and reflagged to Liberia.
It became Bali Sea Dancer in 1994 working out of Singapore and in 1998 it moved to South America.
As Galapogos Discovery it hoisted the Ecuador flag but it was a short tenure.
On October 19, 1999 it caught fire at Balboa and sank the next day. It was later raised and towed out to sea and scuttled February 28, 2002.

Ocean Princess

Dating from 1967 this was one of the early ships built strictly for cruising. Originally named Italia, its owners and builders went broke during construction, but it was completed for Costa Armatore. Working in the Mediterranean and the US west coast it was unofficially named Princess Italia until 1983 when it was sold and renamed Ocean Princess.
 
 With engines aft to increase valuable mid-ships passenger space, the ship had a very unstylish finnel.

In March 1993 while cruising the Amazon it struck a submerged wreck and sank near Belem. Passengers and crew got off safely, but the engine room was flooded and the ship was declared a constructive total loss.
It was rebuilt as Sea Prince but in 1995 suffered a fire and was sold again, breifly as Sea Prince V then Princesa Oceanica for Louis Cruises. It was renamed Sapphire in 1996 for a Thomson charter.
In 2010 the ship was laid up because it did not comply with the new SOLAS regulations, and in 2012 under the name Aspire it made its way to Alang where it was beached May 11 and broken up.

For the record, the other callers were Royal Odyssey and Sea Goddess II, both of which managed to elude my camera.

to be continued...

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Tortugas and Saldanha Bay - southern ports

October 18, 2016, 3:26 pm
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Two ships with names recalling southern places perhaps brought a little warm weather with them.

The bulk carrier Saldanha Bay stopped in for bunkers en route from Jamaica. Named for a beautiful section of South African coast line, the ship is nevertheless owned by Nissen Kaiun Co Ltd of Japan. The ship was also built in Japan by Shikoku, Takamatsu. It is a member of the 100 ship plus Pacific Basin bulker fleet.
 
Unseasonable temperatures for the next few days mean that some recreational sailors are still enjoying their boats.

 The 21,801 grt, 35,947 dwt ship dates from 2015.  It is likely loaded with alumina - the purified form of bauxite, the basic ore of aluminum. The Port Esquivel facility in Jamaica is a major producer of alumina.

Dominion Diving's Halmar alongside the ship while at anchor, likely with agents or a technician.

Wilhlemsen's Tortugas got away from pier 27 this afternoon after arriving at Autoport yesterday, dropping off autos. It moved over to the Halifax side this morning. It normally would have used pier 30-31, but that berth was tied up by Hollandia unloading its nickel suflides cargo from Cuba.


Tortugas unloaded some machinery, tractors and trucks that will be forwarded on from Halifax by road.
Built in 2006 by Mitsubishi, Nagasaki. Its 61,321 grt equates to a 6,354 car capacity. It is named for an extension of the Florida Keys in Gulf of Mexico, and as with all Wilhelmsen ships, its name begins with a "T".


Also in port is the tanker Doric Pioneer. It arrived yesterday at Imperial Oil from Port Arthur, TX.


Greek owned, Liberian flag, the 29,622 grt, 51,565 dwt ship was built by Hyundai Ulsan, Mipo, South Korea.
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