Pacific Shipping

Matson, with too much work, may go for a fourth ship

Changes are likely to Matson Lines’ trans-Pacific cargo runs before the company begins operating two new container-ships in sarly 1973.

The company’s vessels, Sonoma, nerra and Ventura can’t cope with 'rowing cargoes and Matson may mt on a fourth ship, or replace these ihips with bigger vessels.

Currently they operate monthly, :alling at Hawaii and Pago Pago, :n route from Los Angeles to east :oast Australian ports.

Matson would like a bigger lercentage of American Samoa’s fish ixports, despite the Polynesia Line, so t’s feasible a bigger ship may call it Pago Pago to compete with Poly icsia’s Graziella Zeta. Meantime, the leta could also be replaced.

For their two containerships, datson are still considering schedules.

'Jo facilities exist at Pago Pago, Suva, »r Papeete to handle containers at iresent but this is not an inhibiting actor as these facilities could exist >y 1973; or Matson ships could carry heir own cranes, etc., to offload he containers without help from hore.

Matson recently won a US Govern nent subsidy to build these ships, vhich will be identical to the com lany’s new 720 ft Hawaiian Enter prise.

Enterprise has 638 regular 24 ft ontainers and 318, 40 footers, in luding 282 reefer containers.

The advent of a couple of ships if this nature in ports like Suva and 'apeete could revolutionise cargo handling faster than the advent of [nits and side-loading has taken New juinea ports by storm over the past hree years.

No word yet has been heard as to whether Matson’s proposals for con ainer handling at Pago Pago have ieen approved or rejected ( PIM, an., p. 97).

Vorld Arrivals To P-Ng

Ihipping Register

Twenty-five ships from 13 countries yere added to New Guinea’s shipping egister during 1968-69. Most were

cargo or fishing boats; 10 came from Australia and their gross tonnages varied from 17 to 1,701.

Australian-origin ships were Julie Ross, owner, Mr. M. Ross; Peter Ikori, Steamies; Elian, Chin Pak; Eugowra, W. Cunningham, Baia, BP’s; Junel, J. Licciardo; Explorer, M. Steer, Davara, Arawe and Alepa, all NG Administration.

American ships were Bulolo I and Bulolo 11, both owned by Territory Fisheries Pty. Ltd.; Mexican ships were Universal II and Taroob 11, both owned by Gulf Fisheries (NG) Pty. Ltd. and NG ships were Baken, NG Administration, and Klaus, Catholic Mission.

The other ships were; Arasjo, Norway, W. Cunningham; Hokianga, NZ, M. McCormack; Lemana, Scotland, Hetherington-Kingsbury; Sletholm, Hong Kong, Karlander;

Guinea Gas, Japan, Boston Invest ments; Rashid X, Britain, Gulf Fisheries; Reyad 111, France, Gulf Fisheries, and Nambuto, Germany, Nana Shipping Pty. Ltd.

Arasjo, Bpvand Unions

Clash In Sydney

Burns Philp and maritime unions clashed in a bitter dispute in Sydney in April over the sale of a five-year-

The 120-ton Taiwan fishing boat "Tein Loon No. 201", pictured before she was pulled off the reef at the eastern side of Suva passage after perching there for more than 24 hours in March. One of a small fleet of Taiwan fishing boats on contract to the Pacific Fishing Company in Levuka to supply fish to Its processing factory, she was on her way to Suva for engine repairs when she hit the reef. Photo by Stan Ritova.

old Australian vessel of BP’s, the 4,000-ton Moresby.

The parties met in the court of the Commonwealth Arbitration Commis sion following a strike on board the Moresby and another BP vessel, Tulagi. The strike, by Australian seamen, delayed the Tulagi’s sailing to the Solomons and Hebrides by a day, and the Moresby’s sailing to New Guinea by at least a week.

The unions, led by the Seamen’s Union of Australia, claimed that the Moresby, which was built with a considerable Australian Government subsidy, shouldn’t be sold.

BP’s disagreed, and went ahead with the sale to a subsidiary of the Singapore Government, Nepture Orient Line, for over $500,000. After a delay, the Australian Government gave permission for the sale, “with regrets”. But in late April, with 900 tons of NG cargo, she remained strike bound in Sydney.

Australians aboard the Tulagi wanted a $l5 a week “hard-living allowance” and 46 Australian officers, seamen and greasers aboard the Moresby claimed four weeks severance pay for every year of BP service. The arbitration court award ed them three weeks pay and BP’s agreed.

BP’s best-known master, Brett Milder, also took BP’s to court in April, claiming severance pay ex ceeding the 17 years’ service BP’s offered him.

Captain Milder, by far BP’s longest serving master, went “on leave” in April, with his dispute and the BP’s unions disputes unresolved.

Another (Luxury) Ship

For Nauru

Another ship—a 9,336-tonner with luxury accommodation for 111 people —has been bought by the Nauru Local Government Council.

Formerly the Princess Margreit, she was purchased from Holland America Line and will be delivered in late August or early September.

Plans are to use her to supplement Nauruan services on Australia-NG- Fiji runs.

The Nauruans will rename her Enna G. They have also decided to rename their earlier purchase, Triaster ( PIM, Apr., p. Ill) Rosie D.

Rosie D was expected to begin runs out of Melbourne in mid-May, Mr. J. Greig, shipping agency man ager for the council, told PIM.

However, where the Nauruans will operate to in NG or Fiji hasn’t yet been stated.

Geic Catholic Mission

Orders A New Boat

An order has been placed with Fiji shipyards for a faster boat with greater cargo capacity, costing $166,000, to replace the Gilbert and Ellice Islands Catholic Mission’s Santa Teretia 11.

The Santa Teretia was grounded on a reef off western Nauru in early January and despite several attempts to refloat her (P/M, Mar., p. 113) she was abandoned in late March.

It’s hoped to salvage her new engine.

Delivery of a replacement from Fiji will be in early 1971, and until then, the Protestant Mission in the GEIC will assist with its mission ship, John Williams VII.

Shipping Briefs

• Captain Jim Wilby, master of the New Guinea Australia Line’s Island Chief , was recently presented with an “Excellence Award” by Mr.

Victor Bahr, NSW director of the Bureau of Meteorology.

The award, in citation form, is made annually by the bureau to the ship providing the greatest contribu tion to the overall availability of meteorological data. Captain Wilby has been master of the Island Chief since August, 1968 and he’s well known in New Guinea. • About $F 100,000 left over from a just-completed five-year survey of Fiji’s land, sea and air transport systems by the United Nations

"Kashan", a 74 ft workboat built by S.

G. White Pty. Ltd. of New South Wales, was delivered to its owners, Placer Pros pecting, in Lae, NG, recently. She'll be used as an explora tion landing barge and her equipment

includes geological

survey gear.

Development Programme will be spent on surveys for the improve nent of reef passages and naviga ions within reefs in the colony. • Three people were drowned vhen heavy seas swamped a canoe n the Vitiaz Strait, between Rooke [sland and the New Guinea main and, in early April. A 45 ft vessel, )per a te d by the Seventh-day \dventist Mission, was forced to shelter nearby and return to Kavieng, “4ew Ireland. • Mr. Robert Siliko and the late First Officer Geoffrey Clifford Bye lave been awarded the George Medal md the Albert Medal for gallantry luring a fire aboard the trader Frisia, in Rabaul Harbour on May 5, 1968. Mr. Bye died from injuries aiding two people in the fire, and Mr.

Siliko, of Nissan Island, won his nedal for helping his cabin mate to safety during the fire. • Alterations have started to the Hillers Ltd. engineering shed at Walu Bay, Suva, to permit the build ing of steel ships up to 100 ft long and 200 tons deadweight. Current orders include a 50 ft tug and a 100 ft barge for Marine Pacific Ltd., several barges up to 75 ft for Fiji Forest Industries Ltd. and others, a 16 ft self-propelled barge for the Cook Islands and a barge capable if handling 50 to 60 tons of copra and cattle. A possibility is a 90 ft steel ship for the Gilbert and Ellice Islands. • Sere-ni-Wai, a Fiji gamefishing launch, was recently laid-up at the Frade winds Hotel marina, Suva, pending a dispute over her ownership between Mr. Graham Wallace and Fradewinds Marine Ltd. • The wreckage of an 85 ft ship, reputed to be no more than three months old, has been identified as lapanese. It was washed up on the beach about eight miles from Rabaul, in north New Britain. The name of the ship has been withheld, pending notification with the Japanese Embassy in Canberra, Australia. • A 82 ft, 120 tons $lOO,OOO barge owned by Coastal Shipping Company, of Rabaul, New Britain, was to be launched in May. It will carry 1,100 bags of copra and 19,000 gallons of fuel in bulk tanks around the NG Islands, out of Rabaul.

• The keel was to be laid in late April on the building berth of the Fiji Government Slipyard, Suva, for a second government landing barge—which will be 20 ft longer than the first, Duiyabaki. Its construction will follow the recent launching of a new hospital ship for the Fiji Medical Department, the 92 ft Vuniwai. • Because of improved schedules with New Guinea’s berth reservation scheme, Australia West Pacific Line has reduced passenger fare prices with its ships, Delos and Nimos.

Round trip on the Delos has decreased from $420 to $320.

• Mrs. Dulcie Wort, manager of Alotau guesthouse, in New Guinea’s Milne Bay District, is operating a commercial boat run between Atolau and Samarai, with a 25 ft launch, The launch carries up to 10 passengers and has cut the usual four hour trip to two hours. • Mitiaro, southern Cooks, has a new tow boat. Mr. Raui Pokoati, Member of the Legislative Assembly for the islands, and the island’s councillors recently paid SNZSOO to buy the boat from Mr. Tiakana Numanga, Minister of Education and Mr. Apanera Short, Minister of Economic Development.

• Micronesian Interocean Line’s new 130 ft tug Hecate and its copra barge BHI have arrived at Majuro, Marshall Islands. Hecate has gone on the Kwajalein-Ebeye-Kusaie run.

Another MILI ship, Six Stars, recently carried 11 Indonesians from Koror to Singapore. The Indonesians had made an abortive attempt to settle on one of the uninhabited islands of northern- Indonesia—their small boat had instead been driven onto an island in south Palau, Caroline Islands. • A Russian ship, Tamango, called in at Honiara, Solomons, on March 25, for fuel and provisions.

The ship had engine failure on its way in and had to be helped by the port authority vessel. Iris. Some assistance in interpreting was given by Miss Christine Salt, acting schools’ broadcasting officer, who, having an Oxford degree in modern languages, speaks Russian well. ® Warwick Hood, naval architect who has designed workboats for Niue and the Cook Islands, has designed the “imbi”, a 10 ft by 5 ft fibreglass polystyrene-coated pleasure craft weighing 102 lb. He says she won’t sink or tip over, and can be used as a mini-yacht, rowing boat or outboard. • Sofrana of Noumea, which operates the Capitaine Cook every five weeks from Auckland to the New Hebrides, Fiji and New Cale donia, will introduce another vessel, Capitaine Wallis, on the run in early June. Wallis will provide an extra call at Lautoka and a direct call to Wallis. • The Melanesian Mission vessel, Fauabu Twomey, struck the reef at the village of Narovorovo, Maewo, New Hebrides, in high winds on April 1. The ship was a total wreck but only one passenger suffered injury —a broken rib. On the same night the Japanese South Pacific Fishing Com pany fishing vessel, Santo No. 3, went aground on a reef in the Torres Islands.