Unlucky Shipping Line Founders

The South Pacific’s unluckiest shipping line has gone out of business. It was the Maritime Cooperative Societies.

When Maritime Co-op was formed 10 years ago by the Fijians of the Lau Group, with the Lau Provincial Council as the largest shareholder, big things were expected of it. For one thing, it had one of the finest inter-island vessels in the Islands, the

Tui Lau, which is one of Prime Minister Sir Kamisese Mara’s titles, But the Tui Lau was dogged with bad luck from the start. Originally a Norwegian coastal vessel with ac commodation for 170 passengers, she cost the co-op $F 150,000. When she set off from Suva on her Fiji maiden voyage in mid-July, 1968, an enthusiastic crowd, many of them Lauans, saw her off. On that trip,

The Tui Lau, jinx ship, hard and fast on the reef.

Photo: Rob Wright

under Captain Don Wendt, she lost! two anchors. Twice, as she berthed 1 in island lagoons and the anchors a were dropped, an anchor rattled off! the drum and down to the seabed,. lost for good so far as the Tui Lau i was concerned.

Then, on October 25, 1968, the e Tui Lau met her death—on a reefl near Totoya Island, 120 miles south-east of Suva. She ran on the reef at I 11 pm. The Royal Navy came to hen aid. Two vain attempts were made* to pull her off by the guided missile' destroyer HMS Fife while an anti- aircraft frigate HMS Puma stood by' as Fife’s helicopter rescued the 42! passengers and 37 crew. There were; no casualties except the Tui Lau,. which broke up rapidly in the heavy' seas.

Biggest tragedy of all. and the one i which really spelled finish to the co operative, was the foundering in i cyclone Lottie in December, 1973,, of the Uluilakeba with the loss of 79 < lives.

These losses and other misfortunes; have cost the shareholders dearly. .

When the co-operative’s affairs are; wound up, investors will get only l about 40c for every dollar they put; into it.

Norsup To Get

A New Airfield

A new airfield will be built at Nor- • sup, Malekuka, in the New Hebrides ; to replace the old strip closed on j December 10, 1974. It will be on land near Tautu village, the centre of : controversy over the land. The people of the village retain the right to use a traditional footpath across j the new airfield. Air Melanesiae has . offered to train a Tautu villager to be its agent there.

The Resident Commissioners, an ticipating opposition to the airfield, said in a joint statement they wished to make it clear that any attempt to hinder or interfere with the work, or incite others to do that, would lead to prosecution. (See p 26.)

Rough Voyage For

New Mission Boat

The Chen No 2, which belongs to the Liebenzell mission, a German protestant mission in Truk, took a severe buffeting on its 7,200 miles i delivery voyage from Vancouver to Moen Dock, Truk, via Hawaii. The crew of four praised it for its ex cellent performance in seas whipped up by winds of 75 knots.

The boat, a 64 ft steel hull motor ketch, is a replacement for the Chen No 1 which went aground on the reef

at West Faueu, Yap, in August, 1973.

Chen is a Trukese word meaning Move of God”. The ship will be used for meetings, seminars, workshops and training throughout Truk. It may be used, in emergency, for carrying passengers.

The captain on the delivery voyage was a Canadian, Captain Cres Ketchum. In the past he has ferried several ships to Micronesia from Japan. Hong Kong and the US. He was master of the Morning Star No 6, at Truk for several years.

Cheaper Flying

In The States

American Airlines passengers from the Pacific Basin, including Hawaii, flying to the US midwest or east now receive a 25 per cent discount on regular fares. The plan, approved by the Civil Aeronautics Board, applies to flights of 1,500 miles or more within the US. Passengers must make reservations at least seven days be fore departure, and must stay a minimum of seven days at their des tination and return within 28 days.

Children, two to 11, when accom panied by adults, get 50 per cent discount. The discount plan came into operation on February 1, and will continue to January 31, 1976, except in the busy northern summer period—June 15 to September 15— when the discount will be 20 per cent.

Islands Plan

To Pool Ships

A pooling arrangement will be the basis of the South Pacific regional shipping line, when it finally “gets to sea”. The South Pacific Forum’s ad visory board has been working out details which will go before the Forum meeting in Tonga in July.

That meeting is expected to put the final seal of approval on the shipping line.

The countries taking part have agreed to the pooling arrangement.

Nauru has already offered three ships. Any other ships required could come from a participating country’s fleet. In practice that means Tonga, for along with Nauru it is the only country within the Forum which operates its own government com mercial fleet outside its own waters.

The other countries may charter ships, or put up the cash. No details about possible routes have yet been “leaked". Western Samoa has com plained several times that it is in adequately serviced, and it may have a high priority on schedules.

Meanwhile, Silk and Boyd Ltd, of Rarotonga, is starting a private regional service. It recently acquired the Florida, 800 tons, to start a service link ng the Cook Islands with Niue, Tonga and Fiji.

Up And Up Go

Png's Air Fares

A 15 per cent rise in Air Niugini fares from February 15 meant a compound increase of 26.5 per cent in four months. The new fare and freight schedules also apply to third level operators. Transport Depart ment officials blamed the increases on rising costs of the civil aviation industry. Fuel, wages and aircraft maintenance were the main factors.

The new fares will hit hard as air is the only means of transport be tween many centres. Some new single fares from Port Moresby are: To Goroka, $48.30 (up $6.30); to Lae, $39.10 (up $5.10); to Rabaul, $86.60 (up $11.25).

Third level operators were dis appointed at the size of the increase.

They claimed they had been carrying cost increases higher than 15 per cent for more than six months. They hoped that the 15 per cent rise was an interim increase only.

It Was Just

Like The Movies

Australian holiday-makers in the Royal Viking Sky on a South Pacific cruise had a grandstand view of the culmination of a search-rescue opera tion after a Korean fishing ship, the Partera, caught fire north-west of Western Samoa. Twenty-six seamen, on two rafts were picked up about 26 miles from Apia.

There were two search attempts, one mounted by Lieutenant- Commander Ross Bell, of the US Coast Guard, Pago Pago, flying in a South Pacific Islands Airways plane, piloted by Jay McLean. After search ing for several hours, Lieutenant- Commander Bell changed the search pattern. Six hours later the Royal Viking Sky crew sighted the rafts, 76 miles away from the reported position.

The Koreans were checked by the liner’s doctor, fed and bathed. They then transferred to a tug which took them to Apia.

Air Pacific Hopes

For A Happier Year

Air Pacific expects to start one or two new services in 1975-76, but to look on it as a year of consolidation rather than expansion, the airline chairman, Captain P. G. Howson, said after a recent board meeting.

The airline is expecting to get back into the black to the tune of about 5350.000 after a loss in 1974-75.

A landmark will be the opening in Auckland in April of an office by the first overseas representative of the company. The Suva - Nukualofa- Auckland flights will increase from two to three a week. It is also possible that a service to Brisbane, via New Caledonia will be inaugurated.

The airline has extended indefi nitely the lease of one of its BAClll’s to Air Malawi, but the

plane may be recalled on 90 days’ notice if Air Pacific requires it.

The management has been in stmcted to open talks with Air Niugini “to see if there is any possible accommodation between the two air lines”.

As there has been a big increase of traffic in the Fiji-Auckland route, via Tonga, the BACIII will no longer service Tarawa from Fiji.

There will now be three HS74B flights a fortnight between Fiji and Tarawa.

Previously there was a weekly service, operated alternatively by the BACIII and an HS74B.

Captain Howson said the main reason for a loss in 1974-75 was a big pay increase which had not been budgeted for. and which cost about $350,000. However, a figure for 1974-75 was not yet available.

The Value Of Lost

Children—By The Ton

The value of two children, drowned when Just David sank off Eua, Tonga, in June, 1973, is $283 under Tonga law. The children’s parents, Inu and Tule Tupe, claimed $lOO,OOO damages under the coun try’s Fatal Accidents Act for the loss of their children, Elenoa, 4 and Pita, 6.

When the matter came before the Supreme Court in Nukualofa re cently, Chief Justice Roberts took the unusual course, before hearing any evidence, of explaining to counsel the legal principles involved. After quot ing English law, which had estab lished that the element of tragedy and personal grief could not be con sidered grounds for compensation under the Fatal Accidents Act, he mentioned the Law Reform Act of 1934, under which damages had been awarded for “shortened expectation of life” in England.

The House of Lords had decided that in the case of a child the maxi mum amount which could be awarded was £2OO, which could be raised to $1,200 with inflation. The Law Reform Act had to be con sidered in conjunction with Tonga’s Marine Shipping Act, which limited the amount of damages against an owner to a scale relating to the ship’s tonnage. In terms of Just David’s tonnage, the amount was $283.

Counsel, after a consultation, agreed to a settlement of $283 for each child, plus $5O taxed costs. The defendants were Maafu Enterprises, a partnership at the time of Peter Warner and Layton Zimmer, owner of Just David, and the master, Lo mano Totau.

A Newcomer

To Fiji's Skies

A Fiji company, Ikavuka Air Cargo Ltd, is interested in operating an air freight service in Fiji and from Fiji to neighbouring groups. It has applied to the Air Transport Licensing Board for a permit to operate the services for five years.

The application was made by Mr Donald Malcolm Geyer, of Lami, near Suva, who declined to elaborate further on his plans, pending the out come of the application to the licens ing board. It is understood that the company plans to use at least one ex armed forces aircraft.

Fiji Marine Board

Commends Master

The Fiji Marine Board recently commended the master of a small inter-island ship, the Vakananumi, Captain Emosi Tabusala, for good seamanship in taking care of his crew and passengers when the ship was caught in a freak squall and sank while on the way from Levuka to Gau on January 19. The board did this after a preliminary inquiry into the sinking.

It also held an inquiry into the grounding of the Yatu Lau while on its way from Levuka to Natovi.

It was damaged when it hit the southern edge of Shell Reef. The board decided formal investigations into the mishaps were not necessary.

Islands' Air Links

To Be Strengthened

The New Hebrides’ air links with New Caledonia and other Island groups will soon be stepped up. UTA is expected to operate 15 flights a week to Vila from Noumea from June, and there are hopes of an extra Air Pacific flight to Brisbane from the New Hebrides, calling at Honiara.

Mr Sujol, regional representative of UTA in the South Pacific, recently visited Vila for talks about improv ing UTA services between New Cale donia and the New Hebrides. He said UTA was preparing to cater for passenger and freight services, using three turbo-prop Fokkers. These aircraft can carry 44 passengers and would make the Noumea-Vila flight in li hours. It was planned that three flights a week would end at Pekoa airport, Santo.

The extra service would give a big boost to the New Hebrides tourist industry, and would help the New Hebrides to cope with increasing ex ports of beef. In 1974, the New Hebrides exported 159 tons of beef, and felt it could export 600 tons this year if a suitable freight agreement was drawn up.

Air Pacific, apart from the extra flight a week to Brisbane via the New Hebrides, offered promotional fares between Brisbane and Vila, which would allow Australian holiday makers to visit both the New Heb rides and the Solomons under a package deal.

More Trouble

For Air Pacific

Air Pacific is still having trouble Fully modernising its fleet. Two new Trislanders were to have been in service by the end of 1974, and an 3ther two were to arrive in March md April, 1975, to replace the old Terons. The first Trislander arrived 3n November 18, 1974, and went into service on December 1.

The second one was held up by production problems in the UK, and lelivery, instead of by the end of 1974, was put back to early March, 1975. The delays must cause a few loubts about the other two frislanders being delivered on chedule. One of the airline’s Herons vhich was withdrawn from service :arly in January, 1975, was recom nissioned after a special check, and vas expected to have 500 hours of lying time.