The Thorco Crown was successfully towed to Sydney by Svitzer Bedford, and tied up last night. The vessel was sailing of Newfoundland, when she suffered an Engine room Fire and lost power. Thorco Crown is 3 years old. Svitzer has 3 tugs based in the port Hawksbury area. After the Thorco Crown Lost power, the CCGS William Alexander was able to take her under tow.
ARROW was an enlarged version of the standard American wartime tanker design. She was one of the oldest tankers in the fleet of Aristotle Onassis, owned by the holding company Sunstone Marine Panama. At only 11379 Tons, she is about the size of AlgoCanada, one of the many products tankers that frequent Halifax.
On February 4, 1970 ARROW was approaching Port Hawkesbury under charter to Imperial Oil Limited and just about to complete a voyage from Aruba. She was carrying 10 million litres of Bunker “C” oil bound for a paper company near Point Tupper. Entering Chedabucto Bay, the tanker encountered severe weather and gale force winds. She ran aground on Cerberus Rock, a well-known navigational hazard that lies in wait just below the surface of the bay. While it initially appeared that there was no threat of fuel leakage, the heavy weather continued to pound the stricken tanker.
Imperial Oil issued an oil spill alert and the crew were evacuated. By the next day, an oil slick one mile long had formed and on the 8th, the ship finally split in two, with the stern sinking in deeper water. Attempts to take off the cargo were not successful nor were the attempts to recover her stern. In all, about 10,330 tons of fuel were spilled, coating 75 miles of the shoreline with thick black sludge threatening wildlife and the fishery.
Shore cleanup was a long difficult process as was the transfer of what was left of the oil aboard ARROW to the barge, IRVING WHALE (Ironically the IRVING WHALE became an another environmental concern a few months later when she sank off Prince Edward Island with oil and PCBs which had to be recovered in 1996.) The final retrieval of oil from the ARROW wreck was completed on April 11 and pioneered many clean-up techniques used in later tanker disasters.
The Disabled Tanker British Merlin arrived after midnight this morning, and took to anchorage 1. She was towed to port by Maersk Cutter, and Helped to Anchor by Altantic Oak and Willow.
Once she took up anchor, Svitzer Nerthus went along side to provide propulsion if needed.
British Merlin suffered from an engine failure enroute from Whiffen Head NL to Philidephia.
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The MSC Monica Grounded Thursday in the St.Lawrence between Trois Rivers and Quebec. Sailing from Montreal for Saint John New Brunswick, She apparentl suffered from a Rudder failure and drifted off course.
She was refloated, by tugs OCEAN TUNDRA, OCEAN BRAVO, and OCEAN ROSS GAUDRAULT and tied up in Quebec Yesterday.
The Oil tanker British Merlin, suffered an Engine failure sailing form Whiffen Head NL to Philadelphia PA. She is currently under tow by the Anchor Handling tug Maersk Cutter, and is due in Halifax tomorrow.
British Merlin is Owned by BP and has British registry. More to follow on both these stories.
Atlantic Stars first Atlantic Crossing was Apparently a little rough.
On Arrival in Halifax, It was discovered that the RO-RO ramp would not lower.
No word on a Cause, but she is spending the night.
I Should Note, that A few Issues are to be expected on the first trip, of a new ship, of a new Design.
UPDATE:
The ramp was down when I drove by this morning, so all appears to be good now.
Due today is the HH Emilia – On arrival, she is set to discharge all her containers due to engine troubles. presumably this will be picked up by the next Maersk vessel.
The ship is part of the Vespucci Service, Asia and the US East Coast via Panama. The port rotation is Qindao – Ningbo – Shanghai -(Panama)- Cartagena – Savannah – Charleston – Norfolk – New York – Norfolk – Charleston – Savannah – Qingdao, so the ship came north to offload.
This is the second time a CMA-CGM Ship has failed in Halifax – The Stadt Cadiz spent time at Pier 9B in May sorting out engine troubles. She also unloaded all her cans.
If the Ship looks Familer, she is the Ex Dresden Express – sold by Hapag Llyod earlier this year. – Hapag-Llyod is disposing of her class – either selling or scrapping the vessels.
Correction: I Originally posted that the ship was filling CMA-CGM’s slot on the weekly Maersk Service. this was incorrect, as now noted above.
CBC Is reporting 2 containers were lost in the water at Halterm.
ZIM Vancouver and ZIM Haifa are both tied up at Pier 41/42. the most likely scenario is a container was swung by a crane into the stack aboard ship, knocking 2 into the water.
Update:
I’m told it happened Early into the Night Shift, and shipfax stated it was 2 20foot containers. these can be handled as a pair, so its possible the spreader on the crane failed.
DFO released the above picture today of yesterdays incident. Reports were of a vessel in trouble, off halifax, and CCGS Sambro Was Responding. The Sambro was noted to be in a position between Conrad’s and Lawrencetown beaches, where there appears to be a shoal.
CHS Chart #4237 (Halifax Harbour and Approaches) Refers to the point of land as Fox Point, and the rocks are actually labeled Egg Island.
The Sambro collected the 3 people, and took them to the Government Wharf in Eastern passage where they were tended to by paramedics.
Pollution Control Activities continue.
The coast guard is reporting that 1000lbs of absorbent material has been removed from within the oil boom, and divers have removed 2000 liters of pollutants from inside the hull. 5 drums on deck have also been recovered.
no word on when and if the boat will be raised, or who will fit the bill.
When the vessel was arrested, Paul Watson, Captain and founder of Sea Shepard Conservation Society quipped that he was sticking it to the Canadian Government, making it responsible for a boat they were looking to get rid of.
Nice Guy, off fighting sealers, and Japanese whalers off in the Southern ocean, but not willing to take responsibility for safely disposing of one of their own vessels, resulting in thousands of liters of oily products spilling in his homeland.
Yesterday, the Ex SeaShepard conservation Society vessel Farley Mowat rolled over and sank in Shelburne. The vessel was arrested by the feds during Anti-Sealing Protests several years ago, and eventually sold. she was toed to Halifax, Then Lunenburg, where her topsides were removed. She was then towed to Shelburne.
(Above) Farley Mowat in Lunenburg, still intact in 2012.
(Below) Stripped down, June 23 2014
