Dover Spirit tows from Halifax - Update #1

 The tug Dover Spirit sailed from Halifax in the early morning of August 20 towing the barge MM 143 en route to Sydney, NS,

The barge is carrying a large Manitowoc crawler crane and other gear used in cutting up the old trawler Hydra Mariner that was aground on Navy Island in Bedford Basin. The Minister of Transport ordered the removal of the wreck when the owners failed to remove it. Marine Recycling Corp of Port Colborne, ON (MRC) were hired to cut up the wreck. They completed the work earlier this month and the "chunks" of the ship were loaded on another barge, the MM 161. It will also be towed to MRC's facility in Sydport, NS where the material will be recycled.

See also Shipfax August 9, 2022 for more on the wreck removal.

 

The Dover Spirit is a fine little tug, built in 1998 at Port Dover, ON by Dovercraft Marine as Kaliutik. McKeil Marine acquired the tug and renamed it in  2018. It is rated at 550 bhp, and is equipped with a towing winch, stern roller, and a large push knee on the bow.

Update:

The Dover Spirit delivered the barge to Sydport on August 21 and more or less immediately put back out to sea for Halifax, arriving in the early hours of August 23. It then sailed again late in the day with the second barge  MM161, carrying the bulk of the cut up sections of the Hydra Mariner.

The yellow tower is part of the barge's equipment - purpose iunknown. The remnants of the Hydra Mariner do not appear to be secured - except by gravity - but it is more likely that they are chained down or welded on in some manner.

Once again I missed getting a photo of the tug underway (this time due to heacvy mist), so I am attaching a photo of the tug under its orginal name, Kaliutik, from 2012, taken in Port Hawksbury.

.

Scrap tow from Halifax

This morning two surplus navy barges were towed out for scrapping to shipbreakers in Sydney, NS. Because the barges are not over large, they did not require large tugs. Also, possibly in order to economize on pilotage fees, the tow was organized in elephant style, so that only one pilot was required.


Lead tug was Strait Raven, operated by Superport Marine Services Ltd of Port Hawksbury.  A 455 bhp twin screw vessel, it was built by Superport at their own yard in 2013.

It was towing the barge YRG-60, a fueling barge used in the naval dockyard.. It in turn was connected by towline to YDG-2 a degaussing barge.

 At the end of the procession was the McKeil Marine tug Dover Spirit, with a line to its bow.

I saw Dover Spirit in Quebec during the summer ( see Tugfax August 29 ) for the first time under its new name. It was previously called Kaliutik when it was built in 1998 by Dovercraft Marine. It is a two screw 550 bhp tug.


I did note that YDG-2 was towing stern first, so I suspect that when the tow reaches the harbour limits Dover Spirit will take over the tow of YDG-2 alone.

.

Océan Comeau and Dover Spirit - 2018 renames

Two tugs that have been renamed this year were in the area of Ile-aux-Coudres this morning.
First was the downbound Dover Spirit on its way from the Lakes to Sydney, NS.

Built in 1998 by Dovercraft Marine of Nanticoke, ON its first name was Kaliutik for owners the Labrador Inuit Devlopment Corp. In recent years McKeil Marine has been using the tug, but it was not until June 12 of this year that the ownership was transferred to McKeil Workboats GP Inc and the new name registered.

For more on this tug (and better pictures) see:  http://tugfaxblogspotcom.blogspot.com/search?q=kaliutik


Océan Comeau is on the slip at Industrie Océan for hull work. Ownership of the former Pointe Comeau was taken over by Groupe Ocean from Cargill as part of the deal to provide tug service at Baie Comeau. Svitzer / Eastern Canada Towing had managed the tug on behalf of Cargill, and under the new contract Cargill acquired the Anse du Moulin the former Svitzer Comeau. Cartier.

The large skeg under the tug's stern is an essential part of its design.It also helps to support the tug in drydocking.

Océan Comeau is now regularly stationed in Sorel, QC, and was re-registered in Quebec City August 17.

There are also large docking plates fitted forward to protect the Voith Schneider blades, and support the hull in drydocking.

.