The Parade of new vessels for Melfi continues with a first call for Macao Straight. Built in 2008, she is part of the Rehder Reederei fleet, which seems to supply the majority of vessels used on Melfi’s route.
Macao Straight arrived yesterday afternoon and tied up at pier 41, using 2 tugs to turn due to the wind. She no departure listed as of yet.
Athabaskan on the Left, Iroquois on the Right.
Soon Athabaskan will be the last tribal in Service.
This morning was scheduled to be the last cruise ship of the season, however she sailed past. As a result the last cruise ship of the season was yesterday’s visit by Hamburg.
The general cargo ship Fusion heading back to Saint Pierre. A regular caller in halifax at pier 36 she shuttles cargo between halifax and the French colony
I have heard a rumour that HMCS Iroquois’ final sail past will occur tomorrow. Due to cracks in her structure, she is due to be de-commisioned, and has already be de-amunitioned.
If anyone has more details, Please email Info@halifaxshippingnews.ca
UPDATE: It appears there will be no sailpast. A Call to QHM revelealed they had no knowledge of it, and a former crew member emailed to say he talked to a current crew member who said there will not be one.
the CBC is reporting the scrapping of the MV Miner is running late and over budget due to higher quantities of pollutants being found. it was estimated there were 5 tons of Asbestos aboard, however crews have removed more the 30tons of the material.
also discovered was 18000 liters of fuel in a tank. After the Vessel grounded, a salvage company was retained to remove all fuel’s and oils. this discovery leads to the possibility of a tank that was added for the trip as a means to re-fuel the tug on route.
if this is the case, perhaps the towing company can be sued to recover cleanup costs.
The new G4 Fleet is being named Atlantic Star, Atlantic Sail, Atlantic Sea, Atlantic Skyand Atlantic Sun. Andrea Cox, who started with ACL in September 1996, submitted the winning names. Andrea is a Customer Service Representative at ACL’s Halifax Customer Service Center. Andrea said she chose the names based on her daily experience with customers.
The greek ferry Blue Star Ithaki, will be the replacement for the Princess of Acadia. The federal Government previously announced that the Ferry would be replaced, and Greek media are reporting that the ferry has been sold and will be sailing for Canada, having completed her last Greek trip October 26th.
Built in Korea, she was delivered in 2002. She can carry 1500 passengers, and has few cabins due to the short runs in Greece. Shipfax reports she is due for 4 months of work (and presumably interior renovations) at Pier 9, before going into service.
She Evidently can Take heavy Weather:
The Princess of Acadia is currently at the shipyard in Mechins PQ for Bow Thruster repairs.
UpDate:
The Honourable Lisa Raitt, Minister of Transport and the Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Public Works and Government Services, today announced that the Government of Canada has entered into an agreement for the purchase of a ferry vessel to replace the MV Princess of Acadia, which serves the Saint John, New Brunswick to Digby, Nova Scotia ferry route.
A purchase agreement was signed on October 10, 2014 to acquire the MV Blue Star Ithaki from a private ferry operator located in Greece at a cost of approximately $31 million EURO ($44.6 million CAN).
On November 27, 2013, the Government of Canada issued a Public Notice for the planned purchase of an existing ferry on buyandsell.gc.ca. Following an extensive evaluation process, which involved identifying and assessing the suitability of candidate vessels from all over the world, including Canada, the MV Blue Star Ithaki was selected as representing the best value for Canadians and having the capacity to meet the operational requirements of the Saint John-Digby ferry service. The vessel’s introduction into service is expected in 2015.
Upon arrival of the vessel in Canada, modifications will need to be made for the vessel to meet Canadian safety regulations and compatibility with existing shore-based infrastructure and operation in the Bay of Fundy.
