Nukumi arrived in Halifax and tied up at pier 25. the ship is owned and operated by CSL for Windsor salt and was specifically designed to service Windsor’s Magdalen Islands salt mines. It is the first Diesel Electric Laker, and the first bulk carrier in Canada to have single point loading. The single loading point means the ship will not have to shift along its berth to line up with the ship loading equipment to fill all the holds.
Construction of the ship began in August 2020, and the ship departed Jiangyin, China for Halifax at the end of January.
Today the feds gave an update on the Large Naval tug project. this project will see 4 new tugs commissioned to replace the current fleet of Glen Tugs currently in use. The tugs are being built by Ocean Industries, at their Isle-aux-Coudres, Quebec shipyard.
The first two tugs (Haro and Barkerville) are scheduled to be delivered by sealift to the RCN’s Maritime Forces Pacific in Esquimalt, British Columbia, in 2022. The other two (Canso and Stella Maris) will sail to Maritime Forces Atlantic in Halifax, Nova Scotia, in 2023 and 2024.
The new tugs are named as follows.
Naval Large Tug #1 Haro – This name is taken from the Haro Strait, which connects the Straits of Georgia and Juan de Fuca in British Columbia, and is frequently transited by Royal Canadian Navy vessels proceeding north from Esquimalt, the home of our Pacific Fleet.
Naval Large Tug #2 Barkerville – This name is taken from the Second World War-era Ville-class tug of the same name, which capsized and sank at the entrance of Bedwell Harbour, British Columbia, on December 17, 1945, while towing His Majesty’s Canadian Ship (HMCS) Hespeler to its mooring.
Naval Large Tug #3 Canso – This name is taken from the Canso Strait separating Nova Scotia from Cape Breton Island. This is a region that figures prominently in Canada’s formative history. It also reflects the Royal Canadian Navy’s past with HMCS Canso, a minesweeper that served in the Pacific and Atlantic during the Second World War, and was on hand at D-Day.
Naval Large Tug #4 Stella Maris – This name was selected in recognition of the valiant actions of the crew of the tug that came to the assistance of the French munitions ship, SS Mont-Blanc on December 6, 1917, in Halifax Harbour. The tug crew tried to fight a fire on board Mont-Blanc, and recognizing that they had insufficient water to quench the fire, selflessly attempted to tow the burning vessel away from shore. The tug was severely damaged and 19 personnel on board perished when Mont-Blanc then erupted in the disaster known as the Halifax Explosion.
AOPS #3, the future HMCS Max Bernays moved into the basin for launch this morning. The barge will now be submerged over the coming hours, with AOPS #3 likely being floated off late this afternoon or early in the evening.
Word is AOPS #3, the Future HMCS Max Bernays, will be loaded onto the Boa Barge 37 on Friday mornings high tide, and then launched in the basin Saturday.
the ship is scheduled to be the first of two west coast based AOPS.
Halifax Fire’s new boat arrived from the builders, and entered the Harbour for the first time on the June 21. The boat, named Kjipuktuk is the Mi’kmaq name for Halifax, and will be heard on the Radio as Fireboat 1.
The new boat is a Firestorm 36, and was built by MetalCraft Marine of Kingston Ontario. The boat is a popular design and is use by fire departments around the world. Unlike the previous boat, this one will live in the harbour permanently, and will be operated from a slip at the Alderney Marina.
Halifax Shipyard achieved two milestones this week. The HMCS Margaret Brooke completed several days of sea trials off the coast of Nova Scotia. The Ship departed the shipyard the afternoon of the 7th, and returned Tuesday morning.
The bow mega block was rolled out May 8th for ship number 3, the future HMCS Max Bernays, and positioned to join the rear two thirds of the ship already outside. The ship is scheduled to enter the water in the fall.
This Friday morning brought the rollout of Megablock #1 for AOPS #3, the future HMCS Max Bernays. The Stern block moved onto the ramp Saturday.
AOPS #2 was Launched Nov 10 2019. Its Bow was Added May 3 2019, and the first two blocks rolled out Sept 21/18. if the Harry DeWolf schedule is any indication, the AOPS #2, the Margaret Brooke should be ready for trials soon. AOPS #1, Harry DeWolf, began trials 10 days after the The Margaret Brooke was launched. The Margaret Brooke powered up Jan 5th for the first time using its own power.
One Oceans Cruise ship the RCGS Resolute was finally released from arrest in Argentina, and on the way north sunk a Venezuelan warship. One Ocean itself went through a restructuring, and plans to offer cruises in 2021.
Rail blockages by Indigenous protests caused problems for the port. So did Excess traffic caused by a longshoreman strike in Montreal. MSC Diverted ships, but added Halifax to its regular schedule. Containers began to dwell, due to rail delays cased by a shortage of cars, causing excess empty containers were stacked all around port property. The Strike also led to Hapag Lloyd diverted some traffic to Halifax.
I got an inside look at dominion diving new works boats today. They are much larger up close then they appear, and still have that new tug smell (which is like new car smell, but saltier.) The bridge is open and clean, with excellent visibility all around. Thanks to the enormous windows.
Under the Bridge is a small accommodation space, which features a head with shower, 2 bunks, and a small galley. The Engine room is also accessible from the accommodation space, and is quite comfortable to access despite the low headroom. (the boats are powered by twin Volvo Engines)
The 2 new boats are waiting on final approval from Transport Canada inspectors, and a once over from the Volvo Technican before going into service.
Besides showing me the new boats, I had a peak inside the warehouse. Above is President and ROV Superintendent Matt Lohnes (and my tour guide) standing in front of the largest ROV in Canada.
Dominion Diving was featured in the series Lords of the Ocean, which aired this past fall on History. Episodes Deal with events that took place in the past year, Including Reef Ball installation, Expansion of Pier 42, The visit of HMS Queen Elizabeth, The Noble Regina Allen work period, and the offshore wind farm installation off Virginia, along with a bunch of more mundane jobs.
The Amy Lynn D with the barge moved to Fairview cove this morning, where the gantry crane will lift the two tugs off the marge and place them in the water. you can see the container spreader has been fitted with a lifting hook.
