MV Santa Emma

Earlier today I received an email from Capt John Scott, master of the Holland America Lines ship Noordam. It was in  regards to the above photo of the MV Santa Emma which I shot in June 2005 while she was listing in the 'A Dock' of the the former ferry terminal to PEI at Cape Tormentine, New Brunswick.

He wanted to get permission to use the photo in a group relating to ships that served in the New Zealand and Australia trade routes. He let me know that my photo was likely the last available photo of her before she was towed away to be scrapped in India. According to Capt Scott, the Santa Emma never arrived in India, but sank close to the Azores on the way there. Which I think, environmental concerns aside, is in a way a more fitting end to a ship than being hacked up on mudflats in India by crews and children with little to no protection.

He let me know that the ship was originally built as the Maheno for the Union Steamship Company of New Zealand Ltd. and many of the Oceania Shipping Forum members had sailed on her when she operated between NZ and Australia. According to what I read on the NZ ship index here, she was built in 1969 and was 4096 Gross Tons. And that:

Transport Canada detained her because of structural defects, faulty navigation and firefighting equipment, a deficient general alarm, loadline deficiencies and defective fuel tanks. Her crew left her a few days after she was detained and she remained laid up pending repairs. In December 2004 ownership was reported to have passed to Rikan Shipping of Liberia. She broke her mooring lines in high winds on 28th April 2005 at Cape Tormentine, Canada, and drifted aground between the former government ferry wharf and the breakwater at Cape Tormentine, about fifty metres further down the pier from her original position, with a fifteen degree starboard list...

Subsequent news on 29th April 2005 said that SANTA EMMA was a derelict Panamanian-registered cargo ship that had been docked in the Cape Tormentine “A-dock” since January 2004. She was aground between the dock and the breakwater, with a hole in her stern. Several thousand litres of fuel oil in her bunkers posed a pollution threat and were removed from the ship.

I took a look to see if I had any other images of the ship available that I had not posted. Sadly they would either be on my old dead hard drive (which I would still like to try and resurrect one day if I have the money) or on a CD in storage.

I found it interesting that the ship was built in New Zealand - which I didn't know when I photographed her, and my family has some maritime history in the area. Small world. :)

At one point a few years ago, I explored the idea of being a cruise ship photographer - I think it was with Princess - and didn't like the terms of what I had to do (such as buy my own camera out of my own salary etc) but it is something interesting to think about when there are a few feet of snow outside. :)

Mike