by taking Islands partners

. . . but USS would solve it by taking Islands partners

From Felise Va’a in Apia

The South Pacific seminar on shipping, held in Apia early September, produced a big surprise.

This was an offer from the Union Steam Ship Co. of New Zealand to island governments enabling the island governments to purchase 50 per cent, of shares in the company.

Mr D. C. Jury, assistant general manager of the Union Steam Ship Co., in making the offer to participants at the seminar, said island governments had 12 to 18 months in which to consider the offer.

Mr A. Edwards, assistant secretary of the New Zealand Industries and Commerce Department, as well as Mr William Martin, president of the New Zealand Seamen’s Union both recommended to participants that the offer should be accepted.

Western Samoa’s Minister of Marine, Tupuloa Efi, was not prepared to comment on the proposal shortly after it was made, and like the majority of the other participants indicated that the proposal would have to be considered further by the island governments.

However, it was obvious at the seminar that the proposal received

more than a lukewarm reception though the participants refused to give clear cut answers to specific questions; after all it was not in the power of most of them to make any commitments.

The question whether island parti cipation in the Union Steam Ship Co. would necessarily prevent the establishment of a regional shipping line was settled by Mr Jury who said island participation in the company would not prevent the formation of such a line at a later date.

It is not very clear what has prompted the company’s offer but it could be that a regional shipping line is seen by the company as a threat to its operations in the South Pacific and that a proposal for joining forces would be preferable to any straight-out competition between the company and such a shipping line, Finally, though the island govern ments may profit from their holdings the question of high freight rates and related matters would still remain, • Mr R. Cribb, a director of Thomas Nationwide Transport, told PIM in Sydney that the USS Co. ser

vices to the Pacific Islands from New Zealand and return were “very un profitable”. ‘We are trying to put on two letter class Tarros ships ” he said.

'The Pacific Islands people have r lways wanted their own shipping line md we have told them they can have in equity with us. They are studying his and have not given us their 'ecision yet.”

The seminar was faced with the sual problems of Islands shipping, ke differential rates for exports and nports, and it agreed substantially n the need to develop regional trade.

A recommendation was made that full study be taken of the possible )rmation of a regional shipping line. is believed that the South Pacific ureau for Economic Co-operation ill be involved in this.

Further details of the USS offer ■e that despite the period of 18 lonths given for the Islands govern ients to decide, the service with the jw Tarros class ships could begin 1 soon as facilities were available 1 handle them at the various ports id when the present trial of con iner loading of bananas on conven tual ships proves successful.

The equity offer is to Fiji, Tonga id Western Samoa in the first stance, but it would be open also the Gilbert and Ellice Islands and hers too if they wished.

The Fiji delegation expressed con rn at the high cost of the necessary stallations to handle container ssels at Suva and Lautoka.

The New Zealand seamen’s attitude regional shipping is coloured by desire to retain jobs for unionists, “ile th ey want to help Islanders ise living standards, they want ships runs traditionally NZ-manned to NZ-owned and operated. The Fiji mes in a hard-hitting editorial stigated the union for an “arrogant, g-m-the-manger attitude”.

Jion Steamship Back

The Black

It took less than a full financial ar for Bulkships Ltd and the NZ tisortium of companies which took sr the Union Steam Ship Co. of - L . td ’ to change from a substantial s in *° a more than satisfactory )fit. This is revealed in the annual counts of Thomas Nationwide ansport Ltd, which has a one-third erest in Bulkships.

The acting chairman of TNT, Sir ter Abeles. commenting on the >S Co., said: ’Union Steam Ship will be one of greatest management successes, ticularly as we have succeeded in ng the same management there.

We have changed the philosophy not the management.”

The USS Co. made a net profit of $928,000 in the nine months to June 30, compared with a loss of $841,512 for the whole of the previous year.

TNT has a one-third interest in Bulkships, which owns 50 per cent, of Tasman Union, the holding com pany for the USS Co. The other 50 per cent, is held in NZ.

Karlander Boosts

Aust.-Fiji Service

Karlander is boosting its Australia- Fiji-North America service by adding two chartered ships to the run and cutting the Melbourne-Fiji freight rate to that obtaining on the Sydney- Fiji run.

With the addition of the two ships, the Good Mariner and the Good Navigator, Karlander will double the frequency to twice monthly.

The rate cut operates from Octo ber 1.

Karlander launched this service in February, 1971, with three sideport loaders, the Woolgar, the Slevik and the Wyvern. After calling at Fiji and ports on the west coast of the US and Mexico they returned to Aus tralia, via New Zealand.

The Good Mariner has already made its first voyage, and early in September was back in Australia and loading in Adelaide for the second trip. The Good Navigator, early in September, was loading in Mexico on her way to Australia to enter the service. Both are 11,000-ton, 17-knot ships with flush decks for forklift loading. They can handle containers, pallets and broken cargo. A third similar vessel is projected.

Karlander will keep the Wyvern on the Australia-Fiji service, running about once a month. The Wyvern, with one of the other ships calling at Fiji on the way to America, will give Fiji two Karlander services a month.

The Slevik has been transferred to

the Melbourne-Sydney-Lae-Madang-

Kimbe service, and the Woolgar will be phased out of the Australia-Fiji- North America service.

More Ships For

Islands Routes

Late August and early September saw the introduction of two new services to the Pacific Islands from Australia and New Zealand. There was also a strong possibility that a third service would start from New Zealand to Fiji and New Caledonia.

Messageries Maritimes has regis tered a subsidiary. South Pacific United Lines, at Vila, to operate a service from Melbourne, Sydney and Auckland to Papeete. The first voyage was with the Wah Fung, chartered

in Singapore. This service was scheduled to return direct to Mel bourne from Papeete. However, on future return voyages there will be calls at Vila, Santo and Noumea.

Pacific Island Transport Co. Ltd, inaugurated a service from the NZ West Coast port of Westport to the New Hebrides early in September.

There will be sailings every four to five weeks for Vila and Honiara, and Santo if there is sufficient freight.

Reef Shipping Co. has offered NZ exporters a new service to Fiji, in direct competition with the Union Steam Ship Co., which has had a virtual monopoly on the route for many years. The Reef plan is to link the Fiji service with an existing ser vice to Noumea. Reef intends to onerate a three-weekly service from Onehunga to Suva, Lautoka and Noumea with the freighter, Jean Philippe (914 tons). A second ship may be chartered later.

The USS Co. was reported from Auckland to be considering the pos sibility of chartering two small con tainer ships for the Auckland-Pacific Islands service. The company, in September, was scheduled to run a trial container shipment of bananas, on a conventional freighter.

Training The Men For

Png's Maritime Trade

When the Papua New Guinea Edu cation Department decided to mod ernise its marine training course it did not have to look further for advice than a former territory mariner, who is now head teacher in charge of the School of Navigation at Sydney Technical College. Thus, Captain W. D. Heighway paid a 24 day visit to PNG in July/August to report on training young seamen.

As a young man, Captain Heigh way was with Burns Philp from 1935 to 1941, serving as a cadet and, later, as a second officer, in the “old firm’s” ships. These included the Macdhui (sunk by the Japanese during World War II), the Neptunia and the Muliama, He was second mate in the Muliama, then based at Rabaul.

A nautical training school, con ducted by the Department of Trade and Industry, was set up in Port Moresby in the early 60s. A few years later control was transferred to the Department of Transport. The Education Department has been re sponsible for the school since the start of 1972. The school, which was formerly in two different parts of Port Moresby, is now consolidated at Madang.

The Education Department did not have any experience in running a nautical school. It asked that Captain Heighway be sent to PNG to advise

what should be done to modernise the school and the courses.

Captain Heighway, after discussing the matter with the appropriate authorities and representatives of shipning companies, has suggested a two-block school one block for classrooms and administration, and the other for marine engineering. His report has been sent to the authorities, and is now being considered.

He expects the number of students will be more than 100 each year. The courses will be from three to six nonths. The school will not offer certificates or diplomas. The Trans port Department is the marine licens ng authority. Students who want certificates will sit examinations con lucted by that department.

The school, at present in “quite nadequate” buildings, is under the control of Captain Peter Hester, a veil-known PNG mariner. There is i staff of six teachers.

There are special courses for >fficers, covering navigation, etc., and or marine engineers. The basic level ourses place emphasis on safety :onsiderations, the correct use of fre ighting and life-saving equipment and

;eneral seamanship.

/10Re Lights On

Ui's Shipping Lanes

Four new lighthouses will be built a Fiji under a scheme to improve lavigational facilities. Two of them, ine at Vatoa in southern Lau, and tie other at Totoyo, the most easterly f the Yasayasa Moala cluster, will lark the southern and northern mits of the main track of shipping etween Fiji and Tonga.

A new light at Nanukulevu will lark the northern and western limits f the main shipping track between iji and North America. The fourth dll be on a rocky outcrop to mark le eastern limit of the Vatu-i-Ra assage. This passage is used by igar ships and inter-island shipping.

A loan of $54,480 from the British (verseas Development Administra on will help to finance the scheme, he scheme also covers setting up nd improving minor beacons in mer reef passages, and marking ewly discovered hazards in the main lipping channels of the outer islands, ■ reef blasting programme will im rove existing passages and create sw ones in the outer islands.

Iji Marine Plans

S Biggest Ship

With a new blueprint ready in ace of one which was prepared in ngland and then scrapped as too istly, the Fiji Marine Department id the Maritime Co-operative Ship ng Association are almost ready to

begin building a replacement for the ill-fatecf Tui Lau, wrecked on a Fiji reef in 1968.

Earlier in September only contract legalities remained to be settled be fore work begins in October or November in the government shipyard at Walu Bay, Suva.

With an overall length of 142 ft and capacity for 135 tons of cargo, the ship will be the biggest yet built in the dominion. Fifty-two passengers will be accommodated on airliner type seats in an aft saloon and there will be seven two-berth cabins. Ser vice speed will be about 10 knots.

The association consists of Fijian co-operative societies operating in the Lau Group.

Shipping Briefs

• Austasia Line, which has been conducting a bi-monthly service from Australia via PNG ports to Malaysia has announced the withdrawal of the vessel Malaysia from October and the cessation of the service. The ship is not being replaced. • New Zealand seamen adopted a familiar tactic when the USS Co’s Waimea was at Nukualofa early in August. Eleven of the crew walked off after the master, Captain D.

Coleman, refused to alter a log entry

about one of the seamen. They returned after 36 hours on instruc tions from their union in Auckland.

The strikers, technically, became illegal immigrants, and were escorted away by the police. Later they were released and stayed privately in Nukualofa before returning to their ship. • The Fiji-Australia Line is still looking for a suitable ship to replace the Taiyuan on the Australia-Fiji-New Caledonia run. A spokesman for the company said, “We can’t get a suitable vessel. We are trying to charter one and are still looking”.

The Taiyuan was sold and made her last return voyage to Fiji from Aus tralia in July. • The Boy Roel, which led a protest against French nuclear tests off Mururoa Atoll, was out of sight of land and under sail for five weeks after radio and engine mishaps, when she was about 350 miles south-west of Tonga, 500 miles from Niue and 850 miles from Rarotonga. The crew saw Japanese and Korean fishing ships, but as communications were difficult, and the men did not want to incur heavy salvage expenses, they remained on their own. They made landfall at Manua, American Samoa, on August 7, after having been on water rations since July 7, and restricted food since August 1.