This week in the Herald, I talk about the Senate’s report into SAR services.
You can read the report WHEN EVERY MINUTE COUNTS:Maritime Search and Rescue(PDF) or view the various summaries on the reports website.
This week i talk about CN’s proposed acquisition of Halterm and why its a good fit with what the company is doing on the west coast.
I Suggested that Doubling the number of tracks at Halterm from 4 to 8 would actually allow an entire train to be made up in the terminal. Right now, there are 2000′ of track at Pier 36, and 6000′ parallel to Pier 41/42. If those double tracks were doubled, and the equipment changed from Toplifts to RTG’s then there would be more then enough room to accommodate the increased capacity.
we covered Halifax Area Rail Operations in ShipSpotting 101 as well as how a container terminal works.
This week I talk about the sunken Norwegian frigate, and its implications for the CSC. The ship that sunk was one of three finalists for the design, and given its use by 3 navies, more popular then the Alions proposal.
this week in the Herald, I talk about the quiet end to Maersk lines short lived MMX Service, Congestion problems in the uk caused in part by software, the shelved merger of Horizon Maritime and their new ship, plus some other updates.
this week in the Herald, I talk about the act of Piracy that put the CCGS Corporal McLearn MMV in the water, and the effect this has had on the ships namesakes family.
The CME Shipyard has lax security. The yard appears to have cameras, but isn’t surrounded by fence. Given the timelines, it appears the yard did not have a security guard on site 24/7 despite being required too by the statement of work issued by the government. CME said that the ship was fine at midnight, but was in the water at the next check. We don’t know the time of that check, however the police stated in a release they received the call at 9:05am.
in this weeks column, I reflect on the war, and this whole writing about the comings and goings in the harbour, and how that was restricted by the censors during the war..
I also cover some recent happenings in the Harbour.
This week in the Herald, I talk about Atlantic Towing picking up west coast work with the coast guard, after they won a contract to provide 2 emergency towing vessels in BC.
I also mention the shifting of bunkering to Saint John. The port Authority confirmed that Sterling will still be offering bunker product by truck in Halifax.
I have also gone premium, so you need to subscribe to the Herald to read me every week on time.
this week I talk about weather, on the 6th anniversary of the loss of the bounty and her captain and a crew member.
Once again weather was causing delays in the harbour as high winds keep ships in and out of port.
This week, I talk about the birth of the container industry, and its constant struggle to remain profitable in a repeating cycle of larger ships cutting costs, leading to more larger ships, leading to excess capacity, leading to more large ships.
the container liners are a big departure from the tramp steamers they replaced, bringing speed and a schedule where there was none previously.
For a much more detailed history of the shipping container, I suggest reading Marc Levinson’s The Box.
This week in the Herald I talk about shifting contracts for Halifax Class Frigates, and how the Shipyards own actions in the past now seem to be shooting themselves in the foot.
I also talk about their prime competition – Davie in Quebec.
