Maheno Roll-on Reaches The Tasman Run

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 31999, 28 May 1969, Page 10

Maheno Roll-on Reaches The Tasman Run

After a long delay caused by shipyard lateness in Britain the roll-on roll-off Tasman ferry the Maheno is at last on the New Zealand coast and in business. And everyone who has seen the ship is delighted with the final product.

The Maheno is the first of two identical sisters—the Marama will be out later this year. These ships are much larger than most people would expect.

The ships are 430 feet long with a beam of 63 feet. A good comparison can be made with the inter-island steamer Maori, which is some 20 feet longer than Maheno and Marama. The breadth of all three ships is the same.

At present the largest ships trading regularly in the Tasman are Ngahere, Ngakuta, Ngapara and Ngatoro; but Maheno and Marama will be some 90 feet longer than these four ships and 10 feet greater in beam. They are substantially larger than Maheno I and Marama I, which were well known in the Tasman passenger trade between 1905 and 1987.

The two trans-Tasman ships will be capable of lifting 4000 tons of cargo each way between Australia and New Zealand in three cargo decks. Loading will be over a stern ramp, through the stern door at the main deck level. Three 30-ton cargo lifts will be used to transfer the cargo from the main deck to the upper and lower cargo decks as required. All Items shipped in Maheno and Marama will be carried in unitised form and for this, as in other roll-on roll-off services, the

Union Steam Ship Company operates, Seafreighter pallets will be used. Round Trips With their speed of 18 knots, Maheno and Marama will be able to maintain fortnightly round-trip services between Auckland, Wellington, Lyttelton and Sydney, and Auckland, Wellington and Melbourne. The timetable will permit cargo received in Sydney on a Thursday to be delivered at Auckland the next Monday; or cargo received at Wellington on a Saturday to be delivered at Sydney the next Tuesday.

The ships are designed to handle refrigerated containers, 20-foot 1.5.0. containers of the type proposed for many international container routes, road vehicles and large pieces of mechanical equipment—such as bulldozers, roadscrapers, and heavy-duty fork-lift trucks.

Reclaimed Area Cargo terminals and ship-

to-shore ramps are being provided by the port authorities at Auckland, Wellington, Sydney and Melbourne. In Auckland the roll-on roll-off terminal established at Fergusson Wharf will be used; at Wellington a newly reclaimed area at the Taranaki Street Wharf site is being developed; and at Lyttelton the roll-on roll-off terminal at Gladstone Quay will be used. In Sydney the present roll-on roll-off terminal at Darling Harbour will be used; and at Melbourne extended facilities at the present roll-on roll-off terminal will be provided.

It is expected that the Tasman Seacargo Express Service—which will be the name of this new servicewill contribute substantially to the development of trade between New Zealand and Australia.