Some Ships Diverted, Others Wait In Stream

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30396, 21 March 1964, Page 22

Some Ships Diverted, Others Wait In Stream

The port of Lyttelton is still congested. Several vessels have had to anchor in the stream to await working berths. . •

The position has been made worse by a shortage of labour. Railway waggons have also been short on two evenings but there -were sufficient for normal work yesterday. Apart from the inter-island steamer, Hinemoa, only two vessels were expected to sail yesterday. They werethe Breeze and the Port Fairy. At 8 a.m. there was a shortage of 13 gangs for work on vessels at the berths, with the result that the Jill Cord, River City, and Holmdale were jdle and several other, vessels were short-manned. ' • -' The Federal liner, Hertford, newly arrived from London early yesterday -morning, berthed in. the afternoon after strong gusts of wind in the inner harbour had prevented her from berthing earlier in the day. No labour was available for her when she did berth.Three Diverted Three, vessels, originally scheduled to call at Lyttelton, will bow omit the port in the meantime. One, the'British India Steam Navigation Company’s cargo vessel, Bahkura, has bypassed Lyttelton; - another, the New Zealand .Shipping Company’s cargo liner, Turakina, which is operated by the Crusader Line, will now discharge her Lyttelton cargo from Japan at .Timaru; ahd the ..Northern Steamship Company’s coastal vessel, Ohehunga, has been diverted elsewhere. * •. Vessels anchored in the stream last evening were the

Port Denison which arrived last Wednesday, and yesterday’s arrivals, the City of Adelaide (on her mpiden voyage), Waimate, Kawatiri and Kaitoke.

More vessels are expected over the week-end including the Union Company’s motor vessel, Tarawera, with bananas from the Pacific Islands. It is expected that a berth will be available for this vessel and her perishable cargo.