NAUTICAL NEWS

Compiled by Michael Pryce with the assistance of M. Berthold, A. Calvert, I. Edwards, I. J. Farquhar, D. Gardner, N. Kirby, R. J. McDougall,  and from the newsletters of the Hawke's Bay and Bay of Plenty Branches of the Society

“Ngapara”
Ngapara was one of a class of four cargo crane ships built for the Union Steam Ship Company of New Zealand by Caledon Shipbuilding & Engineering Co. Ltd., Dundee.  The others were the Ngakuta, Ngatoro and Ngahere.
Built in 1966, she was of 4,575 gross tonnage, and she was sold in 1986 and her new owners renamed her Kent Brilliant, and operated her under the Panamanian flag.  She lost her rudder north of the Philippines in early April 1993 and was towed to Keelung, Taiwan, where she arrived on 14th April 1993.  No repairs were effected, and she was sold and renamed Financier, still under the Panamanian flag later in 1993.  She arrived under tow at Huangpu on 18th May 1993 and was thought to have been demolished.
On 29th July 2006 she was noted and photographed by Ian Edwards lying at Shanghai as Zheng He No. 9, fully repaired and in fine condition, with light grey hull and green boot-topping.  However, all of her deck cranes had been removed, leaving only the deckhouses that they were once mounted on.  Her owners are Yingkouzhenghe Ocean Shipping Co. Ltd., Yingkou, China, Panamanian flag.

“R Tucker Thompson” Gifted to Northland
On 26th May 2006 it was announced that the “tall ship” R Tucker Thompson was to be given to the people of Northland.  Built at Mangawhai in 1985, she has changed the lives of nearly seventy thousand people that have sailed in her.  On 4th June 2006 Russell Harris (the ship’s builder, Master and owner) handed over R Tucker Thompson to a Board of Trustees to hold her on behalf of the youth of Northland.  The ship will be used to train young people to sail and it is envisaged that through this they will learn important life skills.  Russell Harris says: “It is in Northland that we have the greatest need to provide for our youth.  Life up here can sometimes be remote and it makes sense for them to be equipped through life by learning from the sea.  Time aboard ship requires commitment, communication, leadership, initiative and humour, all the fundamentals of life.”
 The training programme for youth will be run through the R. Tucker Thompson Sail Training Trust, a charitable and not-for-profit organisation.
 Six sailing trips per year are planned, each voyage giving up to ten young people the opportunity to learn skills aboard the ship.
 R Tucker Thompson joins Spirit of New Zealand as the second sail training ship in New Zealand, and the first in Northland.

“Joseph Brown” Scrapped
Previous incidents in the saga of the ex-Admiralty salvage tug Rollicker, renamed Joseph Brown in1997, (1,037 gross tonnage, built 1973) have been covered in Vol.46, No.4, Vol.47, No.1, Vol.48, No.4 and Vol.49, No.4.  Readers may recall that she towed the two ex-Royal Navy frigates Jupiter and Hermione from U.K. to India for scrapping in 1997-98.  There had been later rumours that, under the name of Al Fahd, she had sunk in the Arabian Sea.  However, the tug Fahd, (ex-Al Fahd, ex-Joseph Brown, ex-Rollicker in 1997) was reported sold by unspecified interests to Indian breakers and was beached at Alang Beach on 7th March 2006 for demolition.

“CEC Star”

In the trans-Tasman Butterfly/Kiwi service Maersk replaced CEC Star with the 1,100 TEU Vega Gotland (9,678 gross tonnage, built 2005), owned by Freidrich Dauber Vega-Reederei KG, Hamburg, but trading under the  Antigua & Barbuda flag.  She is another of the German-designed CV1100 class completed or still under construction at up to a dozen shipyards worldwide and is a sister to ANL Yarrunga  The 19-knot Vega Gotland is yard number 404 from China’s Kouan Shipbuilding Industry Co, Taizhou, Jiangsu Province and was previously operating briefly in Maersk’s Far East-Indian Ocean feeder service.
 CEC Star made her last trans-Tasman sailing in late July 2006 and was then chartered to CMA CGM for four months.  Vega Gotland made her first trans-Tasman sailing in early August 2006.

“Monte Stello”
Strait Shipping’s Monte Stello’s starboard engine had to be shut down for repairs during her voyage to New Zealand in January 2006.  Whilst she was in Auckland, both engines were rebuilt with other new pistons, liners and numerous other new components.  Just before Easter (by which time it was hoped to have her in Wellington), engine trials alongside in Auckland revealed more problems.
Monte Stello finally sailed from Auckland on 1st June for Wellington after more engine trials, but was forced to return to Auckland that day because of a sticking piston.  She sailed from Auckland again on the morning of 10th June 2006 and arrived in Wellington early in the morning of 12th June.  She made a trial sailing empty of cargo from Wellington to Picton on the evening of 14th June, and arrived back next morning.
She made her first commercial sailing with “test” freight only from Wellington on the evening of 17th June and returned from Picton on the early morning of 18th June, and this permitted Strait Shipping to check how various trucks would stow on board, etc.  However, by that time she had suffered some problems with her port engine, and on return to Wellington she laid up at Glasgow Wharf for an engine inspection, which revealed the necessity for repair work which was likely to take some time, so on 21st June she was moved from Glasgow Wharf to Inter Island Wharf, where she was berthed stern-in so that her stern ramp could be lowered for ease of access.  By 27th June it became apparent that her starboard engine was in need of further repairs, and by 28th June it had been decided that a new engine block and crankshaft needed to be supplied and fitted to the port engine and a new crankshaft to the starboard engine.  This was a lengthy task that was estimated to be going to take about three months to complete, which was a serious setback to Strait Shipping’s plans.
In early August 2006 a large hole was cut through her lower vehicle deck and the port engine entablature block and crankshaft were lifted out.  The new crankshaft was ready for fitting to the starboard engine, but a new engine entablature block and crankshaft was awaited for the port engine.  Numerous pistons and connecting rods from both stripped-down engines were stored on the vehicle deck.
During this period, the ship’s crew was busy carrying out other survey tasks, such as landing her port lifeboat to facilitate work, and landing her port anchor and cable onto the wharf for inspection, cleaning and repainting.
On 1st September 2006 the new parts for the port engine arrived alongside the ship in a container, and the contents were taken aboard during the day, ready to be fitted into place and reassembled.  They were lowered through the hole in the vehicle deck into position on 11th September, by which time repair work on the starboard engine was virtually complete.  The hole in the vehicle deck was welded closed by 19th September.  During this period of enforced idleness, the existing cafeteria area on board had been gutted and rebuilt.
Monte Stello was expected to re-enter service in mid-October 2006.
 
“Purbeck”
Purbeck, Toll’s Cook Strait freight ferry, which had been laid up in Wellington since 31st October 2005, was quietly re-commissioned during early August 2006.  From 14th August until 9th September 2006 she replaced the ferry Challenger, which sailed from Wellington late in the evening of 13th August for a dry-docking in Brisbane.  In early September it became known that she was to go to Venezuelan ferry company Conferry, and sale and handover took place on 27th September 2006 in Wellington.  Her name Purbeck was to be retained but her port of registry was changed to Kingstown (St. Vincent).
Conferry operate both fast ferries and conventional ferries from the mainland Venezuelan ports of Puerto La Cruz and La Guaria to Margarita Island, lying north of the Venezuelan mainland.  Purbeck sailed from Wellington on 6th October 2006 bound via the Panama Canal to Curacao, where she was to be dry-docked prior to entering service in Venezuelan waters.

“Challenger”
Toll’s ferry Challenger sailed from Wellington on the late evening of 13th August 2006 for Brisbane for drydocking, arriving there on 17th August.  Challenger had been in service across Cook Strait for twelve months, and after the bad winter weather was looking somewhat rust-streaked down the sides of her accommodation block.  She arrived back in Wellington freshly repainted on 9th September and resumed commercial service across Cook Strait on 10th September 2006.

ANZDL Reincarnated as ANZL

In late June 2006 US Lines (USL) announced they were to start a new liner service to Australia and New Zealand in July 2006 under an ANZL banner.  The branding comes because many of those involved in the operation previously worked for Michael Beard, former head of Australia-New Zealand Direct Line (ANZDL) and Noel Coom, who will run the Australia/N.Z. operation.  When ANZDL was sold to CP Ships, Mr. Beard took many of his ANZDL managers to Tranz Rail (New Zealand) which he briefly headed until its takeover by Toll.
ANZL are planning a fortnightly service using 1,100 TEU ships southbound from Los Angeles direct to New Zealand.  Transit times have not yet been confirmed, and the group is reported to be reviving tradition by playing ports, in this case Tauranga and Auckland, off against each other before making a final port call selection.  Given the small vessel size, the southbound service will be competitive, the source says, but northbound will be a long haul from New Zealand to Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane and on to Hong Kong, South China and North America.
 The new triangular service will operate clockwise around the Pacific, sailing from Los Angeles to Tauranga, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane before linking direct with Hong Kong/Shekou (South China) and then returning to Los Angeles.  The service will initially operate bi-weekly and will employ four 1,100 TEU 19-knot ships (three of which are of the CV1100 type, the same as Vega Gotland).  The vessels so far listed are the gearless 1,118 TEU Falcon 1 (9,912 gross tonnage, built 2006, ex-Frisia Wumme in 2006), the 1,118 TEU Eagle 2 (9,966 gross tonnage, built 2006, ex-Surinam River in 2006), the gearless 1,100 TEU Kookaburra 1 (9,910 gross tonnage, built 2006, ex-El Temerario in 2006, launched as Mito Strait) and USL Kiwi.
 The service is expected to become weekly from mid-November 2006 with a further four ships nominated as USL Hawk, USL Condor, USL Kea and USL Phoenix.  USL is headed by Mr. Ed Aldridge and shareholders, board and management feature a number of former Australia New Zealand Direct Line personnel.  Staff recruited for the line in Australia and New Zealand has also largely been drawn from former ANZDL ranks.  The first vessel, Falcon 1, sailed from Los Angeles on 10th August 2006 and was due in Tauranga on 25th August and Melbourne on 30th August.  ANL will buy slots on all but the trans-Tasman leg of the service and has an option to supply two vessels from mid-2007.

Waveney Lifeboats
During June 2006 the fortyfour-foot Waveney lifeboat ex-R.N.L.I. 44-019 was purchased by Peter Goodmanson of Hastings.  Known locally as P&O Nedlloyd Rescue, it was the Waiheke Island coastguard boat.
When the Wellington (F69) frigate was scuttled off Wellington’s south coast on 13th November 2005, three similar Waveney lifeboats were used together to assist her sinking, and all three were berthed adjacent to each other at Queens Wharf a few days before the scuttling.  John Barton Acland Rescue (44-022), privately owned in Picton since 2005, Westgate Rescue (44-010) and Trust Porirua Rescue (44-017) were all used as small tugs to hold the hulk of the frigate in position prior to its being sunk by explosives.
Many of the Waveneys in Britain are now being replaced or supplemented by smaller high-speed inshore rescue craft.

“Manuia/Venture” – “King Kong” Ship Heart of Aquarium Plan
In mid-July 2006 it was announced that the ship that starred in the New Zealand-made film “King Kong” had been bought by a Wellington property developer who wants it to be the centrepiece of a NZ$4 million waterfront aquarium.  Phil Stratford said he bought Manuia, renamed Venture in the film, from director Peter Jackson for “not a lot of money”.  Manuia has been tied up at Miramar Wharf since filming finished.  Most of the features added to the ship for filming have been removed.  A proposal late last year for the ship to become a dive wreck off Mana Island was abandoned after Porirua City Council refused to underwrite the $400,000 cost.  Mr. Stratford has offered Wellington Waterfront NZ$4 million for a 199-year lease on waterfront land near the Lynx fast-ferry terminal (at Waterloo Quay Wharf).  He said the ship would be an integral part of the aquarium.  “It would be located in the foyer from which patrons will enter the building and then be transported by glass walkway through the hold and engine rooms, then into the aquarium proper, finally emerging after 100 metres on to the deck of the Venture.  At this point they will be greeted by a huge fish tank between the masts of the vessel."
 Mr. Stratford said he was working with Auckland company Marinescape which had built more than forty aquariums around the world, including Kelly Tarlton’s Underwater World in Auckland and the National Aquarium in Napier.  Mr. Stratford said his aquarium could attract 350,000 visitors in its first year and 225,000 thereafter.  It would be built and operated without any ratepayer subsidy.
 However, a Wellington City Council spokesman said it was committed to supporting a rival aquarium proposal for Te Raekaihau Point on the city's south coast.  The Council did not believe there was room for rival aquariums in the city, spokesman Simon Beattie said.  “We believe the South Coast proposal fits well with our objectives of conservation, education and increased tourism”.  Wellington Waterfront chairwoman Fran Wilde was not enthusiastic about Jackson’s ship ending up on the waterfront.  Ms. Wilde said “Mr. Stratford’s was one of a number of aquarium proposals Wellington Waterfront had received.  But all were on hold till the fate of the South Coast one was known”.  The South Coast proposal remains in the planning stages after resource consent commissioners were unable to agree this year on whether it should be granted resource consents.
 However, Mr. Stratford said his proposal was not getting a fair go because the Council had promised NZ$7.5 million in interest-free loans and grants to the south coast aquarium, even though an October 2004 consultants’ report found an inner-city aquarium would benefit from closer proximity to Te Papa and the Museum of Wellington City and Sea and would be better situated for cruise ships and tour groups.
At the end of September 2006 Manuia/Venture remained laid up at Miramar Wharf with no activity at all taking place aboard her.
 In mid-July 2006 it was announced that the making of the King Kong film, which grossed more than US$500 million (NZ$808 million) worldwide, also had received a grant of NZ$48.65 million from the Government.  The payout was based on qualifying expenditure of NZ$389.22 million.  The New Zealand Government tries to attract large film projects to New Zealand through its production grant scheme, which offers a 12.5 per cent rebate on production expenditure of more than NZ$15 million in New Zealand.
To qualify, total expenditure in New Zealand must represent more than 70 per cent of a production's total budget–unless expenditure in New Zealand exceeds $50 million.

“Lakeland Queen”

On 13th July 2006 it was announced that Rotorua’s Lakeland Queen tourism venture had failed, owing more than $850,000 to creditors.  Mokoia Island Tours and Cruises, which operated the Lakeland Queen paddle steamer, had tried to attract big-spending tourists, but Majpie Investments Ltd., the company behind it, is now in receivership.
The business targeted rich visitors willing to pay $145 for a meal, a cruise across Lake Rotorua and a tour of Mokoia Island.  However, there weren’t enough clients to keep the business afloat.  Lakeland Queen (160 gross tonnage, built 1986) is for sale for an unknown price in an attempt by the receivers to pay back some of the money owed.  Dubbed the “Lady of the Lake”, she is moored at the lakefront and has not been used for the past few months.

“Rotoiti” to be Withdrawn
In mid-July 2006 Hapag-Lloyd announced it was withdrawing the roll-on, roll-off vessel Rotoiti (22,278 gross tonnage, built 1977) from its fixed-day fortnightly trans-Tasman service towards the end of 2006.  It is understood the decision to end the Auckland-Melbourne-Sydney-Auckland service has been largely precipitated by a diminishing breakbulk market, particularly in regards to such commodities as timber.  Additionally, with the shipping line now providing up to six mainline weekly container services on the Tasman alone, the need for additional container space in Rotoiti has lessened.  Other factors, such as high fuel costs and exchange-rate movement, have also been cited as determining factors by the shipping company.
 In a press release, Hapag-Lloyd New Zealand General Manager Blair Morris said the shipping company would be working to arrange alternative services with its breakbulk customers.  “Shippers of containerised cargo will continue to have access to our mainline services, which provide the most comprehensive trans-Tasman coverage available”, he said.  “Rotoiti has had a successful and popular presence on the Tasman since 1977”.
 She was built for the Union Steam ship Co., of N.Z. as Union Rotoiti in 1977 by Whyalla Shipbuilding & Engineering Co., the second of two sisters (following Union Rotorua), both unusual by being powered by a gas turbine driving electric motors.  They were built for the trans-Tasman roll-on, roll-off trade and were fitted with a lifting bow door and angled stern door and ramp.  In early 1986 Union Rotoiti had her gas turbine and electric motors replaced by a large Wartsila diesel engine and she continued her trans-Tasman sailings.
 During 1999 the remnants of the once-great Union Steam Ship Company were sold off to U.K.-based CP Ships, and the still unconverted Union Rotorua was scrapped in Bangladesh at the end of 1999.  Union Rotoiti became plain Rotoiti and transferred from the New Zealand to the Bermuda flag in September 1999.  Early in 2000 she received an extensive refit at Brisbane and resumed trans-Tasman service with a black hull, white superstructure and the ANZDL (Australia New Zealand Direct Line, a CP Ships subsidiary company) funnel colours of blue with a white A and a black top.  With the consolidation of the many CP shipping companies into “one brand”, she was renamed CP Rotoiti in August 2005 and received a dark blue funnel with a red/white chequerboard panel.  This was short-lived, as in early 2006 CP Ships was taken over by Hapag Lloyd and she reverted to the name Rotoiti and adopted Hapag Lloyd funnel colours.  Her demise will remove the last visible reminder (for those who remember) of the Union Steam Ship Company’s past stronghold in trans-Tasman services.

“Aratere”
During May 2006 the Master of the Interislander ferry Aratere had his Master’s Certificate suspended by Maritime NZ, thereby prohibiting him from commanding ships.  The condition was imposed on the Master after initial findings from Maritime NZ investigators concerning a stormy crossing of Cook Strait on 3rd March 2006.  “That person is not able to sail as Master till Maritime NZ has completed its investigation into the sailing, but is able to continue working on board as a Mate”, a spokesperson said.
 On the voyage in question, Aratere finally arrived in Picton several hours late after taking the northern entrance to Queen Charlotte Sound, which is safer than the usual route through Tory Channel but takes longer.  The ferry heeled over on its starboard side by about fifty degrees on two occasions, sending furniture sliding across cabins and throwing vehicles around on the lower decks.  More than twenty vehicles were damaged and six rail wagons toppled over.  Records showed that southerly winds in Cook Strait on 3rd March increased throughout the afternoon and peaked with an average speed of 49 knots, gusting to 63 knots at 8.00p.m.
Passenger’s stories of a harrowing crossing were also published.  On 22nd June 2006 the “Dominion Post” ran a dramatic computer-generated illustration on its front page with the headline “Cook Strait Ferry Aratere Nearly Capsized.  “An Interislander ferry came ‘extremely’ close to capsizing after its Captain made ‘foolhardy’ decisions crossing Cook Strait in rough seas”, a maritime expert stated.  On 5th July, the Master who had been suspended withdrew a subsequent appeal against that suspension, but still faced possible prosecution as investigations continued.  His lawyers later said he had withdrawn his appeal.  “With the benefit of hindsight and exposure to training developed since, he accepts that some things should have been done differently during the crossing.  He was to undergo extra training before he can again take control of a ship.  Maritime New Zealand says he can take charge of the vessel again, after he has undertaken training in heavy weather sailing and Cook Strait navigation.”  It is understood that the required training was completed and the Master was reinstated to command by the end of September 2006.
Aratere had problems with worn bushes on her stern door on 16th July 2006, so was alongside AQ5 at Wellington on 17th July with stern door removed and lying on deck under repair.

“Arahura”
Accordingly, Arahura was not able to sail for Auckland for drydocking on 17th July 2006 as planned, and was required to operate Aratere's timetable for the next couple of days.  After Aratere resumed service on the evening of 19th July, Arahura sailed from Wellington early in the morning of 20th July for Auckland for the proposed drydocking.  She arrived back in Wellington on the evening of 2nd August.  The most noticeable feature of work done in drydock was the application of black boot-topping paint that had been “stepped-up” at the bow to also include her bulbous bow area.  Previously this had been painted white, but being constantly in the area of a bow wave, was usually soon coated with green slime, so the new boot-topping in that area should cure that.
Arahura made her first berthing at the new RFT3 berth on 21st August in order to carry out some maintenance work.  The road linkspan does not, of course, fit her rail-ferry linkspan, so she berthed starboard side alongside, bow-south, and well clear of the linkspan area.

Wanganui
At a Wanganui District Council harbour committee meeting on 26th June 2006, Cr. Barbara Bullock said it was embarrassing that Mayor Michael Laws, CEO David Warburton, and port lessee and operator River City Port Ltd., were not in attendance.  River City Port Ltd. officials were to present their report on port operations but had offered their apologies instead.  Council property manager Rowan McGregor gave a report on the structure of the Castlecliff Wharf, some parts of which are about 100 years old.  In a draft report commissioned to look at the issues of the wharf and submit a design proposal for wharf repairs, the meeting was told that there were O.S.H. issues, with failing sections of the Victory Shed, existing hole hazards and general disrepair in the concrete along the wharf.  Mr. McGregor sought a recommendation to address the ongoing maintenance issues, but what became clear, as pointed out by Cr. Sue Westwood, was the question of, “Who is responsible for what?” Cr. Westwood said the committee did not know what the lease agreement between the W.D.C. and River City Port Ltd. was, and therefore they “could not adopt the report because the ramifications had serious repercussions”.  Cr. Bullock said there was no mention in the Wanganui District Council’s long term financial plan to pay for any design work.  What the committee did agree on was it needed to be confirmed that any hazards as identified by O.S.H. had been mitigated.
Mr. McGregor explained in his property sales processes report that purchase of harbour endowment land was nowhere near as straightforward as private real estate transactions.  He said there were processes to go through with iwi land claims and people who wanted to freehold their land.  Before the part of the meeting that excluded the public Cr. Ray Stevens said he was sick and tired of reports being dumped on the table on the day and excused himself.
 Wanganui harbour’s plight has worsened since River City Port Ltd. took over its lease, Port of Wanganui Ltd. spokesman Tuffy Churton claimed on 29th June.  Asked by the “Wanganui Chronicle” whether the harbour was virtually defunct, he said “It’s not operational”.  “The problem is hugely worse than when the lease transferred from Ocean Terminals Ltd. to River City Port Ltd.”  Mr. Churton said the Wanganui District Council ought to seek legal advice about its obligations and start enforcing the lease.  The harbour impasse became glaringly obvious at a meeting (see the opening paragraph) of the council’s harbour committee, chaired by Cr. Randhir Dahya.  The lessee was scheduled to present a port operations report but principal Colin Cashmore and port manager John Blaikie were absent.  Committee members were left with unanswered questions.  Mayor Michael Laws said there was a good relationship with River City Port Ltd. a year ago and, if the question of port responsibilities could not be resolved by negotiation, it would have to be legally determined.  None of this surprised Mr. Churton.  He said Port of Wanganui Ltd. remained interested in making something of the harbour, despite being cold-shouldered by the council when it came up with a development proposal a couple of years ago.  He considered Wanganui’s recreational boaties, the Q-West boat building plant, fishermen and Coast Guard were getting the “run around” under the current lease because the siltation had reached a serious level.  Wharf damage was also becoming an issue.  Mr. Churton asked whether the council’s harbour endowment money was well spent while the River City Port Ltd. lease was achieving practically nothing.  Port of Wanganui Ltd. could go no further with the council, even the present one, he said.  So it would look for help in Wellington and perhaps work in conjunction with an overseas port company.

Wanganui Shipping
A Korean fishing vessel, Shin Ji, (ex-Kinsei Maru No.15) had arrived in Wanganui by 11th August 2006, and was berthed alongside another one already in port, No. 11 Green.  Both vessels appear to be undergoing steelwork modifications by Koreans prior to starting fishing operations.  Shin Ji from Castlecliff on 19th September for Nelson.
On 18th August 2006 the tug Nautilus III and a steel barge, both owned by McManaway Tug & Barge Ltd., were berthed at Castlecliff, loading bundled timber fence posts; they sailed during the afternoon.  Nautilus III and barge Waimarie arrived in the Whanganui River on the morning of 8th September with about 250 tonnes of dolomite from Tarakohe, and after discharge, loaded about 240 tonnes of bundled tanalised fence posts and sailed for Picton the same day.
We have mentioned the barging of fence posts from Wanaganui in several recent issues.  These are part of an order for 100,000 fence posts for vineyards sold into the Blenheim area for the past three years by Huatapu Pine via Wanganui company AgHire, but 2006 is proving to be their best year yet.  All the posts need to be pointed and Huatapu Pine has installed a second pointing machine to cope with demand.  The pointing machines are essentially like a huge pencil sharpener that posts are fed into.  Getting the fence posts to Blenheim requires much coordination between two trucking firms, two ports and the barging company.  Barging the fence posts across Cook Strait is more economical than trucking them via ferry, but the operation does require relatively calm weather, so delays can occur.  There are two size of barges used in the sixteen-hour voyage from Wanganui to Picton, either 250 or 500-tonnes capacity.  In September 2006 the 250-tonne barge was making weekly trips to keep up with demand.  Production and delivery of the fence posts is due to be completed by October 2006.
The paddle steamer Waimarie was slipped successfully on the morning of 11th August 2006, at the Q-West slipway, Wanganui, just before high tide.  Cleaning the hull commenced soon after, and she was planned to be on the slip for two weeks.
She came off the Q-West slip trolley near high water, shortly prior to midday on 27th August 2006, and proceeded back upriver, negotiating both Cobham and Town Bridges without incident.  It is hoped that future slipping will occur on a purpose-built facility intended to be built at the bottom of Georgetti Road.

New Zealand Butter Advertisement
An interesting article about a New Zealand butter advertisement in U.K. was written by Michael Grey and published by Lloyd’s List on 24th July 2006.
“To defend the shipping industry, you have to be very, very alert lest the attacks get in under the radar.  They come when you least expect them.  I was sitting in the garden last weekend leafing through a colour supplement when an unusual advertisement caught my eye.  ‘Why choose Anchor Butter that’s shipped frozen, when you can choose Country Life?’  The full page advertisement juxtaposes what purports to be a container ship on its way from New Zealand, the artist clearly never having seen a container ship, with a couple of thatched houses, where, it is subliminally hinted, dairymaids in smocks and mop caps are churning away enthusiastically, reducing the milk from British farms into the yellow stuff we love to spread thickly on our toast.
“I have to say that my first reaction was to spring into defensive mode in support of Anchor butter.  My formative years were spent hauling thousands of tons of the stuff from New Zealand, whole lower holds full of 56lb pats in cardboard cartons which gave our ships a comforting bottom weight and much improved the stability when topped off with ’tweendecks full of lamb and apples.
 “One of my treats as an apprentice was to tour a New Zealand butter works and I can still remember the processes, and the cleanliness and the enthusiasm of the workers who presented us hungry apprentices with a great lump of freshly made cheese, which was, I recall, a useful auxiliary product and went down very well in the half-deck.
 “Perhaps because of this impressive afternoon, but more accurately because years later I ended up with a New Zealand wife, we have eaten Anchor butter ever since we set up home in this country.
 “It is perhaps but a small gesture to spite the evil empire of Fortress Brussels, which has worked hard for decades to bury New Zealand agriculture with its grotesque tariff walls.
 “Even as I was writing this I heard (from my wife) that the frightful European Trade Commissioner has actually banned Anchor butter, voted Britain’s best loved food brand in 2001, from Europe after some footling German complaint about ‘unfairness’.
 “‘This bloody EU—I hate it,’ cried my wife, using uncharacteristically strong language for the Christian lady she is, I know what she means.
 But we also eat it because we like its taste compared with that of English butter, which my wife describes as tasting ‘off’, which it probably isn’t but you know what you like, and you stick to it, like Anchor butter sticks to bread.
 “And our loyalties remain firm, although my wife did once buy a lump of Lurpak in solidarity with the Danes when the cartoon fiasco was in full cry.  We are not naturally political shoppers, but we can sometimes be swayed by events.  I am also prejudiced by ‘knocking’ copy, which seems to be a growing and regrettable feature of modern advertising.  Anchor, which seems to specialise in television advertisements featuring musical Guernsey cows, how they train them to sing and dance is nothing short of miraculous, does not ‘knock’ the various competitive products available over here.
 “Perhaps they could point out that British cows are stuffed with hormones, tortured by being milked three times each day and fed crushed sheep’s brains and stinking silage in their dark sheds, when New Zealand cows enjoy nutritious green grass every day of the year.  They won’t.  They are far too decent.
 “But it is the issue of shipping butter frozen and the fact that it travels 11,000 miles from New Zealand which really set the alarm bells ringing.  There is not a shred of evidence that butter is in any way diminished from either its lowered temperature or its passage in a clean aircooled container from the Antipodes.  It probably helps the butter to mature.
 “But that is not the point either.  The real concern is that there is a fast growing green movement against the logistics industry and the ‘transport miles’ that it takes to deliver goods from producer to market.  Instead of people pointing out how unbelievably miraculous it is that we can ship goods from the furthest extremities of the earth, with a transport cost that is quite ridiculously low, we are being told that we should deplore the ‘transport miles’ that are employed for the damage being done to the planet.  It is a new and dangerous slogan.  It is some years since the government of this country decided to close down all the lunatic asylums and employ a ‘care in the community’ policy.  The lunatics are now all firmly in charge, whingeing about ‘transport miles’ and deploring the fact that their sun-dried tomatoes and polenta have to be shipped all the way from Italy to Islington rather than grown in Hackney urban farms.
 “‘Transport miles’ is due to become a major issue, like ‘fair trade’ goods and pictures of smiling banana pickers on the Waitrose fruit and vegetable counters, urging shoppers into some sort of ethical statement as they fill up their trolleys.  There is also a pretty sinister conspiracy of politically driven people who imply that all transport is bad, menacing the planet and melting the ice caps.  And while they are busily having a go at 4 x 4 drivers, thereby proving that class and envy are potent ingredients, and avoiding the airlines (only the foolhardy will attack the holidays of the masses), look for more vulnerable shipping to be soon firmly in their sights.
 “I have regularly pointed out that it is the profound ignorance about ships and shipping that makes our industry a tempting target for maddened greens and ill-informed politicians alike.  These people want to scupper world trade and reduce us to a sort of impoverished peasantry living on locally grown turnips.  Transport miles, and dubious statistics about the consumption of energy to haul our Anchor butter from New Zealand, or our white goods from China, are just one early feature of the coming attack in which the word ‘sustainability’ will feature large.
 “The shipping industry needs to be on its guard and have its defences ready.  It might even have to make shipping more sustainable.”
On 22nd September 2006 the European Union agreed to a transitional solution in the New Zealand butter row which allows 14,000 tonnes of butter from New Zealand to be shipped to Europe.  New Zealand butter imports into the European Union were suspended on 12th July after a German dairy company, Egenberger, won a case in the European Court of Justice, the Supreme Court, that Fonterra’s control of New Zealand butter imports through its London-based subsidiary was monopolistic and discriminatory.  Under the temporary agreement at least six companies will have to tender for the right to import butter to the E.U., rather than only Fonterra.  Trade Negotiations Minister, Phil Goff, said that a longer-term solution needed to meet the terms of the recent European Court of Justice ruling, but also needed to be consistent with the E.U.’s long established commitments to New Zealand.  “I have spoken to the Commissioner of Agriculture again and impressed upon her that, while we acknowledge the European legal ruling, we must also find a solution that ensures that New Zealand is no worse off as a result of the changes they must make to their regulations,” Mr. Goff said.  The European Commission’s spokesperson for Agriculture, Michael Mann, says the deal doesn’t threaten the 77,000 tonnes of butter New Zealand supplies a year.
But Mr. Goff said that he was concerned no progress had been made to find a solution for 2007’s butter trade.  The issue follows a European Court of Justice ruling that parts of the regulations controlling the New Zealand quota were invalid.  The European Commission has proposed that the rest of New Zealand’s butter quota for this year be allowed after consultation with New Zealand officials.  The proposal is due to go to European Commissioners in late September for approval.  “If it proceeds in its current form, we will accept this proposal but I am concerned that despite intensive consultations, we have still not made progress towards finding a solution for next year’s butter imports,” Mr. Goff said.
New Zealand has preferential access to Europe for dairy products, dating from when Britain, its traditional customer, joined the European Economic Community.  It is charged a lower tariff on annual quotas for 77,402 tonnes of butter, 7,000 tonnes of cheddar cheese, and 4,000 tonnes of cheese for processing.  Fonterra has been earning extra profit from the quota rents, the difference in the world price at which the butter is exported from New Zealand and the roughly NZ$200 million a year price tag at which it can then be sold in the European Union’s protected market.  The butter imports to Europe were temporarily suspended following the European Court of Justice ruling.  The temporary ban was lifted but 14,300 tonnes of New Zealand origin butter was left in limbo awaiting a decision by the E.U.

“Motunui”
The 34-metre Fairmile patrol launch Motunui was moved by truck between Tauranfga and Waitomo on the night of 12th July 2006.  Built in 1942 and later a passenger ferry plying between Auckland and Waiheke Island for Fullers Ferries, she was purchased for use at Mr. Billy Black’s Woodlyn Park motel, on Waitomo Valley Road, Waitomo Caves.  Mr. Black said that he was intending to drain a lake at his Woodlyn Park farm and get the boat on to an island in the lake.  It was intended to convert it into five motel units by January 2007.  The ship will join Mr. Black’s other unique accommodation attractions, which include a Bristol freighter aircraft, a Fiat railcar and a “hobbit hole”.
 
“Maersk Niigata”

A “new” ship on the New Zealand to North Asia container service from late August 2006 was Maersk Niigata (37,902 gross tonnage, built 1991, ex-Arafura in 2006).  She replaced Aotea (35,818 gross tonnage, built 1980, ex-Nichigoh Maru in 2001), which was renamed MOL Mauao (understood to be another Maori name for Mount Maunganui) and is operating on another service from New Zealand.

Cook Strait Current Turbines

In June 2006 it was revealed that power companies were investigating an ambitious project to place underwater turbines in Cook Strait as an answer to New Zealand’s electricity shortage.  Scientists behind the idea say harnessing the tidal currents could meet the entire country's electricity needs.  State-owned power companies Meridian Energy and Transpower are included in the project’s development.  In what would be a multibillion-dollar scheme, up to 7,000 turbines would be anchored to the sea floor and float about forty metres below the surface.  The project’s leaders, Christchurch scientists David Beach and Chris Bathurst, believe the tidal currents could be harnessed to generate enough electricity for the whole country.  The scientists, the founding directors of Neptune Power, are investigating the placing of the submerged turbines in an area stretching over 200 square kilometres of Cook Strait, from its northern fringes close to the Marlborough Sounds to further south between Wellington and Cloudy Bay.  “We think we have the best site in the southern hemisphere”, Mr. Bathurst said.
 Meridian, New Zealand’s largest hydro-generation company, met them to discuss the scheme.  The scientists also met Transpower, operator of the national grid.  A secondary tidal generation project in Foveaux Strait is also being considered.  Mr. Bathurst said they would be in Wellington to talk to the local fishing industry, which would have a “critical role” to play in monitoring and maintaining the turbines.  “We want to keep fishermen on side.  All these units are going to require tending.  Fishing trawlers will be about the right size.  It will be a profitable occupation, to contract to us and still have some system where they are still doing their own work”.  Mr. Bathurst said the intention was to have the first turbine in place by 2008, but they were waiting for the completion of a trial close to the Orkney Islands.  The company is also behind a proposed $380 million seventy-turbine wind farm at Makara to boost it power generation.
 In late July 2006 the promoters of the ambitious plan said the site could be producing commercial quantities of electricity in five years.  Revealing further details, they said the turbines would produce 7,000 megawatts of electricity, equal to the country’s current annual production from all sources.  They were in Wellington to meet key players, including the Electricity Commissioner, Greater Wellington regional council and the fishing industry.  Mr. Beach said the turbines would float forty metres below the surface in groups of twenty or forty.  Each turbine would be held in place by an anchor plate bolted to the sea floor.  Each group would be linked to a cable that would collect the energy and transport it to a shore station.  There it would be converted into electricity for transfer to the national grid.
Mr. Bathurst said each turbine would cost about NZ$2 million.  “That sounds a lot of money”, said Mr. Beach.  “But new dams are expensive.”  Undersea turbines required little in terms of infrastructure and maintenance, he said.  They revolved at only 5rpm.  “They can't go faster than the current.  I think any self-respecting fish will be able to swim around them.”  If the Orkney Isles tests prove successful, Mr. Bathurst and Mr. Beach say they would like their first prototype in place by 2009.  Expansion thereafter would depend on the results of their tests and market demand for the power they produced.  However, commercial quantities of electricity could be just five years away, they say.  Niwa marine physicist Craig Stevens said though tidal energy was unlikely to be economic now, improvements in technology would change that, just as it had with wind energy.  Dr. Stevens said Cook and Foveaux straits were the only bodies of water near New Zealand large enough and with strong enough tidal currents to be suitable for tidal energy stations.  “The total resource is enormous.  It’s so large, it’s pointless trying to spell it out.”  Unlike hydro, tides would continue to generate electricity regardless of weather.  “Tides never stop”, Mr. Bathurst said.
his predictability makes tidal energy an ideal complementary energy source for hydro power, Mr. Bathurst and Mr. Beach say.  They are seeking a relationship with a hydro-power generator to whom they can sell the power they produce and are also working on issues for a future resource consent application.

Freight Next to Go on Main Trunk Line?
During July 2006 the news that the main trunk line would see the ending of the Auckland to Wellington “Overlander” passenger services from the end of September 2006 (now deferred) was followed by speculation that perhaps the withdrawal of Auckland to Wellington freight services could follow next.  Rail operator Toll New Zealand’s board faced speculation in the transport industry that more closures of rail services were in the offing, including the backbone main trunk link.  The “Overlander” passenger service was losing money and the Government decided not to subsidise it.
Industry observers said some freight services are also uneconomic and that even the future of freight on the main trunk line was not secure.  “The reality for New Zealand is that there is a nightmare scenario in which Toll just puts railfreight on road trucks,” said the Rail and Maritime Transport Union.
A crunch time will come in long-running negotiations between Toll and the Government over access fees to the Government-owned track, an industry observer said.  Toll could pull services.  Toll NZ Chief Executive David Jackson said he could not comment on which lines were uneconomic or what would happen to them.  Industry observers said the coal line between Lyttelton and the West Coast and the route between Tauranga and Auckland used by Port of Tauranga to get freight into Auckland are economic, as are milk trains used by Fonterra in the lower North Island.  Beyond that, it is debatable.  It is not clear that the main trunk itself is economic and will survive with Toll as the long-term operator at the current fee level.  However, Toll may be painting a bleaker picture than necessary behind the scenes to increase pressure on the Government to contribute to the network upkeep.  Toll is understood to have briefed major customers.  The bleak picture may simply be a negotiating tactic.  While Toll will be hurting from higher fuel prices, it should be gaining a competitive advantage over road because of rail’s innate greater fuel efficiency.
One of the issues with the Overlander service was the poor state of the network as well as that of the carriages.  Speed restrictions operating on tracks because of their poor standard added as much as an hour to the journey.
There are many legal complexities involved, but in the long term other passenger operators can come in.  In the case of freight lines, another operator can come in immediately if Toll gives up a line.  Queensland Rail, the operator that has emerged as Toll Holdings’ only real competition in Australia, is seen as the only potential new operator in New Zealand.  It has been on the acquisition trail.  The Government recovers all of the expenses of the network from the operators in access fees after investing NZ$200 million in the track when Toll took control of Tranz Rail following its financial collapse in 2003.  Toll operates most rail services in New Zealand except the Auckland passenger network.
The above could, of course, have some future effect on any new ferries built or purchased for operation across Cook Strait.  The rail ferry Arahura was built in 1983 and various replacement plans have come and gone over the years, with no new building currently on order at any shipyard.  If carriage of rail freight ceased, clearly it would ease Toll’s replacement plans and allow a less-costly road freight ferry to be utilized, with a potential substantial saving in the costs of a specialised type of ship and construction of new rail link spans able to accommodate a wider ship.
On 27th September it was announced that the Overlander service was to be continued with a reduced service, operating only on Friday, Saturday and Sunday for most of the year, but reverting to daily services during the summer holiday period from December to Easter.

“Atlantic Trader 1”

In August 2006 a Public Notice in the “New Zealand Herald” advised that “notice was hereby given to the owner of the vessel Atlantic Trader 1 abandoned at the Titan Marine Repair Wharf at Westhaven, Auckland, that the vessel will be sold to defray expenses ten days after final publication of this notice.  Contact Titan Marine Engineering Limited.”  Atlantic Trader 1 (2,033 gross tonnage, built 1969) first arrived in Auckland on 15th June 2001.  The vessel was still lying at the same berth by the end of September 2006, with nothing happening.

On 6th October 2006 the New Zealand Press Association ran a story “Rusting Ship Becomes Expensive Problem”.  It said “The rusting hulk of a 2,000-tonne ship once intended to become a Cook Strait ferry is now an expensive headache for an Auckland marine engineering company.  The NZ$10 million investment, which turned into $1 for millionaire Waikato farmer John Ramsey, was diverted to Auckland during its delivery voyage from Miami to Wellington in 2001 after it began taking on water and was nearly abandoned.  It has been tied up ever since, clocking up berthage fees of NZ$200 a day because it is too unsafe to take to sea.  When the ship arrived in Auckland Mr. Ramsey was horrified at the state of the hull and learned the marine survey that came with the ship was bogus.  Maritime New Zealand was just as horrified at the state of the ship, and immediately banned it from going to sea.  The hull was so rusty and structurally unsound, it was feared the ship would sink.  Since then the Ports of Auckland has ordered all fuel, lubricants and other contaminants be removed in case it sinks at its berth where it still sat with a list to port and obvious signs of rust and decay over much of the hull and deck.  Mr. Ramsey intended to use the ship on a new Cook Strait freight ferry service but sold it late in 2005 for $1.  He paid five years of berthage owed on it, thought to be more than NZ$300,000, after it was tied up at Titan Marine Engineering’s wharf in Freeman’s Bay.  However, the new Australian owner sold it again for a lot more than he paid without paying any fees.  The latest mystery owner has also not paid fees, which were now thought to be nearly NZ$70,000.  Titan Marine owner Mike Frewin refused to discuss the ship.  “Legal proceedings are underway and it is probably better that I don't say anything”, he said.  However, Mr. Ramsey said it had been an expensive disaster.  He said he sold it for $1 to get rid of it but would not say how much he paid for it, although an industry source suggested he paid NZ$10 million.  Taking legal action against the previous owners was investigated but was not an option, he said.  “We bought a bit of a dud”, said Mr. Ramsey, who owns Crusader Meats in south Waikato and Pakatoa Island in the Hauraki Gulf.  “That’s why I sold it for $1, to let someone else have the headache.”  He said at NZ$200 a day to berth, the ship was too expensive to keep when it was not earning an income.  Five years ago Maritime New Zealand director Russell Kilvington said the hull was so rusted and corroded pieces of it broke away in the hands.  He expected it would be sold for scrap.  “It is certainly one of the worst ships we have ever seen in terms of its total unseaworthiness” Mr. Kilvington said in 2001.  Marine inspectors were astonished it had even reached New Zealand, he said.  He was concerned that it had been allowed to sail by other authorities overseas.  Maritime New Zealand general manager, maritime operations, John Mansell said no maintenance had been done since 2001 and it had deteriorated significantly since then.  “The ship is in such a serious condition now we believe the only valid option is for it to be scrapped or dumped”, Mr. Mansell said.  He said it would only be allowed to be towed to a scrap yard and then only after extensive work to make it safe and watertight.

New Birkenhead Ferry Terminal

A new NZ$2.7 million ferry terminal at Birkenhead Point in Auckland opened on 1st August 2006, providing a smart, modern waiting area and improved services for passengers.  The terminal has a maritime design, in keeping with Birkenhead’s character, and includes a café, toilets, waiting areas and a new canopy over the pontoon alongside which the ferries actually berth.  The existing wharf structure has also been structurally strengthened.  Ferry patrons enjoyed a free coffee as a small “thank you” for their support during the year-long construction process.  To coincide with completion of the new terminal, the Auckland Regional Transport Authority has introduced improved bus feeder services from Birkenhead and Northcote on the weekends, to make it easier to catch the ferry to downtown Auckland.  North Shore City’s passenger transport manager Dave Stanley says the opening is another significant step in the evolution of public transport facilities on the Shore.  “We’re progressively improving bus and ferry infrastructure to the extent that public transport is becoming an acceptable travel option for more and more North Shore residents”, he said..  “The past year has been our busiest yet, with the opening of the new Park & Ride bus stations at Constellation and Albany, completion of security improvements at Stanley Bay, Northcote and Birkenhead Point wharves, and the acquisition of Devonport Wharf's ferry terminal.  “It all adds up to a more enjoyable public transport experience for North Shore City residents and visitors alike.”

Council Looks into Naval Museum on Devonport Wharf
Devonport’s busy ferry terminal may become home to the country’s national naval museum, after a decision on 19th September by North Shore City Council’s strategic management committee.  The Navy has already been considering a more accessible location for its twentyfour-year-old museum, which is now tucked away behind a carpark at the entrance to the Devonport naval base, in a building too small to display more than twenty per cent of its artefacts.  “We have been looking at trying to bring it more into the community”, Commander David Wright, the museum’s director, said.
That has been a cue for the council, which says it has undertaken significant maintenance work since paying NZ$2.9 million in June to buy the Devonport ferry wharf in what was a rundown condition.
 Council management committee chairman Gary Holmes said it was cautiously excited about the naval museum option, which it yesterday approved for further investigation, and which it saw as a potentially high-profile tourist attraction operating with the ferry terminal.  “It would be of a similar stature to the Army Museum in Waiouru, and could be the catalyst for a boost in activity and vibrancy at the wharf, with obvious benefits to Devonport businesses”, he said.  “We look forward to continuing discussions with the Navy on the proposal.”  Deputy Mayor Dianne Hale said establishing the museum at the wharf could attract an extra 100,000 visitors to Devonport annually, potentially boosting the local economy by $8 million.  But she said the council, which had already opened the wharf to a farmers' market, was mindful that any further development must protect and enhance transport activities and provide for generous public space while maximising income opportunities.
Commander Wright said that although the proposal was still at an early stage, the Navy was keen to work with the council in the hope of securing a prominent place in the community not just to display the museum's artefacts, but to place them in their historical context by telling the stories behind them.  One of the most important such stories was that of a sacred piupiu skirt given by Maori to the commander of H.M.S. New Zealand to wear for the successful protection of the battle cruiser in the North Sea during three pitched naval battles of World War I (Jutland, Dogger Bank and Heligoland).

Former FPSO “Whakaaropai” for Nigeria
In June 2006 Bergesen Worldwide Offshore (BWO) signed a letter of intent with Peak Petroleum Industries Nigeria and Equator Exploration to provide a floating production, storage and offloading vessel (FPSO) for a five-year period at the Bilabri Field, offshore Nigeria.  They will use the FPSO BW Endeavour, (ex-FPSO Whakaaropai from offshore Taranaki), which would have to undergo a general upgrade before commencement of production on the field.  The operation on the Bilabri field is intended to commence mid-2007 at an estimated production of 30,000 barrels of oil per day.
 FPSO BW Endeavour was noted by one of our members passing through Singapore Strait on 21st June 2006.  She initially anchored offshore of Karimun Island, to the west of Singapore, obviously awaiting a berth and contract for upgrading work in one of the Singapore shipyards.  By 12th July 2006 she had moved her anchorage to the southern entrance of Johore Strait, and was still there on 6th October 2006.

Former Navy Frigate H.M.N.Z.S. “Canterbury” to be Scuttled in Bay of Islands

Defence Minister Phil Goff announced on 7th August 2006 that the former Royal New Zealand Navy frigate Canterbury will be sunk as a dive wreck at Deepwater Cove, Cape Brett, in the Bay of Islands.  “The disposal of Canterbury for scrap was examined as an option but the greater long term economic benefit to the country was thought to come from the sinking of the frigate as a dive wreck”, Mr. Goff said.  “A number of registrations of interest for disposal of Canterbury were received from the North Auckland area.  The strongest case was that put forward by the Bay of Islands Trust which will be given responsibility for sinking the vessel”  The Bay of Islands Trust’s proposal was seen as having the best potential to deliver the greatest overall economic benefit to the community and the country.  “The addition of a dive wreck will add to the attraction the Bay of Islands has to domestic and an international visitor, in what is one of the country’s most visited tourist destinations.  ‘The strong support of regional MPs, local government, iwi and tourism operators made the Bay of Islands Trust’s proposal the strongest we received.  While this vessel will be sunk, the ships’ name and its honour board will live on with the newly constructed multi-role vessel Canterbury, due to enter service in early 2007, which will have the same name and same home port”, said Mr. Goff.
 The frigate H.M.N.Z.S. Canterbury was commissioned into the Royal New Zealand Navy in October 1971 and de-commissioned in March 2005.  She was the last of the Leander class frigates in the Royal New Zealand Navy.
The news was warmly received by community and business leaders in the Far North.  “The news that the district has been successful is just overwhelming”, Far North Mayor Yvonne Sharp said.  “Congratulations to everyone involved.  This is an example of how partnerships can work in the best interests of the wider community.  This is a great result and we have triumphed against the odds.”  Mayor Sharp said Minister of Defence Phil Goff had told her that it was the strength of community support for the trust’s bid that had impressed him and, at the end of the day, won the frigate for the Far North.  “With strong support from the Far North District Council, the community and local iwi, we were able to tip the scales in our favour”, she said.
The council has agreed to underwrite the Bay of Islands Canterbury Trust’s resource consent application costs for the scuttling project conditional upon the trust repaying the money to the council.  Northland Regional Council chair Mark Farnsworth said he was “really pleased” to see the frigate come north.  Mr. Farnsworth said the Council would do everything it could to assist the trust, but was unable to say if the Council would waive its $40,000 consent fees.  “It’s not an easy answer to give.  I would love to waive the consent fees”, he said.  “We will have to look at what they want and the constraints and everything around that.”  Mr. Farnsworth said the Council was not able to offer the trust the free use of Port of Whangarei tug boats to tow the frigate from Auckland to Opua, because it had no control over Ports of Auckland, who held the tug boat contract at the port.
Destination Northland General Manager Robyn Bolton said the Minister's decision was “excellent news” for the district’s tourism industry.  Ms. Bolton said sinking the frigate as a dive attraction at Deepwater Cove provided a link between Tutukaka, which was well established internationally as New Zealand’s premier dive destination, and Matauri Bay, where the Rainbow Warrior was sunk.  “Our biggest aim at Destination Northland is to get better distribution of visitors around the region.  Having a dive trail like this goes a long way towards achieving that”, she said.  She further said that while the proposed trail only included dive sites on the east coast at this point, it still encouraged people to spend more time and travel more widely in Northland.  “I can definitely say that the benefits will multiply right out into the community.  When visitors stay longer and travel more widely, they’re taking beds, eating food and putting petrol in their cars.  The benefits to communities around Northland will be really big.”
However, on 25th September the Department of Conservation (D.O.C.) said that it was opposed to the sinking of the frigate off Cape Brett because it had failed to address some serious obstacles.  D.O.C. has objected, saying the cove is a designated rest area for bottle-nosed dolphins.  The trust says its members had spoken to D.O.C. staff about the plan and there was no hint of an objection; so it feels ambushed.  D.O.C. says restrictions on tour boats in Deepwater Cove are based on dolphin research done by the University of Auckland.
More Victory Ships for Scrapping
In June 2006 the U.S. Maritime Administration (MarAd) signed contracts for the disposal of four ships from the Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet at Benicia, California, bringing to nine the number that have left the facility for recycling since October 2005.  The four are World War II-vintage Victory ships: Hannibal Victory, Barnard Victory, Occidental Victory and Sioux Falls Victory.
When ships are no longer considered useful for defence or aid missions, Marad arranges for their proper disposal and works closely with the Coast Guard to ensure the safe passage of the vessels to their final destinations.  Before towing from the fleet, all ships are inspected by an independent party.  In addition, they must meet extensive Coast Guard and international regulations regarding environmental safeguards, seaworthiness, and watertightness integrity.
Marine Metal, Inc., of Brownsville, Texas, will dismantle Hannibal Victory and Sioux Falls Victory, under the terms of contracts each worth US$978,698.  All Star Metals, Inc., also of Brownsville, will dismantle Barnard Victory for US$1,202,949, and Occidental Victory for US$1,191,987.  The steel from all four ships will be recycled.

Prime Minister Says Sounds Users Should Pay Safety Costs
In mid-August 2006 Prime Minister Helen Clark laughed off the suggestion that new Marlborough Sounds safety measures should be paid for by the Government, as the shipping route is an extension of State Highway 1.  “Good try!”, she said during an interview with “The Marlborough Express”.  “They’ll be looking for a roading subsidy next.  I’m sure it should be user pays.”  The Marlborough District Council is currently seeking ways to fund safety requirements costing $1.7 million a year, proposed for the Marlborough Sounds as a result of the New Zealand Port and Harbour Marine Safety Code (2004).  The Council believes the Government should pay for them, but so far has made little progress convincing them of this.  The Marlborough mayor and chief executive met with transport safety minister Harry Duynhoven over the issue, but have reported little progress.  Miss Clark appeared to offer them little hope the funding would come from central Government.
She said the Council should be prepared to pick up the cost of patrolling the ferry route, given the money it brought to the region.  “Think of all the economic benefits of being the corridor through which these things pass.  It’s far better than being in a place where nobody goes through and stops to buy their petrol and hamburger and stops at a motel.”  The Council is calling for submissions on how to pay for the measures, which include costly measures such as a vessel tracking system, which has just been installed.  The Council has identified other funding options, including annual charges for commercial operators, recreational boaties, or recovering costs from Port Marlborough.  The Mayor said that during a meeting with the Prime Minister she underlined that she believed the safety measures should be user pays.
But he said she had promised to investigate if the Government could provide help to devise some payment mechanism.  “She didn’t spell it out in detail, but she is going to go away and work on it.”

Ferry Owner Accused of Using Motuihe Island Beach “As Cheap Shipyard”
On 10th August 2006 a ferry operator using Motuihe Island as a “cheap shipyard” was being threatened with legal action by the Auckland Regional Council.  A.R.C. chairman Mike Lee was angry that Waiheke Shipping Company owner Brett Subritzky’s 28-metre Spirit of Waiheke car ferry had again been seen sitting on the sand at Ocean Beach on the northern side of Motuihe.  Mr. Subritzky had already been warned about the practice, said Mr. Lee.  “He promised he would never do it again.”  Mr. Lee urged the Department of Conservation, which administers the island, to “get tough”.  “This vessel is registered as a ship and they were carrying out welding today.  Industrial-type activity on a scenic recreational reserve is not acceptable.  If it was, it could be coming to a beach near you.”  Large vessels landing directly on the beach could carry rats, jeopardising the ambitious conservation project underway on Motuihe which had cost millions, he said.  There was no “forensic evidence” that crew were doing maintenance work while the vessel was beached, said Mr. Lee, but Motuihe Island Trust member Lawrence Thoms said he had seen crew doing anti-fouling and repainting of the hull while the ship was on Ocean Beach.  “Anti-foul is toxic and we object to the island being used as a cheap shipyard.”
 The Trust is leading the plan to restore the island’s native bush and wildlife, with support from the Outboard Boating Club of Auckland.  Rats, cats and rabbits have been eradicated and it is hoped that the island will eventually be home to kiwi.  Mr. Thoms said four previous incidents of vessels being driven on to Ocean Beach had been reported.  In one case the vessel had stayed four days.  Crew on the Spirit of Waiheke would not speak to the media, instead referring inquiries to Mr. Subritzky.
Mr. Subritzky denied that anti-fouling work had been done on any of his ships beached at the island, although crew had done some painting of the interior.  He did charters to Motuihe using the ferry and also worked regularly for D.O.C.  After receiving a letter from Mr. Lee yesterday, which said if he did not “desist from utilising this area for boat maintenance enforcement proceedings may be taken against you”, he would meet the A.R.C. and D.O.C.  There had been no contamination “at all” from work done on the ship.  “We didn’t leave anything behind.”  However, the next day photographic proof that Motuihe Island was being used as a free shipyard brought promises from a repentant ferry operator never to do it again.
 Mr. Subritzky set up his Waiheke Shipping Company two years ago after his family’s Subritzky Line ferry company was bought by the Australian firm KI Sealink

Pacific Island Traders
Pacific Direct Line (PDL) vessel Southern Pearl (4,366 gross tonnage, built 1984) returned to service in mid-July 2006 on the shipping company’s New Zealand-Tahiti service after an extended drydocking in Auckland.  She had initially been expected to re-enter operation after a few weeks’ drydocking towards the end of June, but was delayed to enable further servicing to be undertaken.  PDL took out a short-term charter of Thor Hanne (1,967 gross tonnage, built 2004) to cover the vessel’s absence.  Known as Thor Simba when replacing Golden Trader 1 (6,861 gross tonnage, built 1979, ex-Fua Kavenga) on the one-vessel service earlier this year, Southern Pearl was taken on long-term charter and subsequently renamed during her drydocking.  PDL’s Tahiti service entails calls every eighteen days at the ports of Auckland and Papeete, with Lyttelton and Whangarei cargo centralised via Auckland.  Southern Pearl was due to arrive at Papeete on 21st July 2006.
In early August 2006 Pacific Direct Line, Reef Shipping and Sofrana Unilines agreed to consolidate their South Pacific services, opting to share tonnage to a number of island destinations.  Sofrana Pasifika (2,815 gross tonnage, built 1993) was withdrawn from the East Pac service following a new joint venture between Sofrana, PDL and Reef covering trades from Australia and New Zealand.  The trio will henceforth share Southern Cross II and Southern Moana (both 4,391 gross tonnage, built 2000) to Nuku’alofa, Apia and Pago Pago, Wallis and Futuna, with the latter renamed Moana Pasifika at Auckland on 25th August 2006.  PDL and Reef will also get access to Sofrana’s West Pac service from New Zealand.  Sofrana has extended the charter of Sofrana Magellan (6,638 gross tonnage, built 1986, ex Capitane Magellan in 2001) for two years.
Polynesian Shipping Line in early August replaced Thor Hanne with Matua, formerly Forum Rarotonga (1,967 gross tonnage, built 2004), under charter to Pacific Forum Line (PFL).  Service partner Mataroa International Shipping is no longer trading.  PFL replaced Forum Rarotonga with Forum Polynesia, the former Sofrana Pasifika.
On 10thAugust 2006 it was announced that Pacific International Lines (PIL) of Singapore, which operates up to one hundred container ships, had acquired Pacific Direct Line (PDL) of New Zealand.  PIL managing director Teo Siong Seng confirmed the purchase, but did not reveal details.  The acquisition was aimed at boosting PIL’s Australasian presence and tapping the strong trade growth between Asia and the South Pacific Islands.  The Singapore liner operator’s strong global profile will provide competitive benefits to PDL, which operates seven ships and has space-sharing arrangements with international lines.  In a statement Pacific Direct Line said PIL has purchased a “significant interest” in the Pacific Island-based shipping line.  The remaining shares will be retained by the previous owners.  Both companies are family-owned.  The PDL “brand” will remain.

P&O Cruises Australia

P&O Cruises Australia have announced that Regal Princess (70,285 gross tonnage, built 1991) will be renamed Pacific Dawn when deployed in the Australasian market.  To be based in Sydney, Pacific Dawn will embark on her eight-night maiden voyage under the name on 26th October 2007 and then offer a selection of cruises to the South Pacific, including Christmas and New Year departures.  Pacific Dawn (70,285 gross tonnage, built 1991) and Pacific Sun (47,262 gross tonnage, built 1986) will both make Melbourne Cup cruises from Sydney in 2007, following which Pacific Sun will move to home port Brisbane and Pacific Star (35,144 gross tonnage, built 1981) from there to Auckland.  The 2007/08 programme features a total of 519 calls at twentyseven different ports throughout Australia and the South Pacific and also includes more short, but increasingly-popular, seven-and eight-night cruises from Sydney and Brisbane.  Pacific Dawn carries 2,050 passengers in 798 cabins, including 184 with private balcony; Pacific Sun carries 1,900 passengers in 743 cabins and Pacific Star 1,350 passengers in 497 cabins.  2007 will see the seventyfifth anniversary of the first P&O cruise from Australia:  Strathaird departed Sydney on 23rd December 1932 on a five-night sailing to Brisbane and Norfolk Island.
 P&O Cruises Australia (also known as Princess Cruises Australia in overseas markets) will introduce the 1,950-passenger Sun Princess (77,441 gross tonnage, built 1995) which will take over the Sydney-based summer cruises of the 670-passenger Pacific Princess (30,277 gross tonnage, built 1999) in 2007-08.  The cruises include two circumnavigations of Australia and four of New Zealand, three voyages to the South Pacific islands and one to Tasmania and Victoria.  In addition to the Sun Princess deployment, in 2007-08 Princess Cruises will again operate Sapphire Princess (115,875 gross tonnage, built 2004) in Australian waters catering mostly to American passengers with an onboard currency of US dollars.  Princess will transfer Minerva II (30,277 gross tonnage, built 2001 ex-R Eight in 2003), a sister of Pacific Princess) from the P&O subsidiary Swan Hellenic to Princess Cruises early next year and rename her Royal Princess for Mediterranean cruises.  It is not known how this affects a planned visit to Sydney by Minerva II in February 2008.
 Pacific Sky (46,087 gross tonnage, built 1984) has been renamed Sky Wonder by new owner Pullmantur of Spain.  In keeping with her chequered past, the ship broke down during her first cruise under her new name, from Athens to Venice, on 13th June 2006.  Pullmantur is reported to have paid a total of  US$170 million for Pacific Sky and Delphin Renaissance (30,277 gross tonnage, built 2000,  ex-R Seven in 2003) which has been renamed Blue Moon.

“Southern Tiare”

Reef Shipping has terminated its Chatham Islands service using Southern Tiare leaving Timaru-based Black Robin Freighters as the only operator on the route.  This service employs the veteran Rangatira (520 gross tonnage, built 1970, ex-Jenka in 2002).

“Clan Macleod” to Campbell Island
The world’s rarest duck, the Campbell Island teal, has left the nurturing nest of the Department of Conservation and to go it alone on an island the bird is once again calling home after nearly two hundred years.  Department of Conservation carried out the third and final teal release with a further fiftyfour teal being transferred on to Campbell Island following two earlier releases in 2004 and 2005.  On 22nd August 2006, nine birds arrived from the captive breeding facilities at the Isaac Wildlife Trust’s Peacock Springs Wildlife Park, Christchurch, and fortyfive from the department’s National Wildlife Centre at Pukaha, Mount Bruce.  Department of Conservation programme manager Pete McClelland said this release should be the final step in the teal recovery programme which started in 1987 after four birds were transferred to Mount Bruce from their refuge on rat-free Dent Island off the Campbell Island coast.
Prior to their discovery on Dent Island in 1972, the Campbell Island teal were thought to be extinct, with only two birds having ever been recorded.  Now, said Mr. McClelland, it appeared the birds were establishing well on the island and this release would give it an extra boost by releasing birds at sites additional to that of the first two releases.  In September 2004, the department released fifty teal back on to Campbell, and an additional fiftyfive in 2005 (see Vol.53, No.4), bringing the total released following this recent trip to 159.  However, this was not a true reflection of the number of teal on the island.  In March 2006 a monitoring team found both nests and ducklings, a very encouraging result for the programme, Mr. McClelland said.  “A lot of conservation projects don’t have an end point, they are an ongoing battle, whereas this final release means we have done what we set out to achieve, the recovery of Campbell Island teal and a big step in the restoration of Campbell Island.”
Massey University vet Jenny Youl, along with six Department of Conservation staff, will accompany the birds on their journey to Campbell Island.
The birds and the teal team sailed from Bluff on board Clan Macleod (62 gross tonnage, built 1983) on the late evening of 23rd August.  The journey to Campbell Island took over forty hours, with the birds being closely monitored during the trip.
The teal remained in pens for up to a week to regain any weight lost during the trip.  Just how well the recent additions were getting on would be known in December when a monitoring team return to check on the teal and the natural restoration of the island, Mr. McClelland said.
Clan MacLeod returned to Dunedin on 28th August 2006

New Wharf Planned for Picton
The construction of a new large wharf, a cultural centre, residential and retail elements and parking buildings are possible changes for Picton’s Port Marlborough-owned land and facilities.  The company’s Chief Executive, Des Ashton, released on 13th September 2006 details of a 200-metre wharf, adjacent to the present ferry terminal wharf, which would cater for cruise ships and large vessels entering the port of Picton.  “I want to make it clear a lot of this won’t happen tomorrow but we have a plan that we are working through.  It’s a canvas to draw on”, he said.  That canvas includes a hotel, possibly in the boutique style, and both residential and retail facilities to help fund the major development.  A wide boardwalk along the Picton waterfront would create more flow between the ferry terminal, waterfront and the town.  Mr. Ashton said parking buildings would be a natural “wall” to shield the rail yards from the waterfront area.  Urban design and architecture firm Common Ground with principal James Lunday has drawn up concept plans for the multi-million dollar development as part of Port Marlborough’s search to increase returns from its properties.
The port company has already made public Common Ground concept plans for a township in Waikawa Bay, a satellite town in Shakespeare Bay and residential and mixed-use marine industrial buildings in Havelock.  Mr. Lunday has described the company’s plans as living documents and subject to change.  He was also on the assessment panel that chose Australian architects for the London Quay site being developed by the Marlborough District Council and others, meaning he had a good overall view of future plans for Picton, said Mr. Ashton.  “The ferry terminal development is part of the wider development of Picton with London Quay moving ahead first”, he said.  “What happened there could to some extent determine plans for adjacent areas.”  Another area to be redeveloped would be the Picton Marina basin, which is likely to go ahead before the ferry terminal area.  “The marina basin is a smaller project that can be developed bit by bit.”  The port company has met with a wide range of ferry terminal users.  “Our view is that things are going to change so it should be to the benefit of as many people as we can manage.”
He further said that the cost of port company developments in Picton would run into many millions of dollars.  Some of the waterfront development such as enhancement of visitor attractions could happen before the wharf was built and the viability of the residential market would be tested with residential development on port land in Waikawa Bay.
“Facilities for water taxis and businesses whose livelihoods depended on the area were a ‘must’”, he said.  “Any changes to the ferry terminal and land in the area would be done in consultation with Toll New Zealand, which operates Interislander ships.”
He said he assumed there would also be a redevelopment of the ferry terminal and associated facilities.  A Toll NZ spokeswoman was cagey about the future configuration of Toll’s ships but the company was “more than interested” in anything that improved the area.  “It has got to be good for everyone”, she said.  They would meet with Port Marlborough in the near future and were looking at one or two options.  “Some broader decisions need to be made about the ferry terminal as we want to make sure it's attractive for people passing through”.

“Te Whaka”
After being laid up at Dunedin since February 1998 the former Lyttelton Harbour Board grab dredger Te Whaka (323 gross tonnage, built 1910) was placed on to the slipway at Dunedin on 17th August 2006.  Weed was removed from her underwater hull and paint applied.  There was speculation that she had been sold to new owners in Auckland and that this work was connected with a planned move to that port after local preservation efforts by The Te Whaka Maritime Heritage Trust had failed.
 The local Trust is willing to give Te Whaka to an Auckland group but will not release any more information yet.  It appears that, as some work has to be done on her for the passage to Auckland (hopper-hold sealed, etc.), it would be advantageous to the Auckland people to carry out any other work they want done in Dunedin, as well as cheaper than in Auckland.  Te Whaka came off the slip in mid-October and is now lying close by with some scaffolding over the hopper area.

New Zealand Shipping Federation Want Same Attention as Rail and Road
The New Zealand Shipping Federation is calling for the Government to pay as much attention to coastal shipping, including the Cook Strait ferry route, as it does to road and rail.  On 14th September 2006 the Federation presented its draft Maritime Transport Strategy to Transport Minister Annette King.  The document includes figures showing shipping was treated as the poor cousin to road and rail, said manager Paul Nicholas.  “Since 1999, government funding for road and rail has dramatically increased.  Those increases hugely subsidise those modes.  Coastal shipping is thereby seriously disadvantaged, as we are required to meet all our own costs”, Mr. Nicholas said.  He claims the Cook Strait ferry route could be part of a revival in coastal shipping investment backed by the Government.  “The thrust is that coastal shipping should feature in the national transport strategy so it does involve interisland shipping.”
He said the Marlborough District Council had a strong case for Government support to pay for new safety measures in the Marlborough Sounds, at a cost estimated at $1.7 million a year, but he said this now seemed unlikely.  Mr. Nicholas said the federation had made a submission to the Council along the lines that they should use profits from Port Marlborough, which is council-owned, to pay for the measures.
MRV “Canterbury”
The Navy’s future Multi-Role Vessel, currently known as Nuship Canterbury, sailed from Rotterdam in heavy rain on the late afternoon of 21st August 2006.  The formal handover from Merwede to Tenix occurred earlier that afternoon then she sailed later the same day.  Since the MRV was sailing to Melbourne as a commercial ship, she was required to be registered, so she was registered in Kingstown as Nuship Canterbury under the flag of St Vincent and the Grenadines (West Indies).  She had successfully completed her second set of sea trials between 20th and 23rd July 2006, before the delivery voyage preparations, which included the embarkation of six Offshore Patrol Vessel hull modules on to the flight deck.  Tenix had sub-contracted the building of these sections to shipyards in Rotterdam, and used Nuship Canterbury to carry them to Australia.  The hull sections consist of frame and plating assemblies and will be fitted out and consolidated in Williamstown for OPV 2 (the future Wellington).  Nuship Canterbury arrived in Melbourne on 24th September 2006 from the Netherlands for the final phase of construction.  She will remain in Melbourne until January 2007 while weapon and military communications systems are fitted and the crew undergo training.  Once the work is complete, Canterbury will be commissioned into the Royal New Zealand Navy and sail to New Zealand.  It is reported that she performed exceptionally well in bad weather conditions encountered during her voyage to Melbourne.  Canterbury will, for the first time, provide the New Zealand Defence Force with the capability to deploy personnel and equipment by its own means.  She will greatly improve New Zealand’s ability to respond to natural disasters in the Pacific and elsewhere, and will further enhance New Zealand’s contribution to peace and security in our region and beyond.  The first of the Offshore Patrol Vessels, one of two being built by Tenix in Melbourne, will be launched in November 2006.  The second Offshore Patrol Vessel and the four Inshore Patrol Vessels, being built by Tenix Shipbuilding New Zealand, in Whangarei will be launched and delivered throughout 2007.  The total project cost is NZ$500 million with more than $110 million coming to New Zealand industry.