Tugfax

Orion Expeditor / Breton Sea - from the shoebox

2012-01-27T22:28:00.008-04:00

Digging back in the files for one of my favourites:

1. Breton Sea in Halifax 1992-11-04 looking her best in Secunda Marine colours.

2. With the barge Sydtug 240 departing for Boston with two straddle carriers for the Massport Container Terminal 1992-07-24.

3. All dressed at North Sydney 1988-03-14. This is the distinctive colour scheme she wore in Beaufort Sea.

4. Arriving in Halifax 1989-03-16 after towing the Margit Gorthon in from the Gulf with ice damage. That is Capt. Tétrault on the bridge. The Swedish type full width bridge is common in hte Baltic.

5. A substantial towing winch and a cargo derrick to serve a gear hold allowed the tug to carry supplies and salvage equipment. The winch house provided better visibilty than the bridge.

6. The tug's convincing icebreaker shape is evident in this shot. Her prop, nozzle and rudder have been removed during this refit 1991-02-23, at Dartmouth Marine Slip.

The tug business has become a very capital intensive one, requiring millions of dollars to buy and many more to run a single tug, let alone a small fleet. All sizeable tugs in this part of Canada are now owned by large corporations, able to make those kinds of investments and to spend the dollars required to maintain and upgrade their fleets.
It was therefore very tough for an "owner/operator" to get into the tug business and even tougher to stay in the game. The last of these hardy types was Capt. Don Tétrault, owner of the tug Orion Expeditor.
A mariner of wide experience, he had become established in the Beaufort Sea with Arctic Offshore Ltd, and had purchased the Swedish tug Orion in 1981 to carry out contract work for the oil exploration and supply companies in the western arctic. When exploration ceased, he decided to reposition to North Sydney, NS as a freelance operation, called Sydney Tugs. He set out from Tuktoyaktuk, sailed round Alaska, via Vancouver and the Panama Canal and arrived in Sydney in 1986. His tug, now renamed Orion Expeditor, was towing a smaller tug, named Gordon Gill which broke its tow line and went missing off Alaska October 26, 1986.
Sydney tugs found work from time to time, and eventually landed a contract with Devco to berth coal ships. They also acquired a barge, Sydtug 240 to expand their ability to find work.
Regrettably in 1990 a strike at Devco left Sydtug without work, and the bank called the company’s loan.
Secunda Marine Services acquired the tug, which they renamed Breton Sea and the barge and continued the Sydney operation for a time. They moved the tug to Halifax in 1992, and Capt
Tétrault with it, but work was still hard to find. In 1994 the tug was sold back to Sweden, and at last report was still working, now in Kokkola, Finland.
A superb tug for operating in ice, it was built by Broderna Wiberg in Husum, Sweden in 1974. Fitted with an excellent 8 cyl MaK developing 3400 bhp, it had a single CP prop in a fixed nozzle, with a huge barn door rudder that could swing through nearly 90 degrees. It had an icebreaking bow, and round bilges just like an icebreaker.
It was also fitted with a towing winch, and most unusually for a Canadian tug, a cargo derrick. The tug did carry out some substantial tows, and went to the aid of several vessels in Gulf of St.Lawrence, particularly in winter ice.
Amazingly the small tug Gordon Gill eventually was found March 26, 1987 about 125 miles from where it broke tow off Dutch Harbor. Declared a constructive total loss, it was salvaged and rebuilt for Atlantic Towing and ended up on the east coast after all. Renamed Atlantic Alder in 1997 it was sold in 2001 to the Hudson Bay Port Co of Churchill, MB where it was renamed Mantaywi-Sepe. It was built in 1982 in Hay River NT and is a twin screw tug of 1600 bhp.
The barge, ex STC 101, built by Defoe Shipbuilding in Bay City, MI in 1956, became Secunda's Seabarge II. Secunda sold the barge and it became Tri-Nuk 1. In late 1998 it was sold to the Bahamas with the former Norfolk & Western push tug French River ex R.G. Cassidy, St.Joseph, LT-2194. After winteriing in Port Hawksbury the pair sailed south in spring 1999.
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Scott Turecamo and New Hampshire

2012-01-24T23:06:00.005-04:00

2012-01-25

2012-01-24

The US flag articulated tug/ barge combination of Scott Turecamo and New Hampshire rest quietly at anchor in Halifax awaiting a weather window to head south, after the tanker barge loaded at Imperial Oil .

The tug was built in 1998 by Moss Point Marine and is part of Moran's New York fleet. It is rated at 5,100 bhp.

The barge is double hull, 188,000 bbl capacity measuring 8,300 deadweight. It was built in 2008 by Bay Shipbuilding in Manitowoc, WI.

The same pair were in exactly the same place on January 26, 2011, for the same reason-waiting for a low pressure zone to pass, and for winds to die down. See http://tugfaxblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2011/01/us-tug-and-barge-wait-for-nicer-day.html
Note: - see comment below which corrects this post.

Ryan Leet - yes again

2012-01-11T08:59:00.005-04:00

It was exactly two years ago to the day that I photographed Ryan Leet going out to Bedford Basin for trials. In that two years this magnificent tug has been working as a standby vessel off Sable Island. Although not fully utilizing the vessel's capabilities, it has been steady work. Ryan Leet comes into Halifax about once a month for crew change and minor servicing, and from time to time does a trials trip or emergency drills for the new crew before setting out again.

So thus it is that on January 10, 2012, one year later it is doing the same thing.

There has been a dearth of tug activity in Halifax in recent weeks, but there is no excuse needed to take a picture of this excellent tug.

You can go back to January 10, 2010 for more details.

Firebird's non dramatic rescue

2012-01-01T20:21:00.008-04:00

1. Float rescued by rigid hulled inflatable patrol boat, and passed to Firebird

2. Firebird towing in reverse back to Dockyard.

The Christmas - New Year period has been very quiet in the port of Halifax, with a few ships coming and going, and very little tug activity.

Today, as a statutory holiday and "no work" day for longshoremen [see Shipfax] it was even quieter.

The only activity I detected was not exactly a challenging towing job, and it did not actually involve a tug. The Canadian Forces Auxiliary Vessel (CFAV) Firebird was called in to rescue a wayward float. Due to high winds the float was making its way down the harbour when it was corralled first by a navy patrol boat. They called in Firebird to tow it back to HMC Dockyard.

Whatever possessed them to tie it up to the Firebird's bow instead of alongside I will never know, but they were then forced to tow in reverse all the way back to the berth.

Seasonal Greetings from Tugfax

2011-12-24T21:45:00.001-04:00

Silk purse from sow's ear

2011-12-22T22:12:00.007-04:00

1. Trinity Sea approaches pier 9 this morning.

2. Upper: arriving in Halifax with sister tug./ Lower on the cradle at Dartmouth Marine Slip.

Trinity Sea moved to pier 9 today for a Christmas time refit. The ship was rebuilt from the hull up in 1998-99 and has put in some heavy work as an offshore supplier. On December 7 she arrived in port on one engine, but that seems to have been patched up.

Built in Poland in 1983 as Neftegaz 2 it was part of a huge fleet built up by the USSR Ministry of Gas Industry. With the collapse of the USSR most were laid up, many unused, and eventually sold off. Secunda Marine Services acquired four over the years, but Neftegaz 1 and Neftegaz 2 were bought in 1998. They arrived in Halifax in tow of Magdalen Sea and were rebuilt over a period of a year or so. Work included all new accommodation, and internals, except the main engines, which were retained. The bow was built up, the exhaust uptakes re-routed and a new bridge and wheelhouse installed to improve visibility aft.

Neftegaz 1 became Burin Sea and Neftegaz 2 became Trinity Sea.

The pair have worked off Newfoundland and overseas, with Trinity Sea active off Nova Scotia for the last couple of years. Burin Sea is still in Newfoundland.

A third boat, Neftegaz 14 was rebuilt as Panuke Sea in 2003. The fourth is laid up at pier 9B with the name Neftegaz 29 still displayed, although it has been officially renamed Intrepid Sea. Secunda Marine Services is now J.Ray McDermott Canada.

And Jarrett McKeil/ Robert B No.1 to the same fate

2011-12-19T20:01:00.005-04:00

Another classic tug has gone for scrap. Jarrett McKeil, ex Robert B. No.1 will be broken up by current owners, Heddle Marine of Hamilton, ON.
1. Robert B. No.1 at rest in Quebec City, September 3, 1975. The reddish brown deck house was unique to the Davie tugs.

2. Quebec Tugs opted for a stark black and white look. Robert B. No.1 returns to Bassin Louise in Quebec City on hot July 1, 1983.

3. Setting out from Halifax October 23, 1994, towing the barge Black Carrier destined for Boston.

Built in 1956 by Davie Shipbuilding in Lauzon, QC, it was built to the yard's own account. The shipyard was owned by Canada Steamship Lines at the time, and it provided tug service in Quebec City, and had the tugs available for salvage work and ship handling. It was named for Robert Black, a member of the management team at the yard. (The No.1 came from the fact that there was another Robert B. (a Vancouver tug) and a Robert B. II (owned in Port aux Basques, NL.)

CSL divested itself of the shipyard, and the tug fleet, so ownership changed to Quebec Tugs. It lost its beautiful paint job and became black and white. As Groupe Océan formed itself, the tug was sold to McKeil Workboats of Hamilton, ON and in 1997 became Jarrett McKeil. They found lots of work for it, towing old lakers, and barges, and it even reached Halifax in 1994 towing container crane components from Sorel to Massport in Boston.

Like fleet mate Wyatt McKeil ex Otis Wack it is a single screw, 1200 bhp GM powered tug, and a member of a now endangered species. It was sold to Heddle Marine a number of years ago and has been laid up for some time, awaiting the inevitable torch.

Otis Wack -off to the scrappers

2011-12-19T19:26:00.007-04:00

Of course it hasn't been called the Otis Wack for a long time, but that's how I will remember it.
1. Otis Wack at its berth, dried out at low water.

2. The very attractive funnel, with the distinctive "cobra" funnel mark used by the Fundy Gypsum Corporation. The same logo was used on the company's bulk carriers, but on a tan funnel.

3. A composite photo of the tug afloat, with the old gypsum loading dock in the background.

Built in 1950 at Davie Shipbuilding & Repair Co Ltd in Lauzon, QC, to a design by Robert W. Morrell of New York, the tug was built especially for service at Hantsport, NS. When not working it tied up at a little pier next to the government wharf and dried out at low tide each day. Its hull was designed to take this constant stress, and to deal with a bit of ice from time to time too.

Most unusual for a Canadian tug of the era (they were invariably powered by Fairbanks-Morse) it was powered by a V-12 GM- the American standard. It developed 1200 bhp, on a single screw, which was enough for the small bulk carriers that loaded gypsum at Hantsport, and the other small freighters that docked at Hanstport, Windsor, and several other nearby ports. I have no record of it assisting shipping in Port Williams, Wolfville, Parrsboro or Walton, but it may well have done so.

It was not the first tug named Otis Wack - that was a wooden tug built in 1921 in Port Greville. The tugs were named for Otis Wack, an American citizen and long time manager of the Fundy Gypsum operations, which were owned by U.S. Gypsum.

In 1995 Fundy Gypsum needed a more powerful tug (they bought Spanish Mist - since sold to the Magdalen Islands.) McKeil Workboats of Hamilton bought Otis Wack. It carried the original name until 1997 when it was renamed Wyatt McKeil and worked around the Lakes and down the St.Lawrence. Being largely in fresh water would have ensured a long life for the tug if there had been work, but a single screw, low power tug is not much in demand these days.

Ownership was transferred to Heddle Marine, also of Hamilton, and the tug is now to be broken up there.

For more on gypsum operations at Hantsport see:http://shipfax.blogspot.com/2011/11/usg-pulls-plug.html

And the Tamarack too.

2011-12-13T15:46:00.007-04:00

1. This morning Atlantic Tamarack goes to work in the Narrows.

2. Back in 2001 it wore the soviet insignia on its funnel for a movie role.

With fleet mate Swellmaster off the Meteghan on another chore, it has fallen to Atlantic Tamarack to take over the wrangling of mud scows for the dredging project in the Narrows. Built in 1969 as Irving Tamarack, and renamed in 1997, the tug did duty as a standby vessel at the Canaport oil buoy off Saint John for many years before going to work for Harbour Development. The single screw tug was re-engined in 2010, and also seems to be going strong after all these years.

It also acted in a supporting role in the movie K-19:The Widowmaker in 2001. It wore the hammer and sickle and was seen pulling a sub out of drydock.

Swellmaster keeps on tugging

2011-12-10T22:32:00.009-04:00

Sorry to repeat myself, but I love seeing the Swellmaster working. A tug built in 1965, repowered in 1987 (with remanufactured Cats built in 1973) and knocking about with barges dredges, and coastal tows of same, must be built of stern stuff.
I also love the Admiralty funnel.
Here's a little retrospective.

1. As Irving Hemlock working off Borden PEI in 1996. That's the old Harbour Development Ltd funnel mark.

2. Wearing a Soviet era funnel marking while playing a supporting role in the move K-19: The Widowmaker. She and Tamerack appear in the movie pulling a sub out of the graving dock.

3. The hammer and sickle are gone, and she is now the camera boat for the same movie. The telescoping arm could get right down to a water line view or elevate well above.

4. December 9, 2011 back at the mud scow work.

5. Today, running the Narrows. The ladders must have been added while she worked in Saint John. It's a long way up to the piers when the tide is out. Most of those dents in her bridge dodger are twenty years old.

Mister Joe, Beaver Kay and Whitby - oldies but goodies

2011-11-26T10:59:00.011-04:00

1. Mister Joe gets underway from pier 9 towing Beaver Kay.

2. On deck is Whitby, much in need of hull cleaning.

3. The barge is on a short tow line until clear of the harbour.

4. Beaver Kay was built as YD 251 a steam derrick for the naval dockyard. What looks like a gun tub as the top of the derrick was a fire monitor. Photo October 10, 1995 at pier 35.

After a hard summer's work the various dredging and marine construction fleets are getting ready to go into the barn for the winter.

This morning the tug Mister Joe sailed form Halifax towing the Beaver Kay with Whitby on deck. Yesterday a crane was offloaded from the Beaver Kay and positioned on the new pier C extension at Halterm where it will continue the work from the land side. Whitby was also working steadily on the pier C project, but will not be needed now.

These vessels all belong to McNally Construction Inc, which, since July is a wholly owned subsidiary of Weeks Marine, Inc of Cranford, New Jersey.

Mister Joe started life as the Churchill River in 1964 at Russel-Hipwell Engines in Owen Sound ON. Built for the Hudson Bay Company it worked for them in the far north until sold to work on the Hibernia project. It moved to Beaver Marine in 1997 and was renamed when Beaver was integrated into McNally. It is a twin screw tug of 750 bhp.

Whitby was built in 1978 by and for McNamara Construction. McNally took over that operation and the tug has worked all over eastern Canada. It is also twin screw with 474 bhp.

The senior citizen in the bunch is Beaver Kay. Built in 1953 by Geo. T. Davie & Sons Ltd in Lauzon, QC, it was the steam crane YD 251 and worked in the HMC Dockyard in Halifax until 1995. Beaver marine acquired it in that year and removed the crane derrick and all the steam machinery, leaving a small portion of the deck house. It was registered for the first time in Halifax December 17, 1996 and named Beaver Kay. It is a very wide (115 feet long x 60 feet wide) and stable hull, and makes a good working platform for some very big cranes for dredging, pile driving and other work.

The little flotilla is headed for Point Tupper where McNally has its maintenance base. Whitby needs a good shave and a haircut, and there is work to do on Beaver Kay too. Mister Joe usually keeps running until December.

Former Quebec and Montreal tug to the scrappers

2011-11-14T17:33:00.011-04:00

1. Charlie S. (left) and Jerry G. off Quebec City in ice- the work for which they were designed.

2. In McAllister colours, Cathy McAllister berths the tanker Le Chêne No.1 in Montreal. The ship also had a full width bridge for winter conditions.

3. Cathy McAllister, again with Jerry G. at the McAllister dock in Montreal.

4. Now in Océan colours, at the same dock, and with Salvage Monarch.

In the early 1950s Davie Shipbuilding Ltd in Lauzon, QC was replacing its old steam tugs, which served the port of Quebec. In 1954 they built Charlie S. a modern tug for the time, with a few unique features. Chief among them was the full width enclosed bridge.

In recognition of the winter conditions that the tug would have to work in , the full width wheelhouse was a useful feature, but never repeated in any other tugs. The wheelhouse was also raised about a half deck above the deckhouse, giving better visibility to the master.

A single screw tug, it was powered by a 12 cylinder 1200 bhp GM, and was named for Charlie Sauvageau, a member of the management team at the yard.

Davie Shipbuilding got out of the tug business in 1974 and sold the tug to McAllister Towing of Montreal. They renamed the tug Cathy McAllister and transferred it to Montreal. The tug was repainted in the black hull and gold stripe, with red house and McAllister funnel.

On January 20, 1975 the tug sank in ice covered waters at a Montreal pier. It was not until February that the tug was refloated, and some rebuilding was no doubt required.

The McAllister family sold its business and the fleet was taken over by new owners, who adopted a new colour scheme of plain black hull, white house and red stripe. They kept the McAllister funnel and company name.

Groupe Océan then bought the McAllister operation and gradually integrated the tugs into its fleet, with their own colour scheme with blue paint on the upper part of the wheelhouse and Océan funnel. They did not rename the tug either.

In 2002 Océan sold both Cathy McAllister and Salvage Monarch to Heritage Harbour Marine Ltd of London, ON and on October 31 Salvage Monarch entered the Seaway towing Cathy McAllister for Goderich, ON. The trip was not without drama, when the tow had problems on Lake Ontario and CCGS Griffon took over. Once in Lake Erie the tug Miseford took over the tow and delivered it to Port Maitland. The tug eventually reached Goderich on November 14, 2002, where it was renamed Seven Sisters.

I am a little fuzzy on the tugs movements after that point, but it seems it was not used much, but did move around from time to time.

In 2005 it was towed to the Welland Canal where it was fitted out for assist work. This meant that the tug would be used as tail tug for other tows through the locks.

Later in the same year the tug was taken over by Distribution Grand Lacs/St-Laurent (Three Rivers Elevators) a member of the Great Lakes Group. They were developing a grain barge service from the Lakes to Trois-Rivières, and a variety of tugs have been used, but I am not sure Doc Morin saw much service.

Upper Lakes Group sold its ships this year, and placed the tugs on the sale market. This fall it was reported that Doc Morin had been sold for scrap, and was being broken up near St.Catharines, ON.

Swellmaster

2011-11-13T21:26:00.005-04:00

1. A Sea King helicopter, of about the same age as the Swellmaster, flies overhead as the tug arrives in Halifax November 10.

The venerable Swellmaster arrived November 10 towing the dredge Cranemaster in company with the tug Atlantic Tamarack towing the mud scow HD8. The small flotilla tied up at pier 6, but by this morning both tugs had sailed again for Saint John. I see them heading into Shelburne this evening on AIS.

I have writen about Swellmaster so many times, I don't need to tell her story again. She was British-built in 1965 and seems destined to last forever.

If you want to see what she looked like in 1991, as Irving Hemlock go to Shipfax for November 11:

http://shipfax.blogspot.com/2011/11/good-old-days.html

In that photo-also at pier 6, she is alongside the dredge Shovelmaster. It capsized and sank in 150 meters of water south of Nova Scotia November 19, 2008 while in tow from Saint John for Halifax.

See J.D.Irving's press release:

http://www.jdirving.com/article.aspx?id=2142

Atlantic Hemlock- off again; Atlantic Larch back on the job

2011-11-08T17:11:00.010-04:00

1. Atlantic Hemlock stretches out her tow line.

2. Atlantic Swordfish is a former Boabarge 18, built in 2000 in China.

3. The barge has an emergency pickup line trailing aft.

4. Atlantic Larch has been away from Halifax since summer.[file photo]

Atlantic Hemlock left Halifax today after a spell doing harbour work here since October 11.

See: http://tugfaxblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2011/10/new-tug-in-town.html

Earlier this morning Atlantic Larch returned to port with the barge Atlantic Swordfish in tow. Larch immediately returned to harbour work and Atlantic Hemlock left this afternoon towing the Swordfish for Saint John. The barge was carryhing a large J.D.Irving Ltd crane, and had reportedly been working in Newfoundland.

From the Files, Ten Years Ago: Cocle

2011-11-06T21:12:00.011-04:00

1. Cocle arrived in Halifax as a "dry tow" - note the escort skeg, and large cooler inlets.

2. Colon on trials, was launched without incident and arrived in Halifax three days later. The low profile allows her to get under ships' sterns in tight quarters.

3. Atlantic Salvor's Alcos clear their throats as the tug moves its crane away from the dock in Georgetown, PE.

4. The massive Chesapeake 1000 did its work in good time.

5. Atlantic Teak towed the barge carrying Cocle from Georgetown to Halifax.

On July 1, 2001 the new tug Cocle toppled off its launching cradle at the East Isle Shipyard in PEI. What might have proven to be a disaster turned out all right in the end.

East Isle was in the midst of building a four tug order for the Panama Canal Commission. These tugs were based on the original Robert Allan design, but were modified for the Canal with more power, lower wheelhouse, and a large escort skeg. The latter was a new development for this class of tug, but had been proven in retrofits of earlier tugs.

A speedy response to the tip over was made by Donjon Marine of Hillside, NJ, who dispatched their crane Chesapeake 1000 (named for its capacity) in tow of the tug Atlantic Salvor. By July 12 the tug was righted and repairs were underway.

The East Isle tugs usually did their sea trails on the way to Halifax where they received final fitting out and acceptance trials. However Cocle arrived in style on the barge ATL 2402 in tow of the tug Atlantic Teak. This was the first and only "dry tow" of an East Isle tug to Halifax, arriving September 24. Sister Colon arrived September 30 on its own (it had been launched without incident September 27.)

After trials the pair set off for Panama November 3 on their own hulls.

The final two tugs in the order, Herrera and Los Santos were delivered in August and November of 2002.

Since that time The Panama canal has acquired eight (with five more to come) Robert Allan design Z-Tech tugs form Cheoy Lee shipyard in China. The Canal Authority now has 37 tugs in its fleet.

They have also now ordered fourteen more tugs to work ships following the expansion of the canal, to be completed in 2014. The new locks will use only tugs to assist ships, they will not have the typical shoreside rail mules of the old locks.

All the tugs shown are still in service for the same owners:

Cocle and Colon 4,486 bhp Deutz, 2 ASD

Atlantic Teak ex Irving Teak built in Singapore in 1973 as Essar, 2,300 bhp Deutz, 2 screw.

Atlantic Salvor ex Mister Darby, built in 1976 by Halter Marine, New Orleans, 6480 bhp Alco, 2 screw.

Salvage Monarch is refitting

2011-11-02T00:14:00.006-03:00

1. As built, Salvage Monarch had a huge steam winch aft, and a smaller one forward. Also a derrick and a chain stopper for ground tackle forward. Photo taken at Kingston, ON ca. 1960.

2. By 1971 the big steam winch was gone, and Salvage Monarch was set up for towing. Seen here in Halifax after towing a retired ferry from Sorel.

3. The tug was on harbour duties in Montreal in 1995.

4. In Groupe Océan colours, the tug spent the winter of 2000-2001 on charter in Halifax.

Word has reached Tugfax that the veteran tug Salvage Monarch is in refit for new owners in Toronto. According to our close personal friend Charlie Gibbons, Toronto Dry Dock recently purchased the tug, which has been idle for some time. This is great news for a tug with a long and interesting history.
P.K.Harris of Appledore, North Devon, UK built the tug for Pyke Salvage & Navigation of Kingston, ON in 1959 in preparation for the opening of the St.Lawrence Seaway that year, and the expected increase in size and number of ships needing salvage assistance. As with many tugs of the era from that yard, it had the new hydroconic (hard chine) hull form developed by Burness Corlitt. The hull was also strengthened for operation in ice.
The 97'-8" long craft was powered by two 8 cylinder Lister Blackstone engines geared to a single screw shaft producing 23 tons bollard pull. It was fitted with an 80 ton steam wrecking (and towing) winch aft and a 15 ton steam winch forward, powered by a 4,500 lbs per hour steam generator. (Apparently electric and hydraulic winches were not up to the game.) There was also a derrick mounted forward of the house, and a hold forward for salvage gear.
At the time of her delivery Pyke was a wholly owned subsidiary of Federal Commerce & Navigation Co Ltd [now Fednav], but Pyke had joined forces with McAllister Towing of Montreal to form McAllister Pyke to service the Seaway.

The Pyke operation had various salavge craft with names such as Salvage Prince, and Queen and is notable that this tradition has been respected through several owners.
Salvage Monarch towed the incomplete tug Stranton from the England to Sorel, where it was completed at Cathy McAllister. (It has since been rebuilt as Ocean Golf and is stationed in Toronto.)
Eventually McAllister took over Pyke completely and by 1962 Salvage Monarch was owned by McAllister Towing & Salvage Ltd.
Many were the salvage jobs, scrap tows and miscellaneous chores the tug performed through the years. Usually confined to the waters of the Seaway, she did make some trips further afield. As time went on she became less of a salvage vessel and more of a tug, and the forward winch and derrick were removed and the after winch was replaced.
Salvage Monarch's first visit to Halifax that I know of was in 1971 when it towed the retired Sorel ferry Napoleon L, which it handed over to the Gulf Joan, which in turn towed the ferry to British Columbia for further service.
When McAllister sold its business Salvage Monarch was mostly a harbour tug in Montreal, but new owners Groupe Océan looked farther afield for work. In the winter of 2000-2001 the tug was based in Halifax on charter for cable protection work.
In 2002 Heritage Harbour Marine of London, ON bought the tug and fleet mate Cathy McAllister ex Charlie S., which it renamed Seven Sisters. It was later sold and became Doc Morin and is presently being broken up at St.Catharines, ON.
Salvage Monarch saw some service under Heritage Harbour ownership, but it was laid up and has been for sale for several years.
It is good to see that the tug will be given new life. Thanks to spending most of its life in fresh water, it will certainly last for a few years longer.
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Penn No.6

2011-10-28T10:12:00.008-03:00

The big US flag tug Penn No.6 came over to Halifax from Imperial Oil and tied up at the Svitzer dock today. It is only when you get to see one of these tugs up close that you can appreciate how big they really are.

Penn No.6 was built in Slidell, LA by Southern Shipbuilding as Robert Alario in 1970. At 149' length overall and 35' breadth, the tug packs 5700 bhp delivered by two V-16 GMs. Morania Tanker Corp of New York bought the tug in 1992 and renamed it Morania No.6. Morania, founded in 1947, merged into Penn Maritime in 2000, but had shared common ownership since 1985. The tug changed its name as part of the merger and its colour too. Instead of the Morania red, it became Penn grey.

Penn moved its headquarters to Stamford, CT, but it maintains a base on Staten Island and also has an office in Slidell, LA.

Penn specializes in asphalt and heavy fuel transport, and has a fleet of a dozen tugs and barges. The barges are double hull, and the tugs are a mix of wire tow and articulated.

Penn No.6 is a wire tow tug, which can also push in the notch using face wires and has large pads to fit into the barge notch. Its massive tow winch and deck gear are typical of tugs of this size, built to handle very big barges.

See Halifax Shipping News for some excellent photos of the tug's arrival in Halifax towing Barge 120. The barge was built in 2002 and measures 7320 gross tons, 18,000 tons deadweight, and has a capacity of 115,000 bbls of black oil in six heated tanks. (All US units of measure)

Penn Maritime tugs are constant visitors to the Irving Oil refinery in Saint John and make calls in Halifax from time to time.

This evening it went back to Imperial Oil and picked up its barge, now fully loaded, and went out to anchor until the wind dies down.

New Life in the old Vim

2011-10-24T19:25:00.008-03:00

1. Point Vim at the IEL dock this afternoon.

2. The tug now has a winch and a knuckleboom crane, and new wheelhouse doors.

3. In its heyday in Halifax harbour the tug was called out in all weathers to berth ships, including this blustery Palm Sunday in 1978. Note the single radar and standard compass atop the wheelhouse, which was also fitted with wooden doors.

The once familiar Point Vim returned to Halifax for the first time in five years, showing off her new look.

Built in 1962 for the Foundation Company of Canada's towing operations as Foundation Vim, the tug worked all around Atlantic Canada before settling down to duties as a harbour tug in Port Hawksbury and Halifax. By that time Eastern Canada Towing had renamed her Point Vim (in 1974) and installed a fixed nozzle on her single open prop (in 1981.)

With the demand for more powerful tugs in Halifax, she was in reserve for several years until Svitzer Canada sold her in 2006 to Davis Shipping of Wesleyville, NF. Since then she has had numerous upgrades. The visible ones include a towing winch, a knuckle boom crane, and new watertight wheelhouse doors to replace the wooden relics that she was built with.

Still powered by her original 1,000 bhp Fairbanks Morse, she is going strong at 49 years of age.

The tug arrived towing the barge NT1032 with a load of metal fabrications from Bull Arm, NF. The cargo was unloaded this afternoon.

Salvor now (and back then)

2011-10-19T17:55:00.005-03:00

The McKeil tug Salvor arrived this afternoon towing the pollution control barge John P. Oxley from Shelburne. The barge has just completed a refit at Shelburne Ship Repair, and was returned to its berth at the Ultramar dock in Eastern Passage. The barge was built in 2001 by les chantiers Verreault in Méchins, QC and this is the first time it has left Halifax in the interim.
1. Salvor tied up at the Svitzer dock after completing its tow.

2. Salvor leaves the Eastern Passage bound for Halifax.

3, Salvor leaves the Ultramar dock in Eastern Passage after delivering the barge John P. Oxley.

4. Esther Moran arrived in Halifax 1982-05-03. One of her halyards has come free, but she looked quite trim in her Moran colours of green hull, red house, black funnel and huge white M.

The Salvor has been used in a variety of jobs since its acquisition by McKeil in 2000. In August it was pushing the barge Lambert Spirit on the St.Lawrence and Lakes.
The tug was built in 1963 for Moran Towing of New York and was named Esther Moran. It visited Halifax under this name in 1982 to tow out the El Paso Columbia. It was paired at that time with a sister tug M.Moran, which also was acquired by McKeil and renamed Salvager in 2000, and Wilf Seymour in 2004.) It is also in barge service, pushing the Alouette Spirit from Sept Iles to the Great Lakes.
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With a little help

2011-10-17T19:17:00.005-03:00

Most cruise ships using Halifax do not request tug assistance. They are all bristling with thrusters, and certainly do not want tugs with their black old tire fenders scuffing up their nice white hulls.

However once in a while they do take a tug. Such was the case today with AIDAaura, which was tied up inside pier 23, in a narrow camber, and it was windy.

I don't believe that Atlantic Willow needed to touch the ship however. I think she just put her line up to the ship's stern and pulled her out and helped to turn her to seaward. The tug was built for duty in Point Tupper, and is the only Atlantic Towing tug registered in Port Hawksbury.

Atlantic Willow is a 4,000 bhp stern drive tug built in 1998. She is fitted with fire-fighting gear, but has no towing winch.

"New" tug in town

2011-10-11T23:07:00.005-03:00

1. Looking bright and clean Atlantic Hemlock goes out to assist the container ship Thailand Express, October 10.

2. Dressed all over, Hemlock gets away from the dock in St-Malo, France to put on a display. May 17, 2000.

Atlantic Towing Ltd has shuffled some of its tugs around, resulting in a "new to us" tug in Halifax, at least for a while.

One of the regular tugs has been gone since August. At last report Atlantic Fir is towing the barge Atlantic Marlin in the Gulf of St.Lawrence after sailing from Valleyfield, QC last week.

Atlantic Hemlock arrived here October 4 towing the barge Atlantic Swordfish. Atlantic Larch took over the tow, departing October 7 and is now off the west coast of Newfoundland.

Atlantic Hemlock is now on harbour duties in Halifax.

Built in 1996 at Eastisle Shipyard, she is a 4,000 bhp ASD, but has at least one distinction.

She is one of only two tugs of this class to have made two Atlantic crossings under her own power.[The other is the Fjord Saguenay, based at La Baie, QC.]

In early 2000 Hemlock was sent to Europe to promote the East Isle yard's tug program and spent some time there. She may have been to Rotterdam, but in May she attended events surrounding the International Tug & Salvage Conference, and I saw her performing in St-Malo, France.

In July of 2000 she assisted in cable repair work off Broadstairs, UK and then spent time in Southampton. I'm not sure when she returned to Canada, but I assume it was in the fall of 2000.

Since that time the tug has been a bit of a roamer, working on various towing jobs for Atlantic Towing, from the Saint John, NB base. In 2001 she was contracted to tow various submarines and warships in the filming of the Harrison Ford moved K-19:the Widowmaker in Halifax Harbour.

The state of Emergency Towing

2011-10-09T20:40:00.010-03:00

1. The tug Hellas in happier times. Towing the Canadian Mariner on the St.Lawrence River, with the tug Avantage on the stern, off St-Fidèle, QC, 2007-08-17.

2. Would a rescue tug have made a difference? Abeille Languedoc, one of the French rescue tugs, seen here off St-Malo, 2000-05-17. Even bigger tugs have since been added to the fleet.

The Province of Nova Scotia has arrested the tug Hellas in Sydney, NS in order to secure a bond or other instrument to cover the potential cost of removing and remediating the wreck of the former Great Lakes bulk carrier Miner.

Hellas had the bulker under tow for Turkey to be scrapped when the line parted in bad weather and the ship ran ashore September 20 on Scatarie Island, at the northeast corner of Cape Breton Island. Since that time Mammoet, appointed as salvors by the tug owners, have removed some fuel oil and ballast waste from the ship.

The ship has received storm damage since grounding and there is now legitimate doubt about whether it can be removed intact, or will have to be broken up in situ.

The press and enthusiast websites are rife with speculation on the topic, and of course at this point it is a matter of wait and see. Press reports indicate that no pollution has been detected, and this is not surprising, since there was no fuel aboard save that to run a lighting generator.

The grounding site is a sensitive ecological zone and a Provincial nature reserve. Thus the Province of Nova Scotia has an interest beyond the normal Federal government interest.

I have written on the Shipfax blog about the Federal government's response.

Over the years a number of scrap tows have been lost en route and that should not be surprising, since the ships were old and not intended for deep sea voyages. That more of them have not been lost is perhaps a tribute to the tug crews. We do not know how many have been adrift for periods of time during the transatlantic voyages, but there have been several, including one in the Gulf of St.Lawrence last year. Most have been recovered and reached the destination - usually Turkey.

Some questions have been asked about tug availability during the time that Miner was adrift. The tug Hellas was not able to re-establish a tow line, and when the ship finally did go ashore, was not able to pull it off. Would a rescue tug have made a difference?

Today's reality is that "rescue" tugs do not exist in Canada. Tugs in eastern Canada are usually under contract and cannot drop what they are doing. Even if they could do so, they are not fitted for salvage work. There are also relatively few such tugs in the area. In fact there are only two deep sea tugs in eastern Canada: Ryan Leet (8800 bhp, based in Halifax) and Ocean Delta (5600 bhp, based in Quebec City). The normal 4,000 bhp to 5,000 bhp harbour tugs have some capability at sea, but would be hard pressed in severe conditions.

Even the multi-purpose anchor handling supply vessels used in the oil industry are rare in Nova Scotia these days. There are several working off Newfoundland, but they are many miles away from the Nova Scotia coast, and are fully booked.

In the UK right now there is a big hue and crew regarding the Coast Guard standby tugs. The government decided to withdraw this service as a cost cutting measure, and one of the tugs was sold. I hear that they have had second thoughts and may have put the cuts on hold now, due to public pressure. Nevertheless it is an expensive business to keep tugs on standby, ready for emergency. In the UK, France, Holland and Germany there are almost a dozen such tugs. Spain probably has almost as many itself (of varying sizes) but one has to remember that the density of ship traffic, particularly tankers, is intense in the Channel and North Sea, and the risk of accident is much higher. The history of accidents is also horrific, and the need for dedicated rescue tugs is hard to deny.

Here on the east coast of Canada ship traffic is minuscule compared to western Europe, and the chances of an accident with serious pollution or threat to life is much, much lower. Shipping activity is spread thinly over a wide area, with only a few "choke points" such as the Cabot Strait.

However should this be the basis for our government not providing some sort of emergency response capability?

It is all very well for the authorities to expect the towing tug to recover its lost tow, but in the event that that the tug itself is disabled, where would another tug come from? And how long would it take to get there?

What would happen in the event of a collision or grounding of a ship that had no attendant tug - who would respond?

In today's world the experienced salvage companies do not maintain salvage stations as they once did. They fly people and equipment to the site of casualties (and do so very quickly) but rely on locally sourced tugs when they need them, hired on a daily rate.

If a salvor needed a 10,000 bhp tug in Nova Scotia today, none would be available. Period. The nearest source might be Europe unless one of the oil industry vessels could be spared.

My proposal is that the Canadian government station salvage and rescue tugs in Sydney, NS and Yarmouth, NS, with a third tug based in Halifax and able to roam. It should be available for summer in the arctic, since there are no tugs there either (they had to send one from Quebec City two years ago.)

These should be dedicated 10,000 bhp plus tugs, able to tow anything that sails in Canadian waters and should not be sent off on hydrographic surveys or fishery patrols. If built to modern standards of energy efficiency they should not be costly to operate. Yes they will cost bucks to build, but no insurance is free.

I would also be surprised if any of them was called out in an emergency more than once a year. The question then is can they be justified or not. As insurance against the inevitable I say we can't afford not to have them.

US tugs to Nigeria

2011-09-29T20:04:00.006-03:00

Marcon International has just announced the sale of two US tugs to Nigeria. Both tugs are based in Tampa, FL and are operated by OSG. OSG took over the fleet of Maritrans Operating Partners in 2006, which in turn took over SONAT which took over Interstate in 1987, but which has roots that go way back. See this excellent summary: http://www.tugboatinformation.com/company.cfm?id=57.

Both tugs date from 1971 and were built by Maine Iron Works of Houma, LA, and fitted with EMD engines. These are probably outdated now, but they sound great!

OSG Seafarer ex Seafarer is a 5750 bhp tug with an elevated wheelhouse. This device has been modified and raised at least twice. According to Marcon it now has a height of eye of 55 feet.

OSG Liberty ex Liberty ex Satoco is a 7200 bhp tug. Its elevated wheeelhouse has been raised again since my 1992 photo and now gives a height of eye of 57 feet. It was built for Sabine Towing and Transportation and bought by Interstate in 1985.

Seafarer was the unfortunate tug in charge of the barge Ocean 255, loaded with avgas, when it was in collision with Balsa 37 resulting in a huge fire in Tampa Bay August 10, 1993.

The Maritrans tugs were always maintained in tip top condition, and had shipyard refits regularly, where they were sandblasted primed and repainted. It is no wonder then that they are still operating 40 years on.

See: www.marcon.com for more.

Neftegaz 29 a target?

2011-09-27T15:44:00.013-03:00

1. Intrepid Sea a.k.a. Neftegaz 29 , is guided from Bedford Basin to pier 9 this afternoon.

2. The tug arrived in Halifax in 2001 in tow of Topaz. Even Russian tugs in service can look like derelicts.

3. Tugs moved Neftegaz 29 in 2002 (her official name was Sable Sea at the time.)

One of a large fleet of supply/pipe carriers built for the USSR in Poland, the former Neftegaz 29 moved today from its longtime layup position in Bedford Basin. Atlantic Oak and Atlantic Larch moved the old vessel as a dead ship to pier 9.

Built in 1984 by Stoc. im. Konuny Paryskiej in Gdynia, Poland it was one of 55 vessels of its class. Reportedly built of excellent steel, with ice capabilities, the ships were of an obsolete design, and some were laid up on delivery.

Secunda Marine Services of Dartmouth acquired four vessels of the class, Neftegaz numbers 1, 2, 14 and 29. Numbers 1 and 2 were converted to the tug suppliers Burin Sea and Trinity Sea. Number 14 was transformed in to Panuke Sea.

Number 29 arrived in Halifax November 15, 2001 in tow of the Russian tug Topaz. Even then it was apparent that the ship has been laid up for some time. Although there was some activity on board in 2002 and again 2003 when one of her engines was removed for use on a sister vessel, she has spent most of the last 10 years laid up at Secunda's (formerly Gulf Oil's) Burnside pier in Bedford Basin. Now that all useful parts have probably been removed for re-use, she is pretty much in derelict condition and there is evidence of vandalism.

Shortly after Secunda acquired the ship they renamed it Sable Sea, but in 2002 this was changed to Intrepid Sea to free up the name for another supplier. Neither of these names has ever been painted on the ship.

In 2007 ownership of Secunda was taken over by McDermott, but there were no outward signs of change in the company.

Today's move may mean the end for the ship. We will soon discover if she is going to be sold to the navy for use as a target (most likely scenario in my mind), sold for scrap or even (unlikely) rebuilt.

Just Visiting

2011-09-26T17:21:00.004-03:00

1. Point Halifax ties up at the IEL dock this morning with the deck barge Atlantic Swordfish. The Atlantic Larch returns in the background.

2. A brand new Point Halifax, as seen from the wheelhouse of the Point Vibert (now Florence M.) 1987-02-08. She is painted in the colours of Smit & Cory.

After more than a year's absence, the tug Point Halifax returned to Halifax, but it is still just visiting. (It was here one other time, but only handed off a tow and did not enter port or tie up.)

Built in 1986, Point Halifax was the first ASD tug to be based here, and was the prime harbour tug for many years. Powered by two English Electric engines (Ruston) it was rated at 4200 bhp and 62 tonnes bollard pull. At the time this was considered to be quite powerful for a harbour tug, and so it proved to be until the 5,000 bhp tugs came in.

Eastern Canada Towing Ltd ordered the tug when it was still part of the Smit & Cory organization. After numerous changes in that arrangement, they are now owned by Svitzer Canada.

In July 2010 the three Halifax-based Svitzer tugs were transferred to Point Tupper. Point Halifax however was under repair at the time and when it was ready to go, it was transferred to Port Hawksbury and chartered to Atlantic Towing Ltd. It is in their service that it arrived this morning towing the barge Atlantic Swordfish.

More small tug work

2011-09-24T11:40:00.006-03:00

1. Carl M. works with the spud scow Canadian Argosy.

2. Whitby follows.

No big tug news to report at the moment, but the small tugs are keeping busy in Halifax. McNally Marine's Carl M. and fleet mate Whitby continue to attend construction scows at the Halterm extension project.

Both tugs trace there existance to McNamara Construction, long defunct, builders of the orginal Halterm container terminal IN 1969-70.

Carl M. was built in 1957 by Russel-Hipwell in Owen Sound, ON as Louis M. She was renamed in 1975, and rates 465 bhp.

Whitby dates from 1978 and has 474 horses at her command. She was built by McNamara's own forces in her namesake port.

Both tugs are truckable, and their wheelhouses are removable.

Little Tugs: dirty job, but somebody has to do it.

2011-09-20T20:22:00.007-03:00

1. Following up on the Armchair Captain's photo of Gulf Spray with the garbage barge on Monday and my own of the same tug with barge alongside Le Boreal last week, here is even smaller fleet mate Carly J also with a garbage barge. September 18.
All refuse coming off cruise ships is considered international garbage, and must be incinerated. Local garbage (in Halifax at least) is composted, recycled or land filled. During cruise season, when there are several large ships in port, there is a veritable mountain of garbage coming ashore, which does not enter the domestic "waste stream."

2. Gulf Spray works alongside Silver Whisper at pier 20, also September 18.

LeGrow's Marine handles most of the debris, and mobilizes itssmall fleet to do the job. The garbage is removed on the offside of the ship (to avoid the possibility that passengers will be be offended by their own garbage!) and barged to shore, usually at pier 29, where it is then trucked to the incinerator.

Roseway Returns

2011-09-18T20:15:00.005-03:00

Dominion Diving's tug Roseway returned to Halifax late this afternoon after a summer working in Shelburne. In tow was the former La Have river cable ferry La Have II now used as a work barge.

Roseway was built in 1960 in Liverpool, NS by Steel and Engine Products for the (Federal)Minister of Public Works and assigned to the dredging fllet. Usually working out of Liverpool, but ranging up and down the Nova Scotia coasts, it tended a pair of small mud scows and the dredge D.P.W.No. 16 in the maintenance of numerous small harbours. Measuring only 36 gross tons, it was fitted with two engines generating 300 bhp.

As DPW began to exit the dredging scene, the tug was acquired by Dominion Diving in 1989.

In 1991 as it was returning to port it began to take on water and sank just off the IEL wharf in 60 feet of water. The next day (December 24) the tug/workboats Saint M, Little Saint and barge Coneco III lifted the tug off the bottom and moved it alongside the IEL dock. It was then raised by shore crane and taken to Dartmouth Marine Slip. There was very little damage except to the the electricals and electronics, which were replaced. The tug was back in service in 2 months, and later in 1992 was re-powered by Rolls Royce engines totalling 420 bhp.

The tug had provided sterling service as a tug, diving tender, workboat, crew boat, lineboat and any other job that Dominion has had for it.

Océan finds work for Escorte

2011-09-11T22:33:00.009-03:00

1. In the camber at Pointe-au-Pic with the Manoir Richelieu hotel in the background.

2. Operating stern first, she arrives at Cap-à-l'Aigle with a spoil scow.

3. Removal of the orginal funnel improved visibility to the stern.

4. Escorte stands off Pointe-au-Pic at dusk, after a day's work.

Groupe Océan of Quebec City, has found work for its excellent small tug Escorte. After several years of service at their Hamilton, ON operation it was replaced this year by Océan Golf, and was reported to be for sale.

However I saw it in action this summer assisting the dredging fleet with some barge handling work. The tug was tasked with handling the barges Milne Inlet and Mary River to carry contaminated dredge spoil, which was then pumped ashore for treatment and disposal. This operation took place at both the Pointe-au-Pic, QC and Cap-à-l'Aigle, QC wharfs, in preparation for new wharf ownership and future development.

Escorte was built by Jakobson's Shipyard in Oyster Bay, NY in 1967 for the US Navy, as Menasha and was assigned the USN number 760. It and sister tug Mascouta, 761, now Atlantic Towing's Atlantic Aspen, were reported to be experimental, since they were were the first USN tugs built with Voith propulsion, and developed a modest 675 bhp. (There exists some confusion about the actual ancestry of the tugs, since the USN had YTBs or YTMs of the same name built at the same yard a few years earlier. This pair were definitely more like YTLs or YTSs, since they measure only 120 gross tons.)

After naval service they showed up on the United States section of the St.Lawrence Seaway in about 1989, still in USN colours. They were soon repainted in St.Lawrence Seaway Development Corp colours of black hull and green deck house, and did see service in the Snell-Eisenhower lock areas, and even with ship assist work at Cornwall, ON. Menasha was sold to John Fedek of Ogdensburg, NY in 1991. Vandalized and sunk in August 1992 it was raised by Donald Gordon of Courtwright, ON, who took possession of the vessel in payment. He operated the tug for a time out of Sarnia, repainting the deckhouse blue. He must have liked the name because he renamed his next acquisition Menasha (ex W.C.Harms-97, Ruby Casho-88, Hamilton-86, W.C.Harms-54, 132 gross tons, built 1949, 900 bhp)

In 1995 MTL Marine Tug Inc of Montreal (part of Three Rivers Boatmen) acquired the tug, and she was again repainted - this time with white deck house. Her plain black funnel acquired the red and white vertical bars of 3RB, and she was renamed Escorte, with "Tractor Tug" painted on her bulwarks.

After Groupe Océan took over 3RB, she worked out of Trois-Rivières for a time, then in 2002 was sent to Quebec City for a refit. There her funnel was removed and replaced by exposed exhaust pipes (improving visibility aft) and of was again repainted, this time in Groupe Océan colours of the day. Those have since changed, but the tug is essentially unaltered since then.

As with all Groupe Océan tugs, she is maintainred in spotless condition, and looks to be in excellent condition. Long may she run!

New Tug Workboat for the Port of Quebec

2011-09-10T12:26:00.005-03:00

1 and 2 Le Cageux at its own slip in the Inner Bassin Louise at Quebec City, 2011-08-05.

As reported on July 25, the Administration Portuaire de Quebec sold its former tug /workboat Beaupré to a numbered company in Matane. http://tugfaxblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2011/07/russel-tug-changes-hands.html

That company may be associated with Meridien Maritime Reparation, builder of the port's new workboat Le Cageux, which I spotted for the first time on August 5. The new boat is equipped with a roomy deck house, wide open working deck aft deck, open stern, deck crane and other features more suited to its chores in the Port of Quebec. Some of this work would be associated with maintaining fenders at the various piers, and perhaps some buoy work, barge handling and towing. The new craft measures 24.20 gross tons, is 13.01m long, 4.91m breadth and 2.36m deep. It is a twin screw vessel, with a total of 420kW of power.

It resembles a miniature offshore supply vessel, with many similar features. I could not see a tow hook or towing bitts from my vantage point.

"Cageux" in translation can mean timber cribwork, or pier.

Vacation Time

2011-07-29T19:20:00.003-03:00

Another vacation notice - posts to this site will be few and far between in the month of August -if at all!
Although I will be ship and tug watching, I will not be tug posting much since I will be away from my computer.
Watch for new posts in September.

Salvanguard (iii) - the new generation

2011-07-29T18:33:00.010-03:00

The third tug to carry the name Salvanguard arrived this morning towing the Boabarge 36, after depositing the Deep Panuke topsides structure off Sable Island.
Although the owners have changed names three times since founding, they have kept the distinctive "Sal" prefix for their big tugs, hearkening back to the days when they were a Singapore based salvage company.

1. The current Salvanguard at rest at pier 25. The large open deck allows for anchor handling and offshore supply work.

2. Salvanguard arrives this morning and slows to let go her tow.

3. Harbour tugs takeover the Boabarge 36 on a hazy moring.

The current Salvanguard, built for POSH Semco in 2004 is 13,5000 bhp multi-use tug with a massive 158 tons bollard pull. As with most of the new deep sea tugs these days it can do anchor handling and various other forms of offshore support work. In my opinion not as impressive a vessel as its predecessors, but it is nevertheless extraordinarily capable.
In the years since Selco and Semco and now as POSH Semco the company has concentrated on worldwide towing and offshore installations, with salvage work a minor part of their activities.
The first tug named Salvanguard was the former American (but Japanese built) Alice L. Moran a yacht like tug that had also carried the names Stateseman and Statesman I before Semco acquired it in 1978. It was sold in 1986 and renamed Amsterdam. Last reported it was in Dubai.
The second Salvanguard was equally impressive, the Japanese built Dahlia acquired in 1987. This 2699 gross ton tug built in 1978 was sold in 1998 and converted to the seismic research vessel Geobay. It was strictly a towing and salvage vessel and made some very significant tows in its career.

4. The impressive Salvanguard (ii) gets underway towing an oil rig from Halifax August 15, 1997.

2. Capt Ioannis S (now Ocean Delta) and Ocean Foxtrot assist in steering and Salvanguard does the puling as the tow sets out for Quebec City August 15, 1997. Photo taken from Chebucto Head, at the entrance the Halifax harbour.

3. Setting up the tow of Spirit of Columbus August 15, 1997. Chebucto Sea stands by at right. The rig was towed to Quebec City for conversion to the production rig Petrobas 36.

Salvanguard (ii) towed the oil rig Spirit of Columbus from Halifax August 15, 1997. Due to the size of the rig its thrusters and flare stack were removed in Halifax to reduce its water draft and air draft, so it could reach Quebec safely. The tugs Capt Ioannis S (now Ocean Delta) and Ocean Foxtrot assisted in the tow to provide additional steering particularly in the narrow sections of the St.Lawrence River and where power lines cross. That rig was converted to Petrobas 36, a Brazilian production platform. On March 20, 2001 the rig exploded and sank off Brazil with the loss of ten lives.
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Oldie from the Shoebox

2011-07-26T20:51:00.009-03:00

1. Metridia spent the winter of 1971-72 at Ile-aux-Coudres, QC. Its heavy icebreaker bow is visible in this April 11, 1972 photo.

2. A sad end to a handsome tug, Metridia beached at Bic, QC in 1978.

In 1928 the Anticosti Shipping Company commissioned Davie Shipbuilding & Repair in Lauzon (now Lévis) QC to build a modern seagoing tug for their wood operations on Anticosti Island, in the Gulf of St.Lawrence.

This large shipyard (much in the news in 2011 after being rescued from bankruptcy again) was building magnificent cruise ships for the St.Lawrence River, canal freighters and humble dump scows - all at the same time.

The tug was named George M. McKee and its primarily use was to tow bundled wood from various collection points around Anticosti Island to the waiting ship Port Alfred. The ship would then take to wood to the company's mill in Port Alfred for manufacture into paper.

That operation only lasted a few years before other methods were employed, and the tug was sold to Manseau Shipyard of Sorel. Manseau was the ownership vehicle for the Simard family, whose empire included steel fabrication and lucrative St.Lawrence River dredging projects. Manseau eventually became Marine Industries Ltd and maintained a large towing fleet.

The tug was built for icebreaking and was no doubt a useful adjunct to MIL's fleet of many wooden tugs. It was 100'-0" length BP and 26'-0" breadth with a draft of only 10'-0". Also remarkable for a tug of the period, it was fitted with a 700 bhp Fairbanks Morse diesel engine.

Crew accommodation for 13 was below decks forward, and aft over the tail shaft. The deck house was only for galley, mess and heads, with the rest devoted to accessing the huge engine which was 20'-0" long, not including flywheel assembly.

The original small wooden wheelhouse and dodger were replaced with steel one. A captain's cabin and spare cabin were located abaft the wheelhouse. Also a steel bulwark replaced post and wire stanchions on the foredeck.

Following World War II the tug was kept very busy by MIL towing surplus naval vessels to Sorel for layup and eventual demolition. The tug picked up the tows in such ports as Shelburne, Halifax and Sydney, NS.

MIL sold the tug in 1970 to International Diving Centre Inc of Montreal. They renamed the tug Metridia and it was in their ownership when I photographed it at Ile-aux-Coudres in 1972.

In 1976 it was sold again to Navires océanographiques Inc of Rimouski. I last saw it in derelict condition in Bic, QC in 1978, and I assume it was subsequently broken up there.

Russel tug changes hands

2011-07-25T20:47:00.008-03:00

Another of those long lived Russel tugs has changed hands.

1. Beaupré in Matane, QC July 10, 2011, under new ownership.

2. Hauled out in Quebec City for refit in 1996, Beaupré shows her traditional hull form. No hard chines or flat plates for this small tug. Also no rolling chocks, evidence that she is meant to work in ice.

Delivered on November 24, 1952 by Russel-Hipwell, in Owen Sound, ON, the tug was originally named W.J.Balcom and was built for the federal Mininster of Transport at Coral Harbour, NWT. That community is on the south side of Southampton Island, which is located in the northern extremity of Hudson Bay. (It is now known as Sallit and is in Nunavut Territory.)

Whether it ever reached Coral Harbour is doubtful, because in 1953 it was reported in use as a pilot boat in Goose Bay, Labrador.

Its original use was probably to assist in landing cargo lighters during northern supply missions, but plans apparently changed.

In 1963-64 it was declared surplus by the MoT and sold to the National Harbours Board. Assigned to Quebec City, it was renamed Beaupré. With the privatisation of ports it remained with the port and was owned by the Port de Québec and finally l'administration portuaire de Québec.

Sometime in the last year I would guess, the tug was sold to 3326405 Canada Inc of Matane, QC and that's where I spotted her July 10.

For more photos and other information see: http://www.russelbrothers.com/

Shelburne Ship Repair tug fleet in refit

2011-07-23T22:19:00.005-03:00

With a major reconstruction of the slipway at Shelburne, NS, which has been underway for a year or more, the yard's three tug/workboats have been unemployed. SSR 1 appears to be just about completed on its refit, which regrettably has not improved the boat's appearance.

1. Extraordinarily homely SSR1 shows it seine boat roots, with the huge keel frames.

2. SSR 3 is a proper little tug, and SSR 2 is also a former seine boat.

Now that the new cradle nears completion, a refit is underway on the first of the boats. SSR 1, which is not documented under that name, is a former seine boat. When afloat is looks like a raft with an outhouse on it, but it is powerful.

SSR 2, also a former seine boat, and also not documented under that name, still has its original seine boat cabin. It was formerly used by the Steel & Engine Products shipyard in Liverpool (now closed) and was named Stenpro III at that time. A sister boat is till laid up at that former yard, the Stenpro II.

SSR 3 is also an unofficial name. Built in 1964 as Grande Entrée by Ferguson Industries in Pictou, it worked as a dredge tender in the Magdalen Islands. In 1996 it was renamed T.5 and sold to Harbour Development, the Irving dredging operation, arriving in Halifax in November 1996. In 1997 it accompanied the dredging fleet to work in Liverpool. Sometime before 2002 it wound up at Shelburne. Its official name is still T.5.

Russel tugs - do they last forever?

2011-07-20T16:23:00.009-03:00

The Owen Sound, ON based tug builders Russel Brothers, and Russel-Hipwell Engines Ltd., as they later became, stopped building tugs in the 1960s, however so many of their hulls are still going, that one has to ask the question - will they last forever?
Several factors in their favour are that most have spent their lives in fresh water - or at least a good portion of their lives there.
Another is that they were built to do rough work, usually in logging operations, and so were built to take abuse. They were also technically simple - little more than a hull/cabin with a very basic propulsion system.
Those who operate then now want to keep them going due to very high replacement costs.
A recent trip through Quebec turned up a few Russels in various places:
1. La Trenche was built in 1950. It is seen here working on a bridge project at St-François du Lac for Groupe Océan.

2. This unknown Russel is now a pleasure craft at Louiseville QC, July 8.

3. OC 34 ex Rapide des Coeurs was originally built in 1934, but extensively rebuilt in 2002. It is shown at Groupe Océan's maintenance yard in Quebec City.

4. Groupe Océan is by far the largest owner of Russel tugs, and has several in various states of repair at any given time. (The tug on the left is not a Russel). Second from left is H.E.Graham, built in 1964 - it appears to have had an engine fire. Third from left is Pascal D. ex Namekos, built in 1955. Far right is La Croche built in 1940. Quebec City July 6.

5. Le Phil D. ex Expanse, was built in 1961. It is seen here at Rivière du Loup, June 30 tending the dredge Ocean Basque 2. It too works for Groupe Océan.

The excellent Russel web site (although a few years out of date) is well worth a look, to see the huge numbers of boats the company built, and an explanation of their unique appearance.
See: http://www.russelbrothers.com/
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Classic tug arrives

2011-07-18T09:25:00.003-03:00

The veteran tug Evans McKeil made one of its infrequent arrivals in Halifax this morning towing the floating drydock HM Dock 1. [see also Shipfax.]

The tug was built in 1936 in Balboa, Panama Canal Zone by the Panama Railroad Co. and named Alhajuela. Originally a diesel electric vessel of a modest 750 bhp, it has been rebuilt and reconditioned several times in its long life.

In 1970 Malcom Marine of Port Huron, MI acquired the tug and ran it as Barbara Ann until 1989.

In that year McKeil Workboats of Hamilton ON became the owners and added an elevated wheelhouse for barge work. It is named for the founder of the company, the late Evans McKeil. In its current configuration the tug is powered by two GM EMD engines, geared to a single screw, giving 2150 bhp.

Atlantic Oak puts on another show

2011-07-17T17:40:00.008-03:00

Unlike last month's publicity exercises, today's show was put on by Atlantic Oak as part of its real job.
Oak took up position astern of the arriving container ship Kiel Express and assisted the ship through the Narrows, acting as a rudder and brake, but did not have to work too strenuously. However once into the Basin and clear of the MacKay bridge, Oak really went to work. The ship had a to make a wide arc to allow room for sister ship Rotterdam Express to sail, and Oak went into a full stern escort mode, giving lots of power to slow and turn the ship. The tug's escort skeg and its 5,000 bhp provide considerable lateral force to the ship when its own slow speed does not give it much steerage way.

1. Atlantic Oak in position astern of Kiel Express in the Narrows.

2. With line taught Oak is assisting with steering and braking.

3. Into the Basin, Oak pours on the power to turn and steer the ship.

4. Oak in full stern escort mode, exerting may tonnes of power.

Atlantic Poplar on the move

2011-07-16T20:57:00.005-03:00

1. Irving Poplar with a barge at the old Irving Oil dock in Halifax.

2. Atlantic Poplar is brough alongside the dredge scow Channelmaster (another veteran).

The veteran tug Atlantic Poplar was moved back to pier 6 yesterday, by Atlantic Willow, after a few weeks at the IEL dock.

Built by Erieau Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Co Ltd in 1965 at Erieau, ON, the tug was originally called Amherstburg, named for its home port, near Windsor, ON. It was built for the well known McQueen Marine Ltd., towing and salvage specialists on the Great Lakes.

J.D.Irving acquired the tug in 1975 and it became Irving Poplar, and was renamed Atlantic Poplar in 1996 as part of a fleet renaming by Atlantic Towing Ltd.

It has been laid up in Halifax for a number of years, with reported engine issues. It is a twin screw tug, powered by two V-8 Paxman engines producing a total 2270 bhp.

Ever hopeful that it will be rebuilt and returned to service -I have seen no activity on her for a long time. I expect that she may be rebuilt for the Harbour Devlopment dredging fleet if they can find enough work for her.

Her recent move was just to return her to her usual berth after she was displaced by fleet mate Swellmaster that came in a couple of weeks ago and left with a dump scow.

Under Atlantic Towing ownership it has been based in Saint John, Belledune and the Strait of Canso, as well as in barge towing all over Atlantic Canada.

Pups at play

2011-07-15T16:46:00.006-03:00

In a very stiff northerly breeze, it wasn't exactly child's play to dock the visiting USCG Eagle this morning [see also Shipfax]. However the two navy Ville class tugs Granville and Merrickville were up to the job, and made it look easy.

Both tugs were wearing white "bibs" over their bow fenders, and made up well out in the stream. They had to push to keep the ship up into the wind, and to keep it alongside until lines were secure.Built in 1974 the tugs are rated at 7.5 tonnes bollard pull, with 365 bhp.

As Canadian Forces Auxiliary Vessels (CFAV) they are manned by civilian crews and work under the direction of the Queen's Harbour Master at HMC Dockyard.

Océan A. Simard on the job - in Baie Comeau

2011-07-15T16:09:00.009-03:00

1. Océan A. Simard on July 4, 2011 in Baie Comeau.

2. Océan A. Simard at the usual tug berth, alongside the government wharf.

3. Pointe Comeau in her original Ectug livery, in Halifax in 1976. Both tug and waterfront have changed over the subsequent years. Note the dent in the exhaust uptake.

The Groupe Océan tug Océan A. Simard (ex Alexis-Simard of Rio Tinto-Alcan) is now on the job in Baie Comeau, QC.

After an extensive refit at Industrie Océan shipyard in Ile-aux-Coudres, QC this spring, the tug went to Quebec City for a time, but in late June it transferred to Baie Comeau. That port is home to the tug Pointe Comeau, owned by the Cargill Grain Co, but operated under a long term contract with Svitzer. It serves ships at Cargill's grain berths. Now Ocean A. Simard is handling Alcoa's import and export berths.

Interestingly both Océan A. Simard and Pointe Comeau are Voith Schneider tugs, so ship handling will be carried out in the same way for the berthing masters.

Océan A.Simard looks quite splendid in its new Groupe Océan livery of blue hull and white house, with aqaua blue trim, which can only he seen from certain angles.

Pointe Comeau was built in 1976 by Marystown Shipyard and is rated at 3500 bhp.

Note: the above has been edited and corrected thanks to comment received - see below.

McNally sells to Weeks

2011-07-13T11:45:00.007-03:00

1. Whitby at work on July 11 at the Halterm extension.

2. Carl M swings around the Canadian Argosy at Halterm July 11.

3. Mister Joe arriving in Halifax in May.

As reported in Shipfax, McNally Construction has been purchased by Weeks Marine, Inc of New Jersey. McNally will continue to operate under its current name as a wholly owned subsidiary.

As the largest marine construction operation in eastern Canada (Ocean Group is probably a distant #2) McNally has a substantial fleet of work barges, scows, dredges and about 20 tugs.

There is unlikely to be any outward change in the look of the fleet in the near future, but some of the older plant is certainly due for replacement.

One of McNally's hard working tugs is Mister Joe, built in 1964 by Russel-Hipwell in Owen Sound, ON as Churchill River. After a career in James Bay and Hudson Bay, it worked on Hibernia for a time, before its acquisition of Beaver Marine (a McNally subsidiary that was folded into the larger company) in 2000. The twin screw tug of 750 bhp is named for Joe McNally, one of the company founders.

Smaller tugs include Carl M, built in 1957 as Louis M (renamed in 1975) and acquired from the now defunct McNamara Construction rates 475 bhp. Whitby (also a former McNamara tug) was built in 1978 and rates 474 bhp.

Big Tug heads north

2011-07-12T22:17:00.004-03:00

The big Russian tug Vladimir Ignatyuk sailed from Halifax yesterday, headed for Greenland.

Built at Burrard Yarrows Corp in Victoria, BC in 1983 as Kalvik, it operated in the western Canadian Arctic Beaudril, a subsidiary of Gulf Canada Resources. It was renamed Arctic Kalvik in 1997 when acquired by Fednav Ltd.

Sister ship Terry Fox, built by the same company, but in North Vancouver, was sold to the Canadian Coast Guard, but they let Kalvik get away.

In 2003 it was sold to the Murmansk Shipping Co and has worked world wide in towing and arctic support. On her last visit to Halifax, in May of 2007, she was en route back to the Beaufort Sea to support drilling work as Vladimir Ignatyuk. With a helicopter landing deck mounted forward, she is distinctively different from her sister vessel.

SUMMER

2011-06-29T20:01:00.002-03:00

Summer has arrived (officially at least- someone should tell the weather man.)
As a result postings to this blog may be rare and intermittent for the next couple of months.

New work for famous tug.

2011-06-20T10:24:00.004-03:00

The Maltese flag tug Herakles sailed from Hull, England for Montreal on June 14. The tug is better known for its role as the British Maritime and Coast Guard Agency tug Anglian Prince. With British government budget cut backs, the tug was sold off and this is its first job under its new name. The tug is expected in Montreal June 23 to tow out the retired laker Algontario.
Built in Hong Kong in 1980 as Salvageman it worked for United Towing of Hull, but was laid up in 1990 when Howard Smith Group took over United Towing.
It was then sold to the Spanish company Boluda, and renamed Hispania.
In 1996 Klyne Tugs purchased the tug for charter to the Maritime and Coast Guard Agency for use as a rescue tug, and renamed it Anglian Prince. Klynne tugs is now part of the Knight Towing group.
The British government has decided not to subsidize Emergency Towing Vessels (ETVs) in a widely criticised decision earlier this year. The tugs, which are paid to stand by for emergencies in the English Channel and North Sea have figured in many dramatic rescues over the years. The German, Dutch and French governments continue to fund ETVs, but British waters will be left unprotected after September when the funding stops. The government will rely on "vessels of opportunity" (that is nearby commercial tugs) for ETV service, with costs to be paid for out of salvage claims.
In addition to its duties as an ETV it was also available for commercial hire. It was chartered by the Royal Navy to tow the Canadian submarine HMCS Chicoutimi back to Scotland after its disastrous fire in October 2008.
Anglian Prince was sold just last month to Greek owners and was quickly refitted and renamed before setting on on this trip.
Herakles is a 11,280 bhp tug, with a 160 tonne bollard pull, and is by far the most powerful tug to be hired to tow retired lakers to the scrap yards in Turkey.

Follow the tug's progress on AIDS and see photos at:

http://marinetraffic.com/ais/shipdetails.aspx?mmsi=256008000

Atlantic Larch and Fir at work

2011-06-08T22:32:00.007-03:00

1. OOCL Hong Kong with tugs coming to a stop.

2. Atlantic Larch providing braking on the port side.

3. Atlantic Fir pours on the power to take the way off.

It's not all play for the tugs of Atlantic towing despite some PR work this week. Today the post-Panamax container ship OOCL Hong Kong had to be brought to a stop in the lower harbour.

Atlantic Larch put on the brakes from her position on the port side, and Atlantic Fir had to apply some power from her stern position. Her blue spectra line was bar taught as she she swung out to take the way off the ship.

The ship apparently did not have permission to pass under the harbour bridges. This could have been due to activity on the bridge, or the need to allow the tide to fall enough to give adequate clearance. These post-Panamax ships have substantial air draft, and they need special monitoring to ensure that the can pass the bridges safely.

The ship remained stationary in the lower harbour with tugs standing by for nearly an hour until it was given the "all clear" to proceed. This would indicate to me that it was not a tide related issue.

Tug silliness in Halifax Harbour

2011-06-02T13:02:00.007-03:00

To promote Irving Shipbuilding, two Atlantic Towing tugs conducted a demonstration in Halifax to kick off Ocean Week.
Atlantic Oak and Atlantic Willow did some pirouettes, crash stops, spins and push offs. All good fun.
1. Atlantic Willow does a high speed spin.

2. Atlantic Oak, full speed astern.......

3. Then a crash stop in her own length.

4. Oak and Willow meet for a push off.

5. Oak does a spin.

Merrickville assists Glenbrook with Kingston tow

2011-06-01T13:19:00.007-03:00

1. Tow made up and heading out into a stiff head wind.

2. Merrickville standing by the tow, with the deck crew back on board.

3. Glenbrook with the tow line.

As reported on Shipfax the CFAV Glenbrook towed the HMCS Kingston out of Halifax today. The pup tug Merrickville assisted in the tow, by taking the deck crew off and standing by until the tow was well underway.

Atlantic Condor trials

2011-05-21T22:01:00.005-03:00

1. Atlantic Condor returns to pier 9B this afternoon following day long trials in Bedford Basin.

2. At pier 9 B on Friday, the ship shows off her blue coloured davit.

The new supplier Atlantic Condor ran trials in Bedford Basin today. Since she was completed by Halifax Shipyard earlier this year she has had some specialized equipment fitted, including a large blue davit, in preparation for work on the Deep Panuke gas field.

Originally intended strictly as a supply vessel, it now appears he will be doing some installation work too.

Tonnerre

2011-05-17T17:53:00.003-03:00

Equipped with pusher knees to work with barges, the Canadian Forces Auxiliary vessel Tonnerre is another craft that is not quite a tug, but can do some kinds of tug work.

Attached to Fleet Diving Unit (Atlantic) based at Jetty NA in Shearwater, the boat carries the designation FDUA3 (partially obstructed by the open door to the wheelhouse). Like most naval auxiliaries it is poorly documented, so I have no specific details on it.

The name Tonnerre is a traditional one, and has been attached to other vessels in the past.

CFAVs in the Narrows

2011-05-16T20:13:00.008-03:00

1. The Canadian Forces Auxiuliary Vessel Glenbrook YTB 643 made a solo security trip to Bedford Basin today. This is a daily trip to the Defence Research and Development Establishment Atlantic barge YLP 451. The barge is moored off Birch Cove and used for a variety of experimental purposes. It is sometimes manned, but there is a daily security visit from some HMC Dockyard craft. Glenbrook was built in 1976 and boasts a 19.5 tonne bollard pull from its Voith-Schneider propulsion system - quite adequate for light displacement warships.

2. The morning trip is usually made by the firefloat Firebird YTR 561, as it was on Saturday May 14. Built in 1978 the boat is fitted with a towing bitt, but is not rated as a tug.

W.N.Twolan sails again

2011-05-16T13:05:00.006-03:00

1. W.N.Twolan in Halifax, while under McKeil ownership.

2. Handling the barge Loveland "The Twolan" leaves pier 23. The littel "bird house" wheelhouse was removed when sold by McKeil.

An interesting tug has found new work on the Great Lakes and upper St.Lawrence River, far from its original sphere of operations.
Built in 1962 by Geo. T. Davie & Sons Ltd (little Davie) in Lauzon, now Lévis, QC, it was designed for service in the port of Churchill, MB for the National Harbours Board. It was a twin screw vessel with two 700 bhp Gebr. Stork engines, two firefighting monitors rated at 1400 gpm at 150 psi, and a towing winch. It was also capable of working in ice, and was built to Lloyds Ice class 2. Its work at Churchill was to act as a pilot boat, and ship berthing tug, and was expected to work clearing ice at berths and other general port work. To accommodate pilots it was fitted with 10 crew berths and four spares.
It has managed to keep its distinctive ever since, through at series of owners. W. N. Twolan was the superintendent of pilots and later general manager of the Port of Churchill, MB on Hudson Bay. He retired in 1955 and the tug was named in his honour.
It went to Churchill to work, then in 1965-66 it came back to Halifax to winter over and for drydocking and refit. It repeated this every few years (1971-72, 1975-76) then went to other ports for refit.
It was replaced at Churchill in 1986 when the new 3030 bhp tug H.M.Wilson was built for the port. 'The Twolan' came south again. McKeil Work Boats had bought the tug and it ran for them in barge service and icebreaking from late 1986 to late 1992. It was a caller in Halifax from time to time, once in 1991 (as pictured) with the barge Loveland, which it picked up in the US.
The next owners were St.Lawrence Tug Boats, a company established in Montreal by Construction A. Dufresne and Berthiaume Marine, which had acquired McAllister Towing & Salvage. The tug worked in the Montreal area, and was useful in the ice, but by then underpowered for ship berthing work. They did not see fit the change the tug's name.
In 1995 W.N.Twolan was acquired,along with the barge McAllister 132, by a numbered company in Thunder Bay, ON doing business as ABM Marine, The company was associated with Buchanan Forest Products. The barge was set up to carry timber and packaged lumber and fitted with a high control house to see over the mountainous deck loads and to control the tug, which usually pushed from the stern. The pair traded from Thunder Bay, ON to various Lakes ports including Duluth, and as far afield as Detroit, MI and Erie, PA.
With the closure of some of that company's operations the Twolan was laid up at the end of the 2008 season.
This spring the tug has been brought out again, and sailed down to Oshawa, ON where it picked up two inland river type grain barges. It then set out for Prescott, ON where it exchanged barges and headed for Trois-Rivieres, QC.
The grain barges were previously handled by Upper Lakes Group's Marinelink tug Commodore Strait and the chartered Radium Yellowknife. Marinelink has ceased operations and the charter of Radium Yellowknife appears to have ended. That tug had some ownership and mechanical issues last year and was latterly operated by the Great Lakes Feeder Lines.

Recent Photos on the Boatnerd web site show the W.N.Twolan still carrying the ABM funnel marking.
After many years in fresh water, W.N.Twolan’s life has no doubt been extended. And it may well see many more years of service.

Footnote:
A tug of the same basic design was built in 1961 by the Saint John Dry Dock as Kelligrews for the Minister of Public Works, for service with the dredging fleet in Newfoundland. It was an ice class 3 vessel. Sold in 1989 to Verreault Navigation of Les Méchins, QC it carried the name Verreault No.25 for a brief time but was renamed Keta V later in 1989.It became the company’s main towing vessel and towed dredging plant all over eastern Canada. On October 3, 2000 it struck a ledge and sank while entering Liverpool, NS and was a total loss. Plans to raise it were never carried out, although the wreck was sealed and its tanks pumped out.

Recent redeployments at Groupe Océan

2011-05-15T20:27:00.009-03:00

With its large fleet of tugs, Groupe Océan of Quebec City can be expected to move its tugs around from port to port as needed. However, most tugs are permanently assigned to specific ports due their particular capabilities. However this spring there have been the following redeployments:
1. Escorte from Hamilton to refit at Industrie Océan in Ile-aux-Coudres. (She is still listed for sale on brokers sites.) In this photo she is shown at Trois-Rivières, QC in the colours of Three Rivers Boatmen, a company taken over by Groupe Océan. Ahead of her is the Norton class Robert H ex Heatherton, since sold south.

2. Océan Yvan Desgagnés (not pictured) from Quebec City to Sept-Iles for Océan Remorquage Côte-Nord. (Her place in Quebec City will be taken by the newly delivered Océan Ross Gaudreault when it enters service this month.) Océan now has three tugs in Sept-Iles (versus two for Svitzer), the others being Ocean Raymond Lemay (pictured on trials in Halifax in 2006) and André H (the former Point Valiant, Foundation Valiant)

3. André H. shown in Trois-Rivières, has been based in Sept-Iles for the last two years.

4. Laprairie returned to Hamilton at the opening of the Seaway season, after a spell icebreaking in the South Shore Canal - a job she was built to do originally. She is shown here in the SSC with the Seaway scow V/MS 488 shortly after Océan acquired the tug from the St.Lawrence Seaway Authority. Her icebreaking bow is in full view. Océan has since changed is fleet colour scheme.

5. Océan Golf from Sorel to Hamilton for Ocean Ontario. The twin screw tug is seen here in refit at Industrie Océan at Ile-aux-Coudres last summer. Built in the UK in 1959 as Stranton, but brought to Canada as Helen M.McAllister, she was repowered and fitted with a new wheelhouse in 1996-97.

6. (Not Pictured) Océan A. Simard (the forner Alexis-Simard of Rio Tinto Alcan) was recently re-registered in Montreal, leading to the expectation that she will be based in that port. At last report she was in refit at Ile-aux-Coudres.

.

Pup out for a run

2011-05-13T21:20:00.003-03:00

The Ville class tug Granville is northbound in the Narrows on a run to Bedford Basin. One of three tugs of this class based in HMC Dockyard in Halifax, it carries the pennant number YTL 594, and although owned by the Minster of National Defence, it is operated by the Queens' Harbour Master, with a civilian crew.

Originally built as Marysville , its name was too similar sounding to sister Merrickville YTL 593, and so was changed to Granville, after a familiar downtown street in Halifax.

The third Halifax based Ville is Listerville YTL 592.

Commonly called Pups, because of their small size, these tugs assist in handling yard craft, but can also be seen berthing larger ships, assisting the Glen class tugs.

The "Ville" naming scheme was adopted in Worlds War II when scores of small tugs were built by Russel Brothers of Owen Sound for navy use. When those tugs were retired their replacements were named Villes. Of 365 bhp, they have steering nozzles on their props and a Bollard Pull of 7.5 tons. All three east coast tugs were built in 1974.

What next for East Isle Shipyard?

2011-05-07T10:00:00.009-03:00

1. First tug in the 36 tug series of similar tugs was Atlantic Spruce (i) seen here 1996-04-07.

2. The same tug on the Dartmouth Marine slip 1997-03-28. An escort skeg was retrofitted after it was sold to Norwegian owners.

3. After a break-in period with Atlantic Towing, the tug was sold to Johannes Ostensjo of Norway, and renamed Felix. It is seen here 1997-04-20, the day before sailing to Norway, where it is still in service.

With delivery of the tug Océan Ross Gaudreault to Groupe Océan of Quebec City this week, there are questions about what might be next for Irving Shipbuilding's East Isle Shipyard in Georgetown, PEI.
The long run of tugs to essentially the same pattern has evolved into ice class / escort / fire fighters, but now seems to be over, with no orders in sight. Atlantic Towing has apparently got enough tugs for now (a spare would be a really good idea, but there is no word of it.) There has also been talk of a hybrid tug, but no official announcement for construction has been made.
As suggested in this blog a newer generation of tug, such as the popular Z-tech, built under license in several other yards, might also be a winner to replace the now aging design that East Isle has been using. Developed originally by Robert Allen in the mid 1990s, East Isle has fine tuned it based on Atlantic Towing's experience and the needs of other customers. However a 5,000 bhp ASD tug now has limited markets. (Seaspan in Vancouver has purchased terminal tugs in Turkey of a more sophisticated Robert Allen design, with up to 6,000 bhp.)
At least two other tug owners in eastern Canada could certainly use new tugs (two new tugs for two operators) not to mention the navy, as previously posted.
Groupe Océan with six tugs from East Isle seems poised to built a Rotor (3 drive) tug at its own yard under license from Rotor Tugs (Kotug) in the Netherlands, as an escort tug for the Rabaska gas terminal. That would be a 7500bhp tug. They would be an unlikely potential customer for more orders from East Isle.
However I can see a need for 7 to 10 potential new tugs in the next few years, but no one is ordering for now. Groupe Océan did not view the Irving ownership of East Isle and Atlantic Towing as an impediment when it needed tugs, and so this would not seem to me to be too big an issue for Atlantic Towing competitors who might need tugs.
East Isle has built components for Halifax Shipyard projects, and may still do so, so it is certainly not the end of the yard. However a run of 36 tugs between 1995 and now is certainly a record no other yard can come close to matching. Starting with the Atlantic Spruce (i) a 4,000 bhp ASD, it has been quite a run.

Tugs go to church

2011-05-06T13:17:00.005-03:00

An interesting tug and barge operation took place in the Minas Basin of the Bay of Fundy May 4 and 5. It involved the relocation of an old church from Walton, NS to Newport, NS. Because of its size and height the church could not be moved overland (it would involve too many interruptions to power and telephone lines) and so house mover Phil Leil masterminded the move by barge.
Although the operation was planned for last fall, weather did not cooperate, and so the move was delayed until this week when tides and winds were more cooperative.
The church was raised and loaded aboard a heavy truck trailer and driven aboard a former ferry barge. The barge is equipped with bow and stern loading ramps, and can drive up onto the beach to load and unload. Named Fundy Trail, the 22m barge was recently retired from ferry service at Deer Island, NB. It is still owned by East Coast Ferries Ltd of Lord’s Cove.
To handle the barge East Coast’s two tugs Fundy Trail II and Hopper II were lashed on, one to each side and hauled the barge round from Walton to a position off Hantsport. They stood by there for the night and brought the barge in alongside the Newport wharf on Thursday May 5.
Firmly beached, with the tugs holding it in position, the barge lowered its ramps and the truck and trailer drove off.
Both tugs were built by East Coast Ferries. Fundy Trail II in 2005. It is a twin screw vessel of 450 bhp. Island Hopper II , built in 1999 is also twin screw, with 700 bhp. Built along the lines of southern US inland tugs, they are fitted with elevated wheelhouses to see over the barge deck.

There are several net references to this move:

Good still photos: http://www.hantsjournal.ca/News/2011-05-05/article-2482193/Hitching-a-ride-home/1

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/986313--people-line-nova-scotia-river-to-watch-church-float-past

Then there is this breathless video account: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/story/2011/05/04/ns-walton-church-floats.html

A grove of Firs

2011-05-01T20:17:00.011-03:00

1. Atlantic Fir in the Narrows this afternoon. It is the third tug to carry the name in the Atlantic Towing Ltd fleet.

2. The second Atlantic Fir became Kotug's SD Jacoba in 1998. It is seen here in Rotterdam in 2006.

3. Undergoing pre-purchase trials, Atlantic Fir (ii) had its new name painted on, but coverd, until trials were completed and it was reflagged. 1998-11-27.

4. The first Atlantic Fir on pre-purchase trials in Halifax. It had its new name and number promintently displayed, but until handover it was still officially Atlantic Fir. 1997-09-22.

5. The first Atlantic Fir was based in Saint John, NB until sold to Norwegian owners. I twas only the second tug built to this pattern by East Isle Shipyard. 1996-04-14.

The tug Atlantic Fir, based in Halifax, is the third tug in the Atlantic Towing Ltd fleet to carry the name.
The first Atlantic Fir was built in 1995 and was a 4,000 bhp tug with fire fighting capability. In 1997 it was sold to Johannes Ostensjo oy (now Ostenso Rederi AS) of Haugesund, Norway, and renamed Alex, with the number 18 prominently displayed on its funnel (Ostensjo's tugs are not only named, but numbered sequentially.) It did it s pre-purchase trials in Halifax, then sailed to Cobh Ireland, where it is operated by Ostensjo's wholly owned subsidiary Lee Towage Ltd.
The second Atlantic Fir was built in 1998, and was also a 4,000 bhp tug, but without firefighting equipment. It was sold in the same year to Kotug of Rotterdam and renamed SD Jacoba. (SD stands for stern drive. All Kotugs have a prefix indicating type of drive, e.g. VS for Voith-Schneider and RT for Rotor drive - their patented three engine, three drive tugs.) After pre-purchase trials in Halifax the tug sailed on December 2, 1998 for use in Bremerhaven. It has since seen tours of duty in Rotterdam and Hamburg.
The current Atlantic Fir, as with all the others was built at the Irving owned East Isle Shipyard in Georgetown, PEI. It was built in 2005 and is an updated version of the previous tugs, with 5050 bhp and an escort skeg. It is also fitted for firefighting.

Glen in the Narrows

2011-04-26T14:50:00.007-03:00

The Canadian navy tug Glenevis drifts down the Narrows this morning on her way back to HMC Dockyard. One of three Voith-Schneider tugs in Halifax, she is operated by the Queen's Harbour Master with a civilian crew.

She was built in 1977 at Georgetown, PEI and has 1,750 bhp. Although beautifully maintained, she is surely due for replacement soon.

With the East Isle shipyard in Georgetown looking for work, and having built scores of tugs, can we expect a political announcement on replacements? Probably not.

Her predecessor, the World War II Glenevis was only 33 years old when it was replaced. The current Glenevis is now 34.

The first Glenevis was sold to McKeil in 1978 and served for several years in her original condition (including this trip to Halifax in the fall of 1986) She survived sinking at her dock in 1991, was rebuilt, repowered and is probably still working. She was sold in 2007 to Caribbean owners.

Out for a spin in the Basin

2011-04-25T21:28:00.004-03:00

1. Ryan Leet has large davits on her starboard side to accommodate a shipping container for divers or a rescue boat. She is showing a little hull chafe from lying alongside all winter.

Ryan Leet was out for a brief trip to Bedford Basin this morning. This raises hopes that the tug, which has been laid up most of the winter, will return to service soon.

Canada's most attractive tug (and most powerful if you don't include a number of tug/suppliers) has long been a favourite.

Built in 1977 (Lloyd's says 1978) by Beliard-Murdoch in Ostend as Abeille Provence, she and sister Abeille Normandie were stationed on the English Channel as dedicated salvage tugs. As ships grew in size, bigger tugs were brought on and the pair were sold to Venezuela in 1987. They were renamed Salvor Commander and Salvor General, but did not see much action. Secunda Marine picked them up in 1990 and brought them to Canada. They were refitted in Pictou and renamed Ryan Leet and Magdelan Sea.

Originally fitted with SACM engines, Ryan Leet was re-powered in 1995 with two V-20 GM-EMDs, giving 8,850 bhp. She was also fitted with a drop down azimuthing bow thruster of 550 bhp (which can be used to propel the vessel when on standby.)

Magdelan Sea kept her original engines (and had a lot of spare parts from Ryan Leet), but was sold in 2004 becoming Zouros Hellas. She was renamed Tsavliris Hellas in 2007 and has earned her keep as a station salvage vessel, usually in South Africa.

Old favourite, among others at the Strait

2011-04-24T20:13:00.017-03:00

Saturday was a fine day for run up to the Strait of Canso to see what might be seen (based on an excellent scouting report from Jim.)
I saw ten tugs in all, among them the usual suspects: Svitzer Bedford, Point Chebucto and Point Valiant at Point Tupper, ready to tend to tankers at Nu -Star. Atlantic Elm with generator running at Port Hawksbury, Gulf Diane in winter layup at Port Hawksbury, and Beaver Gamma at McNally's in Point Tupper. Superport's Wikit at Pirate Harbour, rounded up the that list.

Then came the old favourite and a surprise.
First the old favourite. Now known as Jerry Newberry, I first knew it as Foundation Victor. Built in 1956 (and followed in 1958 by near sister Foundation Valour) they were constructed to work at the new facilities of the Iron Company of Canada in Sept-Iles, QC, but in the summer months only. In winter they would return to Halifax. They also covered off Baie-Comeau, also a summer port. However winter navigation became a reality just as they entered service and they were not built to work in heavy ice. Big (for the time) single screw tugs, powered by a single 8 cyl Fairbanks Morse, putting out a (for those days) respectable 1380 bhp. They became dedicated tugs to Sept-Iles in 1961 when Foundation Vibert was delivered to Baie-Comeau.

1. Point Victor at speed in Halifax Harbour, 1975-05-08.

When new tugs were built for Sept-Iles in 1973, Victor and Valour were transferred to Halifax full time and with the move came the ownership of Eastern Canada Towing and the name change to Point Victor and Point Valour. In 1977 the new Pointe-Comeau was delivered to Baie-Comeau and (the now) Point Vibert also came to Halifax. Its twin screw agility displaced Point Victor, which was sold.

2. Kay Cole in her distinctive Pitts colour scheme, with a tow in Halifax. 1989-03-16.

New owners were the C.A.Pitts Construction of Toronto, a marine construction and dredging outfit, later to be called Pitts Engineering Construction Company, which was eventually swallowed up with Foundation and others into what is now Aecon. Pitts renamed the tug Kay Cole, and painted her in their distinctive orange and black colour scheme - relieved somewhat by the white wheelhouse. She ranged far and wide in their employ, working all over the east coast and into Hudson's Bay.

3. Kay Cole, now in McKeil colours alongside in Halifax, with the barge McAllister 252 and a load of steel fabrications for Boston. 1994-10-23

As Pitts evolved and got out of marine work, the tug was bought by McKeil Work Boats of Hamilton, ON. After a short spell, she was renamed Jerry Newberry, and again ranged far and wide with contract towing, reaching the east coast US on more than one occasion.

In 1995 McNally Construction acquired the tug, but because of a symbiotic relationship with McKeil, retained the name. McNally have also kept the tug busy with trips to Labrador and the Ungava region of Northern Quebec.
The tug has been working for the past year delivering plant to Long Harbour, Newfoundland, site of a major new port under construction for Vale Inco's nickel processing facility.

The surprise tug was Kaliutik, built in 1998 by Dovercraft Marine in Nanticoke and Port Dover, ON. It is owned by the Labrador Inuit Development Corporation and works out of the Goose Bay area, with the barge Sappatak carrying quarried stone. The distinctive stone is cut in large blocks and shipped to Italy for processing and sale in the high end European market.

4. Kaliutik was berthed beside Jerry Newberry at Port Hawksbury (with Gulf Diane and Atlantic Elm in the background) and her barge was docked in Mulgrave.

5. A contrast in styles, and the evolution of tug design over 40 years. The twin screw Kaliutik (550 bhp) has a wide stern for barge work, a spacious wheelhouse with winch station and all accommodation above deck. Jerry Newberry has a narrow stern typical of single screw tugs, and has crew berths below deck forward. Her tiny wheelhouse was built before there was a requirement for radar on tugs, and it was a tight fit for an early vacuum tube type.

Alexis-Simard

2011-04-17T20:28:00.009-03:00

1. Alexis-Simard in Quebec City in 1996. The huge cooling intakes were added in the 1990 rebuild, and replaced intakes mounted much closer to the deck forward of the house. They are visible in the previous posting January 19:

http://tugfaxblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2011/01/icecap-on-way-back.html

With delivery of Fjord Éternité to Rio Tinto-Alcan at La Baie, the sale of the Alexis-Simard to Groupe Océan has been completed, and the tug is now at Ile-aux-Coudres in refit.

Its new name is Océan A. Simard.

It has been rumoured all along that the tug will be assigned to Toronto/Hamilton operation for Ocean Tugs Ontario, to replace Escorte. That tug remains on the sale list.

Update: On April 21 the tug Ocean Golf was upbound in the Seaway and Escorte was douwenbound on April 25. It is assumed therefore that the Escorte replacement will instead by Ocean Golf.

Spanish Mist to the Magdalen Islands

2011-04-11T15:15:00.006-03:00

1. Spanish mist at high tide, at the Canadian Keyes Fiber dock in Hantsport.

2. Off Hantsport following a ship sailing.

Tugfax reported in October that Spanish Mist was for sale due to the downturn in gypsum shipments from Hantsport.

http://tugfaxblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2010/10/hantsport-tug-for-sale.html

It was later reported that the tug was not for sale.

However, it has apparently been sold. According to Transport Canada's web site, the owner is Les Remorquages I.M. Inc., l'Etang du Nord, QC. Established for some years as owners of smaller tugs, the owners are apparently in need of a larger tug to berth ships loading salt in the Magdalen Islands. For several years they have chartered tugs from McKeil for winter operations, to keep the channel open early and late in the season and to assist in berthing.

They operate the tugs Manuels River (ex Rupert River)(1961.720 bhp) and Poinciana (1957 .550 bhp)

Mining and shipment of gypsum through Hantsport has ceased, due to the reduced demand from the US construction market. The strength of the Canadian dollar against the US (as of today $1 Canadian would buy you $1.04 US) is no doubt a factor as well. As previously reported, if a tug is needed for Hantsport, a tug from Saint John can accompany the ship up the Bay of Fundy to the port. However with no gypsum moving, there will unlikely be any shipping in Hantsport for the foreseeable future.

One bit of irony. Hantsport has the highest tides of any commercial port in the world. There is virtually no tidal movement in the Magdalen Islands. Situated in the middle of the Gulf of St.Lawrence, they are essentially a sand bar created by a large eddy of currents in the Gulf.

More Fjord

2011-04-07T21:26:00.004-03:00

This may be my last photo of Fjord Éternité in Halifax. The AIS site Marine Traffic gives her ETA at La Baie as April 11. That means she will have to leave soon.

Today she took on fuel at pier 28, and is now flying the Rio Tinto-Alcan house flag.

Unfortunately she is so wedged in there, it is impossible for me to get any kind of photo. However there are photos of her alongside on Marine Traffic. Go to Arm Chair Captain, click on her icon and look at all the photos.

Or simply go to:

http://www.marinetraffic.com/ais/showallphotos.aspx?mmsi=316019016

Fjord Éternité at pier 28

2011-04-06T09:02:00.003-03:00

Fjord Éternité was moved by the tug Atlantic Fir to pier 28 on Tuesday afternoon. Men were removing the lifting lugs, as Fairlane approached the adjacent pier 28 to take on her cargo of locomotives.

It should take only a few days to prepare the tug for sea.

We Have (had) Lift Off

2011-04-05T12:58:00.004-03:00

OK, I missed it, but the Fjord Éternité was successfully lifted off about noon today.

Dominion Diving's Halmar stood by, as did Atlantic Fir, for a time.

Atlantic Fir returned later to take the tug to its destination in the harbour.

Fjord Éternité arrives safe and sound

2011-04-04T14:29:00.005-03:00

1. Secured in a makeshift cradle of brackets welded to tween deck pontoons, and tied down with numerous wires, the tug appears not to have shifted a bit on the way across.

2. Storm shields have been fitted on all the wheelhouse windows and doors, and her ASD thrusters have been turned outboard. The escort skeg and bow thruster can be seen clearly.

3. Lifting lugs were added aft.

4. The tug Fjord Éternité arrived safely this afternoon after a transatlantic trip aboard the heavy lift ship Fairtlane.

The tug will be offloaded in Bedford Basin, see also photos on Shipfax.

Plainsville hauled out.

2011-03-27T21:51:00.006-03:00

The Ville class pup tug Plainsville is hauled out at Sambro Head, ready for some shipyard work. Since I haven't been out to Sambro all winter, it might have been hauled out in the fall. However it doesn't appear that much has been done to her since my last posting:

http://tugfaxblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2010/07/plainsville-rebuilding.html

Built by Russel Brothers in Owen Sound, ON for the Royal Canadian Navy in World War II, she still shows her original hull form, but her house was rebuilt from the original.

Newest tug for Groupe Océan

2011-03-25T09:41:00.006-03:00

The newest tug for Groupe Océan of Quebec City is named Ocean Ross Gaudreault, and was registered yesterday. Registration usually precedes completion by some months.

The 402 gross ton tug is under construction at East Isle Shipyard in Georgetown, PE and is of the same design as several sisters delivered over the past few years. It is an ice rated 5,000 bhp azimuthing stern drive tug, with fire fighting and escort capabilities.

Following Groupe Océan's recent naming policy this tug honours another important figure in Quebec shipping. M. Ross Gaudreault was the CEO of the Port of Quebec, and retired on December 31, 2010.

Update: The tug arrived in Quebec City May 4 to begin trials and commissioning.

Further news on the Fjord

2011-03-24T09:08:00.006-03:00

The tug Fjord Éternité has been loaded aboard Fairlane, using the ship's own cranes, and is en route to Halifax. Arrival date is listed as April 2. As of this morning the ship was just entering the Kiel Canal. An excellent photo of the lift can be found on Shipgaz: http://www.shipgaz.com/news/top20/top4_news.php

Fjord Éternité another update

2011-03-16T09:04:00.006-03:00

It now appears that Fjord Éternité will be coming to Halifax aboard the heavy lift ship Fairlane. That ship sailed recently from Ceuta, and passed Gibraltar giving Svendborg as its destination. It is due there on March 18. The ship is also due in Halifax around the end of the month to load locomotives. . For an up to date photo of Fjord Éternité see: http://www.marinetraffic.com/ais/showallphotos.aspx?mmsi=316019016 .

Victorious sails

2011-03-15T08:57:00.007-03:00

Yesterday afternoon the tug Victorious/ barge John J. Carrick left the McAsphalt pier in Eastern Passage for sea. They had been idle since January, but are now back in service, and no doubt headed for the Great Lakes. The St.Lawrence Seaway reopens for service next week.

See my earlier posting at:

http://tugfaxblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2011_01_01_archive.html

Earlier in the morning, the tug made an independent trip to pier 30 for about two hours. Due to the construction of the McAsphalt pier, the tug is not accessible for convenient delivery of stores, lube oil, fuel, etc., so that is the likely reason for the rare bargeless trip.

The articulated tug/barge combination is operated by the Upper Lakes Group for McAsphalt Industries. The recent sale by Upper Lakes Group of its large ships to Algoma Central Corporation did not include this pair. Upper Lakes also operates the tug Commodore Straits (built in Halifax as Haida Brave) which was not included in the sale, but has been listed for separate sale.

Maintainer I up for maintenance

2011-03-10T13:39:00.005-04:00

The Halifax Port Corporation's jack of all trades workboat Maintainer I was hauled out this week for refit at pier 29. The boat does a variety of chores related to maintaining the port's fendering system, and chases around picking up harbour flotsam, such as deadheads and other hazards.

After a busy winter, it is time for a cleanup, shave and haircut before the summer season starts.

The boat was built in 1995 by A.F.Theriault & Son Ltd of Meteghan River, NS. It has a 210 bhp engine, a deck crane and towing bit.

Little Tug, Big Tow

2011-03-10T13:32:00.003-04:00

Whitby tows the dredge Canadian Argosy northbound this morning. The tug Carl M is on the other side and will provide assistance to get alongside at pier 9.

During the past week the Liebherr dredging crane was offloaded at the ramp at pier 36 and this Bermingham pile driving crane was driven on. They will continue working at the Halterm, pier C extension.

Fjord Éternité Update

2011-03-07T19:36:00.003-04:00

The tug Stevns Icecap was registered in Canada today as Fjord Éternité. Port of registry is Quebec City.
The tug is still lying in the port of Svendborg, Denmark, however its AIS system has now been turned off, and it will be impossible to track.
.

Atlantic Towing Goes Green

2011-03-04T09:51:00.008-04:00

1. Atlantic Fir (named for an evergreen) works Alice Oldendorff 2011-02-05.

Atlantic Towing has joined Green Marine, a shipping industry environmental organization. This is a worthy move for a forward looking company.

Hidden within their announcement is one tantalizing tidbit of info, that their Evergreen Tug Technology (hydrid tug) is in the final stages of development. This must mean that they are planning to build a hybrid tug. If so they would be joining a very select group of tug operators, including Foss (which is has two hydrid tugs)

Not mentioned in the latest news is a possibly interesting connection. One of the world's leading tug hybrid technology firms is based in Prince Edward Island, and that is where Irving Shipbuilding has its tug building yard. Seems like a natural.

Remember the Janie B?

2011-03-03T20:27:00.017-04:00

1. Janie B. approaches the Mobil dock in Dartmouth, 1977-11-19.
.
Among the first generation Canadian built offshore anchor handling/ tug/ suppliers, were a pair built for Fednav Offshore. Since they exchanged names early in their careers it is sometimes hard to keep them straight. Both were built by Bel-Aire Shipyard Ltd in North Vancouver in 1972, and even shared the same hull number.

2. Cathy B servicing a rig in Halifax harbour.

First off the mark was hull number 222A, launched as Nordic Offshore, then renamed Janie B and was quickly renamed Cathy B. It operated on the east coast under that name for several years, and when Fednav joined forces with Seaforth it was renamed Seafed Margaree in 1981.

In 1983 it was transferred to Singapore operations and sold in 1987. Gibraltar flag owners renamed her Chungwa III, and in 1989 Honduran owners renamed her Rotam I. By this time she had become a cargo ship, working in the Caribbean. She was apparently still operating as recently as June of last year.

3. Janie B. also on 1977-11-19 after servicing Sedco 709 in Halifax harbour.

.
Bel-Aire's hull 222B also started off life as Nordic Offshore, became Cathy B. and was quickly renamed Janie B. She also operated out of Halifax under that name for several years.

4. Janie B. 1978-08-12, at the Mobil dock.

One particular incident remains memorable. Her accommodation was completely gutted by fire August 12, 1978. Fortunately the fire broke out when she was tied up at the Mobil dock in Dartmouth and no one was hurt. The next day Cathy B. towed her to nearby Dartmouth Marine Slips where she was repaired.

5. Like many first generation boats these ones were equipped with a travelling deck gantry, to be used for anchor handling. Other techniques became common and the gantry was removed at pier 28, 1979-03-18 and scrapped.

In 1981 Janie B. she was sold to the Minister of Transport and converted to a search and rescue vessel. Renamed CCGS George E. Darby, she was transferred to the west coast and extensively rebuilt. This included a new full width bridge, enhanced accommodation and new lifeboats. She was host ship for several visiting ships at Expo 86, including some Japanese civil defence vessels.

6. CCGS George E. Darby at Canada Place, Vancouver 1986-05-15, showing off her full width bridge and snappy new SAR colour scheme.

In May 1992 she was renamed 601 in preparation for sale, which took place the next year. Her Canadian register was closed April 23, 1993 when she was sold to Panama Maritime Inc and renamed Rambo.

That ownership lasted until 1997 when Oceaneering of Houston, TX bought the ship and gave her a major conversion to become an offshore diving and maintenance vessel named Ocean Project under the Vanuatu flag. Among her achievements was recovery of the Liberty Bell 7 space capsule in 1991 from 16,040 feet of water.

It was announced this week by Marcon International shipbrokers that they have arranged her sale to Peruvian owners, Obviously there is still life left in the old girl. See a recent photo on Marcon's web site at:

http://www.marcon.com/library/sales_reports/2011sales.pdf

Stevns Icecap gets new name.

2011-02-28T14:20:00.005-04:00

As reported last month Rio Tinto-Alcan has acquired the tug Stevns Icecap from Denmark for use at its terminal in La Baie, QC.
http://tugfaxblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2011/01/icecap-on-way-back.html

It has now been reported that the tug will be renamed Fjord Éternité and that it will arrive in Halifax on a semi-submersible ship.
No date has been set for the arrival yet, and the tug remains in layup in Svendborg, Denmark. Earlier reports suggested that the tug would be leaving Denmark at the end of February.

.

Belle D gets a nose job

2011-02-28T08:44:00.002-04:00

After many months of hard work, it appears that the small tug Belle D is having some work done on its nose. Forward bulwarks get knocked about quite a bit while handling barges, and it is likely that repairs were needed.

The tug was called out for some work in Bedford Basin over the weekend, and presented an odd appearance with a gap up forward.

Recent work for the tug included moving two restored cannons from pier 9 to Macnab's Island aboard the barge Halifax Carrier. The barge is owned by RMI Marine, who also operate the tug.

On the Hull Bollard

2011-02-21T10:22:00.005-04:00

Most high sided ships are fitted with recessed hull bollards. This allows tugs to tie up without having to pass a line up to the ship's deck. Here Atlantic Oak has secured to a hull bollard on Atlantic Conveyor as the ship heads up through the Narrows to berth at Fairview Cove on Saturday February 19.

Fleet mate Atlantic Willow has made a similar connection further aft.

It requires considerable skill for the deckhand to pass a very stiff wire, out over the tug's side while the skipper keeps the tug in position alongside the moving ship. On a windy day, the deckie is likely to get doused with spray in the process. The tugs are fitted with headlights in their bulwark's forward to assist when this has to be done at night.

Tugs at Rest

2011-02-07T10:09:00.003-04:00

Sunday morning saw the tugs Whitby and Carl M at pier 24 with the dredge Canadian Argosy and the dump scow FDJV 2. A big blow the night before had called a halt to dredging operations off the Halterm container pier, and so it was a day for rest and repairs.

The two tugs are in 24 hour a day operation moving the dredge from position to position and taking the scow to the dump site. Whitby is the more powerful tug and it does most of the heavy work while Carl M shifts the empty scow, runs back and forth to shore and assists in dredge moves.

Another new tug for Quebec?

2011-02-01T09:30:00.007-04:00

KST, the developers of the patented Rotor tug, have sold a "design package and technical details" for a model RT 110-37E tug to Groupe Océan of Quebec. Expected delivery is the end of 2012.

The Rotor tug, which is the brainchild of the tug operator Ton Kooren, is essentially a tug with three azimuthing drives. Two of the drives are mounted forward, like a tractor tug and one is mounted aft. The tugs give the performance and handling to meet or exceed that of a V-S tug, but using the simpler technology of the azimuthing drive.

Following the delivery of the first three RT tugs to Kooren's own tug company, Kotug, about twenty have been built, of various designs and are in use by different tug operators, primarily in Europe.

Although the idea has been somewhat slow to catch on, the undeniable benefits are there for the operator that needs the power, and breaking force, combined with extreme maneuverability.

The Océan tug is of a new design, and the particulars are as follows:

LOA: 37 meters (this is a big tug!)
Bollard pull: 110 tonnes
Speed: 15 knots (hull has bulbous bow)
Propulsion: three engines totalling 7,000 bhp approx.

It seems likely that this tug would use three engines of similar size to those in its ASD 5,000 hp twin engine tugs. The similar technology and commonality of parts, etc., would be a distinct advantage to Océan.

This is a tanker escort tug, and will be available on the St.Lawrence River for large crude oil tankers, but also for gas tankers, when and if the gas port is built near Quebec City. The speed of 15 knots allows the tug to keep pace with the ship, and to provide the stern escort and braking forces necessary to stop or redirect very big ships.

There is no mention on KST's site about where the tug will be built, but it almost certainly will be at Océan's own shipyard, Industrie Océan at Ile-aux-Coudres, QC. That yard has just completed building two ASD tugs, and would be up to the challenge.

For more on Rotor tugs and KST - see their website: http://www.rotortug.com/scripts/homepage.php

There is also a section on this particular design, showing a model of the RT-110-37E: http://www.rotortug.com/scripts/developments.php

Canadian tug and barge maybe waiting for spring

2011-01-29T22:33:00.003-04:00

The articulated tug/ tanker barge combo Victorious / John J. Carrick are tied up at the McAsphalt dock in Eastern Passage with extra mooring lines out to shore.

The Chinese built pair joined the McAsphalt Marine fleet in 2009 and have seen service on the Great Lakes and this coast, including some US ports carrying asphalt for the most part.

McAsphalt Marine is a joint operation between McAsphalt and Upper Lakes Group.

Victorious is a 6000 bhp tug, equipped with the articulation gear required to stay connected to the barge in most conditions.

The McAsphalt dock, formerly known as Dook's dock is adjacent to Autoport, and its mooring buoy can be seen at the stern of the tug.

US tug and barge wait for a nicer day

2011-01-26T14:07:00.005-04:00

The US flag tug/ tanker barge Scott Turecamo/ New Hampshire are anchored in the harbour waiting for a low pressure system to pass before heading south. This is the second trip to Halifax this month for the pair which are used to shuttle petroleum products.

Although the tug and barge are connected with an articulating pin system which can withstand most weather conditions, the barge's low freeboard forward must be a concern in bad weather. The pair are owned by Moran Towing, and are based in New York. The tug is 5,100bhp vessel and the barge has a capacity of 118,000 bbl.

See http://www.morantug.com/ for more on this well known tug operator.

Halifax Tugs at Work

2011-01-20T17:45:00.008-04:00

1. The pilot boat returns to base, as tugs make up to OOCL Hong Kong. HMCS Fredericton is anchored on the Static Sound Range, just inside Meagher's Beach.

2. Atlantic Larch is made up forward, just aft of the flare, where there is good flat hull to push against if needed.

2. Atlantic Fir is now in full view at the stern.

3. Atlantic Fir is keeping up with the ship, leaving slack in the stern line until needed for braking or turning.

A typical post-Panamax arrival, this time OOCL Hong Kong, came along west of George's Island late this afternoon, heading for Fairview Cove in Bedford Basin. To prepare for passage through the Narrows and under the two harbour bridges, tugs met the ship just inside Meagher's Beach.

Atlantic Larch (4000 bhp) came alongside near the flare forward and Atlantic Fir (5000 bhp) took the escort position astern.

Icecap on the way back - updated

2011-01-19T10:31:00.016-04:00

1. Stevns Icecap at Halifax Shipyard 2008-05-28, dressed for its handover to Nordane. It completed its trials in Halifax under the supervision of Irving Shipbuilding.

2. Alexis-Simard and Grande Baie berthed at Port Alfred (now La Baie) in 1983. Alexis-Simard was rebuilt following an explosion in 1990.

As expected, it has now been announced that Rio Tinto-Alcan Inc has purchased Stevns Icecap from Nordane Shipping of Denmark for service at La Baie, QC.

Built at East Isle Shipyard in 2006, the tug was delivered on its own bottom from Halifax after trials. Nordane had the tug out on charter to Svitzer as Svitzer Nanna from 2007, but it was returned and laid up last summer. A 5,000 bhp ice class, azimuthing stern drive tug, it is an exact sister to Fjord Saguenay (built as Stevns Iceflower , ex Svitzer Njord -07-09) purchased by Rio Tinto-Alcan in 2009 to replace Grande Baie, which sank at its berth earlier that year.

Stevns Icecap will be returned to Canada by heavy lift ship in February, and will no doubt be renamed.

It will replace Alexis-Simard, a Voith-Schneider tug, built by East Isle's predecessor, Georgetown Shipyards, in 1980. A fine tug of 3290 bhp it is slightly underpowered for the size of ships now using La Baie. An unusual feature of the tug is the aluminum deckhouse, used to promote the material manufactured by its owners. Most of the tug's work is berthing bulk carriers bringing in raw materials for the nearby aluminum smelter. Much larger ship are now used in this work and larger tugs are required, particularly in winter ice conditions.

There is an excellent photo of it, out of the water, on shipspotting at:
www.shipspotting.com/gallery/photo.php?lid=121505

Update Groupe Ocean has reportedly purchased Alexis-Simard for use in their Ocean Ontario Towing operation, based in Hamilton. It will replace Escorte.

Rub a Dub Dub

2011-01-18T12:04:00.004-04:00

Rub a dub dub,

Three men in a tub,

And who do you think they be?

The butcher, the baker,

The candlestick maker.

Turn them out, knaves all three.

The three man crew of Waterworks I towed a small float across the harbour today. I don't mean to suggest that they are knaves, nor any of the other three occupations listed above. They are more likely preparing to work on the damaged piles under the Svitzer tug dock.

See : www.waterworksconstructionltd.com

Mystery Solved-Oak returns

2011-01-14T17:59:00.005-04:00

Thanks to an intrepid squad of observers, I have been able to piece together the whereabouts of Atlantic Oak for the last several days.

After leaving Halifax, Atlantic Oak remained with the Triumph as it continued "around the corner" to St.Margaret's Bay - just west of Halifax. There is shelter and room in the Bay, which is also free from conflicting ship traffic. (Triumph's position at anchor in Halifax was creating issues for other shipping.) Bad weather closed in soon after the rig left Halifax, with high winds being the predominant factor, and it was a better place to anchor than in Halifax.

Although St.Margaret's Bay is some distance from Halifax by sea, it is not far by land, and so it was that workers could shuttle from Halifax to the Hubbards by road for additional securement work on the rig. Dominion Diving's Halmar provided boatmen service for the workers out to the ship.

Atlantic Towing's Atlantic Elm was also called in to assist. It has been scheduled to bring the tidal turbine from Saint John for the last several weeks, but weather has also interfered with that move.

Atlantic Oak and Halmar returned to Halifax today when weather permitted Triumph (with is deck cargo of Rowan Gorilla III) to sail for Corpus Christi TX.

[photo: October 4, 2010]

Where is the Mighty Oak

2011-01-13T13:51:00.006-04:00

1. Atlantic Oak with stern line up, escorting Triumph, January 11.

2. Tug Atlanic Oak, January 6, with the heavy load ship Triumph in the background.

The tug Atlantic Oak sailed on January 11, as stern escort tug with the heavy lift ship Triumph carrying the jack-up rig Rowan Gorilla III. Since the tug has not returned to port, the question is where is she now?

Update: The question has been answered! I have received several intelligence reports, on the (no longer) mysterious whereabouts of the Atlantic Oak.

Thanks to Armchair Captain for coining the right headline - and the others who e-mailed or commented.

It's back to work we go

2011-01-13T10:35:00.004-04:00

Yesterday's storm called a temporary halt to dredging off Halterm. But this morning it was back to work for the tug Whitby towing the dredge Canadian Argosy back to the work site. They took overnight refuge at McNally Construction's base at pier 9. Winter dredging is possible in Halifax where the harbour never freezes over. Despite sometimes cold air temperatures and bone chilling wind, the work goes on.

Editorial - How Many Tugs Does Halifax Need

2011-01-10T13:22:00.008-04:00

Events over the past several days lead to the obvious question - how many harbour tugs does Halifax need?

Last week when TSS Chemul was trying to get out of town, all four of Atlantic Towing's tugs were tied up for several lengthy periods for two days. Then on Saturday all four tugs were again involved, this time moving the drilling rig Rowan Gorilla III. On Sunday and well into Monday two tugs were dedicated to standing by the Triumph with Rowan Gorialla III on board.

This meant that normal harbour activity was in some cases delayed due to tug availability - including crew rest and crew changes.

If there had been some exceptional requirement for tugs - such as holding ships at berths, or a another ship dragging anchor in gales, there might have been a crisis.

Since Svitzer Canada formed the joint venture with Atlantic Towing and sent its tugs to the Strait of Canso last summer there have been no more than four working tugs in commercial service in Halifax. Svitzer had three tugs (sometimes four) in Halifax, and Atlantic two or more, during the worst shipping slump in decades, and they weren't making money. But now that the economy is in recovery mode and shipping is busier, times have changed.

So are four tugs enough to handle all the work in Halifax, allowing for some emergencies?

The Royal Canadian Navy operates three harbour tugs, but they are so underpowered that they would be of little if any use in assisting commercial shipping. The nearest source for supplemental tugs is Point Tupper/ Port Hawksbury or Saint John.

It is obvious that sometimes four tugs would not be enough. Holding ships outside the harbour, or delaying their departure until tugs are available is not a long term answer. It places Halifax at a disadvantage over most other sizeable ports where back-up tugs are almost always available. Additional tugs for Halifax are not available on short notice.

Atlantic Towing has four tugs, constantly crewed and ready for work, and presumably off duty crews too, that could be called in for overtime in an emergency to relieve working crews if they become fatigued or need rest time. They can't work 24 hours a day, but I imagine there have been some long days recently.

My opinion, for what it is worth, is that Halifax needs at least one more tug right now, and probably a sixth tug in a year`s time if more post Panamax ships show up.

Tugs don't grow on trees, they have to be built, so it is certainly time for Svtizer to be ordering a tug (their fleet is getting to be very old) and it is time for Atlantic Towing to order a tug since they are apparently stretched to capacity.

If I might make one more suggestion, it is that any new tugs need to be at least 6,000 hp (that is 1,000 horsepower more than any current tug in Halifax) and should be of a more advanced design than the current tugs. The Robert Allen Z-Tech type would be a good choice, in view of the escort requirements in Halifax for tankers and large ships going to Bedford Basin. Presently these tugs are licensed for construction in China only, through an arrangement with the Port of Singapore, where the above photo was taken in May 2008. However some US builders have been licensed to built variants.

All day, all night and all day again

2011-01-10T12:18:00.003-04:00

Tugs have been standing by the heavy lift ship Triumph since yesterday (at times two tugs) always shifting position and power to keep the ship in place.

The huge sail effect of the oil rig Rowan Gorilla III means that the ship cannot remain in position without dragging anchor.

Atlantic Fir has been on a bow line all morning today.

More from the Archive: Beaver Lily

2011-01-09T20:35:00.009-04:00

1. Beaver Lily in all its glory at pier 9C, May 23, 1989. Her bulwarks had been raised in 1988.

2. Timeless shot of Beaver Lily, May 2, 1985.

3. Beaver Lily working on the new Dartmouth ferry terminal, May 25, 1980.

4. Catalina, in burned condition at the French Cable Wharf in Dartmouth July 1977.

5. Catalina, laid up at the J.P.Porter yard in Dartmouth, May 23, 1977. The yard was just north of the Macdonald bridge.

One of the major marine construction firms in Atlantic Canada from the early days of the 20th century was J.P.Porter. As with many firms of this type, they possessed an incredible collection of relics. In the 1970s when the infamous Dredging Scandal resulted in McNamara, Porter and Richelieu, among others, going out of business, a lot of Porter's assets went for scrap. They had a number of tugs however, and most of these were sold off to other firms.

One such was Catalina, built in 1942 by Levingston Shipbuilding Co of Orange TX as ST-27 Jones for the US Army, it was one of the "327" type standard tugs built in large numbers to fulfil wartime needs.It had found its way to Newfoundland as part of a large US military presence, which continued well after the end of the war.

In the early 1950s J.P.Porter acquired the tug and named it Catalina -not after the island in California, but after the village near Cape Bonavista on the east coast of Newfoundland. (It was also pronounced Cat-a-LINE-a, not Cat-a-LEEN-a as it would be in California.)

When Porter went under the tug was laid up in Dartmouth, where it was eventually vandalized and the wheelhouse burned out. I enjoyed many stiff cups of tea with the watchman in Catalina's galley when I prowled through Porter's old equipment.

Beaver Marine bought the tug in 1977, towed it to Shelburne, NS where it was rebuilt and reconditioned. The old 400 bhp engine was replaced with two GM engines in line, totalling 800 bhp. Renamed Beaver Lily, it was put to work all around Atlantic Canada, towing barges and attending construction and dredging work.

In 1988 her bulwarks were raised for part of her length, then in 1992 she went south to Gaudeloupe, but in 1994 came back to Canada (on one engine) arriving in Saint John in May. Her engine was rebuilt on her way back south again and in 1997 she was sold to US interests. I have lost track of her since then.

Beaver Marine is now part of McNally Construction.

Oldie from the Archive

2011-01-08T22:25:00.003-04:00

1. Douglas Reid getting away to work on Halterm, August 22, 1970.

All the tug activity at pier 42 Halterm has been largely invisible this week, since the dredge is working along the pier face. Pile driving is starting on the extension, but it may be a while before more crane barges are at work.

Back in 1969-1970 when Halterm was built, there was also tug activity, and I posted one of my photos on Shipfax October 19, 2009, of the tug Douglas Reid.

It was built in Cleveland, OH as Racine by Great Lakes Towing Co in 1914, and declared surplus in 1940. A.B.MacLean of Sault Ste. Marie, ON, bought the tug and ran it until 1950 when McNamara Construction acquired It., In 1954 they rebuilt the tug to work on the St.Lawrence Seaway project, and converted it to diesel, built a new deckhouse and raised the bulwarks from the typical Great Lakes style, and renamed it.

The tug worked all over eastern Canada, and wound up in Newfoundland where it was broken up before 1978. Interestingly most of McNamara's assets eventually wound up with McNally, the people working on the present Halterm extension.

Big Tugs Underway

2011-01-05T08:48:00.005-04:00

The tugs Centaurus and Pegasus went to work this morning. They will be towing the offshore rig PSS Chemul to the Gulf of Mexico. According to today's press accounts, the two year refit of the rig cost $110 million.

From the Archives

2011-01-04T14:28:00.005-04:00

The icebreaker Louis S. St-Laurent has had a long and chequered career. Although its recent history has been largely event free, as far as the public knows, her earlier history was was not so.

She suffered a disastrous fire in her accommodation in March 1982, and was towed into Sydney by the smaller icebreaker Tupper. She was then towed to Halifax by Point Carroll and Point Valiant, arriving on March 13, 1982 when the above photo was taken.

Remarkably all these vessels are still in existence. CCGS Tupper is little more than a hulk, laying forlornly at a dock in Dartmouth, NS, renamed Caruso in a stalled bid to convert her to an expedition cruise ship.

Louis S. St-Laurent following another fire, a re-engining and a mid-life refit (which replaced the bow shown in this picture) is now based in Argentia, NF. A replacement has been announced.

The tug Point Carroll was sold to McKeil of Hamilton, ON and renamed Tony MacKay. It called in Halifax in September to tow out the retired warship Fraser to Port Maitland, ON for scrapping.

And Point Valiant was sold to Three Rivers Boatmen (since taken over by Groupe Océan) and renamed André H. It is still in service, most recently at Sept-Iles, QC.

The picture was taken from the harbour tug Point Vim (still in service, now in Newfoundland for Davis Shipping.) Also assisting was Point Vigour, now McKeil'S Molly M 1.

A Mighty Pair of Tugs

2010-12-31T20:43:00.007-04:00

1. Early this morning Pegasus moves away from her over night berth at pier 27 to get bunkers. She is trimmed down by the stern, having taken on fresh water.

2. After bunkering Pegasus is on an even trim. She deployed her deck crane to handle the refueling hose, and will use it again when she ties up for pumping out waste tanks.

3. Pegasus nearing pier 25.

4. Pegasus tied up astern of sister Centuarus at pier 25.

The 8000 bhp, 100 tonne bollard pull tugs Centaurus and Pegasus arrived in Halifax late yesterday afternoon. After taking turns bunkering at pier 34 from Algoma Dartmouth, they tied up at pier 25.

Built in 2009 they are part of the German company Harms Bergung Transport & Heavy Lift GmbH & Co KG of Hamburg. They are designated as anchor handling tugs and are well fitted for ocean towing, hose handling, berthing, fire fighting and salvage. They measure 1262 gross tons and were built by the Mutselfeldt Yard in Cuxhaven.

The Harms fleet has been built up significantly in recent years, with several tugs of the "super class" as well as these mid-range types.

See their website at http://www.harms-bergung.de/ for full specs on their fleet.

The tugs are here to tow the offshore rig TSS Chemul to the Gulf of Mexico.

RMI Marine on the job

2010-12-29T22:32:00.008-04:00

1. Captain Jim hauls an oil boom, while the rig Chemul rests at anchor.

2. Belle D is lashed up to Halifax Carrier and ready to go when conditions permit.

RMI Marine Ltd has been engaged to carryout work on the offshore rig TSS Chemul at anchorage #1. As of last week, the rig was handed over by Halifax Shipyard to PEMEX (Petroleos Mexicanos) the Mexican state oil company, after a multi-million dollar refit.

RMI will be removing some gear from the rig's pontoons, but requires calm weather to do so. This week weather did not cooperate, as for the third Monday in a row storm conditions prevailed. RMI has the tug Belle D lashed to their barge Halifax Carrier, ready to go, but needs a little meteorological cooperation before heading out.

RMI's tug/workboat Captain Jim has also been working on the rig, but has also been occupied with other work, such as towing 800 feet of oil boom to the shipyard from pier 24.

Belle D was built in 1967 by Fercraft Marine of Côte Ste-Catherine, QC as Boatmen No.4 for Montreal Boatmen. It was later acquired by the Steel and Engine Products shipyard in Liverpool, NS and renamed Stenpro IV. It was subsequently transferred to Atlantic Towing and renamed Belle D. It is a 470 bhp twin screw vessel.

Captain Jim was built in 1989 as Atlantic Walnut along fishing boat lines. It has a towing bit and is fitted out for a variety of tasks including diving support, and crew boat.

The barge Halifax Carrier was built by Great Lakes Marine Contracting at Port Dover, ON in 1981. It was named La Malbaie until 2004 when it was acquired from McKeil Work Boats.

For more on RMI see their website: http://www.rmimarine.ca/

Christmas Greetings

2010-12-23T09:17:00.004-04:00

Tugfax will be a taking a few days off over Christmas. Have a Merry Christmas and Best Wishes for 2011.

In the spring of 1987 ice from the Gulf of St.Lawrence swept into Halifax (which never freezes over.) The tug Point Vigour was called in to divert ice from the propeller of the Russian ship Elton, loading flour at pier 22. The ice moved in an out with the tides and after few days disappeared out to sea.

Winter has Arrived

2010-12-20T08:34:00.004-04:00

Atlantic Willow returns to her berth at Woodside in Dartmouth on Saturday morning. She had just been assisting the rig Chemul.

The dusting of snow received Friday is the first real indication of winter in Halifax despite several severe storms recently.

The jack-up drilling rig Rowan Gorilla III is undergoing maintenance at the same Woodside pier.

Ryan Leet - baby sitter

2010-12-19T22:09:00.003-04:00

Ryan Leet was called out to shadow the rig TSS Chemul as it left port yesterday for sea trials (see Shipfax) It did not have to tow the self-propelled rig, which also had two tugs on escort wires for security,

Today Ryan Leet also went out to the rig for a supply trip, but soon returned to base.