Tugs at Ile-aux-Coudres - Part 2

The GFFM Leclerc shipyard on the eastern tip of Ile-aux-Coudres builds small powerful shallow draft tugs for sale or charter. Many of the tugs find work as lighterage tugs in northern supply work. Others are kept on hand at the home port of Ile-aux-Coudres for general duties or leased out to others.

A small tidal basin adjacent to the ferry dock is the base, and on August 10 there were four Leclerc tugs and a pair of similar tugs operated by Transport Desgagnés.

The Desgagnés tug Lumaaq is an early version of the type, whereas Rénard Polaire is one the newer triple screw versions.
Lumaaq, Siku and a pair of lighters will be loaded aboard an outbound Desgagnés Transarctik ship to land sealift cargo in the far north.

 

Siku is awaiting its next northern assignment with fleetmate Lumaaq, and Ours Polaire is standing by for other work.

Béluga Polaire and Eclipse Polaire return from an assignment moving a barge out into the stream.

Béluga Polaire prepares to land some barge workers.

Eclipse Polaire returns to the dock.

The tugs move JMC 185 away from its berth.

The tugs had moved the barge JMC 185 out to the stream. Built in 2007 by LAD Salvage of Louisiana in Stephensville, LA as an ABS classed spud barge, it was owned by Cashman Equipment in Boston. Groupe Océan then acquired the barge for transporting reinforcing steel to the Hebron gravity base construction in Newfoundland from 2015 to 2017.  They then used the barge to transport precast concrete components from Sorel for the new Champlain Bridge project. CRT Construction has now acquired the barge for work in north Quebec with their tug CRT Express (see yesterday's post).

.

IXC TUGS

The annual sealift supply of northern Canadian settlements takes place during a short navigation season from July to October. One of the major operators is Groupe Desgagnés through their Desgagnés Transartik subsidiary. Ships load at various ports on the St.Lwrence River and head to ports in northern Quebec, Nunavik and Nunavut.

Many of the outports do not have piers or other port infrastructure due to the severe winter ice conditions, and thus ships going north frequently carry small tugs and scows to transship cargo from offshore anchorage to the beach.

On June 30 I was fortunate enough to catch some of the preparations for that work.
The ship Sedna Desgagnés had loaded most of its cargo upriver, then proceeded down to an anchorage off Ile-aux-Coudres. There it was met by a small flotilla of tugs, both company owned and those chartered from GFFM Leclerc, an Ile-aux-Coudres based builder and fleet owner of rental tugs.

Sedna Desgagnés came to anchor off the pier at St-Bernard, Ile-aux-Coudres.

Lead by the Eclipse Polaire four tugs get underway from the small marina.
 

Eclipse Polaire is typical of the latest generation of GFFM Leclerc tugs. It is a triple screw, shallow draft vessel of about 1130 bhp.
 

Lumaaq is a Desgagnés owned tug, of similar design, but twin screw and only about 319 bhp.

Vent Polaire is of an earlier generation Leclerc tug, 2 screw, 420 bhp. Getting away at the dock is Béluga Polaire another triple screw 1200 bhp tug.

Three other Desgagnés tugs and a large scow remain to be picked up by another ship.
Pivut, Ullakut and Ulluriaq are all twin screw, 620 bhp.
 

Eclipse Polaire picks up a scow from its mooring and heads out to the ship. On the scow's deck are some landing ramps.
 

Béluga Polaire pushes a larger scow out to the anchorage.

Tugs shepherd the larger scow alongside for the ship to hoist aboard using its heavy lift cranes.
 

It only takes one crane to lift the smaller scow.
 

While the lifting takes place, the tugs stand well off. A speed boat is also present - I assume taking photos or videos of the operation.

The small tugs remind me of ducklings.

 Once the barges are on board, it is time to lift the tugs:

The tugs takes their place among the various pick-up trucks, boats and even an ambulance heading north.
 

With three tugs on board (Lumaaq, Eclipse Poliare and Béluga Polaire), the ship cradles its cranes and weighs anchor. Its next port will be Rimouski where it will top off with more deck cargo.

Vent Polaire heads back to Ile-aux-Coudres with the deck crews.

When the annual sealift winds up for another season, the operation will be reversed and the tugs and scows will be returned to Ile-aux-Coudres for the winter.

.