Category Archives: cruise ship

Veendam – Second Cruise ship for the Second year.

 
This mornings arrival of the Veendam serves as notice that the cruise season is well under way. The Cruise Season began on Sunday with the arrival of Celebrity Cruises Infinity.

For the second year in a row, Veendam was the second vessel of the year to arrive. Today she must have thruster issues, as she took the tug Atlantic Willow to help her tie up at pier 31, despite the calm conditions. This is likely due to the work which is underway to configure the cruise terminal for shore power.

Shipspotting somewhere warmer than Halifax

(Above) TowBoat US Tug. Towboat US, and ther competition SeaTow are the towtrucks for pleasure craft owners. Its a membership service, and should you suffer a breakdown, you call, and they will tow you to safety.

(Below) Pilot boat Tampa of Egmont Key

 

(Above) RCCL Brilliance of the Seas, outbound at the pilot station.

Last years photos can be seen Here and Here

2014 Cruise schedule released

The 2014 Halifax Cruise Schedule was released, and Begins on May 4th with the arrival of Celebrity Cruises’ Infinity, and ends Nov 15th with First time visitor Hamburg.

Additional inaugural calls of ships visiting  Halifax for the first time in 2014 include

  • Celebrity Infinity
  • Carnival Splendor
  • Seabourn Quest
  • Crystal Serenity
  • Royal Princess
  • Ruby Princess
  • Legend of the Seas
  • Insignia
  • Hamburg

Maasdam is back as a regular, though Carnival Glory has been replaced by the Carnival Splendor and only in the fall. Also of Note is the Arrival of the Pearl Mist in July, and Again in October. Pearl Mist you may remember was built at Halifax Shipyards, and then laid up in Shelburne over contract disputes. (See Posts Here)

The full schedule can be found at http://www.cruisehalifax.ca/our-visitors/index.html

    On Stuck icebreakers in the Antarctic.

    The world media as of late have been covering the story of Russian Icebreaker Akademik Shokalskiy which has been beset by ice since December 24. It should be noted that Akademik has operated their vessel Akademik Ioffe in the Canadian Arctic in the past.

    One Ocean Expeditions Has applied for a coasting trade license for the Akademik Ioffe to offer arctic cruises between July and September. they advertise a trip to the ice edge in Davis Straight.

    This is not to say that the icebreaker will get stuck, or to imply that Akademik runs a shoddy outfit. just to say to it could happen.

    Silver Explorer at pier 23

    Operated by SilverSeas Cruises, Silver Explorer is a 1A ice-rated vessel. She carries up to 132 passengers in 66 cabins, and primarly sails polar expeditions during the polar summers.

    Silverseas cruises’ Silver Whisper (a Much larger vessel is a regular in Halifax, And was the first Cruise Ship of 2013), and an Appearance was made last year by Silver Cloud.

    Silver Explorer was last in Halifax in October 2011