The washed-out CN rail line linking the Port of Halifax to the rest of Canada was finally repaired last Friday, but looking at the weekly container and cargo ship arrivals into Halifax offers a slightly muddier picture—not unlike the aftermath seen across Nova Scotia following July’s historic floods.
The reason? Cancelled sailings. The Port of Halifax’s Vessel Forecast Summary lists three “blank sailings”—portspeak for routes cancelled by a carrier—between July 31 and August 6. Most weeks, the port might average one blank or omitted route—and rarely more than two. (In 2021, the Port of Halifax pointed to 25 blank and omitted sailings over a three-month span, or roughly two per week, as to why its imports were down.) That should come as some concern to those who would like to see Halifax’s port presence maintained. As recently as last week, Halifax councillor Waye Mason called Halifax’s shipping industry “vital” to the HRM’s economy, with 12,500 jobs “on the line.”
Which begs the question: Are ships wary of Halifax (or Nova Scotia, more broadly) as a shipping destination, given its vulnerability to a single point of failure? What does it mean if a summer storm can sever Nova Scotia from the rest of Canada by rail? How far-fetched is it to imagine the same scenario shutting down Nova Scotia’s highways?
In fairness, the blank sailings are not, on their own, evidence of a growing trend. Shipping lines reallocate their resources for all kinds of reasons—from poor weather, to port congestion, to “shifting market dynamics.” (The Coast reached out to both the Halifax Port Authority and PSA Halifax—which operates both the South End and Fairview Container Terminals—for more insight into the blank sailings, but did not receive a reply before publication.)
If it is the start of a trend, though? That’s another matter for Halifax. For now, here’s a look at what else is coming in and out of port:
Monday, July 31
One thing July’s historic floods haven’t interrupted? Cruise ship arrivals. Around 8:30am on Monday, the 3,100-passenger Caribbean Princess arrived at Halifax’s Seaport after earlier stops in New York City, Boston and Saint John, NB. The ship left Halifax late Monday afternoon for Sydney and will carry onward to Quebec City.
Earlier Monday morning, the Sunshine Ace vehicle carrier docked at the CN Autoport. The 200-metre-long ship finished a 15-day crossing from Emden, Germany. It left Halifax by afternoon for Houston, Texas.
Four more ships—all container ships—wrapped up Monday’s arrivals: The Atlantic Sail, Tropic Lissette, MSC Melissa and Bakkafoss all came into Halifax, from Liverpool, UK; Philipsburg, Sint Maarten; Baltimore, Maryland and Reykjavik, Iceland, respectively. The MSC Melissa is the heaviest hauler of the bunch, with a carrying capacity of 85,786 tonnes. Its arrival came five days behind schedule. The ship left Halifax for Saudi Arabia early Tuesday morning.
Tuesday, August 1
Later Tuesday evening, the CSL Tacoma self-discharging bulk carrier is due around 6:30pm from Wilmington, North Carolina.
Wednesday, August 2
The 930-passenger Viking Neptune is the second cruise ship to call upon Halifax this week. It’s due at Pier 22 around 8am. The ship is currently en route from Gaspé, Quebec, after stops in Saguenay, Quebec City and Montreal. Wednesday marks the Viking Neptune’s fifth of six trips to Halifax in 2023—it returns next Wednesday via New York for one last hurrah.
Tropical storm season doesn’t arrive for another two months, but a Nor’easter is due to arrive in Halifax on Wednesday nonetheless. The chemical/oil tanker was built in Korea in 2007 and boasts 14 oil tanks aboard. The ship is set to arrive into port from Saint John around 1pm. It then leaves Halifax for Charlottetown, PEI.
Also arriving in port on Wednesday: The Oceanex Sanderling ro-ro/cargo ship makes its weekly crossing from St. John’s, NL. It’s expected to reach the South End Container Terminal around 9am.
Rounding out the day’s expected arrivals are the ONE Falcon and Atlantic Sun container ships. The former is due at the South End Container Terminal around 12:30pm; it’s currently eight days behind schedule from Norfolk, Virginia. The latter is slated to return to Halifax after a southward swing through the eastern United States. It’s expected at the Fairview Cove Terminal for 9pm.
Thursday, August 3
The shipping forecast gets murky as the week develops. The Port of Halifax’s Port Control website lists both the Contship Leo and ZIM Vancouver container ships as expected Thursday arrivals, but the same port’s Vessel Forecast Summary suggests the two ships are due Friday. The former is inbound from New York and will carry onward to Kingston, Jamaica late Thursday evening. The latter is currently sailing from Valencia, Spain and will leave next for Savannah, Georgia.
It’s a busy end to the day, too, with four more ships slated for arrival: The Don Pasquale vehicle carrier, NYK Constellation and ONE Apus container ships and Nolhan Ava ro-ro/cargo carrier are all set to reach Halifax Harbour by mid-to-late afternoon. Both the Don Pasquale and NYK Constellation are delayed; the former is 11 days behind schedule from Zeebrugge, Belgium, while the latter is five days behind from Cartagena, Colombia.
Friday, August 4
More confusion on Friday. The 294-metre-long MSC Mexico V container ship is due around 6:15am from Sines, Portugal, according to the Port of Halifax’s Port Control website, but the port’s Vessel Forecast Summary suggests it won’t arrive until early Sunday morning. (The latter seems more likely.) What’s easier to predict? Once the ship reaches Halifax, it will carry onward to Montreal.
Later Friday, the offshore support vessel Sea Installer is due to arrive from Ponta Delgada, Portugal. Like the DEME Orion, it’s a crane ship built for assembling wind turbines. The ship had its crane replaced in Rotterdam earlier this year and will join the work on the offshore wind turbine project in Martha’s Vineyard. (If you’re curious about the project, this New York Times article has more.)
Finally, the 161-metre-long Eagle II container ship is due in Halifax sometime between 12:30pm and 5pm. It left Moa, Cuba on July 26.
Saturday, August 5
The last cruise ship of the week arrives Saturday. The 680-passenger Insignia is currently working its way up the US eastern seaboard and is set for its first of five Halifax stops in 2023. The ship has had quite the travel itinerary this year: It rang in the New Year in Cartagena, Colombia, before spending most of January along Mexico’s Pacific coast, then dipping down to Peru, Chile, Argentina and the Falkland Islands in February, then rounding over to Brazil, Cape Verde and Western Africa in March, South Africa, Madagascar and the Seychelles in April, India, Thailand and Vietnam in May, the Philippines and Japan in June, and a roundabout trip through Alaska, BC and Baja California before looping around through the Panama Canal. (Tired yet? You should be.)
Three container ships and a vehicle carrier round out Saturday’s arrivals: The Volga Maersk, MSC Michaela and CMA CGM Christophe Colomb container ships are due around 6am, 6:15am and 4pm, respectively, while the Tannhauser vehicle carrier is slated to arrive in Halifax around noon.
At 366 metres long, the Christophe Colomb is by far the biggest of the ships set to arrive; it boasts a carrying capacity of 165,375 tonnes—about the weight of 23,600 full-grown African elephants. The ship is currently en route from Tanger Med, Morocco.
The Tannhauser, meanwhile, can carry up to 8,000 cars and is on its way from Southampton, UK. The ship is operated by Wallenius Wilhelmsen, which in 2016, agreed to pay a $98.9-million fine to the US Department of Justice for its involvement in a price-fixing cartel. Five years later, the company was ordered to pay Australian courts another $24 million for its role in artificially setting freight rates with two competitors.
Sunday, August 6
One of those competitors involved in price-fixing during those years? That’d be the Japanese-owned NYK Line, to which the NYK Meteor and NYK Rigel container ships belong. Both ships are scheduled to arrive in Halifax on Sunday. The former is due around noon from Caucedo, Dominican Republic, while the latter is expected to arrive from Antwerp, Belgium around 12:30pm.
