We’re odd creatures, us humans. It’s one of the great mysteries of the universe that our species can send astronauts to the moon and ships to all corners of the globe—but ask us to name those ships, and our inspiration stops after about… seven names. (And that’s not counting Boaty McBoatface.) On Wednesday, the Danae bulk carrier is set to arrive in Halifax Harbour from Kamsar, Guinea. But don’t confuse it with the Danae bulk carrier which left Russia last week and is travelling the Baltic Sea, nor the Danae bulk carrier en route from Singapore to South Africa. God forbid you mistake it, either, for the Danae bulk carrier sailing from Brazil to Singapore, or mix it up with the Danae bulk carrier making the reverse trip from Singapore to Santos, Brazil.
You know how every junior hockey team is bound to have a Tyler (or Tanner), and every Republican convention has someone named Jeb or Mitt? We’re making a new rule today: Going forward, every bulk carrier is named Danae. Just imagine the confusion we’ll foster.
The rest of this week’s ship arrivals are far more straightforward in their naming conventions—which is helpful for directing port traffic, one imagines, if less unintentionally comedic. Let’s dive in.
Monday, June 12
Say hello to the Hafnia Mikala oil tanker, which arrived in Halifax Harbour early Monday morning after a 10-day crossing from Antwerp, Belgium. The double-hulled ship is one of eight sister vessels and described as a medium-range tanker—among the smaller of the chemical and crude oil carriers of the shipping world. (In the Average Freight Rate Assessment system, tankers range in size from general purpose—think small ships, short trips—to ultra-large crude carriers.) The Mikala isn’t tiny by any stretch—it has 10 liquid cargo tanks and a summer deadweight of just under 50,000 tonnes—but it pales in comparison to the biggest oil tankers asea, which can boast a summer deadweight of up to 550,000 tonnes.
The Atlantic Sea container ship made its return to Halifax on Monday morning. It’s been three weeks since the 296-metre-long ship’s last visit to Nova Scotia. In the meantime, it made the rounds of northwestern Europe, sailing through Hamburg, Antwerp and Liverpool. The ship arrived at the Fairview Cove Terminal just after 5:30am and will sail onward to New York City. On its heels is the Taipan vehicle carrier—inbound from Southampton, UK. It leaves Tuesday for New York as well.
Finally, welcome back to the Zaandam, which makes its eighth—eighth!!—stop in Halifax this cruise season. The 1,430-passenger ship arrived at Halifax’s Pier 22 on Monday morning from Boston and continues onward to Cape Breton.
Tuesday, June 13
The MSC Beijing container ship was slated to kick off the day’s arrivals. It’s en route from Baltimore, Maryland and is currently eight days behind schedule. The 325-metre ship—which sails under a Portuguese flag—had been pencilled in for a 6:15am arrival at the South End Container Terminal, but its latest satellite update suggests it might be further delayed. When it finally arrives, it will carry onward to Saudi Arabia.
Meanwhile, the 141-metre Lagarfoss container ship arrived from Reykjavik at 7:30am. It’s berthed at the South End Container Terminal and sails onward to Portland, Maine by 6pm.
Wednesday, June 14
The aforementioned Danae is the day’s only scheduled arrival. It’s expected at 1pm.
Thursday, June 15
Right after the quietest day in Halifax Harbour, we get the busiest: Seven ships are slated to arrive in port on Thursday, starting with the MSC Nuria and ZIM Luanda container ships. Both are expected around 6:15am. Both are also in the running for The Coast’s “Sexiest Port Call of the Week”: The former is en route from Valencia, Spain and will sail onward to New York City, while the latter—inbound from Montreal—will carry onward to Barcelona.
Halifax’s weekly regulars, the Oceanex Sanderling and Nolhan Ava ro-ro/cargo ships, follow suit at 8am and 9am, respectively. Both are expected at the South End Container Terminal. The Sanderling arrives on its usual route from St. John’s, NL, while the Nolhan Ava makes its circuit from Argentia, NL and St. Pierre & Miquelon. The Acadian oil tanker isn’t much farther behind; it’s expected to arrive just after noon from Charlottetown, PEI and head onward to Saint John, NB by 4pm.
Rounding out the day’s arrivals, the MOL Experience—which sounds more like the name of a dermatologist’s yacht than a cargo ship—is slated for a 5pm berthing at the Fairview Cove Terminal, while the Atlantic Sky container ship arrives an hour later.
Friday, June 16
Remember the GPO Grace heavy load carrier that joined the Orion crane ship in Halifax Harbour for all those weeks? Prepare for the arrival of its cousin vessel, the 225-metre-long GPO Sapphire. The ship was built in Taiwan in 2019 for hauling drilling rigs across the ocean and has a summer deadweight of 63,581 tonnes. It’s inbound from Aviles, Spain and sails next to Rostock, Germany.
Elsewhere in the harbour, the Grande Togo ro-ro/container carrier is expected to reach Eastern Passage’s Autoport around 7am. It’s operated by Italy’s Grimaldi Lines and has a cargo capacity of 800 20-foot steel containers. The ship is currently en route from Vigo, Spain.
Finally, the MSC Apollo container ship and East Coast oil tanker are both scheduled to make port around 6pm and 6:40pm, respectively. The former—inbound from Savannah, Georgia—will dock at the South End Container Terminal, while the latter—en route from Saint John—will make its stop at the Irving Oil Terminal.
Saturday, June 17
The weekend brings more cruise ship arrivals to Halifax, starting with the return of our former USSR-ship-turned-cruise-vessel, the Seven Seas Navigator. The 490-passenger vessel makes its fourth of five stops at Halifax’s Seaport in 2023. It’s currently sailing the St. Lawrence River from Quebec City to Saguenay.
The MSC Tamara and CMA CGM Chile container ships are both expected at the South End Container Terminal in the morning. The former is currently five days behind schedule from Sines, Portugal, while the latter is en route from Tanger Med, Morocco. The Tamara sails onward to Montreal around 5pm.
The day’s last two arrivals are a ship named for a Roman orator and another named for the dinosaurs’ extinction event: The Siem Cicero ro-ro/vehicle carrier is expected to reach Halifax around 8am from Emden, Germany, while the 294-metre NYK Meteor container ship is slated for an 8:30pm arrival from Antwerp, Belgium.
Sunday, June 18
The week ends with another cruise ship arrival, along with the largest container ship of the week. The 930-passenger Viking Neptune cruises into Pier 22 around 8am on Sunday after stops in Norway and Iceland. Meanwhile, the 364-metre ONE Crane container ship arrives in Halifax after a long global journey from Thailand, through Vietnam, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Egypt. It’s expected at the South End Container Terminal around 8pm.
