Clik here to view.
Atlantic Companion - expect more delays
Atlantic Companion arriving in Halifax in May 2009 escapes the notice of a couple on a bench. It may be a while before the ship's next arrival.Atlantic Companion left Bantry Bay, Ireland this morning,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Classic Tankers - Part 1
I don't know when the last classic tanker called in Halifax. By classic, I mean engines aft, and island bridge near midships. These tankers were sometimes called three islanders, since only the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
RM Power, W.E.M. Lines S.A.
RM Power with Algoma Dartmouth alongside, in number 3 anchorage.The bulk carrier RM Power arrived this morning for bunkers, after being held off by weather Saturday. Built by Zhejiang Shipbuilding in...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Maersk Pembroke attracts tugs
Maersk Line ships on their regular run from Montreal usually arrive in Halifax Saturday morning. Today's arrival of Maersk Pembroke - two days late - was the first sign that something was amiss. It was...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Classic Tankers - Part 2
The last bastion of classic three island tankers was the United States. Thanks to the Jones Act, only US built, owned and crewed ships are allowed to trade between US ports. Ships live to ripe old ages...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Classic Tankers - Part 3 - coastal and inland
Not all classic tankers with island bridge were deep sea vessels. Some were built for coastal and Great Lakes work. They traveled widely, some even getting as far afield as Venezuela, but they never...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Tanker Verige with escorts
The tanker Verige arrived this afternoon, but boarded its pilot at the outer pilot station where it was also met by tow tugs. Atlantic Oak took up position as stern tethered escort and Atlantic Willow...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Astrakhan LoRos
Left out of the recent feature on Con-Ros (container ships with roll-on, roll-off capability) were the Astrakhan series of ships. Although they could carry containers, they were in reality general...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Bluenose in distress
On January 29, 1946 the iconic schooner Bluenose ran onto a reef in Haiti and was lost. Far past its prime, the vessel had been cut down and motorized and had become a humble freighter. That it was...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Bigger ships for Zim and fuel woes
Zim has announced they are dropping their Asia Europe service in the face of competition from the mega ships operated by consortia of major shipping lines. Unable to match the per box rate of 16,000...
View ArticleClik here to view.
A.T.Cameron - golden oldie
From deep within the shoebox we find the Canadian research trawler A.T.Cameron.In 1956 the Fisheries Research Board of Canada ordered the construction of this vessel from Marine Industries Ltd in...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Freezing Fog
Before the sun penetrated through the sea smoke this morning there were freezing fog conditions in Halifax. Cold steel - particularly on ships - is an ideal surface for attracting frozen fog, but most...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Ships named Halifax
There have been many ships with Halifax in their names - not all of them named for Halifax, Nova Scotia, but that still leaves a large number that have commemorated the city and the port in this...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Nunavik to Sheet Harbour
It was only 10 months ago that the icebreaking bulk carrier Nunavik visited Halifax on its delivery trip from Japan to Deception Bay, QC. The most powerful non-nuclear bulk carrier in the world, built...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Groundhog Day - again
Like the movie Groundhog Day, where the day keeps repeating itself endlessly, there is something about Groundhog Day weather that repeats itself.A major storm in eastern and north eastern North America...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Navicula sinks
A small research vessel, once based at the Bedford Institute in Halifax, sank at its berth January 31- February 1, far away from its original home.The Navicula was built in 1968 by Atlantic...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Report from the Who Knew Department
With theShipfax research department snowed in and unable to travel to the waterfront, cabin fever has set in. One of the first signs of this is a report from the Who Knew Department. This small group...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Nova Star will be back, at least for 2015
Thanks to another cash infusion from the Province of Nova Scotia, Nova Star will be back on the Yarmouth, NS - Portland, ME run again this summer. The Province made the $13 million announcement today...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Ships named Halifax -Melfi
There have been a few ships with the name Halifax (including two HMCS Halifaxes) but most ships have used Halifax in conjunction with their usual naming formula. Thus the City Line, County Line, Port...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Lacuna - former fisheries protection boat
I showed the bow of the Fisheries Protection boat Lacuna in a previous post, so here is more. Lacuna at Queen's Wharf in Halifax. The black and white photo does it justice, since it was painted all...
View Article