Yearly Archives: 2026

Neoline Origin

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The Neoline Origin made her first call to Halifax. The French RO-RO Ship is powered by 2 large sails, and can cross the ocean while burning minimal fuel. The Ship began construction in 2021 this is its second voyage. the ships maiden crossing had stops in Saint Pierre and Miquelon, and Baltimore. Problems with the sail system sent the ship back to France.

A fully enclosed RO-RO vessel, the ship carries container internally, and has contracts with Michelin, so it should be a regular caller going forward.

With fuel cost rising, shippers are looking at other options. E-Ship One uses Fletner Rotors to supplement propulsion, and called at Pier 9 last year. Beluga Shipping also tried a skysail, basically a large Kite. I covered some of the advances in a return to sail video on Youtube.

I originally covered the Neoliner for the Herald in 2021.

SailGP Returns

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SailGP returned to Halifax, and once again the weather made things interesting. On Saturday, after strong gusts all day, by race time the wind died off. This led to a much shortened course, and for the first time a split fleet, where each race was run twice, with an A and B fleets. the Grand final featured 4 boats for the first time, the top two from the A and B fleets.

the A and B Fleets were arranged based on season point standings. Evidently this worked so well that sail GP Announced the rest of the season will be run this way.

the final Results were Spain with the Win, followed by Sweden and Switzerland. Perennial front runner Australia came in 4th. the Black Foils and GBR did not make the final, so the new format certainly mixes things up.

SailGP is back for 2027, this time May 15 and 16. This early event should also bring more questionable weather, and will take place a earlier then the inaugural 2024 event.

The NorthStar Canada boat spent much of the weekend tied up off Queens Marque.

Halifax does well hosting SailGP. it has one of the best venues, and runs with top international destinations. The City looks great, and if we are wanting to promote ourselves as a ocean technology hub, this is the exact sort of event we should be hosting. the Province would do well to put a sponsorship on the Canadian team.

Province beef up Aerial Firefighting

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The Province of Nova Scotia contracted four Air Tractor AT-802 water bombers and one Cessna Caravan Bird Dog from Forest Protection Limited to supplement the provinces wildfire crews. Based in Debert, these aircraft can manage drops and place retardant to control the forward spread of flames. I found myself with an hour to kill in this area, so drive by to take a look.

The $6.5million contract for these planes was announced on May 13. It will run until September 30 but can be extended if needed.

the Air Tractors primarily drop retardant, and need to be reloaded on the ground with pumps. The Debert airport has a refilling setup established with a water supply and tanks for mixing retardant.

Sherpa

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The Yacht Sherpa is owned by Sir James Arthur Ratcliffe is a British billionaire, chemical engineer, and businessman. Ratcliffe is the chairman and chief executive officer of the INEOS chemicals group, which he founded in 1998. In May 2018, Ratcliffe was the richest person in the UK, with a net worth of £21.05 billion. INEOS is a sponsor of the Americas Cup, and the yacht remained in town for Sail GP.

The 73.6m/241’6″ expedition yacht ‘Sherpa’ was built by Feadship in the Netherlands at their Kaag shipyard. Her interior is styled by British design house RWD and she was delivered to her owner in July 2018.

The Yacht Features 6 cabins for the owner and 12 guests. The yacht operates with a Crew of 22. Sherpa is built with a steel hull and aluminum superstructure, with teak decks. Powered by twin diesel 16-cylinder 2,038hp engines running at 1600rpm, she comfortably cruises at 13 knots, reaches a maximum speed of 15 knots with a range of up to 5,200 nautical miles at 13 knots.

CCGS Naalak Nappaaluk Joins the Fleet

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The CCGS Naalak Nappaaluk officially joined the Coast Guard fleet today. The Offshore Ocenagraphic Science vessel is the long awaited replacement for the CCGS Hudson, and was built by Seaspan in Vancouver. the ships keel laying cerimony took place in November 2022, and the completed ship was delivered to the Coast Guard in November 2025 and arrived in Halifax via the Panama Canal earlier in the year.

the ship can accommodate up to 34 crew and 26 scientists and will be stationed at the Bedford Institute of Oceanography.

The ship is is named after Nunavik elder Naalak Nappaaluk (1928-2010) who was known for his vast knowledge of animals, weather patterns, the sea and even the night sky. Nappaaluk was a skilled and respected community builder and harvester devoted to ensuring Inuit language, culture and knowledge of the natural world was preserved and passed on to future generations

Rockpiper

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Rockpiper tied up at pier 9. the ship is a fall pipe vessel which is used to distribue gravel on the seabed by directing it through a fall pipe, allowing it to be placed with precision for offshore construction projects.

Owned by Dutch firm Boskalis, they have become experts in moving and installing offshore structures.