‘co-operative’

Ships

Shipping lines form South Pacific ‘co-operative’

Ten shipping lines serving the Pacific Islands from Australia and New Zealand have formed the South Pacific Shipowners’

Association. The decision to form the association was taken at a meeting in Sydney late in November. Shipowners had felt for some time that common carriers of sea freight in the South Pacific area should im prove their co-operation through an association.

The association says the ben efits will include: • The possibility of achiev ing rationalisation of their many routes to eliminate, as much as possible, various over and under-tonnaged berth pos itions; • More regular service frequencies for the benefit of

shippers, importers and ship

operators alike; • Assisting where possible, the operations of the recently established Pacific Forum Line; • Seek improvements in port facilities, cargo handling and

operational productivity;

• Co-ordinate the efforts of members to improve the ser vice network in the region.

Association membership at the outset controls the oper ations of 26 ships with a total 325 500 dwt. If three other of the companies, not inaugural members, join the association, the number of ships will rise to 30 and the dwt to 341 000.

An association spokesman said that in no way should the organisation be considered a quasi-conference in the generally-accepted sense of the word, which meant there would be no change in the

existing healthy competition

between members in the re gion. Freight rates and con ditions remained (where

applicable) subject to nego

tiations with the Australian Shippers’ Council and similar bodies overseas.

The foundation members

are: Compagnie des Chargeurs

Caledoniens, Compagnie

Generale Maritime, CTM Tahiti Line, Daiwa Navigation, Karlander (Aust) Pty Ltd, Pa cific Line Ltd, Pacific Australia Direct Line, Pacific Forum Line, Sofrana-Unilines and Warner Pacific Line.

Prospective members are the NZ Shipping Corporation,

PNG Shipping Corporation

and Union Steam Ship Co. The last-named two had observers at the inaugural meeting.

The first chairman, who will serve initially for 12 months, is Mr G. Ravel, of Sofrana- Unilines. The temporary ad dress of the association is c/o PO Box RlO3, Royal

Exchange, Sydney, 2000.

The operational regions of members are:

From Australia Fiji, Western Samoa, American Samoa, Tonga, French Polynesia, New Caledonia, New Hebrides, Kirabati, Tuvalu, Guam, Saipan, Marshall Islands, Caroline Islands, Northern Mananas, Nauru, Norfolk Island, Lord Howe Island and the Cook Islands.

From New Zealand - The om J\en Zealand Ihe above groups, except Kirabati and the Cook Islands, but indude the Solomons and Papua New Guinea

Taken at the inaugural meet ing of the South Pacific Ship owners’ Association (from left) Standing: Captain P. King, PNG Shipping Corporation (ob server), N. de Bok, Daiwa Navi gation, E. Braun-Ortega, CTM Tahiti Line, H. Kiss, Pacific Line Ltd, M. G. T. Hicks, Sofrana- Unilines (Aust) Pty Ltd, J.

Breckleman, Cie des Chargeurs Caledoniens, P. Warner, Warner Pacific Line. Seated: Captain T.

Vangsnes, Karlander (Aust) Pty Ltd, G. Ravel, Sofrana-Unilines SA, C. Fenouil, Compagnie Generate Maritime, R. M. Boyle, Trans-Australia Shipping/PAD Line.