Two new shipping services in 1971

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32459, 20 November 1970, Page 2

Two new shipping services in 1971

(N.Z. Preu A.tocialion) DUNEDIN, Nov. 19. German Columbus Line container ships providing the fastest South Island service to the east coast of North America will begin running from the Port Chalmers container terminal about the end of May next year.

Giving this information yesterday, Captain R. A. Snushall, managing director of Maritime Services, Ltd (Auckland), which company is the principal New Zealand agent for the line, said that a planned 21-day service with North America would be operating by the end of September, 1971.

Captain Snushall and other shipping representatives are travelling through the South Island for discussions with importers, exporters, and all concerned with the operation of the container port Brief discussions have been held with watersiders at Port Chalmers, who have been shown how it is intended to operate the service.

In Auckland, a new shipping service to remote comers of the Pacific Islands will be started by Mr W. G. Chester. The service, which will be called Trade Wind Agency Products, Ltd, will begin in January, says a Press Association message from Auckland.

Mr Chester, managing di-! rector of the company, said: that there were some 3000 ! islands and about four mil-! lion people in the Pacific who received very little in the way of exported goods from New Zealand because no-one has bothered to ship them there.

“We are not worried about Suva, Nukualofa, Niue, or any other similar ports,” he

said, “but rather the smaller, remote ports where there is very little or no trade whatsoever with the natives. As well as exporting New Zealand goods to these areas, we will bring goods back, so that we will be carrying out a double service. The run itself will take about three weeks and will be operated by a trading ship remaining in the Pacific all the time, with feeder ships from Auckland bringing fresh supplies of goods. The trade ship will take the form of a floating trade fair. The company will have headquarters in Fiji, with offices in the New Hebrides and Auckland. COLUMBUS LINE

The Columbus Line’s first vessel for the new service, the Columbus New Zealand, will be launched at Hamburg on November 26 by Lady Ormond, wife of the chair-

man of the New Zealand Meat Board (Sir John Ormond), and will be the first container vessel built for the New Zealand trade. Captain Snushall, in expressing delight with the Port Chalmers terminal facilities, said that the Otago Harbour Board must be congratulated on its initiative. Other lines operating container ships might also use the Port Chalmers terminal.

A feature of the terminal was the 60,000 sq. ft shed for the packing and unpacking of ebntainers, far larger than the depots planned for Auckland or Wellington. Wool and refrigerated cargo (including meat and fish) from all parts of the South Island would be loaded from Port Chalmers, he said. Inestimable benefits would be conferred on Otago through the container port, Captain Snushall said.