Pacific Shipping

Another NZ Export Line ship on the New Guinea run

Despite some wishful thinking, suggesting that it is going out of lusiness, New Zealand Export Line will put its second ship onto its tew Zealand-Melanesian run by August.

The line, a subsidiary of the Jerman Columbus Line, has operated regular monthly service out of Auckland with its 884-ton trader iuckland Exporter since last August PIM, July, 1968, p. 97).

Regular calls have been Honiara, Norfolk Island, Noumea, Rabaul, Port Moresby and Brisbane (on he return trip).

Mr. Horst Rilk, an Australian Columbus executive, said the second hip would be about the same size md named after another NZ port. >he would run monthly and take in additional NZ ports; services to Port Moresby and Lae would be doubled, md calls could be made at Madang, Geta, Santo and Vila.

The NG-NZ run was the outcome >f a clash between Columbus and he NZ company, Holm and Co., vho both wanted the run {PIM, July, 1968, p. 97). Columbus won and put ts subsidiary, the New Zealand Export Line on the run. However, he Line’s first appearances in NG (particularly at Lae), started rumours ;hat the service would be a fly-by night jaunt and last only a couple of /oyages.

Business affects

When the New Zealand Export Line appeared on the scene some NG buyers became agents for various NZ products. As a result they then con trolled all imports of these products and placed small orders only, halting major incursions into traditional Aus tralian business lines.

To combat these tactics NZ manu facturers have encouraged indepen dent agents to handle NZ manu factures, and there is a big drive to sell NZ goods at all costs.

In some quarters NZ products

were accepted with glee as com petitive alternatives to restricted ranges of Australian or Japanese goods. In these cases, NZ goods have done well.

Overall, NZ has stepped up ex ports to NG dramatically with the Auckland Exporter and small but significant supplies of frozen goods, vegetables, small boats, manufactured goods and timber (to Noumea and Honiara) have found their way

northwards, most at the expense of Australian exporters.

Backloading to NZ remains a bug bear, but returning calls at Brisbane have paid off and varied cargo such as telegraph poles, railway wheels and Queensland peanuts have been carried back to NZ.

From NG to NZ have gone small quantities of desiccated coco nut, tea and coffee.

Meanwhile, complaints about NZ

Refrigerated Express Lines (A/asia.) Pty, Ltd., a newly-formed Australian shipper, hopes to put ships like its chartered Japanese freighter "Reiyo Maru", into Port Moresby later this year en route from Western Australia to the US east coast. The company expects to pick up frozen fish, lobsters and prawns in Moresby for export to the US. Prawning in the Gulf of Papua in recent weeks has attracted attention from three big operators (PIM, Apr., p. 99). A confidential report on a $500,000-survey of the area has been made by the Kuwait-sponsored Gulf Fisheries. Another survey, in almost the same area, by the Canadian-backed Territory Fisheries Pty. Ltd., is currently underway and results from this survey are due later this year.

Crayfishing, at Yule Island, north of Moresby, is booming (PIM, Apr., p. 101).

lipping services to Melanesia began new in April with Holm and Com any’s announcement that it would ssume its Auckland-Noumea run ith its freighter Holmburn.

As well as the Auckland Exporter, eef Shipping Co. Ltd. of Fiji has een running its own vessel, Jean hilippe, monthly from Auckland to foumea since July last year.

Holm had withdrawn its Holmburn om the Noumea run when the uck land Exporter began last .ugust.

The Auckland Exporter service revoked heated clashes between [olm and Columbus Lines, with lany NZ exporters switching earlier lliances from Holm to Columbus hen the NZ Government refused to ward Holm a subsidy to operate the ;rvice.

In the latest clash, both Reef hipping and Maritime Services, Ltd., gents for the Auckland Exporter, ave attacked Holm for trying to get ack into the service.

Their claims: with the Holmburn icre would be too many ships on le run and Holm and Company rovided only “off and on” services.

NZ is obviously currently doing ood business in New Caledonia.

IM feels that it could be a case f several hungry guests wanting a lice of the pie.

Usden Sells "Paulmarkson"

0 French Trading Firm

Colourful New Hebrides-based hipowner Captain Athol Rusden has aid his 396-ton inter-island trader 'aulmarkson for an undisclosed price 3 the New Hebrides trading firm, 'FNH. This French firm has re amed the 18-year-old trader Henri \onnaud and put her into Hebrides fading.

Formerly owned by the New Zealand shippers. Holm and Com pany, and called the Holmbrae, the hip was bought by Captain Rusden n mid-1966 for £5tg.33,300. He re lamed her after his three children, *aul, Mark and Sonia and chartered ier to an American firm, Inter lational Geophysical, for about 22 nonths in 1967-68.

International used her for research vork in Bass Strait, out of Victoria, last year Captain Rusden re urned from NZ to Vila with the s aulmarkson and in recent months he has been based in the New Tebrides.

Her sale to CFNH leaves Rusden he owner or part-owner of three hips at present. They are the Matipo, reed from a New Caledonian reef in February ( PIM, Mar., p. 103),

Colorado del Mar and Darnley.

Henri Bonnaud, incidentally, gave her new owners a nasty moment or two on her first voyage for them.

Entering Vila Harbour on March 21, she spent a worrying three hours grounded on Malapoa Reef. For tunately she was refloated with no visible damage.

Bp's Charters Another

For New Guinea Run

Less than a month after chartering the Marsina on an Australian-New

Guinea trading run (PIM, Apr., p. 101), Burns Philp and Co. Ltd. has chartered another ship for a similar run.

BP’s has chartered the 1,260-ton deadweight ship Sira from Thome and Co. Ltd., of Singapore, for two month-long trips to NG, with an option to renew the charter for an additional 12 months if operations are successful.

With cooler and reefer space of over 5,000 cu. ft, Sira was to leave Sydney on April 28 for Brisbane, Wewak, Lombrum and Lorengau and

return. Another trip was scheduled for May 24.

BP’s has put its well-known NG man, Mr. Percy Cell, aboard as supercargo.

The company’s affable shipping manager, Mr. Monty Stobo, said charters of the Marsina and Sira are part of plans to make NG shipping runs economical. Plans are to put smaller ships (such as the Marsina and Sira) into small ports and use bigger ships mainly for major NG stops like Moresby, Lae and Rabaul. • The Swedish-American Line, owners of the 27,000-ton luxury liner Kungsholm, are contemplating putting this ship into the New Hebrides next year. In addition to the two main ports of Vila and Luganville, Santo, the line would like to take in Bay Omo, Pentecost, and Port Sandwich, Malekula. • A former New Zealand lighter Coronation was expected in the New Hebrides in May to begin copra trading and passenger-carrying throughout the territory. Owned by a businessman, Mr. A. Robb, Coronation’s crew will include an Australian girl, Miss D. McLean, who’ll be cook, two New Zealanders, Messrs. J, Hall and D. McConville and an Englishman, Mr. R. Weetman.

Coronation may carry passengers among Futuna, Tanna and Aneityum Islands.

Tow Boat Was

In Tow

The New Zealand coaster Onewa, which in February towed the ship wrecked Matipo into Noumea, was itself towed into Noumea in April after running adrift in the Coral Sea.

The former New Zealand vessel was purchased in Noumea by three Australians the Tuesday before Easter and set sail the same day for Sydney. On the Thursday, when almost 500 miles off Brisbane, the 90-ton vessel was left helpless when its propeller inexplicably fell off. . . .

The five Sydney men aboard, in cluding the three owners, were left drifting three days till the morning of Easter Sunday, before the Messageries Maritimes liner Cale donien arrived alongside from Sydney and offered a tow back to Noumea.

In festive spirit, the French crew floated down an Easter cake, fresh water and other goodies to the hapless Australians. The 350-mile tow then proceeded to the Caledonian reef off Amedee lighthouse. Here a local tugboat, the Pegasus took over the 4-hour tow into port.

By Tuesday night, a week after its departure, the Onewa was safe back at Noumea wharf.

Joint owner Bill Martin explained that the Onewa was being taken to Australia to work in the coastal salvage trade. Bill had formerly worked in New Caledonia as pilot of the Mary D, popular for excursions to the Amedee lighthouse.

A second partner, Tom Manns and crewman Peter Verrills, promptly flew to Sydney to arrange for a new propeller (400-500 lb) to be sent to Noumea, so that the Onewa could set out again for its new home.

Nickel Ore Carrier

Qn The Reef

The y an Mint, laden with over 9,000 tons of nickel ore, ran on to the coral reef out of Thio in New Caledonia on April 5. The Panamanian vessel with Chinese crew wa s on its way to Japan under charter to Yamashita. it was stuck off the East Coast mining town with propeller broken and water in the hold and engine room . . . another problem for the Caledonian maritime officials. Bris bane tug Carlock was called to help in mid-April.