TASMAN FREIGHTS New Ships Will Bring Cuts

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31865, 18 December 1968, Page 34

TASMAN FREIGHTS New Ships Will Bring Cuts

NZ.PA. Staff Correspondent)

SYDNEY, December 17. New Zealand exporters will pay about 11 per cent less in freight charges to ship their goods from Auckland and Wellington to Sydney and Melbourne when two new roll-on roll-off ships go on the Tasman run next vear..

The Union Steam Ship Company today released details of the freight rates on its forthcoming Tasman seacargo express service.

Cargo Shippers’ Committee, said today: “The news of these reductions will be warmly welcomed by Australian exporters and importers from New Zealand. I 1 New Concept “We are delighted that I some of the savings brought i about by this new concept of ; cargo carrying will be passed . on to the shippers.” The roll-on freight rate reductions are expected to stem the tide of hostile reaction to the new conventional freight rises that was rising among importers and exporters.

The first ship the Maheno will begin a regular fortnightly service between Auckland. Wellington, and Lyttelton and Svdney at the end of Febru- j ary or in early March, [ Its sister ship the Marama will go on the run between Auckland and Wellington and Melbourne about June. It has

the first ship on the run will be serving three New Zealand ports against only one—Sydinev—in Australia. ! Savings for New Zealand (shippers will range from [-12.38 per cent on cargoes from Auckland and Wellington to Sydney, to 5.22 per cent from Lyttelton to Melbourne. Mr D. E. Taplin, chairman ’of the Australian General

not yet been decided whether a New Zealand South Island port will be included in this service. Union Steam Ship Company officials believe that about SO per cent of cargo at present carried will easily be suitable for shipment by the new methods. The roll-on vessels have! been specifically designed for; “unitised" cargo. This will in-! elude containers and pallets! which will carry consolidated: unit loads, as well as semi-! trailers and refrigerated vans. I Conventional Ships :

The vessels are expected to! replace conventional freight-! ers at present running between Auckland and Wellington and Sydney and Mel-! bourne. But the bulk of New Zealand’s exports to Australia, including timber, pulp and paper, will continue to travel I on conventional ships and! will not have the benefit of j the lower freight rates. On Friday, the Union Steam[ Ship Company announced| that because of increased) costs, freight rates for gen-; eral and refrigerated cargoi carried on conventional ships) across the Tasman would rise ! by 81 per cent on February 1. A company spokesman in I Sydney said today that ship-' pers who used the new ves-) seis would save an average of about 11 per cent on the, new rates for conventional) ships. Unitised Cargoes It is understood that the) average rates for unitised: cargoes from New Zealand to! Australia will be 9.7 per cent) lower than on conventional) ships, while the average re-1 duction from Australia to New Zealand will be 12.25 per I cent But importers in Sydney ) believe New Zealand will get! an initial advantage because I