USS Gravely put in for a port visit this morning. The ship tied up at Jetty NH, by the bridge. DDG-107 is an Arleigh Burke class destroyer, and was commissioned in 2010, the 57th ship of her type.
Gravely most recently served as flagship of NATO SNMG1, handing off those duties to USS Gridley last week in Rota Spain.
As previously announced, today PSA International Pte Ltd has completed the acquisition of Halterm from Macquarie Infrastructure Partners. This is a good news story for the port, as PSA is a terminal operator, and not simply an investment fund. PSA will work with Shippers, CN, and the port to increase business, and has extensive operations around the world.
With the Pier Expansion underway, and a new crane on order (with an option for a second) things are looking good at Halterm today.
PSA’s other Canadian facility is the Ashcroft Terminal, British Columbia’s largest inland port facility. Ashcroft Terminal is located approximately 300km east of the Port of Vancouver, close to the major highways, and offers unique rail connectivity to both Class 1 railroad lines – CN and CP
The CCGS Frederick G. Creed has been conducting survey work off the Eastern coast of Nova Scotia for the past few weeks. the vessel sails from BIO in the morning, and returns in the evening, and appears to operate on a 7am to 7pm schedule. the ship works for the Canadian Hydrographic Service.
Built in 1988 by SWATH Ocean Systems in San Diego, the ship utilizes a Swath Design.SWATH stands for Small Waterplane Twin Hull. Unlike a catamaran, which features two displacement pontoons in the water, the SWATH design is like resting the ship on top of two submerged submarines. the bulk of the hull mass is submerged below the surface, and only a narrow volume is taken up at the water surface. By placing the majority of the ships displacement under the surface, it remains unaffected by wave action.
As a result the ship is incredibly stable in rough sea states. SWATH technology was developed by a Nova Scotian, Frederick G. Creed in the 1930’s, and awarded a British patent in 1946. The CCGS Frederick G. Creed is the Coastguards only SWATH design in the fleet, and appropriately bears the name of the inventor of the technology.
As far as my records go, the ship was last in Halifax in 2009.
Yesterdays’s sole cruise caller was Grandeur of the Seas for Royal Caribbean. She was bound for Baltimore, Due on August 3rd.
She sailed at 18:30 making it it to a point off Lockport NS, only to return to at 6:30 this morning to discharge an ill passenger. The ship sailed for a second time at 7:30.
Wednesday night is race night for the various yacht clubs around Halifax, and for the clubs in the North West Arm, that means racing in the Middle Ground – the area off Point Pleasant between Ives Knoll and Maugers Beach.
The race committee vessel, confirmed with traffic that the racing would be kept out of the channel, to the west. The race Committee vessel were also made aware of the 18:30 departures of Grandeur of the Seas and the container ship X-Press Makalu.
Despite the clear communication with Halifax traffic, however the race course was set to use Mark #37 on the NSYA Race Mark Sheet. Mark 37 is more commonly known as buoy H22, or Ives Knoll West, and getting to it requires crossing both traffic lanes.
The CCGS Frederick G Creed was inbound, and had to slow up considerably, complaining to Halifax Traffic about the racing yachts failing to give way. the Pilot aboard the X-Press Makalu also complained about the conduct of the yachts blocking both channels as they were coming off the dock. By the time the two outbound vessels were underway, the yachts were held clear of the channels and the two ships passed without the use of Horns.
It would appear that the the Race Committee misled Halifax Traffic about their intentions. They got called out for being in the wrong place by both the Pilots, and a Coast Guard vessel, and potentially put peoples lives in danger.
Halifax Traffic will have recordings of non-reporting traffic in the lanes from the radar on Georges Is, as well as recordings of the the communications on VHF Ch12.
One final note..
the comment this post is going to receive is the rules of the road say Sail has the right of way over power. While this is true, it is not compete. Colregs Rule 9 gives right of way to any vessel over sailing vessels and vessels under 20m (60′) in a narrow channel. the traffic lanes would count as narrow channels. Sailing vessels are required to give way to Vessels Not under Command, Restricted in ability to Maneuver, or engaged in Fishing.
Give the Full Colregs a read at https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/regulations/c.r.c.,_c._1416/FullText.html
The X-Press Makalu arrived yesterday at Pier 42 for Melfi Lines. the ship sailed after a delay for Mariel, Cuba. the ship was built in 2008 in Poland. it features a 2714 teu capacity and is owned by X-Press Feeders, and is registered in Singapore. This is its first trip for Melfi.
The ship was detained by Transport Canada Ship Safety . When she sailed tonight, the only deficiency listed was the lack of bridge control of the engine. A Port State control inspection in Livorno on July 9 indicates that the damage was accidental. As machinery can be controlled from the engine room, this should not be an issue as long as the bridge maintains communication with the engineering watch.
The french cable ship Ile D’aix spent some time at International telecom at pier 9, sailing last night. the ship is owned by Alcatel Lucent. On a visit last year, the ship leaked oil into the harbour and was detained by Transport Canada.
This years stop was uneventful.
Another proper Yacht tied up at Purdys Wharf on Tuesday. The Hetairos is 66.9m long, and the ketch rig was built with masts that reach the maximum air draft of the Panama Canal. The Yacht was built by Baltic Yachts in 2011, and can sleep 10 in 5 cabins.
More Photos, including Interior shots can be found at Charterworld.com
I originally set out to Photograph the Marie, but it had sailed before i arrived.
#Marie is tied up @PurdysWharf this morning. Certainly stands out from some of the yachts that visit us. @developns pic.twitter.com/6cQTxBVyCe
— Sandy McClearn (@sandymcclearn) July 30, 2019
the Holland America Line ship Zuiderdam spent Sunday tied up at Pier 22.
A rare evening sail away involving the Cunard vessels Queen Elizabeth and Queen Mary 2 is scheduled to take place in the Port of Halifax.
Following a day of celebrations commemorating the fifth Annual Samuel Cunard Prize for Vision, Courage and Creativity on July 26, 2019, a special sail away will take place in Halifax harbour.
Queen Elizabeth will depart the Halifax Seaport at 6:00 p.m., followed by Queen Mary 2. The attached chart provides highlights of the departure route, which is a counter clockwise tour of the harbour. Queen Elizabeth will first sail past the east side of Georges Island heading north, and that is where Queen Mary 2 will meet up with her. The two vessels will then continue their tour of Halifax harbour before their final departure.
The sail pass will take approximately 90 minutes, beginning at 6:00 p.m. This is an excellent opportunity to see the two Cunard Queens in all their glory as the vessels pays tribute to the historic connection between Cunard and Halifax.
