Shipowners Complain Of Port Delays

Press, Volume C, Issue 29524, 27 May 1961, Page 12

Shipowners Complain Of Port Delays

tNZ Preu Association) WELLINGTON, May 26. At the recent annual meeting of the New Zealand Shipowners’ Federation, members expressed great concern at the disruption of coastal shipping services, said the federation’s secretary (Mr G. W. Mitchell) today. Since the large influx of cargoes from overseas from last November onwards, resulting from the combined effects of the expiry of the import licensing period on December 31, and the unusually heavy volume of imports in the first few months of this year, there had been serious congestion at main ports and a number of secondary ports.

The congestion of which the overseas lines complained applied also to the disadvantage of coastal vessels—the necessity to wait for days for a working berth, shortage of waterside labour, non-availability of space in wharf sheds into which cargo could be discharged and. at some railway ports, a shortage of trucks. Superimposed upon all this delay, said Mr Mitchell, were the delays caused by wet weather. One coastal ship made a round trip from Auckland to Bluff and return with calls at Lyttelton and Timaru each way in 48 days—43 per cent, longer than normal. The delays were:— At Auckland, three days’ shortage of labour and rain. At Lyttelton, seven days in all made up of five days with no labour and two days’ shortage of labour, railway trucks, and rain. At Bluff, seven days through shortage of labour and bad weather. Another coastal vessel which was scheduled on a

regular service between Wellington and Dunedin made only five trips between January and mid-May—at Wellington delays amounted to 16 days, chiefly because of shortage of labour and wharf shed congestion. There had been less time lost at Dunedin, but had the ship been able to work normally an additional two trips could have been made in the same period.

Mr Mitchell said the position at Wellington was specially difficult. All cargo was discharged into Harbour Board sheds and there were many occasions when, because of insufficient space, the rate of discharge frqm the ship had to be restricted. Because of congested sheds, it was usual for outward cargo to be loaded direct into a ship but that entailed long queues of motor trucks which

were a common sight on the Wellington wharves. "Extra Coot” At a considerable extra cost to consignors and inconvenience to the carrying firms, the truck drivers must wait their turn to be relieved of the loads. It was quite impossible for a coastal ship to load its average of 1200 tons of cargo from motor trucks without delays to the vessel and to the carriers, and yet that was an operation which was constantly necessary. ‘The New Zealand Shipowners’ Federation desires that the public should be made aware also of the difficulties encountered by coastal vessels, especially when, as other organisations have said, there is a large inflow of goods from overseas at the height of the export season,” said Mr Mitchell.