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Svitzer Bedford has a tow
The Point Tupper based tug Sitzer Bedford has the disabled cargo ship Thorco Crown in tow and should be arriving in Sydney this evening, just in time to avoid the latest incoming storm.After...
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Bugsier Tugs in Halifax
The 1960s to 1980s were the boom years for deep sea salvage and towing tugs. The writing was on the wall however, for offshore anchor handling tugs were poaching the once exclusive territory of the big...
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Ocean Ranger Anniversary
Today Marks the 35th anniversary of the loss of the drilling rig Ocean Ranger and all 84 persons on board. The world's largest semi submersible was working on the Hibernia field 166 miles east of...
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Genesis Victory - bound for the Lakes
With the opening of the St.Lawrence Seaway this week for another season, the tug Genesis Victory out of New York is headed for the Great Lakes again. The tug with its tank barge GM 6506 has been a...
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US tugs (yes plural) on the move
US Tug 1 What was expected to be a short stay in Halifax for the tug Genesis Victory (see previous post) turned into a bit of a marathon as weather systems kept wandering through the region making...
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New name for McAsphalt tug
Making its way from the Great Lakes to Halifax for the first time this year, an articulated tug/barge arrived at the McAsphalt jetty in Eastern Passage this afternoon. As of January this year the tug...
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Spitfire III subs for Atlantic Fir
With the tug Atlantic Fir off to Minas Basin to assist with the tidal turbine project, ATL brought in one of its big terminal tugs to fill in. Spitfire III is one of three 5,432 bhp, 70 tonne BP tugs...
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More Spitfire III
The substitute tug Spitfire III (see previous post) has been getting its share of escort duties. As the most powerful tug in Halifax, it is the usual choice when two tugs are required to escort a ship...
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Cavendish Sea to the breakers
A tug with a short Canadian history has gone to the breakers in India, while still retaining its Canadian name.Built as Ouro Preto in 1978 by Mitsui Engineering + Shipbuilding, Fujinagata Works, Osaka,...
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Cowslip in Riverport
The sleepy port of Riverport, Nova Scota, at the mouth of the La Have River, and not far from Lunenburg, is one of the last places I would expect to find a tug (of any description). Once home to many...
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What's in a name
As a self- proclaimed connoisseur of ship's names, I do like to see a ship that shows some originality in in its name. Today I managed a bit of a double header.First was the bulk carrier Desert...
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NTCL update
Based on recent court filings it seems likely that Northern Transportation Co Ltd (NTCL) will make an assignment into bankruptcy shortly after December 15.While the company has been in creditor...
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Craig Trans - another chapter, but maybe not the last
It is time to record another chapter in the saga of the tug Craig Trans but perhaps not the last one.To summarize the previous chapter. After appearing in Halifax in late 2012 and detained by...
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Quebec Shakeup
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...
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Atlantic Towing visitors
Two Atlantic Towing Ltd tugs arrived in Halifax today, each visit related to barge work.Atlantic Beech ex Irving Beech, built 1969, 2250 bhp arrived from Saint John, NB to tow away the barge Atlantic...
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Return of the Coho - AMENDED
A familiar sight in Saint John, NB, the articulated tug barge (ATB) combination Coho and Penn No.92 made one of its infrequent visits to Halifax today.The US flag tug and its 7100 grt asphalt barge...
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ZIM gets bigger
ZIM is now sending larger ships to Halifax (last week's Zim Antwerp crashed through the 10,000 TEU mark) but they are also sending former post-Panamax ships through the new Panama Canal from on their...
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Now Showing
Although I am in my sixth decade of marine photography, my current show at the Public Archives of Nova Scotia is entitled Four Decades of Marine Photography. That is because I have selected images only...
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Merger or Aquisition
In the Mergers and Acquisitions (M+A) world the distinction between a merger and an acquisition is often what the parties want to call it. The second Hamburg based acquisition in recent months is...
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Firebird for sale
The Royal Canadian Navy's Halifax based fireboat Firebird YTR 561 has now been put up for sale by GCSurplus: hereAt its customary berth in HMC Dockyard, Firebird shares space with YTL 593 Merrickville...
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