New Angle

 The Royal Canadian Navy's base in Halifax, HMC Dockyard, is served by a small fleet of tugs. They are not commissioned naval vessels, but are classed as auxiliairies, and are operated by civilian crews. There are two classes of tugs, the Glens and the Villes (also known as "pups").

When not berthing ships and doing other chores the tugs can be seen from the Angus L. Macdonald bridge that spans the habour almost directly over their basin.

 

This week, May 15, I saw one of the tugs from a different angle - and much closer - when it was tied up at Dominion Diving's facility in Dartmouth Cove. It was probably undergoing some maintenance as each of the three Glen class tugs in Halifax have been undergoing refits.

 

The Glenbrook YTB 643 was built in 1976 and is a 1750 bhp Voith-Schneider tractor. 

The tugs have been meticulously maintained, but are due for replacement. The new tugs are under construction at the Industrie Océan shipyard in Ile-aux-Coudres, QC. The first two tugs, the Haro and Barkerville were delivered to HMS Dockyard in Esquimalt, BC last year and the second two are due for delivery to Halifax this year. They are to be named Canso and Stella Maris - more on these when they arrive.

Each dockyard will receive two tugs to replace the three tugs and a fireboat originally in service.  

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Where have all the tuboats gone?

 To paraphrase the old folk song - gone to Argentia (nearly) every one.

There is a major marine operation taking place in Argentia, Newfoundland which has resulted in tugs being brought in from Halifax, Saint John and Quebec City.  The float out of the newly built Gravity Base Structure (GBS) for the West White Rose oil field extension will require vonsideralbe horsepower - well beyond the means of local tugs - which generally could not be spared from their regular duties in any event. 

The gravity base structure was built in a man-made basin - effectively a graving dock - which itself was constructed for the purpose. The Basin has been flooded and now the earth berm that kept the basin dry will be dredged out by the Tristan da Cunha, a Luxembourg flag cutter suction dredge, and the GBS will be floated out.

The 201,000 tonne unit will be taken out to its location and ballasted down. Onc bedded in postion 350 km east of St. John's (217 nautical miles)  the topside structure will arrive fromTexas for installation.

Atlantic Towing Ltd will be providing the tugs Atlantic Cedar (5050 hp) and Atlantic Fir (5050 hp) from Halifax and Atlantic Larch (4000 hp) from Saint John and Groupe Océan has sent  Ocean Taiga (8000 hp) and Ocean Tundra (8000 hp) from Quebec City. Also on hand appear to be the Newfoundland  based tug  Dalton Hunter (3570 hp) and the anchor handler Skandi Mariner ex Maersk Mariner (12,444 hp).

To partially cover off for Halifax the Atlantic Spruce (4000 hp) has been sent round from Saint John.

I have no photos to include with this post, but I am sure there will be considerable media coverage available.  

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