SCL Bern for Nirint

SCL Bern arrived last night under cover of darkness on the weekly Nirint Service. this is Her first trip to Halifax to my knowlege. Built in 2005, she is swiss registered, and owned by Enzian Shipmanagement. At 139m she is typical of vessels operated by Nirint.

New Melfi Ships

As reported in Early November, Melfi Lines Vessels Marwan and Teval are bound for the scrapers.
Thier replacements have appered on the Schedule.

Novia will appear for the first time on Dec 10, and will be followed on the 24th by Vecht Trader.
Novia is actully a returning vessel, she previously servered Halifax for Melfi as Melfi Iberia  (Photo Above)

Tundra Aground off Sorel PQ.

The Bulker Tundra, Which departed Montreal for Halifax loaded with soyabeans on Wendsday, ran aground outside the channel off Sorel-Tracy Quebec. No word on cause or damage, but water levels are very low in the St. Lawerence system this year.

CTV is reporting that the Halifax Grain Elevator is also filling up, as exports increase due to the cancelation of the Wheat Boards monopoly. Farmers can now sell their wheat directly, and Buyers are responsible for shipping. No wheat was exported from Halifax in 2009.

1800AST Updated With TSB Photo

UPDATE 12/2 via boatnerd.com - On Saturday morning, four Group Ocean tugs were attempting to pull the grounded freighter Tundra from her strand. The tugs were Duga, Ocean Charlie, Ocean Jupiter and Ocean Ross Gaudrault.

Image by Gitou via ship spotting.com

UPDATE 12/3 ais still shows her in position, so the attempt was unsuccessful


UPDATE 12/4 There is a Live webcam of the Tundra http://www.marinfo.gc.ca/fr/Glaces/camera.asp?camera_no=18&player_no=1  (Requires Windows Media Player)

UPDATE 12/5 - Looks like lightering operations have begun. Tugs and Barge are in attendance. (Image from the above webcam, note time is in EST)

UPDATE 12/5 1300AST - Shes free and underway.

Help Save Part of Canada's Costal Forces from WWII

The Canadian Coastal Forces Trust has launched a campain to raise funds to Purchase and restore a WWII Motor Torpedo Boat. In the Course of thier research, they have identified ex RCN MTB 486 curently acting as a house boat in the UK. The Plan is to Purchase the vessel, and have MTB Marine Ltd., who maintain Britain's MTB 102, to restore MTB 486 back to operational condition.  MTB Marine have provided a quote of $750,000 to make MTB 486 operational again.

You can Contribute Via Indiegogo or CanadaHelps.org

(Bellow) MTB 486 as she appears today.

To My knowlege, the only other vessels preserved in canada from the second world war are HMCS Haida in Hamilton (Tribal Class destroyer) and HMCS Sackville (Flower Class Corvette) in Halifax

Carol to Anchor

The Maltease Flagged bulker Carol Arrived this morning and anchored in the basin. She passed the outbound Atlantic Huron after exiting the narrows on the basin side.(Below) Carol was most recently in Sorel PQ. She is owned and Manged by NYK Bulkship Atlantic.

Compared to Atlantic Huron, Carol lacks any handling gear, and is therefore required to make use of dockside equipment.

One for the Road

Atlantic Huron, after unloading at Pier 25, moved to load at National Gypsum. She departed this morning.

More Windsor Trials

(Above) Windsor coming off the Dock (Below) Turningoutside the camber

HMCS Windsor continued her trials today, and departed the dock. 2 weeks ago she completed diving tests just off the dock.

Atlantic Huron Unloading

Atlantic Huron unloading at the Grain elevator. She is sized to be the maximum size allowable by the St. Laurence seaway locks - there is not much room, as witnessed by the scrapes on her sides.

Twilight Fading

 Oakland Express Outbound west channel (Above) Algoscotia Inbound East Channel (Bellow)

HMCS Halifax Out on Trials post FELEX

HMCS Halifax Spotted in the Approaches on trials Post FELEX refit.

RCN & USN Joint Task Group Exercise

Four of Her Majesty's Canadian Ships from the Atlantic Fleet will be participating in a joint international exercise with the United States Navy from November 19 to December 14, off the East Coasts of Canada and United States called Task Group Exercise 6-12.

Royal Canadian Navy will work with the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) to combine the Task Group Exercise with the NORAD Air Defence Exercise Amalgam Dart to further enhance interoperability and effectiveness between the Royal Canadian Navy and NORAD. The high tempo training will provide valuable experience to our sailors in a wide range of at-sea evolutions, to include navigation and seamanship, helicopter operations, and warfare exercises. Furthermore, Amalgam Dart will provide an excellent opportunity to train in ship-to-air and air-to-air defence.

Units participating in Task Group Exercise 6-12 and Amalgam Dart are Her Majesty's Canadian Ships Iroquois, Preserver, Ville de Quebec and St. John's. The ships will be joined by Royal Canadian Air Force aircraft and personnel from 12 Wing Shearwater, 14 Wing Greenwood, 17 Wing Winnipeg, 3 Wing Bagotville, and 22 Wing North Bay to include CH-124 Sea King helicopters, CF-18 fighters and a CP-140 Aurora long-range patrol aircraft.

Bulkers For Grain Elevator

Sea Bailo is scheduled to depart pier 27/28 late this afternoon.

Alpha arrived just before noon, and will take Sea Bailo's place.

Athabaskan in need of a tow

The Government of Canada Issued a tender on Merx to have HMCS Athabaskan towed back to Halifax. She departed in the March for Port Weller Dry Dock for a Maintinance period. It looks like the work will not be complete in time for the closing of the seaway Dec 30th, So the Government wants her towed back to Halifax.

From Merx:
Requirement:
To TOW Her Majesty's Canadian Ship (HMCS) Athabaskan from St.
Catharines, Ontario (Port Weller) to HMC Dockyard Halifax, Nova
Scotia in accordance with the provided Technical Statement of
Requirement dated October 30, 2012.

Specifications:
Vessel Displacement:
5000 Long Tons   
Overall Length
426 feet 130 meters.
Breath
50 feet 15.25 meters.
Draft
17 feet 5.2 meters.

Destination:
The TOW is from St. Catharines, Ontario (Port Weller) to HMC
Dockyard Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Work Period:
The beginning of the towing period will be between December 1,
2012 and before the closure of the St-Lawrence Seaway 2012
navigational season.

Pioneer for National Gypsum

The Self Discharging Bulk Carrier Pioneer arrided this afternoon for  National gypsum. She was built in 1981 as Canadian Pioneer, and was renamed in 1988. She is operated as part of the Canada Steam Ship Lines International (CSLI ) fleet.

tug William J. Moore and its barge McClearys Spirit

Canadian registered tug William J. Moore and barge McClearys Spirit. It is Speculated that both are about to be re-flagged, after being laid up in Quebec for several months.

See More at Tugfax

MV Miner Staying Put for Now

Reports are that the Bennington Group, who was contracted to remove the M/V Miner from Scaterie island has pulled out. The Miner was being towed to Turkey for scrapping when the tow line parted and she ran aground. Given the closesness to winter, Miner will likely remain where she is at least until the spring.

The CEO of Bennington repededly complained that any metals of value had been removed from the ship, and sited burocracy for delays.

I Suspect the real reason for the pull out is that Bennington realized it would cost more to Scrap the ship then the scrap was worth, and now want to cut their losses.

CBC News Reported

The head of the company contracted to salvage the MV Miner said he is walking away from the project.
Abe Shah, of the New York-based Bennington Group, said he met with officials from Nova Scotia's Department of Natural Resources on Tuesday.
Shah demanded the province cover his insurance and equipment going forward.
He said he was refused, and said he has decided to walk away from the salvage project for good.

Shah said he has spent more than $300,000 on the project. He said he plans to sue the province for compensation.

On Oct. 29, the province lifted a stop-work order on the project after reviewing safety plans. At the time, the head of the Bennington Group, said he was ready to turn his back on the salvage because of continuous delays.

The MV Miner has been stuck off Cape Breton's coast for more than a year. It was en route to Turkey when the towline snapped and it ran aground.

The Navy, In the Rain, In the Basin

(Above)HMCS St Johns FFH340 (below) CFAV Sechelt YDT610

Halifax Shipyards Announces Enginerring firm for yard upgrades.

ISI Anounced today that enginering for 300 million in yard upgrades would be done by Hatch Mott MacDonald Engineering. HMM designed Saint John Shipyard’s buildings and infrastructure; they have also managed and designed marine projects at the Fairview Cove Container Terminal, Department of National Defence Halifax, and Eastern Passage Autoport.

Hatch Mott MacDonald has 40 employees - primarily engineers and specialists - in Nova Scotia today.  With this contract, the company expects to grow to about 65 engineers and specialists to complete the National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy yard modernization plans at Halifax Shipyard.

The program presents significant challenges to ISI and the consulting team.  In order to meet delivery, schedule, and financial obligations, ISI must prepare their facility to achieve the goal of beginning production of the first set of vessels in late 2013, and provide a quality product in the most efficient manner possible.  This will require extensive facility modernization including new buildings, building renovations, new marine infrastructure, a new ship erection platform, and extensive site works.

For More See ISI's release or HMM's 

Pier 9 Update

 Work at Pier 9 is progressing, with the Concrete Caissons now filled with gravel, and backfilling underway.

Fredericton and Montreal FELEX Update

HMCS Montreal in the graving dock:

Montreal Does not Appear to be getting the Extensions on the Back of the Hanger, which I belive are for LFSR Domes, Which are part of the Command and control fit on 2 of the Boats. (Halifax and Fredericton have them)

HMCS Fredricton being kitted out at the Machine Shop Wharf

Another new vessel - CCGS M. Perley

A first time in halifax for the CoastGuards new Near-Shore Fishery Research Vessel CCGS M. Perley. She was built in 2010 with sisters CCGS Vladykov and CCGS Leim. These vessels will be dedicated to DFO's Oceans Science program and are deployed on the Atlantic coast. a fourth one is operating on the Pacific coast.
She was built in  starting in 2010 at Matane, Quebec at the Méridien Maritime Inc. shipyard.

We remember

John Horton "Action Stations" 2002

John Horton "The Shadow" 2002

From the CF Artists Program http://www.cmp-cpm.forces.gc.ca/dhh-dhp/gal/ap-pa/sa-as-0203/horton-eng.asp#pic-06

Corporal Kaeble VC turned over

The second hero class mid shore patrol vessel was seen tied up at BIO today indicating that she has now been turned over from Halifax shipyards to the coast guard.

USCG visit tommorow

USCGC Spencer is due to arrive tomorrow morning and will tie up at the dockyard.

Spencer is home ported in Rhode Island

UPDATE: She is Scheduled to Depart 0900 on the 13th

Reykjafoss at Pier 42

Halifax Regular, Reykjafoss, Part of the Icelandic Shipping line Eimskip.

Princimar Joy Back to IOL

As reported at Shipfax, Princimar Joy departed IOL Mid Discharge due to High Winds. Now that the forcast has improved, she moved back to the dock to finish discharging crude oil.

Tall ship Caladonia on the move

The tall ship caledonia has departed Lunenburg and is currently stopped in Prescott Ontario. She was owned by Canadian Sailing Expeditions but that ownership reverted to Caterpillar Financial Services when CSE went bankrupt. The ship had been laid up in Lunenburg since then.

Jan Van Gent - First time in Halifax

Jan Van Gent, In Halifax for Nirint. She was built in 2009, and is owned by Wagenborg Shipping

HMCS Windsor On Trials - Camber Dive Test

 

HMCS Windsor coming off the dock for trials. This is her first time away from the dock, since she was  taken off the synchro lift on April 11.  She was Secured to both Sides, for a Camber Dive Test.

The completion of the camber diveis a a critical milestone in the submarine’s work period. A multitude of trials and confidence checks are conducted during the dive to verify the submarine’s watertight integrity and correct functioning of key escape systems. 

Below - Blowing Ballast

(Below) Decks awash (Above) Stern Going Down

 The crew will presumably be looking for leaks, as well as testing the boats ability to come back up.

HMCS Windsor will be the Second Submarine to become operational. HMCS Victoria is currently Operational, and recently participated in RimPAC 2012 and Joint US/Canada Task Group Exercise (TGEX). HMCS Cornerbrook was operational, but was damaged when she went aground. She is up next for refit. HMCS Chicoutimi is In Victoria, Heavily damaged by the fire on her delivery cruise. Work is underway to make her operational.

UPDATE 08/11: She returned to the dock this morning around 0800

First Trip To Halifax Bussan Express

Bussan Express is a Hapag Lloyd vessel that is now in the Hapag Lloyd AEX (Asia-Med.-N. America EC Expr.) Service. She is A Post Panamax vessel comparable to the OOCL vessels that operate In Halifax, But is the next size up for typical Hapag Lloyd Vessels (Bellow Dallas Express Left, Bussan Express Right)

Also Serving on the AEX Service Are Italy Express, Canada Express and OOCL Oakland. Its a 35 Day Trip from VUNG TAU to NORFOLK, VA.

Dallas Express is On the PAX (Pacific Atlantic Expr.) Service with Kobe Express, Duseldorf Express, Rotterdam Express,  London Express, Oakland Express, Kiel Express, Paris Express, Tokyo Express, Pusan, Halifax Express, Boston Express.

Davie Yard Has a New Buyer

Via The Montreal Gazette:


The Court appointed Bankruptcy monitor, since last August, has been weighing a bid from Zafiro Marine, a British operator of a fleet of offshore supply vessels of the same genre as the three now sitting uncompleted in the Lévis shipyard. The three partially completed offshore oil and gas service and pipe-laying vessels have lain dormant at Davie since Norway's Cecon ASA placed the original order worth almost $500 million and then ran into financial problems.

The once vociferous Davie union says 900 workers could be recalled in January, but the Quebec City region recently has had one of Canada's lowest jobless rates.

Industry sources say it will cost about $250 million to finish the three vessels sitting in the Davie yard — they are 60 per cent complete. Davie has two ferry orders worth $120 million for La Société des traversiers du Québec ... when the gates reopen.

Denise Verreault, CEO of Les Méchins shipbuilder-repairer Groupe Maritime Verreault Inc., estimates almost $1.5 billion of taxpayers' money has been spent on Davie since 1985.

2 Regulars bound for the Scrappers.

Thanks to Shipfax for the tip, 2 Halifax regulars, Teval and Marwan are headed to the scrappers.
Both vessels run on Melfi Lines' service to Cuba from Europe and Canada. Melfi does not own the ships, but charters them from thier owners.

Expect to see 2 new vessels in the rotation shortly.

 (Above)Teval at Pier 42 (Below) Marwan Arriving at Halterm

Traffic Tieups Due to NY Port Closure.

A rare Sight, a very lightly loaded OOCL Antwerp is at anchor in the basin for a few Hours this Morning. Halifax is suffering from a traffic jam, as a result of the Sandy induced Port Closure in New York.

Italy Express (right) is Tied up, Scheduled to depart later today bound for NY. Duseldorf Express (left) was likely also affected, and is taking bunkers. Zim Panama is also waiting for Halterm in the outer anchorage.

Photos to Come.

Below OOCL Antwerp Boarding her Pilot to move to Fairview cove in place of Italy Express