In today’s Herald, i discuss a recent survey conducted by the town of Bar Harbor on the impact of cruise tourism to the town. Most residents didn’t want to outright ban cruise ships, but were concerned about their number and size.
Halifax doesn’t seem to have much hate for cruise ships, but i did wake up to one email from a reader.
Read your article in today’s business The Chronicle Herald. I for one would like to see the end of cruise ships! They are and will be a menace to our ports and city ! Why does everything have to be about financial gain?
This week in the Herald I wrote about Dominion Diving – The Dartmouth based Marine services company that is looking to the future, with some recent strategic vessel purchases.
Stay tuned this week for a blog post featuring a tour of their facility and a closer look at the new boats.
Last week in the Herald I outlined how ongoing labour strife could be an issue for the Port of Montreal, leading to a loss of Cargo in the longer term..
JOC posted an article suggesting 50% of Montreal’s cargo volume is Discretionary – shippers are not tied to the port, and use it for convenience sake. Summer whale and Winter ice delays, plus geographical challenges already were cause for concern for Montreal, and now labour issues are added.
After this article ran, one of the Longshore Unions at the port of montreal gave 72 hour strike notice for an indefinite strike, to begin Monday. That means effective tommorw, most terminals are shut down, Causing ships to divert.
A 4 day strike 2 weeks ago caused two MSC Vessels to divert to Halifax, Maersk to call out of Order, and Hapag-Lloyd sent a ship to Saint John NB. Canadian Pacific Railways re-acquisition of the line through Maine seems to be paying off, and CP has simply moved its customers to Saint John. Another Hapag-Llloyd ship called this week in Saint John.
MSC Rochelle arrived in the outer anchorage Saturday – its due at PSA Halifax on the 18th. The wait is required to maintain schedule, as a week is saved by calling in Halifax Vs Montreal.
Maersk Palermo arrived Sunday morning. it usually spends around 6 hours in port. this call the ship is due to sail late Monday afternoon.
Montreal Express and OOCL Belgium also look to be diverting to Halifax, Due on the 11th and 15th respectively. I expect more to divert given the nature of the labour actions.
This week in the Herald, I discuss covid-19, and its impacts on the port, and large offshore projects. as well as the sting of record breaking container ships to call in the coming months.
Since submitting the article:
we have confirmation that the Siem Cicero has been denied entry to the port after the ship reported several ill Crew members.
We also learned that the Crane Ship Thialf arrived in the outer Anchorage this morning. there is no word if it will enter the Harbour, though Atlantic Kesterel paid it a visit this evening.
This week in the Herald, its a bad time to be a cruise ship. – the RCGS Resolute is running from creditors, Ports are closing to cruise ships, and Disease cases are piling up. Cruise Junkie lists several events every day related to the corona virus.
But if you want to chance it, deals are to be had.
This week in the Herald, I make the case to retire the name Edward Cornwallis from the coast guard ship that bears it when it emerges from a substantial refit next January. The minister of Fisheries and Oceans, Bernadette Jordan commented they haven’t had the discussion but are open to it.
The name Provo Wallis would be a good choice to re-instate, as the ship that carried that name was retired in 2011. Provo Wallis was born in Halifax, and died as the highest ranking Admiral in the RN with 96 years of service. Halifax Magazine featured The Amazing Career of Provo Wallis in June 2019
for those who viewed the removal of the statue as destruction of Heritage, in 2018 i wrote:
The removal of the Cornwallis statue was cited by many as the destruction of heritage. While the statue itself was integral to the original design of the park, and the lands surrounding it, Cornwallis was a dubious character in history, and despite being the “founder” of Halifax, doesn’t really warrant a statue on a pillar in the centre of town…
However, given the massive outcry over the loss of the statue as heritage, let me suggest a number of actual pieces of history that are being mishandled by various levels of government, and in many cases literally falling apart from neglect and in need of public outcry.
-In the neighborhood of Cornwallis Park, the Elmwood hotel needs the protection of the delayed Barrington South Heritage conservation district -The Dennis Building sits empty and risks Facadism -Georges Island is being neglected by the federal government -York Redoubt’s WW2 defenses are crumbling -Point Pleasant Park’s WW2 forts are falling into the ocean -the Khyber is crumbling -Lighthouses are being neglected EVERYWHERE -Two heritage buildings at Bloomfield are falling apart -McNabs Island is being neglected by DNR -Young Avenue is being slowly destroyed -Getting a Dartmouth heritage museum (really the entire city needs a proper museum) -Better access to the cities archives (they’re in Burnside) -Getting federal tax credits for heritage buildings (private members bill was voted down by the Liberal majority) -Changes to the Province’s Heritage Act to disallow, as of right, demolitions of registered structures
Anthem of the Seas on a visit to Halifax. The Ship is now being checked in NJ.
this week in the herald, I discuss the impact of the Novel Corona virus on the shipping industry, and what Canada is doing about it.
Since I submitted the article, Japan has identified 10 passengers on a cruise ship that are positive for the virus. A former passenger of the Diamond Princess tested positive for the virus on their return to Hong Kong, prompting the check. The Ship is operating an 8 night Japan/Taiwan itinerary.
there is also another cruise ship quarantined off Hong Kong.
UPDATE Feb 7: RCCL’s Anthem of the Seas is being inspected by the CDC in New Jersey. the ship calls on Halifax during the cruise season. The number of Cases on board the Diamond Princess has increased to 61, including several Canadians.
This should be an easy case for the CG to deal with, yet it appears they did a substandard job dealing with the ships 2015 sinking, and now needed to come back and fix what they did.Even this most recent action is problematic, as steps that probably should have been taken when the assessment being conducted discovered the issues. The assessment was completed in October, and Work began Dec 1.
