Small Tugs - Big Lift

A trio of small tug/workboats operated by RMI Marine were hard at work this afternoon hauling the barge Timberland. The barge is carrying two new bridge deck sections for the Angus L. Macdonald bridge from the fabricator's yard to the bridge site.

The workboat/launch Captain Jim was in the lead towing Belle D which was in turn towing the barge.

Halifax Tugger was bringing up the rear with some pushing power.

At the bridge, the barge will be anchored in position (they are now working over the deep water channel) and the new sections will be hoisted up into place. The old section will be lowered to another barge, Océan Abyss.

.

Big Lift, Small Tugs

The project to replace the roadway of the Angus L. Macdonald bridge in Halifax harbour got underway in earnest today as the first old deck section was removed. The year long project to replace the deck in 46  sections in over night operations will allow the bridge to remain open during the days when traffic is at its heaviest. The work is expected to take a year and a half.

Named "The Big Lift" the project has its own website:  https://www.hdbc.ca/about-the-project/

Years in the planning this "mega-project" involves a couple of barges rented from Location Océan, part of Quebec's Groupe Océan. See Shipfax post from July.

RMI Marine is handling the tug work with three vessels.
 

Belle D, which is registered to Atlantic Towing Ltd, was built in 1967 as Boatman 4 by Fercraft Marine Inc of Cote Ste-Catherine, QC for Montreal Boatmen. It was rebuilt in 1989. Irving's Steel and Engine Products Ltd of Liverpool, NS, acquired and renamed it Stenpro IV in about 1997. It was transferred to Atlantic Towing Ltd and renamed Belle. D for use in Belledune, NB. By 2010 it appeared in Halifax and has been operated by RMI ever since. It is a twin screw tug of 450 bhp.

Captain Jim was built by Guimond's Boats Ltd of Baie Ste-Anne, NB in 1989 as Atlantic Walnut. Its glass fibre hull follows the lines of a typical Northumberland Strait fishing boat, but was initially used as a pilot boat in Saint John, NB by Atlantic Towing Ltd. It was renamed about 2000 and operates for RMI as a workboat, diving tender, crew boat and light tug.

 Halifax Tugger  is an unofficial name for RMI's latest addition. Since it is under 15 grt it is licensed under small craft regulations with a number only, and no official name. It was built by the GFFM Leclerc company on L'Ile-aux-Coudres, QC for their fleet of rental tugs. Most of their dozen or so similar boats are used by northern supply companies such as Desgagnés but have also been used on various marine construction projects. The tugs are truckable so turn up in odd places.

When I saw Cercle Poliare in June at Leclerc's yard it was painted and ready to go back in the water.


When RMI rented  purchased the tug and gave it the new name of Halifax Tugger, they inexplicably painted out its registration number. A little detective work on my part leads me to believe it was built as Cercle Polaire in 2011 (also an unofficial name).  If so it is a twin screw tug of  600 bhp.


As each old bridge deck section is lowered from the bridge, it is landed on a barge where it will be secured and moved to a scrapping facility where it will be cut up. Meanwhile the deck section, transported on another specially fitted barge from the fabricators, Cherubini Metals Works, in Eastern Passage, is moved into position and lifted up in to place.

 Belle D alongside the rental barges, with the first new roadway section.

.

Belle D at work

The small tug Belle D  has become busier with the start of cruise season in Halifax. The tug is used to handle a barge for ship's garbage and waste. The benefit of using a barge, as opposed to trucking the waste away, is that it happens on the 'off' side of the cruise ship and does not interfere with the passengers' comings and goings. All international garbage and waste requires special disposal procedures, including incineration for certain classes of waste.
In the photo  Belle D is south bound for pier 31 to handle waste from the cruise ship Veendam.

 

.

Belle D gets a nose job

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.

RMI Marine on the job

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/

.