The above image showed up on social media feeds this morning, and the ILA was noticed to be picketing the port Authority so whats going on?

The Emerald Princess is the first cruise ship to visit Halifax and use tenders. Tendering is when a ship anchors, and then ferries the passengers to shore. Some of the ships lifeboat compliment is designed for this dual purpose.

Earlier this morning, the ship dropped off crew members at the temporary dock you see above, and those individuals are tying up the tenders. This is work that should be going to ILA members. The ships crew haven’t been vetted by Transport Canada to work in a Canadian Port, and are also working illegally in Canada.

Tendering became necessary this year on busy cruise ship days due to the expansion of PSA Atlantic Hub, and the infilling of the Basin Between Pier B and Pier A1. The port authority has installed a tender dock at Pier 23

The Cruise Ship Carnival Legend made an unscheduled stop in Halifax today. the ship Was on a 14 day cruise to Greenland, departing Baltimore, Maryland September Second, then sailing for Nanortalik (Due 08 Sep) and Qaqortoq, (09 Sep) before heading to St Anthony, Newfoundland (11 Sep); Corner Brook, (12 Sep); Sydney, Nova Scotia (13 Sep) before returning to; Baltimore,on the 16th

The cruise cancelled the 2 stops in Greenland, Sailing to Corner Brook on the 8th, Sydney on the 9th, St Anthony on the 11th, Halifax on the 13th, then back to Baltimore. Its unclear why the ship cancelled the Greenland stops, as the cruise is still going the full length. there is some heavy weather in the west coast of Greenland, that might be a factor.

Carnival Legend is Scheduled to be back in Halifax on the 19th, part of a new england /east coast trip out of Baltimore. Ship photo was taken in Tampa Florida a few years ago.

The cruise season kicked off this past weekend with a call by Norwegian Dawn. It was followed up today by the first call of the season of Holland America Lines Zaandam

Today brought the arrival of the Oasis of the Seas. Currently the 4th largest Cruise ship in the world, she is the largest cruise ship to call in Halifax. In terms of largest ships in service by GRT, she ranks 49th, though when class mates of the same GRT are combined, she is 13th

Oasis of the Seas comes in at 226,838GRT. CMA CGM Marco Polo is the largest container ship to call on eastern North America. It comes in at only 175,343GRT. Gross registered tons is a measure of Internal Volume, so even a large car carrier comes in around 75,000GRT.

Oasis of the Seas is 360 m (1,181 ft) long overall, and has a beam of 60.5 m (198 ft). CMA CGM Marco Polo is 396.0 m (1,299 ft) long, with a beam of 53.6 m (175 ft 10 in). The Marco Polo’s max draft is 52′ vs OotS draft of 30′.

The Queen Mary 2, is 345m long, and comes in at 148,527GRT

Oasis of the Seas did not look to be connected to shore power, based on the steady stream of exhaust coming from one of its stacks. The Ship has massive Power requirements.

The ship’s power comes from six medium-speed, marine-diesel generating sets: three 16-cylinder Wärtsilä engines producing 18,860 kilowatts each and three similar 12-cylinder Wärtsilä engines producing 13,860 kilowatts each. The fuel consumption of the 6 engines at full power is 7,230 us gal/hour. The total output of the engines, 97,020 kilowatts, is converted to electricity, used in hotel power for operation of the lights, elevators, electronics, galleys, water treatment plant, and the other systems onboard, as well as propulsion.

Propulsion is provided by three 20,000-kilowatt (26,800 hp) Azipods Docking is assisted by four 5,500-kilowatt bow thrusters.

Ocean Explorer made its maiden call to Halifax yesterday. Operated by Vantage Cruises, the ship was built in 2021, and features a distinct Ulstine X-bow design. the ship features 77 cabins with a capacity of 162 guests. the ship was built to sail expedition type cruises, and will sail the arctic and southern oceans.

Also in today, is Ocean Navigator returned for another Call, having been the first arrival this cruise season. Despite the similar names, and paint schemes, Ocean Navigator and Ocean Voyager (which also called last week) are operated by American Queen Voyages. the ships are slightly larger, carrying upto 202 passengers, and take their styling form the American Riverboat.

Cruise Season kicked off for the first time since 2019 with the arrival of 2 ships. Ocean Navigator was first, arriving at 6am. Norwegian Getaway followed at 8am.

Ocean Navigator has previously called in Halifax as Victory II. This is Norwegian Getaway’s first call.

Saint John has seven seas Navigator tieing up tonight for an overnight stay. Charlottetown saw its first ship last week, after its first Canadian call off louisbourg was cancelled.

Cruise ships will not be gracing the Halifax waterfront this summer, as Transport Canada announced they have extended the ban on cruise ships until Oct 31. Cruise ships were originally banned until July 1 in Canada. CDC Rules in the US had cruises suspended until July 24 in US waters, which effectively meant that they were not happening in Canadian waters, as most cruises to Halifax originate in the US.

The only cruise scheduled to call in Halifax after Oct 31 was the Silver Whisper. That cruise is canceled as well, as it was supposed to depart Montreal Oct 27.