the ROUTE Halifax Saint Pierre departed at noon today bound for Saint Pierre. Live race tracking will be available from https://www.routespm.com/en/race-tracking/
The Halifax Waterfront will host the ROUTE Halifax Saint-Pierre race, a prestigious international 350-mile Ocean Race running from Halifax, NS, Canada to Saint-Pierre et Miquelon, France.The Race happens Bi-annually, in the off year for the Marblehead to Halifax Race. This year the race departs at Noon on June 26. Boats will be along the waterfront beginning today.
In the past, the Race has begun off the RNSYS in the Northwest Arm.
This years race will include a group of 25 international sailboats and their 200-person crew. The boats are coming to Halifax from both sides of the Atlantic, including 14 Canadian boats (7 NS, 1 NB, 2 NFLD, 4QC), 4 French boats (3 Saint-Pierre et Miquelon, 1 France Mainland), 2 English boats and 5 American boats. The boats will be moored between Bishop’s Landing to the Summit Seawall (just north of the Stubborn Goat Beer Garden).
Details about the vessels can be found at https://www.routespm.com/en/route-halifax-saint-pierre/2018-entries/
Also in attendance will be the French Marine National ship Fulmar, which patrols the water of Saint-Pierre et Miquelon, and put into Halifax today.
As part of the event, there will be two evenings of free, live, all ages, French music (June 23 and 24 from 5:30pm to 10:30pm), taking place at Foundation Place, 1549 Lower Water Street. (next to Waterfront Warehouse) Acts Performing will be:
and now for the News…
For latest port conditions, Including Weather,Wind, Tides, Arrivals and Departures be sure to visit the Port Report
1. Shipbuilding Out West
Seaspan began construction on JSS #1
2.Unions
Unifor and Halifax Shipyard have reached a new tentative agreement, after the last one was rejected, triggering strike notice. The longshoreman and the Port Employers have also reached a new 3 yr agreement.
3. Slavery
The Coast tells the story of the last African slave ship to the Americas, and her Nova Scotia Captain.
4. Sharks
they’re back…
Fundy Pilot is in town filling in as the second pilot boat.
HMCS Oriole Sailed into Toronto for the first time in 69 years. she began her life as a yacht in Toronto. HMCS Moncton will be joining her on a Summer Great Lakes Tour.
HMCS Windsor returned to Port after NATO exercises in Europe.
Maersk Atlanta made a special stop at Halterm to deliver Empty refers.

Photo from Mr_Crane_hfx via Twitter
June 21 1749 – Edward Cornwallis shows up and founds Halifax.
June 18 1906 – British imperial Government properties in Halifax are handed over to the Dominion of Canada
June 15 1904 – The passenger liner General Slocum exploded and sank in the Hudson River, near NYC. Over 1,000 lives were lost in the disaster.
June 14 1917 – The British Admiralty approved the use of convoys of merchant ships as a precaution against U-boat attack.
Let’s get rolling! Check out our new SELF RIGHTING #SearchAndRescue Lifeboats built by #HikeMetalProducts! These vessels will greatly enhance the safety of our personnel, while aiding those in distress! Today we’re in Leamington, #Ontario testing out this feature! pic.twitter.com/qri7ix9m9z
— Canadian Coast Guard (@CoastGuardCAN) June 20, 2018
(Above) The Bulker Oborishte arrived from Montreal and will likely top up her holds with grain before departing.
(Below)The general Cargo ship Augusta Mars delivers a load of Nickle sulfide from Cuba. She previously called for Nirint Shipping as Atlantic Power in 2017, and was renamed earlier this year.

The Portuguese navy sail training vessel NRP Sagres is Due to arrive in Halifax on Sunday at 10am. Many of her siblings and step-sibblings have stopped in Halifax in the past number of years.
NRP Sagres will be open to the public, June 18th from 10am to noon; tomorrow, June 19 from 10am to noon, 2pm to 7pm and 8pm to 11pm.
The Bluenose also arrived in Halifax today, and will be offering sailings until the 20th.
If you would like to avoid sounding like a landlubber – Brush up on your types of sailing Vessels.
Back in 2011 a fishfood carrier put into pier 25. The Eidsvaag Vinland was operated for the Norwigian Fish farming company Skretting, between Newfoundland, St Andrews NB, and Nova Scotia. Though the ship was registered with the home port of Halifax, to my knowledge it never returned. Eidsvaag Vinland’s Canadian registration closed in march, and she is now trading under the Norwegian flag.
Now her replacement has also arrived. the Eidsvaag Sirius arrived on June 12, and will likely be Canadianized and re-flagged.
Yesterday the tug Ocean Taiga tied up at pier 9, Bound for Jamaica. The tug was reflagged for jamica and is listed in transport Canada’s Vessel registration system as a Bareboat charter.
Also yesterday, Ocean announced it has signed a 10-year contract with the Port Authority of Jamaica for providing harbour towage services at the Kingston Harbour. Thanks to this new contract, Ocean is exporting thier harbour towing services internationally and pursuing the implementation of their development plan in the Caribbean.
State-of-the-art equipment and personnel will be deployed in the port area of Newport West, Kingston, to meet the growing demand for harbour towing services. Three latest generation tug boats from the Ocean fleet will be in service and will officially start operations at the end of June. In total, some 40 jobs will be created.
Ocean taiga was built at Oceans own yard in 2012.
its been a slow news week…
1. New Maersk Service
In May, Maersk announced a new MMX service to Montreal and Halifax. Yesterday they announced a new Southeast Asia service that will connect with MMX. Maersk Line’s AE6 service will connect ports Ningbo, Shanghai , Yantian ,and Maersk’s facility at Tanjung Pelapas, from which the AE6 sails non-stop to Algeciras Spain. From Algeciras cargo will be transferred to the MMX service to sail non-stop to Montreal, followed by Halifax.
2. COVE
COVE opened at the former Dartmouth Coast Guard Base.
3. Strike!
Halifax shipyard workers deliver 48hour strike notice after rejecting contract.
4. It doesn’t matter if your black or White.

the Lunenburg based Barque Picton Castle to repaint her hull white
Last weekend brought an extended stop for the Container Ship Aracia on the Maersk/CMA-CGM service. Word is the ship was detained by Border Services. Earlier in the week unmarked divers were spotted in the water off Halterm, and on arrival, the Aracia was boarded and searched, including and underwater hull survey by dominion diving. It was also noted while this was going on the RCMP dive team was working in the Harbour. The speculation is that the ship was going to be used to smuggle drugs on the underside of the hull from Canada to Europe. we can guess it was export, since the ship previously called in Montreal.
Running drugs on the bottom of boat hulls is not uncommon, and apparently sometimes successful. The sailing vessel Schwalb was apparently running drugs when it arrived in Halifax, and subsequently abandoned. When crews went to remove pollutants after she went ashore, they discovered fittings on the hull suggesting the boat was rigged to smuggle drugs.
June 9 1944 – HMCS Haida and Huron, with 6 other allied ships, engaged and sunk 2 German destroyers.
June 11 1813 – Schooner Liverpool Packet is Captured by the US Privateer Thomas.
June 12 1912 – The last victim of the sinking of RMS Titanic, steward James McGrady, was buried at Fairview Cemetery
June 13 1984 – Halifax’s first tall ships event (Photos, more photos)
Blog: Short progress report on the ongoing refit and restoration of @HMCSSACKVILLE1. @BOA_Place @WarshipsIFR @HfxShippingNews @My_Waterfront @RCN_MARLANT #RCNavy https://t.co/SFkUTaIEnv pic.twitter.com/skHKycCUtY
— Sandy McClearn (@sandymcclearn) June 9, 2018
The June 9/10 weekend brought an extended stop for the Container Ship Aracia on the Maersk/CMA-CGM service. Word is the ship was detained by Border Services. Earlier in the week unmarked divers were spotted in the water off Halterm, and on arrival, the Aracia was boarded and searched, including and underwater hull survey by dominion diving. It was also noted while this was going on the RCMP dive team was working in the Harbour. The speculation is that the ship was being used to smuggle drugs on the underside of the hull from Canada to Europe.
UPDATE: 3 Men from BC and Ontario were arrested with diving Gear in the case of the Arica. CBSA Reports that 150kg of cocaine were found in the ships sea chest. A sea chest is an indent in the hull where intakes for sea water are located.