2017 marked Canada’s 150th birthday, and the 9th year of HalifaxShippingNews.ca. For Canada’s 150th Celebration The port saw 2 notable events – the RDV2017 tall ships regatta featuring vessels in Halifax, Dartmouth, and on parade and a visit by the USS Dwight D Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group

We also launched the Port Report updated every 4 hours, it offers the latest arrival, departure and weather information for the Port of Halifax, summarized in one location.

2017 saw a few notable Incidents. Murphy’s on the water tour boat Harbour Queen 1 nearaly ended up on the rocks and needed a tow. awkwardly, later that week the TSB released a report into near miss between another tour boat and a cruise ship.

The former Montreal based self propelled bunker barge Arca 1 grounded off Sydney and the schooner Sorca was lost

Tropical shipping moved to Halifax from Saint John NB in January Though Halifax lost the Monthly Bahari stop to Saint John Later in the year, 2016 saw numerous Container line Acquisitions, which caused alliances to shuffle resulting in several new services running to Halifax including The Alliance’s AL1 Service  and AL 6 service. The final 3 ACL g4 vessels Atlantic Sea, Atlantic Sky and Atlantic Sun came into service. the last of the  g3’s, Atlantic Cartier retired in August.

Largest Ship to call in Canada  put into Vancouver this year – Halifax also set its own record with the largest ship to date, and the first 10000+ TEU vessel.

The Port saw Numerous Upgrades, Including new pilot boats,  Equipment upgrades at Halterm the retirement of 3 of the original cranes at Halterm, and the last original crane at Fairview Cove, and a new pier at the Naval dockyard to support the Arctic offshore Patrol Vessels.

At the Shipyard, the future HMCS Harry Dewolf  was rolled out and assembled with a public open house and tours of the facility – the third mega block was rolled out later in December.

Davie Shipyards also finished and Delivered the NRU Asterisk, which arrived in Halifax in December and Tied up at Pier 20. 4 bids were also finally received for the CSC in late November, though one was bid outside the rules.

In Other Navy news, HMCS Athabaskan, the last of the tribals was decommissioned, and is to be scraped there is an effort to have her preserved as a museum ship, though that is probably unlikely with out corporate support. (ahem Davie)

The retired Halifax Ferry Dartmouth III Headed to Toronto, where she will be used to serve the Toronto Island. Given Lake Ontario is fresh water, she should have a long life if she proves useful.

2017 also brought the beginning of the end of sable offshore gas field, with the rig Noble Regina Allen arriving to begin Capping wells. BP is currently seeking approval to drill 7 test wells, though shell seeming came up dry after drilling 2 last year.

2018 Will bring this blogs 10th Birthday in August. January Should see the arrival of USS Little rock, currently broken in Montreal on her maiden voyage from the shipyard to her home port. probably bigger container ships, and even more TEU then last year.