Clik here to view.
Océan Taiga and other Groupe Océan news bits
The "super tug"Océan Taiga put in a surprise appearance in Halifax today. The second of two tugs of the TundRA 3600 class built at Industrie Océan for parent company Groupe Océan, it is an 8,000 bhp,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Pups at Work
The Queen's Harbour Master directs a fleet of six tugs in Halifax harbour. Of these, three are small tugs of the Ville class. They range the length and width of the harbour doing various jobs of work...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Southwestern (Nova Scotia) tugs
A couple of loops around southwestern Nova Scotia in the past few weeks turned up a bit of tug activity.June 2 Lunenburg At Lunenburg Theodore Too was in port for a tune up before heading to its new...
View ArticleClik here to view.
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...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Groupe Océan goes north and south
When Groupe Océan took over Svitzer's Montreal operation last year, they also got the two tugs Svitzer was using for the Baffinland Iron Mines operation in the far north. The tugs completed their 2017...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Groupe Océan's older tugs
In Groupe Océan's large tug fleet there are a number of older tugs. That they are still running is a tribute to their excellent maintenance, but also to the fact that many have served a lot of their...
View ArticleSummer Break
As usual Ship Central is taking a summer break and the blogs Shipfax and Tugfaxmay see only periodic posts until September. The break started a little earlier this year and without notice, so this...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Co-operation
Despite being business competitors, Canadian tug operators often work together, with short term chartering of each others' tugs depending on need.Currently Groupe Océan is employing the McKeil Marine...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Everlast
The tug Everlast with its articulated barge Norman McLeod were the cause for some minor excitement off Sorel-Tracy last week. At an early hour August 9 , while at anchor, the barge's anchor cable...
View ArticleClik here to view.
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...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Scotian Sea - sold
The handsome supplier Scotian Sea has apparently been sold and re-purposed. Its Canadian registry was closed September 10, and now under British flag, it sailed September 12 for Aberdeen, Scotland as...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Atlantic Raven - new assignment
On August 11 the federal government announced that it had awarded the Emergency Towing Vessel [ETV] contract for British Columbia waters to Atlantic Towing Ltd, a division of J.D.Irving Ltd. The three...
View ArticleClik here to view.
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...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Jane Ann IV offered for scrap
The tug Jane Ann IV has now been offered for scrap sale on Facebook according to reports. The veteran tug had been laid up since 2009 until this summer when its barge coupler system was removed and...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Scrap Tow from Montreal
It seems likely that Océan Delta will soon embark on its last trip. Now under Panamanian registry, the tug was sold by Groupe Océan and its Canadian registry closed November 29, 2017. Since year end...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Lois M - Arctic assignment and other nothern operations
The tug Lois M has arrived in Deception Bay, Nunavut to provide assistance to the Fednav OBO Arctic. The combination bulker / tanker has experienced a mechanical issue that has prevented its departure...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Tar Season
Some say there are two seasons in the Atlantic Canada - snow plowing season and paving season. The latter traditionally ends in late November when freezing temperatures make it difficult for asphalt to...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Not really tug news
We don't report fake news at Tugfax but we do report news about fake tugs.Our favourite fake tug being of course Theodore Too, that well known tourist attraction built as a life size version of a tiny...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Theodore Too - still smiling
Theodore Too arrived safely back in Halifax this morning - still wearing a smile.After encountering some mechanical issues on its return from Saint John, the vessel had repairs in Meteghan and then...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Rhône
The first visit of a new Loire class French navy tug is marked today with the arrival of Rhône, second in the series after the class named vessel, Loire A602.Weather turned blustery later this...
View Article