Holmlea Waiting To Start New Service

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32302, 21 May 1970, Page 1

Holmlea Waiting To Start New Service

The Holm Shipping Company’s 1106-ton roll-on vessel Holmlea (formerly the Seaway Princess), which has been undergoing a routine overhaul and survey at Lyttelton after having been withdrawn from the Lyttelton. Auckland roll-on service, is waiting at Lyttelton to begin a similar service between Lyttelton and Wellington.

The Holmlea is unable to begin loading for Wellington because negotiations between the Waterside Workers’

Federation and the vessel's charterer, the Union Steam Ship Company, Ltd, for the working of the vessel at both ports have not been completed.

The Holmlea has been chartered by the Union Company to help move inter-island cargo until the arrival of the Rangatira at the end of next year.

A crew has been signed on the Holmlea. and she is fully manned and ready to begin the new service immediately agreement has been reached over the conditions of waterfront work. The Holmlea will make three sailings a week in each direction. Under normal conditions she will work Lyttelton on Monday, Wednesday and Friday and Wellington on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

Had negotiations been completed the Holmlea would have sailed yesterday.

Neither the Holm Company nor the Union Company knew yesterday how long the negotiations would be.