- 6 weeks ago
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00:00Harbours are the lifeblood of Newfoundland.
00:03Heading back to dock.
00:04Whoa!
00:05This is another day for us to talk.
00:06And these are the stories of the people
00:08who put it all on the line to keep them going.
00:12I'd say it's blowing about 60.
00:14Copy that, thanks.
00:15I'm getting it now, boy.
00:16Good, come on!
00:17Whoo!
00:19These are the East Harbour heroes.
00:26We're coming up on the breakwater.
00:27I don't know them ropes gonna have to be getting ready now.
00:31Just off the coast, near Trinity Bay, Newfoundland...
00:34The wind can catch you and throw you off fairly quick.
00:37Captain Paul Duguay and his son Josh,
00:40along with the crew of the Atlantic Storm,
00:42are almost back in Old Perlican
00:44with their season's first haul of Atlantic Cod.
00:47Put all your balloons out!
00:51It's hurricane season in Newfoundland,
00:54and the latest tropical storm has forced all fishermen
00:57back into port.
00:58Everybody here this morning, yeah, was batting enough,
01:00putting extra ropes on their boats,
01:02getting everything secured.
01:04Quinlan operations manager Chris Blunden
01:06is eager to see how Paul's crew did
01:08on their first Cod run of the season.
01:12How'd you make it?
01:13Lots of fish?
01:14Better system than I thought.
01:15Yeah?
01:16Yeah.
01:16Oh, yeah.
01:18This is their first time out with the ship's new
01:20Mustad fishing system that automatically baits hooks
01:23on a line.
01:25After the fish are caught,
01:27the hooks get baited again, then reused.
01:32And Chris wants to know if Quinlan's big investment paid off.
01:36I'm very excited to see if a quarter million dollars
01:39you just spent is working.
01:41Does it work?
01:41Like, are we catching fish?
01:43So what's the list?
01:44Well, I suppose everybody's getting a little bit more
01:49used to it.
01:49Found their own little tricks, right?
01:52The hill wasn't fairly good.
01:54A lot better than I was expected.
01:56Never had too much angle.
01:57Never bust up any gear.
02:02These fellas know what they're doing.
02:04They fished everything in Newfoundland waters
02:06that it was to catch.
02:08All the fate in the world that no matter what kind of fishery
02:10that you put them up against, they'll be successful, right?
02:14Their first trip took three days.
02:17Whenever you're ready, Paul!
02:19With just over a week left in the short cod season,
02:23Paul needs to maximize the amount of cod they catch on each trip.
02:27We had 14,000 pounds to get.
02:30I marked down 13,006.
02:34I hope I've got at least that, if not more.
02:37I don't mind having more.
02:39Less is never good.
02:41For a ship the size of the Atlantic Storm,
02:43a good cod haul brings anywhere between $20,000 and $25,000.
02:49OK!
02:50That's why Paul likes to keep a close eye on the bins.
02:55It's always nice to have a lot of fish in.
02:59But 21-year-old Joshua Duguay has more on his mind than cod.
03:04I got a little puppy there.
03:05It'd be nice to get home and see him wagging his little tail.
03:07He's all excited to see me.
03:09I also got a girlfriend home, too.
03:10So it'd be nice to get to see her.
03:13While Josh is happy to be home,
03:15his dad's focus is on the weight of his catch.
03:19Pressure not off yet.
03:21I want to know my weight.
03:22When that gets my weight, then the pressure comes off then.
03:25Once they unload the cod, it's off to the scales where the ice will be removed and they'll get the actual weight of the fish.
03:33St. John's Harbor is Newfoundland's lifeline for commercial goods.
03:48Every week, thousands of tons of cargo flow through the port.
03:52Most of it arrives through OceanX, a major shipping company that services the island.
03:57All right, who have you got in your seat?
04:02I got Brian.
04:03Final assessment day.
04:05All right.
04:07Be safe, out there, all.
04:09Ten-four out, Brian.
04:11In the hot seat today is trainee Brian Goss.
04:15He's taking his final test to become a fully certified crane operator.
04:20It's going to be exciting and nervous at the same time.
04:25I mean, like you're still driving a 400-ton crane, right?
04:28It's going to be intimidating for sure.
04:30There's 40-foot reefers, full ones.
04:33OceanX assistant peer superintendent Johnny Coombs knows better than most
04:38how important it is to have new blood.
04:41It's extremely important for us to have a cycle of new crane operators throughout the company.
04:48You never know what the next day brings.
04:49If we don't have enough good operators, it really affects the operations on the terminal.
04:54I'll tell you Tom, there's no rush, and I'm looking for speed today, so.
04:58Time.
04:59Whatever you're talking about doing, you do.
05:02Yes.
05:03Danica Mitchell-Moore is a supervisor for an outside contractor.
05:08I'm an assessor for breech-deckers, cranes.
05:13She'll assess Brian's final test today.
05:16I'm just there observing, making sure to know that he's ready to be signed up to be a full-time operator.
05:22I'm going to start in Bay 9, I guess.
05:25Okay, for ya.
05:26Brian has been working towards this day for months.
05:31We've got 154 hours of alligator.
05:34This is basically it now.
05:35If you get something out today, well, end it for the long haul.
05:41It took a lot of long hours and hard work to get to where we're only going to sue today.
05:46Brian's journey to get here has not been easy.
05:50Hands are still sweating, bro.
05:53Ah, they're pretty sweaty.
05:54But luckily, his mentor, veteran crane operator Shane Williams, has been there to help guide
06:00him along the way.
06:01A little touch to your right now.
06:02Swing it to your right a little bit.
06:04There you go, buddy.
06:06I attacked Shane Williams and he told me good luck, so that's the only thing he said.
06:15So I come down here to see how he would operate just up there by himself, without anyone over
06:20there looking over his shoulder.
06:23Not only is he lifting the container over the side of his ship while the reach checker
06:27comes in.
06:28The radio's going off, there's a lot of things going on at once for Brian up there now.
06:35All crane operators must learn to master the control mechanisms, to rotate the cab, raise
06:44and lower the boom, and control other parts of the machine.
06:49You're focused on the boom, the spreader, you're looking at your charts on your screen.
06:54So many things going on at one time, it's just wild.
07:02Brian has completed his test.
07:04I went good today, I've got to say.
07:06I think I did well.
07:09If I didn't, I'd just as well give up now.
07:13Danica will now decide if he's ready to make the jump to full-time crane operator.
07:19Brian has shown great skill, great control, he was safe, fantastic, so he passed the flying
07:26colors.
07:27Now that Brian is fully certified, the next time he operates a crane, he'll be on his
07:32own.
07:33My hands are still going to be sweaty, for sure, I'll just take it day by day.
07:45Located on the northeast tip of Trinity Bay, Old Perlican is one of the original fishing
07:51communities in Newfoundland.
07:53It's also where Quimlin's ground fish plant processes around 6,000 tons of fish every
08:00year.
08:01Captain Paul Duguay figured he caught around 13,600 pounds of cod on his first trip of the
08:11season.
08:12Now, he'll find out if he was right.
08:14How's it going down?
08:26Even the most experienced fisher can't predict the amount of weight that the ice takes up
08:31in the buckets.
08:33You always lose either water and crab, ice and fish, so that's how it goes.
08:41With a little over a week left in this cod season, they need to get back out quickly,
08:47if they want to catch another boatload of fish.
08:50The ball is, the minute this storm passes over, they're going to be going again.
09:05Once the weather clears, there's no time to waste.
09:09All boats are prepped for another trip to the cod fishing grounds.
09:17But skipper Paul Duguay has run into a snag.
09:20I see the fuel on the floor.
09:22On a pre-trip inspection, they've discovered a fuel leak on the Atlantic storm.
09:30We got a fuel leak out of one of the tanks there.
09:34So now we're going to have to go to Harbor Grace and get her lifted.
09:38So we're going to try to make a good time to get up there.
09:40They'll need to get the Atlantic storm to the repair yard in Harbor Grace, if they want
09:46to salvage this cod season.
09:51Back in St. John's Harbor...
09:56Morning, guys.
09:57Good morning, sir.
09:58How are you?
09:59Merle Bullen helps Assistant Superintendent Johnny Coombs run the daily pier operations
10:04at OceanX.
10:05Merle is a huge piece of our team here at OceanX.
10:09He's kind of like the gel that keeps us all together.
10:11Today, Merle has his hands full.
10:14The Avalon is in port and needs to be offloaded.
10:17We have 132 containers to come off this one today.
10:24Are you going to keep taking the 20s after now, Brian, or you want to switch over to
10:28the 40s again?
10:29At the controls, recently promoted crane operator Brian Goss.
10:32I take them two 40s.
10:34I have no.
10:35They can end it with 20s.
10:36This is Brian's first time flying solo.
10:40Brian has proven he has what it takes to operate the crane.
10:43I feel for the new crane operators, you know, especially on their first day.
10:46It's trial by fire.
10:47That job is not for everyone.
10:49A little intimidating when you're by yourself, that's for sure.
10:54You're the only one who's up in the seat and if something happens, well, it does it.
10:58That's all you can do.
10:59To make matters more difficult, he has to work on the Avalon, their toughest ship to
11:05offload, even for the most experienced crane operators.
11:08It's the most difficult boat that we have for sure for unloading and loading, you know
11:13what I mean?
11:14A horrible boat, if you ask me.
11:21The Avalon can load up to 10 layers of containers.
11:26Six layers are stored in cell blocks below deck.
11:31And four layers are located above the ship's deck.
11:36It makes precision a must for crane operators.
11:41You've got to be pretty accurate to get it in the holes and the cells.
11:44Like what I'm trying to do there now is a nightmare.
11:49And accuracy is even more critical when it comes to hazardous goods.
12:02So this is our chlorine, what we call tonners.
12:12The chlorine is for Newfoundland's drinking water.
12:15But these types of loads carry major risks.
12:18Very explosive.
12:19Chlorine is a mass produced chemical with a wide range of industrial and household uses.
12:25But in order to transport gas in containers, the gas is supercooled to minus 34 degrees, which turns it into a stable liquid.
12:36If the integrity of the container is compromised, the pressurized contents explosively release.
12:43At the same time, the liquid chlorine converts into a deadly gas that spreads rapidly.
12:50Copy, Brian?
12:52Go ahead, sir.
12:53Yeah, we got some chlorine here that we need to take off.
12:56And 10 for you.
12:5720 tons of chlorine on each flat is not a joke.
13:01It's a very serious move.
13:04I don't like this boat at all.
13:06Every time it comes in, the wind and rain follows me wherever it goes.
13:21Captain Paul Duguay is on his way to the repair yard in Harbor Grace to get the fuel leak fixed on his boat.
13:28Once we get in the harbor, hopefully it'll tame down a little bit.
13:33The latest tropical storm has blown over.
13:36But Paul is still in a battle against the system's tailwinds.
13:40We got to be careful.
13:42Once the wind catch on to her, there's nothing you can do.
13:46The weather is horrible.
13:49It's supposed to 25 or 30 knots coming right down to pounds.
13:52So it's going to be a little bit tricky getting in the pounds.
13:54I'm going to have to try to stay from that side as much as I can,
13:58because the wind is going to want to push me on there.
14:01With a fiberglass boat and concrete wharf, it takes a seasoned skipper to land the ship.
14:08You can't slow down.
14:09Your slows down, you can't steer.
14:20She's okay? Yeah, good.
14:22She got in there.
14:25Overall, the wind okay.
14:27I'm glad she's in there.
14:29Paul's done a really nice job getting her in.
14:32Within 10 or 15 minutes, now we'll be on the land.
14:35With only days left in the cod fishing season,
14:40Harbor Grace mechanics have to get the boat out of the water and fixed fast.
14:44If Paul and Chris have any hope of another run.
14:48The quicker we can resolve the problems with the fuel tanks,
14:51the quicker we can send her back fishing and turn over revenue.
14:59Yeah, we've got two tanks now, Brian.
15:01Back in St. John's Harbor, crane operator Brian Goss is moving 40 tons of chlorine.
15:07These are the most dangerous tanks on the pair.
15:17This is nerve-wracking.
15:22This is the most stressful part of the job for any crane operator.
15:26If something ever happened, I'd say it'd probably take out the whole block of St. John's.
15:35And it's not just hypothetical.
15:38In 2022, at the port of Aqaba, Jordan,
15:44a crane loading chlorine gas tanks dropped one,
15:48sending toxic gases into the air.
15:50Thirteen people were killed, and 250 were injured.
15:59We've got to go back forward.
16:01We've got to go forward, Brian.
16:02The flippers are in the way.
16:05Brian has no room for error.
16:10I'm trying to hook up to it there now.
16:11It's not easy.
16:13Sometimes the flippers don't get in there.
16:15It's just tangly.
16:17We get pressure to get a boat turned around,
16:29but we are not going to push our guys to do something unsafe.
16:37Now you got it.
16:39I got it.
16:40They're locked, yeah.
16:42You got to be extra careful, especially when you're taking it out,
16:47because if them cylinders are not tightened, one of them come off,
16:50and it's very dangerous for the men on the ground.
16:54It takes coordination and nerves of steel to operate a crane at this port.
17:00And Brian has both.
17:04Got her.
17:05The main goal here is to come in, get the work done, but yet go home to our families with all our fingers and toes and a few bucks in your pocket.
17:20Great job, Brian.
17:24Ten for ya.
17:26Moving hazardous goods comes with the job.
17:28But for today, Brian is just happy to move on.
17:31Back to normal now.
17:32Thanks for the job.
17:48We got a whole crab harbor in.
17:50We'll get around now.
17:51Back at Harbor Grace.
17:52All right.
17:53All right.
17:55The repair crew is lifting the Atlantic Storm out of the water.
17:59Here we go.
18:01To fix the boat's fuel leak.
18:03After the Atlantic Storm's last trip, we noticed that we had a trace fuel leak.
18:07We're trying to get it fixed right away.
18:09Harbor Grace Ocean Enterprises is a one-stop shop for marine construction, vessel refit, and repairs.
18:17Ready?
18:20Let's go.
18:24Getting the Atlantic Storm out of the water will fall on the marine travel lift.
18:29It can haul up to 72,000 pounds, the equivalent of 10 fully loaded pickup trucks.
18:42They're not hauling no more!
18:44Huh?
18:45They're not hauling no more!
18:47Even this monster lift can't pull the boat out.
18:50How much fuel do you got aboard?
18:51Over 200 tons!
18:53Hey, Paul!
18:55How much fuel you got aboard?
18:57A good bit.
18:58Yeah, she's torn it on the front.
19:00The fully loaded fuel tanks located in the front of the ship have shifted the boat's weight forward.
19:06Now go.
19:07Uh-oh.
19:08It's never good.
19:09So what's we gonna do?
19:10We're gonna have to drain some fuel, I guess.
19:11What?
19:12We'll drain some fuel.
19:13But before we take storm.
19:14If they're forced to drain the boat's massive fuel tanks, it will mean more lost time and money.
19:20So Chris needs to find a better solution.
19:23My job is easy some days.
19:25Really easy.
19:26And then other days, there's just so much stuff working against you, right?
19:29Some days you're the bat and some days you're the ball.
19:31I've had my days at the ball.
19:33Sooner be the bat.
19:35How much water is in there?
19:36How much fresh water?
19:37Yeah, well, fresh water is full, yeah.
19:38Dump the fresh water tank.
19:40Does that do it?
19:41I don't know.
19:42That's five or six tons.
19:43It takes weight off the straps and we put more on the back, right?
19:46Start dumping it.
19:47Chris thinks he's found a solution to get the Atlantic storm onto land without dumping the fuel.
19:53Drain the ship's water reserves instead.
19:56Every pound of the count at the end, I suppose, oh, that's what we got to do.
20:00Chris is our shower skipper.
20:02He can fix things in a good way, the way it should be done.
20:07He don't be stomping too much.
20:09He's a smart young fella.
20:12I'd like to have her up on dock today so we can start tomorrow instead of being here again tomorrow,
20:17wasting time and money, right?
20:19While they sort out the ship's weight issue, Chris still has one last hurdle to overcome.
20:25The thing now is scheduling, right, because we're not the only people that's trying to get boats up
20:30and we're not the only one that's trying to keep schedules.
20:33I've just seen Wayne in the yard, you know, and I'm going to try to corner him.
20:37Wayne Reed is the operations manager at Harbour Grace.
20:41My dream was always to go to sea, but I ended up fixing boats on land to go to sea.
20:45The yard is pretty busy year round.
20:48Any given day, we're looking at 20 to 30 projects at one time.
20:53How are you today, Mr. Reed?
20:55Good day, Mr. Chris.
20:57Can we get the Atlantic Storm repaired sooner than later?
21:02During the fishing season, we get a lot of emergency calls because the vessels are operating
21:06and, of course, they can't afford any downtime at that point.
21:09They don't want to boat on dock during the fishing season.
21:11Nobody wants that.
21:12When do you call sooner?
21:13Next week?
21:14Mid next week?
21:15With the cod season in its final days, Chris really needs Wayne to come through for him.
21:20Can we do it quicker?
21:22That's the trick question.
21:27If I had a dollar for every time someone wanted a schedule, I wouldn't have to worry about
21:31any more.
21:32There's a hundred people every day wanting work done.
21:37If they want another cod run before the season ends, Chris needs the Atlantic Storm repaired quickly.
21:43It's only for a quick refit and gone again.
21:45That's what I'm looking for.
21:47Prepares to the tanks and then potter out again.
21:50That should work.
21:51Yeah?
21:52That should work for that.
21:53Well, that's great.
21:55Chris and Quinlan's have been good customers and pretty loyal customers to us.
21:57Between us, we work it out and we find a way around it every time.
22:01To get in that quick with no notice, and I gave him zero notice, for him to be able to do that for me as quick is great.
22:07This is a tight-knit community and part of what makes Newfoundland a special place.
22:12When the fishing season's on, they're making their money and that'll generate money for us down the road and every business that's around from the taxi drivers to the bar owners.
22:20Everybody thrives around this fishing industry.
22:21Now it's time to see if Chris's idea to remove the ship's fresh water worked.
22:31So far, yeah?
22:33We're good, we're good.
22:40I think that was just enough to do it.
22:44Didn't think it was going to happen today for a little bit there.
22:47She's up now.
22:50She's all you enjoy.
22:57Newfoundland is famous for its cod.
23:00But it's not the only species that roams these coastal waters.
23:05On the southern shore of the island, nestled deep in the heart of Motion Bay, just off Petty Harbour.
23:11Local fishers Gerard Power and his two sons, Justin and Jason, are on the hunt for some catch.
23:24Uh, right?
23:26Yeah, you can try it. We'll just see what she does, Gerard.
23:29All right, please.
23:31Let's get him.
23:32Get your line right on the bottom.
23:39Hey, hey, mate.
23:41Cod?
23:43But it's not the cod they're after.
23:45It's like a perfect sized cod there for the bait, right?
23:48They're here for a much bigger catch.
23:51Atlantic bluefin tuna.
23:53Here in Newfoundland, we catch bluefin tuna.
23:57Newfoundland bluefin is the best tuna in the world.
24:01It's where they hang out.
24:03The Powers are seasoned fishermen, but new to catching tuna with rod and reel.
24:09We crab fished all spring and summer, and now we're at tuna fishing.
24:14It's our first season with rod and reel.
24:17Every fish is a learning curve.
24:18And their timing couldn't be better, because these cold Canadian waters are filled with giants.
24:25Tuna coming up from the deep, and they're up on these edges, feeding on fish and that.
24:31Warmer ocean temperatures have forced some of the world's largest bluefin tuna to migrate further north from the Gulf of Mexico to feed off the frigid waters of Newfoundland.
24:43The tuna are coming here to Pitty Harbor, feeding on codfish and fattening up before they travel back to the Gulf of Mexico for the winter.
24:51And with each Atlantic bluefin tuna going for thousands of dollars, they're fishing on a gold mine.
24:58We'll get another few to throw one out.
25:01Yeah.
25:03There are less than a hundred professional fishers on the island who have licenses to catch Atlantic bluefin tuna.
25:09You're issued tuna tags.
25:12Each tag costs $150.
25:15We're allowed up to 10 tags for the season.
25:19Yesterday we caught one, and that was a $7,000 fish.
25:24That was a good day, yeah.
25:26So hope to try to catch another one.
25:29There he is, there again.
25:32Jason spots a tuna on the sounder.
25:34Yeah, we're macking the fish there.
25:3750, 60 feet down there.
25:39She's edging this way up.
25:41Yeah.
25:43Jeez.
25:45She's driving away.
25:47Yeah.
25:48Oh yeah.
25:49We're drifting now.
25:51It's not obvious, but high winds and choppy water are the ideal fishing conditions.
25:56The head of the blowers, the easier to get them.
25:58The feed gets pushed closer to the surface, which in turn forces the tuna up.
26:06Look.
26:07Look.
26:08Tuna.
26:09Tuna.
26:10Tuna.
26:11Justin spots a tuna.
26:13He's in there 50 yards, but there he is.
26:17With the tuna feeding on the surface, this is their chance to catch a giant.
26:22Okay, let's get them now, boys.
26:24Yes, yes.
26:31All the buckled in.
26:33Back at Harbor Grace Ocean Enterprises.
26:36Here you go.
26:37The Atlantic storm is ready to go back into the water.
26:41It wasn't too, too bad of a fix.
26:44Bad enough to, you got to get it done, but it could have been a lot worse.
26:49That's what we needed.
26:53Although the boat is fixed, it's not all good news for Chris and Paul,
26:58because the clock has run out on the cod season.
27:02The whole industry is based on so many different things slowing you down,
27:07whether it's breakdowns, whether it's weather, there's short seasons.
27:11It's just the way it is.
27:13A seasoned fisherman like Paul knows there's no guarantees in this business.
27:17Every year is different.
27:20You might be hitting in the cod heavy to hear, and you might not.
27:24If you don't, oh well, it is what it is.
27:28I'd say that might be the only one you need.
27:31Part of this lifestyle requires acceptance of forces that are out of your control,
27:35and being ready for what comes next.
27:39In this case, it means prepping for the next fishery in the hope that they can make up the losses from the cod season.
27:45Just outside of Petty Harbour, the Power Family is trying to lure a giant bluefin tuna onto their hook.
28:02We're going to put the hook midway back there, so then when we throw out, then the fish will be swimming around a little bit.
28:12That a boy, you're a splesher, splesher.
28:15The smacking seems to lower them too.
28:18It looks like their dinner bell.
28:20Come on, grab it, grab it.
28:22He's up, he's coming up.
28:24Yeah, yeah, let go.
28:27Tune on, tune on, tune on!
28:29When you hook him, you know you got him, and it's exciting.
28:34The tuna has taken the bait.
28:36Get you back, back, back, back!
28:38But now comes the hardest part.
28:40Then stay clear of us, batter.
28:42Reel in one of the world's strongest fish on these choppy Atlantic waters.
28:46Go a little bit to port there, buddy.
28:48And when you hook on the fish, you know, he's going to react different, every one of them.
28:56He's running, he's running.
28:57That fish makes a good run, he takes out a couple of hundred yards of line.
29:01Just, like, snap your fingers, he takes it, right?
29:04OK, let's follow him a bit.
29:06We've got to try to not let him drag us out too far today.
29:09With the swells around them building, the powers are trying to keep the tuna as close to the boat as possible.
29:15It will give them more control in this fight.
29:17He made a run, and now I just get my line back in now as much as I can, because this is going to be a bit of a give and take situation.
29:27Let's idle back a little bit.
29:30He's coming up a bit.
29:32There we go.
29:34Run around, run around.
29:37OK, head hard, head hard.
29:40Hard to port.
29:42He's doing big circles there.
29:44He's trying to shake that hook, right?
29:46I can feel him shaking his head.
29:48Talks me a hundred yards of mine all day.
29:51Bit of hook.
29:52Yeah, this fish is pretty close to top of the water.
29:56Just give her a little bit around if you can.
29:59This is a delicate dance between father and son.
30:02You can draw it that way, yeah.
30:04Gerard must keep the boat clear of the line that is already under immense pressure.
30:08Even the slightest bump could snap it.
30:12And they'll lose their prize catch.
30:14Just reverse now.
30:17Straight run or reverse.
30:19Come on.
30:20Give her that shot of reverse.
30:22There you go.
30:23OK, neutral.
30:24We're on a good side there now.
30:26All right, have him now.
30:28He knows I'm up on the side of him.
30:31If he turns sharp, he'll go back underneath the prop of the engine, and he'll cut out the line.
30:37Don't fall down on him father.
30:39But this tuna has one last fight in him.
30:42Come on around.
30:44Father, go ahead.
30:46Come on.
30:47We're going to grab the prop.
30:48The tuna is almost on the propeller.
30:50Trattle!
30:52Trattle!
30:53We're going to get the prop!
30:54You got it!
30:56Stop!
31:00Over in St. John's Harbor.
31:02Yeah, they got tag lines up there.
31:03The Sanderling, the oldest ship in OceanX's fleet, is in for some surgery on its gangway.
31:18The gangway is a retractable staircase that allows crew to get on and off the vessel.
31:22We're just going to bring it down alongside the ship.
31:26It's not releasing and coming down.
31:28The bearings and the sheaves are gone in it.
31:31The boys can strap it up.
31:34Today's job will fall on DF Barnes.
31:38An elite team of welders and metal fabricators who provide industrial, oil field, and marine services across Newfoundland.
31:45We've lifted up there now.
31:49Les Cross is the general foreman.
31:53He's a seasoned veteran with over 20 years of experience.
31:57Cameron.
31:58Go ahead, Les.
32:00Watch the fleet coming up there now.
32:02Sounds good.
32:04I mean, Les is, he's a legend at DIA Barron.
32:05He's been around forever.
32:06He has lots of knowledge, so always something to learn.
32:09Cameron Olmstead is one of the foremen on site.
32:12He'll be Les's eye in the sky.
32:15You want to just get two straps on, take a little bit of the weight.
32:17Yeah.
32:18Loose them all off.
32:20The Sanderling is one of only three container ships in OceanX's fleet.
32:25So when she's out of commission, it has ripple effects.
32:29You're talking money, you're talking downtime, you're talking stuff not getting to the island when we need it.
32:33We're going to be taking a bit of weight on it.
32:36The crane needs support straps to hold the entire weight of the ship's gangway while they free it from the deck.
32:43Cut them bolts here, right?
32:50That wind is starting to pick up now.
32:53Hey, Les.
32:55Go ahead.
32:57Hey, not sure how the wind is down there, but it is picking up up here.
33:01This is a typical day in Newfoundland.
33:03Turns on a dime, right?
33:04Over the past two years, Newfoundland has seen the annual days with over 60 km an hour winds nearly double from 88 to 144.
33:16St. John's is the third windiest city in the world, making it a challenging place for any outdoor work.
33:24Get this out before she's moving over the hill there nice, right?
33:27Yeah, the black clouds are coming.
33:29It's going to come down in buckets now in a minute.
33:32Jeez.
33:33Oh, boy.
33:42Oh, jeez.
33:44Back near Petty Harbor...
33:46Father, go ahead.
33:48You're going to grab the prop?
33:50...the powers are at risk of losing a massive and valuable Atlantic bluefin tuna.
33:53Okay, neutral.
33:54Yeah, she's neutral.
33:56Okay, hair prone.
33:57Hair prone.
33:58Hair prone.
34:00When he comes close to the surface and you see him then, yeah, the adrenaline then, yeah, for sure, yeah.
34:06You know, you're there and we're trying to gaff him and trying to secure him, right? You can't lose him then. It's just too heartbreaking, right?
34:15Find that sweet spot.
34:18The tuna has finally tired out.
34:21Haile, I'm not up to do this with you.
34:26Haile up, Haile on it. Haile on it, Skipper.
34:29Yeah!
34:33Way to go, way to go!
34:36Oh, man.
34:38That's wicked.
34:39That's what it's all about.
34:40Once that hook snaps the time.
34:42Oh, yeah.
34:43Atlantic bluefin tuna.
34:45We're just gonna, like, let him revive a little bit.
34:50Settle down there, Tony.
34:51Then we'll rake his gills then and make him bleed.
34:53Okay, just put her in gear.
34:55Yeah.
34:56We'll head for off that way.
34:59So we're just reviving the fish now, like, well, doing what we can before we cut his gills.
35:09That's bleeding the fish, my buddy.
35:10We're gonna let him back a little bit now and just gonna idle land her.
35:15Let him swim along and he'll pump the blood out of him and he'll get the best of quality.
35:21Another bit, Josh. Let him get clear of her.
35:24Now the only thing left is to get weighed and paid.
35:30She's moving over the hill there nice, right?
35:32Back at Ocean X.
35:34Get this off and land it.
35:35Yeah.
35:36The DF Barnes crew are in a rush to get the gangway onto a truck bed before the weather gets worse.
35:42How you going, Liz?
35:44That weather is coming in there now.
35:47Yeah, it's moving in quick.
35:50The winds are picking up, like, you know, probably double from when we first started.
35:55So we know it's coming in.
35:57They'll need to cut the bolts quickly if they want to beat the storm.
36:00Be careful up there. He's got about 2,000 pounds on that slings.
36:06So make sure it doesn't pop up.
36:09Okay, thanks.
36:10He's got about 2,000 pounds on it now.
36:112,000?
36:12When you take the last bolt, you're careful it don't drop.
36:17Just going.
36:19Last bolt's out. We're just getting the ropes ready, then we'll let you know.
36:23Perfect.
36:25That bolt's out.
36:26You're gonna unhook her there now.
36:27Take them off now.
36:28You like the way she's sitting?
36:31Once the final supports come out, over 3,500 pounds will dangle like a rogue chopper blade.
36:39And the crew's only way to maneuver it is with tag lines.
36:46Okay.
36:47She's out.
36:48Out.
36:58The full weight of the rail is now on the crane.
37:02Of course, when we go to lift it off, the winds pick up.
37:04And this, you know, it's heavy.
37:06It's a few thousand pounds.
37:08And with winds picking up again, they'll need all the support they can get.
37:12We don't have tag lines and make sure that we are more secure.
37:17You could take off like a propeller on a helicopter.
37:30We're free.
37:31Back in the port of St. John's, Les and his crew need to land the gangway before high winds shut them down.
37:39There we go.
37:41So the last thing we want as we're taking this off is for the wind to pick up and start moving it around.
37:47Our plan for that is to keep a guy on either end of the gangway with tag lines to stop her from spinning.
37:51Les will guide the tag line from one end.
37:55Just guide it from up here.
37:58While Cameron will oversee it from up top.
38:01Just trying to keep the sway and the swing out of it so it doesn't hit the vessel or the crane.
38:14Just trying to keep it steady.
38:17Bring it right over here.
38:19There you go.
38:21There you go.
38:28That's it.
38:29Ta-da!
38:31It all went well.
38:33Good gang up on top.
38:35We're all anxious down here waiting for you.
38:37We're rooting for you.
38:41All good.
38:43Perfect.
38:45It's definitely a tough job, but we know what we're doing.
38:48We've done this before and we got it done and got it off safely.
38:55For the DF Barnes crew, it's just part of the hard work and dedication to keep the flow steady and the port open.
39:02From needle to an anchor, it's challenging all the time.
39:06Not every day you take a gangway off the side of a vessel like this.
39:08Gerard Power and his two sons, Justin and Jason, are returning to Petty Harbour, along with their prized Atlantic bluefin tuna in tow.
39:26We're doing it for, like obviously the money is part of it, and we're also doing it because we love fishing.
39:33Myself and my brother and my father, like we really enjoy fishing and we want to keep this going.
39:38And for Gerard Power, he's just happy to have his boys following his footsteps.
39:46Fishing with my sons, really, I'm proud.
39:50It's a dream come true.
39:53When you get up, you know, in age, you have somebody to follow behind you, that's great.
39:58I don't have to tell them anything, what to do.
40:02He tells me what to do.
40:05They're boss now, they are, not me.
40:10Father worked his whole life to get this what he got, and then eventually, I suppose, you know, we'll take it over.
40:17He puts a lot of pressure on us to succeed.
40:22But at the end of the day, as a family business, you know, you've got to keep the business going too, right?
40:29Oh yeah, he's a dandy looking fish.
40:34OK.
40:36They're prepping the tuna for the scales, to find out how heavy it is, and what it's worth.
40:46Nice fish.
40:48Yeah, he's a nice fish.
40:50Say he's around 5.50 there.
40:525.77.
40:53He's a bit smaller, like, than the ones we've caught, but he is a nice fish because sometimes the market likes a small chubby fish too, right?
41:02Yeah, OK, down.
41:04Anyway, he's down.
41:06Oh man, he's a dandy.
41:08We're hoping that this should bring us to the boat around $4,000.
41:14So that'll be a good morning's wages for us, right?
41:17Down another bit.
41:19Over there, ho!
41:21It's been a good season.
41:22All the hard work we put into it keeps the family going, and that's a great thing to live on and the legacy of our name for fishermen.
41:31So, that was a great day and it's a great thing to be in the world.
41:34I'm a small fisherman.
41:36I was the last fisherman.
41:37I was a big jerk for fishermen.
41:38I want to go out and get some more fish, I'm a great fisherman, and I think I think we're a fisherman.
41:40I was a gorgeous fisherman.
41:42I thought we weren't a fisherman.
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