Océan Cartier

The latest Groupe Océan acquisition, Océan Cartier, remains in Quebec City undergoing maintenance. Since acquiring the tug from Svitzer Canada, when that company pulled out of Montreal, the tug has been to the Groupe Océan shipyard at Ile-aux-Coudres and has been repainted in GO colours.

The former Svitzer Cartier is a V-S tractor type tug, built in China in 2007 as Hai Gang 107. It was part of a group of tugs that Svitzer bought for use in Australia. However the tugs were rejected by crews due to suspected asbestos contamination. Svitzer then upgraded the tug for winter conditions, and working in ice, and brought it to Canada in early 2015 to work at Port-Cartier for ArcelorMittal. That assignment was short lived, and it was re-assigned to Montreal the same year.
Under Groupe Océan ownership it is rumoured to be headed to Hamilton, ON.

Neighbouring tugs include André H. (ex Point Valiant, Foundation Valiant, 1963: 2100bhp) 

and Océan Delta (ex Capt. Ioannis S, Sandy Cape, Sistella, 1973: 6436 bhp).

The tug is rated at 5400 bhp, 56 tonnes bollard pull and has firefighting capability.

.

Quebec Shakeup [amended]

See addendum at the end of this article

A major shakeup in the Quebec tug scene can be summarized as "Svitzer out / Ocean in".
Svitzer Canada, part of the multi-national tug operator, a subsidiary of the giant AP Moller-Maersk shipping conglomerate has opted to discontinue its short lived four tug Montreal operation, selling most of its local assets to Groupe Océan.


Ocean had been the sole operator in the Port of Montreal since acquiring the former McAllister business. It appears now that loyalty to Océan was strong enough that Svitzer could not gain traction.

Svitzer Montréal refitting in Halifax shortly before taking up station in Montreal in the spring of 2016. The tug was transferred from Svitzer's operation in the Dominican Republic.

When Svitzer moved in last year, it was largely on the basis of having longstanding relationships with Algoma and CSL and of course to service Maersk Lines one weekly container ship. Whether parent company Maersk's financial belt tightening was a factor or not, there apparently was not enough business to sustain the operation.


Svitzer operated its service in Montreal initially with two tugs, which did double duty, by spending the summer in the high arctic at the Baffinland iron port at Milne Inlet, serving the Mary River mine. Océan originally had the Baffinland contract, and built two 8,000 bhp super tugs, Océan Tundra and Océan Taiga especially for the work, which was expected to extend to year round. When the Baffinland project stalled and ArcelorMittal gained control of the project in 2011 Svitzer wound up with the tug contract. The completed Océan Tundra found some work as an escort tug out of Quebec City, but construction of Océan Taiga was slowed down and only completed in 2016 due to a lack of demand for the vessels.

Svitzer Nerthus and Svitzer Njal after fitting out in Halifax, are almost ready to sail for their first season at Milne Inlet.

Svitzer Njal and Svitzer Nerthus were brought back to Canada by Svitzer in 2016, but at 5,000 bhp, they would only be able to work seasonally in the far north (July - October). As ice class tugs however, they are quite suitable for year round work in Montreal. They will be fulfilling the Baffinland contract this summer too, but at the end of the season they will become Océan tugs.

Baffinland had originally planned a year round rail line operating to a port on Steensby Inlet, which would be accessible to larger ships and presumably require larger tugs for year round service. It now seems they will build the rail line to Milne River instead, replacing the present 100km tote road for trucks. This will allow the mine to reach its 12 mn tonnes per year shipping target. They also plan to bring in ships of up to capesize, which will also require larger tugs.

Of the four Montreal based tugs, only Svitzer Cartier was not built by Eastisle Shipyard in Georgetown, PE. The Chinese built tug is the only Voith-Schneider tug in the lot.

Svitzer acquired two more tugs for Quebec work. Svitzer Cartier, a Chinese built V-S tug initially arrived to provide additional tug service for Port-Cartier, where ArcelorMittal has a major iron ore and grain port, and two aging V-S tugs of its own.  Svitzer Cartier apparently did not work out well at Port-Cartier and was transferred to Montreal. Its fate is unknown at this time, but may be acquired by Océan. (see Addendum)


Océan has now also acquired the tug contract for Port-Cartier and will be moving two of its tugs there later in the year, replacing the ArcelorMittal owned tugs Brochu and Vachon. V-S tugs, they were adept at working in the tight confines of Port-Cartier, but Océan has no V-S tugs of comparable power, so it will interesting to know what tugs they will be using. They will have several tugs coming back from Newfoundland now that the Hebron gravity base project is complete.


Earlier this year Océan was awarded the operating contract for the V-S tug Pointe-Comeau, based in Baie-Comeau, and owned by Cargill Grain. The tug was under Svitzer (and previously Eastern Canada Towing) management since it was built in 1977. In fact predecessor copmay Foundation Maritime managed the Cargill owned Foundation Vibert from when it was built in 1961. It became Point Vibert under ECTUG management until replaced by Pointe-Comeau. 


The fourth Montreal tug, Svitzer Montreal (ex Caucedo) at 4500 bhp ASD will be sold to Océan and could be used in any one of several ports served by Océan. Three of the four tugs should be a good fit in the Océan stable, since they were built by Eastisle in Georgetown, PE to the same basic design as eight of Océan's tugs. (see Addendum)


Océan now has a tight lock on all St.Lawrence River ports, as the exclusive tug operator with tugs based in Sept-Iles, Port Cartier, Baie-Comeau, Quebec City, Trois-Rivières, Sorel and Montreal.

(In 2012 Océan won the Iron Ore Company of Canada contract at Sept-Iles held by Svitzer and predecessors since the 1950s. It also bought ECTUG's two Sept-Iles icebreaking tugs.)

Océan also operates tugs on the Great Lakes to serve Hamilton, Toronto and Oshawa and a small tug in the port of Goderich.


Business prospects for the port of Montreal in particular appear to be on the upswing, as the port shows increased container and tanker traffic. The St.Lawrence River can now accommodate much larger ships. although draft restriction still apply.

Svitzer is now reduced back to three tugs at Point Tupper, NS: Point Chebucto, Point Valiant and Svitzer Bedford. The rather surprising move to Montreal was a bit unusual for Svitzer, a company noted for negotiating long term terminal contracts, rather than speculative ventures into unknown territory.

.

Addenda:
 Since posting this blog more information has come to light.
1. Océan is not acquiring Svitzer Montréal The tug is not ice rated (it was built for the Dominican Republic) and thus will be re-assigned by Svitzer.
2. Océan has indeed acquired the Svitzer Cartier and will  be sending it to Ile-aux-Coudres for refit by Industrie Océan. This leads me to assume that it will assigned to Port-Cartier. At 5400 bhp it would certainly provide more power than the two 3600 bhp tugs in place there.
3.Océan will be supporting the Port-Cartier contract with two V-S tugs. Unknown at present what those tugs will be, however:
Océan has one other V-S tug:  Océan A. Simard ex Alexis Simard, 3290 bhp. It has been working on the Hebron project in Newfoundland, and seems a likely candidate for Port-Cartier.
At present Océan Arctique is supplementing the two ArcelorMittal tugs in Port-Cartier and will presumably remain there.

.

St.Lawrence Shakeup

Canadian tug owners, although business competitors, have also co-operated with each other from time to time when needed. These more or less amicable arrangements have seemed strained on the St.Lawrence River however. Groupe Océan and Svitzer Canada are now vying for the same work and are ''duking it out'' in several ports. I wouldn't call it a war, but there have been several skirmishes and a couple of battles.

The first, and perhaps most surprising was the battle of Sept-Iles. Océan outbid Svitzer for the Iron Ore Company of Canada contract in Sept-Iles, long the turf of Svitzer, going back through Eastern Canada Towing, and MIL Tug to Foundation Maritime. In the 1950s Foundation stationed tugs in the port as it was developing into the iron ore hub of Canada. The Foundation Victor (1956) and Foundation Valour (1958) were built to work in the port, with their high wheelhouses to see the decks of bulk ore carriers.

Foundation Victor was built to work in Sept-Iles in the summer and Halifax in the winter. From its  high wheelhouse the master had a clear of the the decks of bulk carriers.

The second generation Pointe-aux-Basques (1972) and Pointe-Marguerite (replaced by Pointe-Sept-Iles in 1980) 4300 bhp twin screw tugs with ice breaking bows, were also built for the port.

Pointe-Sept Iles also had a high wheelhouse, even though bulkers had become much larger. It was also ice class as the port had become a year round operation.

It was a major surprise when Océan won the contract away from Svitzer in 2012, but they had already established a presence in Sept-Iles Bay working the other side of the harbour at Pointe-Noire. Océan ended up buying both of Svitzer's Sept-Iles tugs and bringing two Canadian built tugs back from Denmark. A major downturn in iron ore production in Labrador and in Quebec has reduced the shipping in Sept-Iles Bay, but Océan has Océan Arctique and Océan Sept-Iles (ex Pointe-Sept-Iles) stationed there.

Svitzer Cartier was brought in to work at Port Cartier, but its contract was not renewed. It now works in Montreal.

In 2015 Svitzer brought in Svitzer Cartier (ex Svitzer Wombi, Hai Gang 107) a Chinese built 5400 bhp VS tractor to assist ArcelorMittal's two VS tugs in Port-Cartier. That service was short lived, and late last year Océan announced that it had formalized an agreement whereby Océan Arctique would come in from nearby Sept-Iles to assist as needed.

Stevns Arctic about to be re-launched after completion at Halifax Shipyard. The tug worked in Europe until Groupe Océan brought it back to Canada and renamed it Océan Arctique.

ArcelorMittal's Brochu and Vachon - both 1972, 3600bhp VS are ideal for working the tight confines of Port-Cartier, but there is more work there than two tugs can handle thanks to continued iron ore cargo and grain exports. It will be interesting to see if an ASD can cut it in that port.

What really broke the truce, if any, however was Svitzer's combined move into Montreal and Baffin Island.

Montreal had been the turf of McAllister Towing since the 1950s, when the New York based company established a Canadian branch run by Donal McAllister. It consolidated a slightly rag tag operation of old steam tugs when the St.Lawrence Seaway opened also taking in Pyke Salvage of Kingston, ON. When Groupe Océan took over the former McAllistewr operation, and again modernized the fleet, they had the port to themselves.

Océan also had the contract for the Baffinland iron mine project and built the 8,000 bhp super-ice clas tugs Océan Tundra and Océan Taiga for the work. They also built smaller tugs and acquired barges to build the port and provide lighterage services there. However when the project was delayed, ArcelorMittal ended up in control and awarded a new tug contract to Svitzer.

Svitzer Nerthus and Svitzer Njal, both Canadian-built ice class 5,000 bhp ASDs built in 2009 were brought back from Denmark for the seasonal arctic work, then assigned to Montreal in winter. Now joined by Svitzer Cartier and Svitzer Montréal they are eating into Océan's work  Rumours persist that Svitzer may bring in more two tugs for that port.

The latest salvo appeared this month when Océan announced that they had been awarded management of the tug Pointe-Comeau by Cargill Grain Co Ltd in Baie-Comeau. Despite its name, the tug has always been owned by Cargill, but has been managed since it was built in 1977 by Eastern Canada Towing  (which became Svitzer.) Even its predecessor tug Foundation Vibert was built in 1961 for Cargill Grain and was managed by Foundation, then MIL, then ECTUG, even being renamed Point Vibert while under Cargill ownership and ECTUG management.

Purchased by ECTUG and reassigned to Halifax after being replaced by Pointe-Comeau, Point Vibert's skipper had a good view of the lines up to the bulker's deck. It was one of the few twin screw tugs in the fleet, but that feature helped it in the tight confines of Baie-Comeau.

Pointe-Comeau in ECTUG colours, came to Halifax for drydocking in 1998.

Pointe-Comeau has been covered in these pages before, but to repeat, it was built by Marystown Shipyard in Newfoundland in 1977.  A 3600 bhp Voith Schneider tug, it is well suited for the tight confines of Baie-Comeau's aluminum, grain and paper company piers.

Pointe-Comeau now in Svitzer colours has been stationed at Baie-Comeau since built, and has always been owned by the Cargill Grain Co. Ltd.

Now we enter the speculation stage. When RioTintoAlcan replaced its tugs in La Baie with ASDs, their Alexis Simard, a 3290 bhp VS tug, built in 1980 was orphaned. Groupe Océan, which had been providing supplementary tug service in La Baie, took over the tug in 2011 and renamed it Océan A. Simard. They stationed it in Baie-Comeau for a time, going head to head with Pointe-Comeau. That did not pan out, and for the plast few years the tug has been working in Newfoundland on the Hebron Gravity base project. With that project coming to an end, it will again be looking for work.  (As will other Océan tugs)
If there are VS tugs needed in Port Cartier and in Baie-Comeau, it will be interesting to see where Océan A.Simard ends up. 

Océan A. Simard will be re-assigned when its work in Newfoundland is completed.

.

Tug move updates - and more

I may have erred in the actual departure date of the tug Atlantic Larch from Halifax. Either that or it came back and left a second time. I caught it outbound for Colon, Panama on Saturday March 5.



Ocean Foxtrot put back to Marystown, NL in tow of Western Tugger and Coast Guard escort. After a four year layup, a day in rough seas stirred up enough sludge in its fuel thanks that it lost power. A thorough cleaning seems to be in order. However it is possible that the C.O.D. tow may have depleted the new owner's funds.Another abandonment seems possible.
 

The Halifax based tugs Svitzer Njal and Svitzer Nerthus sailed from Halifax March 3, bound for Sept-Iles, QC. It seems an odd destination, since there is little traffic in the port these days and Groupe Océan has all the work there having wrested away the Iron Ore Company of Canada contract from Svitzer several years ago. All I can think is that they are there to assist at Port-Cartier if needed, since ArcelorMittal is a major client. The contract for Svitzer Cartier expires shortly, so even that may be a wild guess.
Sept-Iles is relatively close to Méchins, QC, where Verreault Shipyard often services Svitzer tugs, so that may be a explanation too.



HEADLINE
Tugfax Blogger Suffers (another) Sudden Attack of Apoplexy.

My ongoing quest for responsible ship naming suffered another setback recently when I learned about another shipowner that has abdicated the responsibility of sensible ship naming by resorting to a contest for school children. A panel of judges (who obviously didn't know any better) selected the name  Iron Guppy for a new icebreaking tug/workboat for the Port of Toronto.

This ludicrous appellation will be applied to the craft which will be completed in June by Hike Metal Products. The 750 bhp single screw ABS Ice Class C0 boat  may last as long as 45 years, which its predecessor William Rest managed to do.[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Rest]
If so, the name should be thoroughly stale by then and so outdated as to be meaningless. Even the six to twelve year olds that came up with it may be thoroughly tired of it by then. I know I am already.
For more on the process see: http://www.portstoronto.com/PortsToronto/Media-Room/News/Waterfront-Elementary-Students-Name-PortsToronto%E2%80%99s.aspx

Not only is the name undignified for a tug, it is an embarrassment to a Port, that has a long maritime history. Its previous vessels have carried interesting and meaningful names, often with historic antecedents or symbols. Many have also been named for notable persons, such as the Port's fireboat William Lyon Mackenzie [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Lyon_Mackenzie_%28fireboat%29 or for more on the man: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Lyon_Mackenzie
or another (now retired tug) the Ned Hanlan https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ned_Hanlan_%28tugboat%29 

If not named for a memorable person, surely a tug deserves a name indicative of force, power, activity, purposefulness, utility or dependability.
For more on the new tug see: http://www.ral.ca/news/2016/2016-02-18.html
I am rendered speechless by Toronto's choice.

By the way the Toronto Marine Historical Society is a wonderful means of learning about that port's history, and much else related to Great Lakes shipping: http://www.tmhs.ca/

. 

Svitzer Cartier sails

After completing trials, including a bollard pull test, Svitzer Cartier sailed this morning for the Verreault shipyard in Les Méchins, QC.


After a brief stint at the yard for underwater survey (usually a condition of any handover) and any other work that needs to be done by a shipyard, the tug will be ready to work at Port Cartier.

As a follow up to my previous posts, ArcelorMittal will continue to operate its own tugs Brochu and Vachon at Port Cartier, and Svitzer will operate Svitzer Cartier.

Svitzer also operates the tug Pointe-Comeau at Baie-Comeau, which was called in if needed at Port Cartier, but that will be less likely to happen now. The two ports are more than 100 miles apart, which required a lot of advance notice and planning, which will now be alleviated.

.

Svitzer Cartier- what more can be said

Since a new tug is a rare thing in eastern Canada these days, perhpas I can be forgiven for making mention of the tug again!

 New tires on top of fenders, but can't somebody do something about those schooner anchors?

Some additional thoughts:

1. The news today that Algoma Central Marine has acquired the Panamax self-unloader Gypsum Integrity to run under Canadian flag as Algoma Integrity on the iron ore shuttle from Port-Cartier to Contrecouer, QC puts some more logic behind the move to add a third tug in Port-Cartier. That ship will be in and out of port weekly year round, ad due to its size  197m loa and 32.2m broad, it will certainly take two tugs to berth.

2. I notice the crew on Svitzer Cartier are all wearing bright shiny new Svitzer hard hats and coveralls. The skipper, when the tug came alongside yesterday after fueling, was very adept at handling the tug, and where would be get that experience? Obviously not a new hire, despite the fresh coveralls. I'm guessing Svitzer Canada has taken over management of the other tugs in Port-Cartier too. It would only make sense, since up until now the tugs have been managed by the iron ore company itself (now ArcelorMittal, but previously Quebec-Cartier), and why would they want a third tug under a different management arrangement?

3. All that raises the third supposition. With Svitzer on board, and access to a world wide network of tug operations, and faced with eventual replacement of the two incumbent tugs Brochu and Vachon, could we expect an announcement of some more new tugs soon?

The new Svitzer Cartier has two sister tugs recently "blacked" by Australian unions due to an asbestos scare, but my guess is that brand new tugs are more likely. Brochu and Vachon are reported to be in excellent condition, so there is no rush, but inevitably more powerful tugs are in the cards.

.

Svitzer Cartier - another update

The protective box over the winch has been removed, revealing the massive Karmoy unit that will be used in ship berthing. The box turns out to have been more than just a shelter, it was also insulated and heated. This means that the winch itself was not designed for winter operation, and will have to be upgraded to survive normal operating conditions in Canada. All its piping and control are exposed on the port side, and will require some sort of permanent protection.

A portion of the temporary housing, which joined it to the permanent superstructure has not been removed yet.

The tug also took fuel today and made a short trials trip in the harbour.

But there is till lots of work to do to make the tug ready for service.

The towing staple, sheathed in stainless (?) steel, intended to protect expensive mooring lines from chafe, looks more than capable of shredding lines instead.

.

Svitzer Cartier registered in Canada

The latest addition to Svitzer Canada's fleet , Svitzer Cartier was officially registered in Canada today. The port of registry is Halifax, where Svitzer's head office is located. A press release from Svitzer indicates that the tug will be at work in Port Cartier in mid-April.

 
Meanwhile the tug is fitting out at the Svitzer dock in Halifax, with paint touchups underway.

And the addition of tractor tires to the business end (the stern) of the tug.

Yet to come - the removal of the protective housing over the winch.

The housing proved useful in the ship's trip up from Panama, but since it blocks the view of the winch and towing staple, it won't be of much use when the tug goes to work. It appears to be bolted down to a frame on deck and is fitted with lifting hooks.

As an addendum to my first post on the tug, I now understand that it was "heavy-lifted" by ship from Shanghai to Balboa (ship not yet identified) where it was handed over to the specialty ship-delivery company TOS (Transport and Offshore Services).www.tos.nl

.

Svitzer Wombi, future Svitzer Cartier arrives

It has been some time since a Svitzer tug tied up at the Svitzer dock in Halifax. Since Svitzer and Atlantic Towing Ltd formed their partnership for tug service in Halifax, all tug work here has been done by Atlantic Towing and all tug work in the Strait of Canso by Svitzer.
Today's arrival is not a tug for Halifax however. After some preparation work, the tug will be assigned to Port Cartier, QC where it will assist the tugs of ArcelorMittal in ship berthing at the busy iron ore and grain port.

The tug will be renamed Svitzer Cartier when it is registered in Canada, but it arrived as Svitzer Wombi, reflecting its brief connection with Australia. Svitzer is a worldwide operation, and last year its busy Australian branch acquired three Chinese tugs, built in 2007, for service in Australia, however one of them, built as Hai Gang 107 was specially refitted for service in Canada. That work included strengthening for work in ice.

Svitzer Wombi makes it approach to the Svitzer wharf. Just visible near the bow is some extra hull plating for work in ice.

Renamed Svitzer Wombi, and flying the flag of St.Vincent and the Grenadines, the tug made its way under its own power across the Pacific to the Panama Canal, March 13, then to Bermuda, March 26,  arriving here just this morning.

For the trip from China, a temporary structure was built over the shipberthing winch, with watertight doors to the accommodation. The Pacific is noted for its following seas, and this added protection was a necessary. There was also a reel of towline lashed to the stern rail.

The tug took several vicious rolls as it tied up, no doubt due to its being light in fuel, but also to a tendency in Voith-Schneider tugs to wallow when the drives are not synchronized.

 
The tug is a Voith-Schneider type, which is the same type as the two ArcelorMittal tugs in Port Cartier, Brochu and Vachon. This will allow docking masters to use the same maneuvers in the tight dock spaces, keeping the tugs alongside and pushing latterly when needed. The existing tugs, built in 1973, have 3600 bhp.
Svitzer Cartier is rated at 5400 bhp and 56 tonnes bollard pull. Its greater power is also needed to handle the ever larger bulkers that are loading in Port Cartier.

The letters for the tug's new name have been welded on but not painted yet. And you can see the Svitzer Wombi outline in welding bead beneath them. The name Svitzer Wombi stencilled on in small letters sufficed for the delivery trip.
The tug will remain in Halifax for compliance work and inspection for Canadian registration before sailing to Port Cartier to take up its duties, on what I hear is a two year contract..

 .

.