Atlantic Birch II

Atlantic Towing Ltd's new tug/supplier put in an appearance in Halifax today. It tied up at the Mobil dock in Dartmouth which is used by supply boats to take on stores and materials.
The tug has been contracted to stand by a seismic exploration vessel off Greenland.

[see previous post]
http://tugfaxblogspotcom.blogspot.ca/2012/04/irving-birch-2-new-for-atlantic-towing.html

Coming or Going

It's always a good question when I see tugs in these positions. Are they pushing or pulling?

Since I will be travelling for the next month, and probably not posting very much to this site, you will have time to ponder this deep question! Hint: you can't push on a string.

See Shipfax for May 12 to see what they were doing.

El Jaguar back again

The impressive US tug El Jaguar made a return visit to Halifax this weekend. As on her previous visit, she was towing the barge Marmac 400 with components for the nickel smelter in Long Harbour, NL. This time however, the load consisted on building structures, instead of pipe racks.
It was also a shorter stay this time. The tug arrived in the middle of the night and sailed late this afternoon.



1. El Jaguar lies alongside the tow while the crew reconnects the towing gear.

2. With towline connected the tug backs away.

3. Once turned the tow line is adjusted (the shackle is is just at the rail forward of the strongback.) The tug is being conned from the aft control/winch station on the boat deck.

4. While Atlantic Willow pulls the stern off the dock, El Jaguar pulls around to head out.

Big tug, little tugs at pier 9

More tug activity in the northend on Friday involved moving the old supplier Intrepid Sea a.k.a N-29, along pier 9B to pier 9A. The long dead Neftegaz 29 could not move on its own, and so Dominion Diving provided the motive power, and deck crew, using Halmar and Roseway - also two veterans.
Neftegaz 29 was built in Poland in 1983 as a pipe carrier/supplier for the USSR and acquired by Secunda Marine Services in 1998. Secunda rebuilt three sister vessels, with this one providing a lot of spares, but never reaching the conversion stage.

1. Its current name Intrepid Sea appears nowhere on the ship, so it is referred to as N-29. 

2. Neftegaz 29 was registered in the port of Kholmsk, which is on Sakhalin Island, just north of Japan in the eastern part of the Russia. Lloyd's Register never listed a registry port for the ship.

Friday's move was carried out by two classic boats, that have spent many years in Halifax. The more travelled of the two is Roseway, the former Department of Public Works tug, built in 1960 and acquired by Dominion Diving in 1989. It has performed numerous coastal tows but is most commonly seen these days as the line handling boat for Autoport.

3. Roseway reports for duty.

4. After moving a containment boom, Roseway takes a bow line and gets the ship moving using her 300 bhp on two screws. 

 Also built in 1960 is Halmar, one of the former Shipyards workboats. Its name is an amalgamation of HALifax Shipyards and Dartmouth MARine Slips,and it worked in both yards and all around the harbour until 1992. It was completely rebuilt and repowered in 2008-2009, with new superstructure and even a bow thruster. It can often be seen ferrying pilots to ships at anchor in the harbour when the pilot boat is out, but also does numerous other chores.

5. Halmar takes a stern line to keep the ship in line.

 

6. Her bow thruster was put to use several times during the move.

7. Roseway is often seen handling the head lines of ships at Autoport, where they are tethered to large buoys. 

8. On December 23, 1991 Roseway sank in 60 feet of water (and muck) while approaching the IEL dock. She was lifted off the bottom by slings and barge and moved to the pier where she was raised on December 28. Her electronics were replaced and and after cleanup was back in service within two months. [The tug in the background is Canmar Tugger, which became Atlantic Oak(i) and is now working on the west coast as Island Tugger. Coincidentally, it sank at its dock in Sydney in March 1993 and was raised by Dominion Diving.]

9. Halmar as she looked shortly after Dominion Diving acquired her from the Shipyards. [That is a lifeboat from CSS Hudson, and the retired icebreaker John A. Macdonald in the background]

10. In her Shipyard days Halmar worked around the harbour to assist in repairs, often with divers aboard. 



Changing of the Guard at pier 9 C

As work at pier 9c shifts from dredging to pier construction, there was a change of contractors and tugs were at work.
Harbour Development Ltd completed the dredging April 30 and their Atlantic Tamarack shifted all the scows and dredge from pier 9c to pier 7. (See also Shipfax) In order to get all the craft sorted out in the right order, Tamarack moved Swellmaster out of the way them back into place. Atlantic Tamarack has been handling most of the dredging scow work, although Swellmaster did some of the early work.Now that their part of the contract has been completed, the tugs and plant will be doing maintenance until the next jobs come along. Most dredging is done in the late summer and fall because spring run off (freshet) is continuing to deposit silt in places such as Saint John.

1. Atlantic Tamarack goes about its business while Atlantic Willow stands by for the ferry Highlanders to leave drydock.

2. Tamarack had to move Swellmaster twice to get all the plant arranged at pier 7.

On May 1 McNally Construction Inc took over the site and Mister Joe arrived with the tug Whitby and pile driving scow Derrick No.3 Ever on the move, Mister Joe returned almost immediately to Port Hawksbury, leaving Whitby here. McNallly's Carl M. has been here all winter and idle at pier 9 with other plant that was working on the pier c contract.



3. Mister Joe arrives on May 1 with Derrick No.3 on the hip. Whitby is hidden behind the scow.

4. Mister Joe departs light tug for Port Hawksbury.

Irving Birch 2 - new for Atlantic Towing

Atlantic Towing has made another acquisition, but this one is a bit unusual, as is the choice of name.
Built in 1975 as Canmar Supplier II by Vito Steel Boat & Barge Construction Ltd of Delta, BC to a Robert Allan Ltd design, it was one of several suppliers for Dome Petroleum's Canadian Marine Drilling.
It was built to work in the Beaufort Sea, which it did for several years.
When that work evaporated, it was redeployed, and even put in an appearance in Halifax in 1997.


Canmar Supplier II was fitting out with cable gear when it was in Halifax in June 1997

It was sold soon after and has worked in the North Sea, most recently for Faroes Island owners as Thor Supplier. It has also been extensively modified, with a raised forecastle and bridge extensions aft.

To see its present appearance:

http://www.thor.fo/news/newspage.php?Thor-Supplier-handed-over-to-her-new-owners-12

A small vessel by current supplier standards it has 7,040 bhp provided by two Nohab Polar engines, through twin screws, controllable pitch props in nozzles and a bow thruster. 

Atlantic Towing;'s suppliers have been given bird names, but in this case it has been named Atlantic Birch 2. Tree names have been used for conventional tugs, so it seems likely that this one will be used in more tug-like activity.

Atlantic Towing currently has an Atlantic Birch in its fleet, but it has been laid up for many years. Built in 1967, it is a 3,750 bhp sea going tug. It has figured in numerous long tows, salvage jobs and barge work, but is unlikely to sail again. 



Atlantic Birch - still in the fleet, but laid up.



Leonard M ex Point Halifax readies for work and other Pictou tugs

1. Leonard M. at Pictou. A very tall light pole on the pier is NOT part of the tug.

1. As previously reported McKeil Work Boats (aka McKeil Marine) acquired the Point Halifax from Svitzer Canada. After a spell in Sept-Iles covering for the drydocking of one of the other tugs it has been refitting at Pictou. Now renamed Leonard M. it looked to be about ready to sail on Saturday when I spotted it at the government wharf. It now has black funnels and a blue visor.
2. Also in Pictou was the laid up supplier Hebron Sea, reportedly with a blown engine.
3. Alongside in an unphotographable location was the tug May C (ex Mary Steele, Tignish, Techno-Rochette, Jacques Rochette) As reported it was acquired by Aecon-Fabco, operators of the Pictou Shipyard, from Superport Marine of Port Hawksbury.
4. Also alongside was Gulf Dianne (ex Gulf Diane) a former west coast tug, owned by Mariner Towing of Summerside, PE. It had been laid up in Port Hawksbury for a couple of years, but was employed hauling gravel barges from Auld's Cove to Prince Edward Island. It now appears to have been refitted and perhaps will be re-entering service. Built in 1962 it is rated at 610 bhp.