Yesterday brought the second visit for Bahri Tabuk. Part of the Saudi National shipping company, she is a new build and replaces the Saudi Tabuk. Bahri is in the process of replacing its 4 older CON-RO vessels, to date Bahri Abha, Tabuk, and Hofuf have visited. Each vessel maintains the name of its former hull, though with a change of the Saudi prefix to Bahri.
Bahri Stops in Halifax once A Month.
The General Cargo Ship Jana arrived earlier this week with a load of rail for CN. Typical of the type of the smaller vessels that call in Halifax, she is 132m in Length, and can carry Break bulk and container cargos. Equipped with two 40ton cranes, she only needs a pier to tie up to.
breakbulk cargos are a growth area for the port and are the category of products that are not pourable
into a bulker, or easily containerized. These are things like machinery, Rails, wind turbines, locomotives etc.
Jana was built in 2002 and is operated by Intersee.
With the Recent announcement of names for the Joint Support Ships, commemorating battles during the war of 1812- The Government both Kept and broke with tradition. Both vessels are named for Canadian Places, though are new names, not used in the past. traditionally Battle Honours are bestowed on vessels as rewards for”the achievements and sacrifices of naval personnel in defense of this country and our allies”
The naval review brings up the point “That in 1917/18 the navy named the Battle-class trawlers for selected First World War army battles, e.g. HMCS Vimy. This time frame, however, was before the award of army Battle Honours”
The author, David Freeman wonders why not commemorate vessels with Battle honors; Camrose, Lunenburg, Prescott, Port Colborne and Woodstock all have 5 honors each, and the names are not currently in use. There are a number of vessels with 4honors – Kitchener and Stormont; 3 honors – Alberni, Baddeck, Drumheller, Georgian, Grou, Matane, Mimico, Moose Jaw, Parrsboro, Rimouski and Ste. Therese.
Hopefully when it comes time to name the 6 AOPS, some of these vessels names will be reused.
I am aware of 3 surviving Canadian WWII Ships with Honors.
HMCS Sackville holds 1 battle honor.
HMCS Haida Holds 5, Spaning 2 conflicts.
HMCS Stormont (Noted above with 5) was converted into a yacht by Aristotle Onassis
(Above) Maersk Elliot tied up at IOL. Maersk Tankers are not a comon site, though there offshore vessels and container ships make regular appearances.
(Below) AlgoScotia Waits at anchor. She is Sister to AlgoNova, Who reported a fire yesterday morning.
The official launch of the SmartATLANTIC Herring Cove Buoy website took place today in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
This new website provides real-time data from the inshore weather buoy that was originally deployed in the waters off Herring Cove, Nova Scotia on November 7, 2013. The data includes high resolution weather and wave forecasting for the Halifax Port Authority and will be used for education and scientific research.
Its has the ability to provide real-time weather and directional wave information online for shipping operations and recreational boaters. With accurate data, shipping companies will have additional information to safely navigate their vessels through the waterways leading into the Port of Halifax. This technology improves the port’s reliability, and supports better planning and more efficient operations by shippers and others using it.
Find the Buoy Data at http://www.smartatlantic.ca/Halifax/buoy.php
the Herald reports that a fire occurred on the AlgoNova 9am this morning, 83km North of Gaspe. JRCC Dispatched a helo and a C-130 from Greenwood, to the Honuedo Straight.
AlgoNova departed Halifax on Friday. Another Commercial Vessel and a CCGS Ship were also standing by to render assistance.
AlgoNova was built in 2008. She was Bound for Quebec.
UPDATE: Tug Ocean Arctique underway to offer assistance and possibly escort to Sydney.
UPDATE: No Additional News, However identical twin vessel Algo Canada suffered an explosion in 2009 after tanks were improperly vented using a procedure that was valid for Algoscotia, but not Algocanada due to differing equipment designs. TSB Report can be found Here
UPDATE: 21 January 2014 — The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) is deploying a team of investigators to Sydney, Nova Scotia, to investigate a fire that occurred on board the tanker vessel Algonova. The TSB will gather information and assess the occurrence.
the bulker Tundra arrived friday at pier 27. She was mostly obscured by fog. SHe was last here in 2012, arriving late after running aground off Sorel. PQ.
The CCGS A. LeBlanc is now showing a Sunday morning Launch on the ports website. It would appear that the stop work order has now been lifted.
UPDATE:
Perhaps not. I learned last night that tomorrows launch has again been Canceled.
Algoma Central Corporation has entered into an agreement with Sterling Fuels Limited to continue marine fuel delivery services using its bunkering vessel, Algoma Dartmouth, in the Port of Halifax and surrounding area. This new arrangement will be effective upon the expiry of current agreements for fuel delivery services on January 18, 2014.
Algoma brought the Algoma Dartmouth to Halifax harbour in 2009 to provide marine delivery services within the Harbour for marine fuels produced at the Dartmouth Refinery. With the closure of this refinery in September, 2013, the existing source of supply for marine bunker and intermediate marine fuel blends ended.
Marine fuel customers will continue to see the same Algoma team on the Algoma Dartmouth. “This vessel and crew have a distinguished track record in their performance and service since 2009. We are very pleased to keep this team together to continue to meet the Halifax area marine fuelling requirements,” said Mr. Smith.
From Sterling Fuels Release – it would appear that they are charting the vessel and the crew from Algoma. A Sterling sister company already operates the McAsphalt dock in Eastern passage near Autoport, so presumably Sterling will be importing fuel to a tank there. Sterling is also related to the Miller Group, who provide road construction and waste disposal services in HRM.
Sterling is a Bunkering provider in the Great Lakes region.
UPDATE: Apparently the McAshpalt owned Tug/barge combo Victorious / John J.Carrick are on their way to Halifax with bunker product from Quebec.
UPDATE: Victorious / John J.Carrickare due on the 23rd to the McAshphalt Dock in Eastern Passage. If Algoma Dartmouth ties up there, we will know the plan.
you may remember at the end of December, a crack was discovered in the deck of the container vessel MSC Monterey, and her passengers evacuated. the ship then took shelter in St. Mary’s Bay Newfoundland,. She Sailed for Boston today, with an eta of the 15th.
Inspection and ultrasound reveled the crack was simply a failed defective weld, and could have a final and complete repair made on site. The original plan called for the installation of stiffeners, to re-inforce the ship so it could make a shipyard. This is no longer necessary.
The repair was delayed by wether for several days. the crack did not grow, and no pollutants were released.
