Shipping changes gave
pp. 73-74 · Read in the full issue
Gilbertese a headache
The Gilbertese were a worried peopie in September when they heard that the Columbus Line was dropping Tarawa [ r 9 m i* s Australia-New Zealand-United States service. The news came as a complete surprise since the company had only very shortly before denied that it had any such mtenUon.
The service started by the Germanbased Ime in 1965 and containerised m 1973, represented the Gilberts’ major freight link with the outside world.
Tarawa will be served in future by the Daiwa-Oceania consortium using the Palau, a vessel of about 6,000 tonnes capable of carrying 300-odd containers. Daiwa is a Japanese-based operation.
Within hours of news of the change being confirmed on Tarawa, a highlevel Gilbert Islands delegation was flying to Sydney for discussions with
Columbus and with Daiwa’s Australian agents, Tradex Transport Pty Ltd.
Qn the delegation were Mr Babera Kirata, Secretary for Commerce and industry in the Gilberts Government; Captain E.V. Ward, marine manager 0 f the Gilbert Islands Development Authority (GIDA); and Mr David Harrison, manager of the Co operative Federation Ltd, represen ting commercial interests in the Gilberts. grounds of their concern are f°ll° win g: • In 1975, the Columbus ships Caribic, Coramandel and Capricorn made 17 calls at Tarawa. Under the new proposals Palau will make only nine or 10 calls a year. This creates commercial problems such as the need to carry heavier stocks, and the
raising of additional finance to cover these. • Whereas Columbus used three ships on the service, Daiwa plans to use only one. If Palau suffered any serious mechanical breakdown or other mishap, this could have dis astrous effects for the islands. • The new service will make no calls at New Zealand, ending all direct sea contacts between the Gilberts and that country. This will raise freight costs substantially, since all freight between the two countries will now have to be trans-shipped. It is certain that Gilberts - NZ trade will suffer as a result. This trade had been growing, with the Gilberts receiving considerable quantities of NZ fresh meat and groceries. Corned beef and dairy products in particular had been coming to the Gilberts from NZ in in creasing quantities. • Tonga will get two 20-metre front-end loading barges from New Zealand under that country’s aid scheme to replace the Kao, which sank last year. The first barge was scheduled for delivery about the end of October, and the second in March, 1977.