Shelburne Ship repair has been sold by Irving Shipbuilding to Mersey Seafoods. Since 2014, Shelburne Ship repair has been the center of commercial ship repair work for Irving, with none happening in Halifax. Halifax shipyard has been focused on Building the AOPS, and frigate maintenance work.
Shelburne Ship Repair in 2011
All 67 employees at the yard will be retained by Mersey Seafoods. Shelburne Ship repair underwent significant upgrades in 2011, including a new marine railway. The total bill for the upgrades was 16milliion dollars. Shelburne Ship Repair can work on vessels up to 229 metres long, and the marine railway is capable of lifting two vessels weighing up to 4,200 tonnes each.
Since the Upgrade, the yard has conducted work on dozens of vessels including the refit on the CCGS Kolpit Hopson 1752, which was brought to Dartmouth for completion, Presumably to allow the sale to close with no work left in the yard.
Mersey Seafoods operates a number of Fishing Vessels, and is based in Liverpool Nova Scotia. Their trawler Mersey Phoenix is currently undergoing a work period in Spain.
Mersey Phoenix at Pier 9
The sale could signal that Irving is looking to focus solely on Government work under the NSPS, or they could be looking to do more repair work in Halifax. Halifax Shipyard is set to conduct its first commercial ship repair work in a number of years.
The yard is scheduled to conduct maintenance and Inspections on four Atlantic Towing platform supply vessels supporting the Hibernia and Hebron projects off Newfoundland. The Atlantic Shrike, Atlantic Griffon, Atlantic Heron, and Paul A Sacuta were constructed in 2016 and entered service in 2017. The 4 ships are built to Daemen’s PSV 5000 Design, and are virtually identical, though the Paul A Sacuta features an 100ton capacity offshore crane.
The coasting trade application indicates that each ship will be lifted out of the water for 7 days, and the 4 ships will be done sequentially, between February 15th at the earliest and concluding by May 31. The ships are due for their 5 year class surveys.
The General Cargo Ship Enna arrived a few weeks ago and rafted up alongside Siem Dorado at pier 9. Enna was carrying a load of cable handling equipment which will be installed on board the Siem Dorado.
Siem Hanne has been sold. The ship is now PSV Hakan, flagged in Panama, and is Istanbul as her destination.
There was some thought that the ship would go back to Siem, Secunda’s parent company with no further work in the Nova Scotia Offshore, but it looks as though it has been outright sold.
The ship had been laid up at COVE with fleetmate Siem Commander. Siem Commander did manage to find some towing work, but has otherwise been laid up at COVE.
Singelgracht was towed into port this Evening by Siem Commander, and tied up at Pier 9. Siem Commander sailed early this morning to rendezvous with the ship which was sailing from Zeebruges, Belgium for Philadelphia. It looks to have gotten into trouble off the Nova Scotia Coast.
Siem Commander had be laid up at COVE. You can see the tow line tailing behind in the photo Below.
UPDATE: Singelgracht at Pier 9 earlier today (jan 24th). There was no activity noted around the ship.
The Venture Sea, one of Secunda’s offshore vessels has been sold. the ships Canadian registry closed Dec 22, and it is now named Jarvis, and Registered in Vanuatu. The New owner is Virgo Ships limited, and it is Managed by Hermes Maritime services, both are Indian firms. Venture Sea was built in 1998 by Halter marine.
Jarvis is due back in Halifax Jan 8th after spending November and December at Shelburne Ship repair. This would suggest that the ship will be put to work, and not beached for recycling. Jarvis will fuel at the irving dock, and move to Pier 27 later in the day.
Venture Sea was on contract with Exxon Mobile to work the Sable offshore project. That development ceased production and the wells capped in 2019, putting the ship out of work. Outside offshore work, in 2014 the Venture Sea towed the disabled Australian Spirit into Halifax for repairs. This past September, Venture Sea completed an emergency tow in the Davis Straight. after delivering the disabled Bulk carrier to Nuuk Greenland, Venture Sea headed for Shelburne Ship repair.
Previous Secunda Vessels Pankue Sea (Now Kydy Sea) and Ryan Leat are now working in the Caribbean. Burin Sea and Trinity sea were recycled in turkey in January 2020.
UPDATE Jan 18: Jarvis is now reporting Gibraltar as her destination, with an eta of the 31st. She may be bound for Turkish or Indian beaches after all.
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 have been told that the Deep Panuke platform, Bound for sheet harbour to be recycled on board the Boa Barge 34, have hit bottom outside sheet harbour.
Marine traffic shows a number of tugs working in the area. The chart shows several shallower areas, that could cause problems for the tow. Weather shows a Gale warning, with 3-4m seas forecast tomorrow, with winds of 40knots.
More to Follow.
UPDATE: Atlantic Hemlock looks to have sailed to Assist.
UPDATE Dec 15 1000: it looks like the platform was unstuck on this mornings high tide, and is now moving into Sheet harbour.
UPDATE Dec 16: There was speculation that the platform may have hit bottom again, however Deep Panuke is now against the dock in Sheet harbour. tugs Atlantic Larch, Atlantic Elm, Atlantic Hemlock and Point Chubucto were involved in the move. A crew member on board the Larch reported via Facebook post, that there was no bottom contact today, but the entry into the Harbour required waiting on a couple tide changes.
This morning the Deep Panuke Platform was towed from Halifax to sheet harbour, where it will be recycled. The platforms recycling marks the end of the offshore in Nova Scotia, with recent exploration bids coming up dry, and the Sable Gas field now dis-assembled and sent for recycling in the UK.
Nova Scotia has tremendous capability to do work offshore. A transition to offshore wind development would be a good play. many ofthe same skill sets need for offshore O&G work translate well to other projects.
O&G is gone and done. Its not coming back, and the time to move on is now, while we still have the Skills and expertise locally.
The Pure Car Truck Carrier Horizon Highway was towed into Halifax this morning by Siem Commander. The Horizon Highway tied up at Pier 9 with tug assistance.
Photo Don D’Entremont
The Horizon Highway Sailed from Southampton on the 9th, and looks to have lost power on the 15th, and drifted before regaining power, or being taken under town by another vessel on the 16th. It was suggested that the main engine was vapor locked.
the red area is the drift.
the Siem Commander sailed from Halifax the morning of the 19th.
This is yet another case of Laid up Secunda vessels providing emergency assistance. Venture Sea was recently dispatched to tow the Golden Opal, a bulk carrier that became disabled in the Davis Straight after departing the Baffinland mine in Mile inlet bound for Immingham, England. Both those ships are now in Nuuk Greenland.
The offshore construction vessel Scandi Neptune is currently tied up alongside at Pier 9. The ship was contracted to remove well heads, at either the Sable or Deep Panuke projects.
the ship is Currently mobilizing for the work, having arrived from St. John’s NF.
