ShipSpotting.com Forum
Shipspotters all over the world => Shipping News and information => Topic started by: Steve Geronazzo on January 02, 2012, 08:27:07 PM
-
Hi all,
I heard on the radio that the CCGS AMUNDSEN was running only on 2 engines. It left Quebec City today and is heading to Trois-Rivi
-
it could be the same problem that other vessels are having in thast area the last week the slub ice getting inside the filters and plugging them .. it is hard to say i think the trois rivres is a winter terminal to work out of for the ice breakers in the quebec reagon
-
Trois-Rivi
-
Hi Francis,
Thank you for the information. It would make sense to have the 'worse' ice-breaker in a place that it is not known for big ice build-ups.
Any information on what kind of problems the AMUNDSEN his having?
Steve
-
I am far from up to date on those icebreakers!
They were built at a gone period when Canada was a world leader in Icebreakers technology.
Now we Canadians are at a laugh in this Arctic passage sovereignty quest.
That they were built expressly to insure safe winter navigation on the St-Lawrence in order to maintain major exports of grains and minerals.
Their designs were truly Canadian in all respects. Designed built and operated mostly from Quebec harbours. German and Milne designed. Built in Vickers Davie and other shipyards.
It is yet another expertise with AVRO and with many other Canadian technology achievements etc that was washed down the drain by a lack of vision and narrow partisan political considerations.
The diesel electric propulsion of those icebreakers in the early stages of the operation were highly problematic. And from discussion I heard then with local subcontractors were costing a lot in repairs and maintenance. Mainly due to condensation in the electric motors. I think that the bombardier engines might be also near the end of their life if they were not replaced entirely.
May be engine parts are now difficult to obtain!
Craked engine support!
See "The Monitor" on this subject two years ago!
Camshaft support cracks are common to all those engines
"I hear the CCGS Pierre Radisson, currently tied up in Quebec City, is pretty much destined for the scrap heap due to the main engines, Alco 251 (Bombardier), being worn out - engine blocks are toast. The Radisson could be consider a sister ship of the Admundsen and Henry Larsen. Any further stalling by the Coast Guard and its governance, to replace these aging assets, is obviously a serious gamble, considering the important role they have just play(ed) in these incidents.
It is mentioned that thanks to our bean-counters in charge personal oars might have as a standard supply for our Coast guard!
-
Hum... M. Hemond, are you sure of what your are saying about the Radisson? Because the engines where all replace last year at Verreault shipyard, a refit to extend of 10 year the life of the Radisson.
If the coast guard expect to build new icebreaker, this time, the Davie yard could have a good chance.
-
The CCGS RADISSON did have a major engine overhaul in 2010-2011
Read more :
http://www.qc.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/infoceans/201102/article6-eng.asp (http://www.qc.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/infoceans/201102/article6-eng.asp) Source : Fisheries and Oceans Canada
En lire davantage :
http://www.qc.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/infoceans/201102/article6-fra.asp (http://www.qc.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/infoceans/201102/article6-fra.asp) Source : P
-
Please read me correctly!
The info isn't mine its The Monitor's and dates autumn 2010!
But it refers to a general problem with those engines.
Not only the Radisson as such then!
If my memory is good they those engines were derived and pumped-up to 16 cyls from MLW locomotive engines a US ALCOA design built in Montreal for a period of time.
The link to the Monitor a specialized review for Marine Engineering:
http://dieselduck.blogspot.com/2011/07/marine-engineer-at-helm.html
As for DAVIE building CCGS icebreakers is, I think, out of the picture as already dressed by our Federal Governement.
-
Yes, that's right, the Amundsen have engine problems and is in Trois-Rivi
-
Etat op
-
http://fr-ca.actualites.yahoo.com/vie-maritime-le-brise-glace-amundsen-coinc%C3%A9-%C3%A0-231020167.html
-
The Canadian and US icebreaker fleets are aging and in bad shape. These ships should all have been replaced or at least repowered years ago. Government policy has been to feed only the child that screams loudest, and like much of our public infrastructure, the icebreaker fleets are crumbling badly.
This winter the Louis S. St-Laurent will be in refit until March, following unscheduled repairs to its centre prop, which cut short research work in the arctic.
Now with Amundsen out, we are short two heavy icebreakers!
The recently announced government shipbuilding procurement program only covers the replacement for the Louis S St-Laurent, but the Terry Fox is to be retired in 2020 and the Radisson class will have to be replaced by then too. Yet no announcements have been made.
It would be a wonderful idea to set up an icebreaker replacement program with the Davie yard as sole contractor. That would to replace six to ten medium icebreakers, with a new one to be delivered every two years. It would keep them going for a long time.
http://shipfax.blogspot.com/2011/12/ccgs-louis-s-st-laurent-novadock-to-bio.html
-
100% agree with M. Mackay. That could be a good strategie to renew the fleet and help a shipyard.
At least, the positive thing about that is that it give us a chance to see icebreaker with usually don't see here. With less icebreaker (buoy tender also), we had the chance to see the Terry Fox, St-Laurent and Griffon in Quebec region. Maybe with 2 icebreakers out and a little bit of cold temperature, we could see the Larsen sometime this winter.
-
The Henry Larsen has departed St. John's
-
Yes Mac great ideas!But not to help a shipyard!
The medium term objective being rather to help the "Canadian" business by extending and keeping open year around the Seaway up to Toronto (air bubbling systems in the locks.) A fiscal support for an inland container feeder trade like Oceanex does with NFLD. This would be a major achievement for the benefit of Canada first. Likely more so than opening the North-West-passage and much easier to do . Great impacts would follow on the cost reduction for infrastructure maintenance and renewal due to already excessive heavy load traffic on roads.
But our Governments seem to listen and rely much more upon foreign investment to boost raw natural resources exports.
-
the Larson is tied up in Corner Brook NL
-
Year round seaway to Lake Ontario.
Container ships on Lake Ontario to take the strain off the border crossings.
Now we are talking common sense!!! These are inovative ideas to get trucks off the roads to make them safer, and reduce the amount of rail freight between Montreal and Toronto to allow for improved rail passenger service which will improve tourism and reduce airliner emmissions.
-
Le brise-glace Amundsen immobilis
-
Can yuou translate into english?
-
Sorry about that, Radio-Canada article is just in French.
It says that the Amundsen is out of order. She has four of its six engines to be replaced. She won
-
Cool! So we will for sure see other icebreaker in the area to replace it. With the St-Laurent also out, there is good chance we will have the Terry Fox around soon.
Thanks for the news
-
Here an english version:
Scientific research in the Arctic will be largely curtailed for at least a year after the Canadian icebreaker Amundsen was taken out of service for major repairs.
The 33-year-old Amundsen, Canada
-
Not to stretch too far off the topic, but I think it will be enough for the Canadian government to get around to replacing its heavy icebreaker fleet, without getting into opening the Seaway year round.
As for container ships going into the lakes I do not see it happening. The ports of Halifax and Montreal do a very good job of transferring containers to trains and moving the boxes on to Toronto, Detroit and Chicago. Yes many also go by truck, but that is inevitable.
The Seaway is a much slower way of moving cargo, and I don't see the economics of transferring containers from ocean going ships to Seaway ships instead of trains. Also the cost of making the Seaway a winter operation would be enormous.
But back to icebreaking. What is really needed is a top class icebreaking fleet.
I read today that the new CCGS John G. Diefenbaker will not work south of 60.
Meaning it will not do winter work in the Gulf or river. All the more need to get some new ships going soon!
-
The comprehensive article by Leo Ryan on the subject St-Lawrence winter navigation in the very recent Maritimemag is a must read.
http://www.maritimemag.com/index.php?option=com_flippingbook&view=book&id=14:mag63&catid=1:default-category.
I strongly believe the basic economics for a "gradual" opening to Container feed system and extension of seaway operation are there but political economic distortions and subsidies make it quite difficult.
I remember that as student at the Marine Institute around 1967 we were often on the Quebec Harbour docks in the peak of winter . May be the Elga Dan.
Some of us were then trading for Russian vodka. One even used Canadian Tire money. but all he got was water.
-
Terry Fox departed St John's yesterday, heading west.
Helping the Pierre Radisson running Saguenay - Matane ???
-
I'll keep my eyes open for the TERRY FOX! ;)
-
Between Anticosti and Gasp
-
Thanks Francis,
I was wondering where it was.
Steve
-
I just noticed that the CCGS ANN HARVEY is heading West and is presently in front of Havre-St-Pierre.
I wonder where it is heading...
-
According to Siitech, Terry Fox is near Baie-Comeau and is supposed to go to Saguenay River. Michel and Robert will propably see her in next couples hour.
-
CCGS PIERRE RADISSON is upbound near l'
-
DesGroseillers is departing Quebec City for Matane. Pierre Radisson is assigned to Quebec and Terry Fox will be affected to the Saguenay River.