Keewatin - arctic veteran- CORRECTED

1. Keewatin works it way up the Narrows this morning.

Northern Transportation's veteran tug Keewatin arrived this morning with the barge NT 1524 and tied up at the Fairview Cove container terminal.
Built in 1974 by Yarrows Ltd in Esquimalt, BC, the tug is a triple screw shallow draft vessel, designed to work in the arctic. After many year in the western arctic, it continued through the northwest passage to work in the east.
[SINCE WRITING THIS I HAVE RECEIVED A WELCOME CORRECTION. After completion by Yarrows, the tug sailed from Esquimalt, via the Panama Canal to Churchill, and worked with her barges on the western shores of Hudson's Bay.]

It first arrived in Halifax in 2002 from Rankin Inlet. It worked on the Great Lakes in 2003 and 2004, but was back in Halifax later that year. It often worked with Atlantic Towing Ltd  and was seen with their barges in tow.
It was reported laid up in Mount Carmel, Newfoundland for time, so it is good to see the handsome tug back in Halifax.

2. The tug moves alongside its barge off Fairview Cove.

Its barge on this trip is also a veteran, built in 1973 by Burrard Dry Dock Co Ltd in North Vancouver. Despite its 1,252 gross tons measurement, it managed to get into port without a pilot. (Non-propelled vessels in excess of 1,000 tons require a pilot).
On the barge's deck were several carefully placed pedestals bearing the name of Belmire, a Quebec based heavy lift and rigging company. It would appear that one of Fairview Cove's container cranes may be a candidate for a move. On Wednesday they were seen to be loading some large components, possibly a construction crane.