Shipping News

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33883, 1 July 1975, Page 14

Shipping News

Warm faces on chill waterfront

(By

JOHN LESLIE)

It was cold in Lyttelton, too. yesterday. The waterfront from Cashin Quay (“Pleurisy Point”) to the Graving Dock was carpeted with ice.

Leaving home, one glimpsed the Southern Alps in chilly grandeur, but in Lyttelton, equally frigid, there were the usual friendly faces. When everyone has the same grizzle, they can share it with good humour. There were only three ways to get warm at the port — walking gingerly on the slippery surface; by sitting by a heater; or by auto-sug-gestion.

First, auto-suggestion. For example, the Targe tanker British Unity was in port. This immediately reminded one of the Arabian Gulf (the familiar term, Persian Gulf, is disallowed today, for diplomatic reasons). Those who know the “Gulf” (Arabian or Persian), and Bahrain, Abadan, or “tanker alley,” will be immediately reminded of “prickly heat,” mental stagnation, exhaustion, and salt tablets. It is an oven. The sight of the British Unity automatically made one feel warmer.

But at Cashin Quay, Italian crew members of the 11-year-old, flush-decked, refrigerated motor-vessel Mare Caribico (Caribbean Sea), discharging Ecuadorean bananas, shivered, and little wonder. Italy is, of course, warm just now, but it can be cold.

This, too, reminded one of Italian skies more than 40 years ago, and of the Straits of Messina, Mount Etna, Stromboli, glowing red by night, and Genoa on the River Po. We were at Genoa, under sunny skies, the day Italy’s great liner Rex was launched. The writer recalled this yesterday when exchanging daily greetings with Lyttelton’s harbourmaster (Captain D. Holden). He was at Genoa on that occasion too so long ago. The P and O cargo liner Teesta, discharging Japanese cargo at frosty Cashin Quay, is also loading wool for the arid Arabian Gulf. This all suggests warmth. The Teesta, incidentally, as mentioned in this column recently, is now changing her name to Strathloyal, in accordance with the P and O’s new policy of unification. Aboard the Dutch cargopassenger liner Straat Chatham, which serves the New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, Bangkok trade, Captain J. D. Jelijs and the writer talked of Singapore and wanner climates, but even as we did, the entire waterfront was coated with ice making extreme care

necessary for motorists waterfront workers, and ped estrians.

It may seem incredible to a South Islander, but many New Zealanders have never seen or felt snow. The writer was one. Born in sundrenched Gisborne, we were taught, in those days, that Gisborne was the first town in the British Empire to experience the sunrise. We spoke of going south — as somewhere about Taihape The first snow the writer saw was on the mountains of Tierra del Fuego, the back, ground of Cape Horn, at the age of 17. The first snow handled was in Halifax, Nova Scotia, about a year later. In fact this was the first experience of snowballing, sr_£?.~ring people take for granted in Canterbury. By any standards it has been a cold week. One great thing is that the further south one goes in this island the bonnier the girls’ complexions. After all, one cannot have everything.

ARRIVALS Coastal Trader <1.29 R.m.i, 2499, Capt. T. E. Partridge, Auckland (U.S.S.).

DEPARTURES British Unity (4.10 p.m.), 15,2«0, Capt. J. G. Bell, Dunedin (Dal gely) (Tanker). Neder Lek (4.50 p.m.). 9627, Napier (Guthpey). Somerset (7.9 pin.), ”602, Capt. T. C. Matthews, Bluff (P and O (N.Z.), Ltd). Coastal Trader (3.13 p.m.), 2499, Capt. T. E. Partridge, Dunedin (U.S.S.). EXPECTED ARRIVALS Erne, Marsden Point, today (tanker). Athelviscount, Maraden Point, July 2 (tanker). Rangatlra, Wellington, today. N.Z. Aorangi, Auckland, July 2. Coastal Trader, Tlmaru, July 2Union Wellington, Auckland, July 4. Marusumi Maru, Japan, July I. (Bulk.) Rangatlra. Welllngten, July S Illyric, Whangarei, July 4. Poyang, Wellington, July 4 (aemlcontainer). Japan Totara, Wellington, July Union Sydney, Melbourne, July 2. Hamilton, Maraden Point, July -5 (Tanker.) Tasman Career, Auckland, July 7 (Bulk). PROJECTED DEPARTURES Sydney Tide, Sea, today (Oil Rig Tender). Erne, Tlmaru, today (tanker). Rangatlra, WelUngton, today. Strathloyal, Dunedin, July 2. Coastal Trader. Auckland, July 2. Mare Caribico, Tauranga. July 2. Union Sydney, Wellington, July Rangatlra, Wellington, July 3. Rosario Maru, Dunedin, July 3. Athelviscount, Tlmaru. July 3 (Tanker.) Straat Chatham, Auckland, July 3. Holmdale, Chathams, July A Union Wellington, Wellington, July 4. N.Z. Aorangi, Tlmaru. July 6. Marusumi Maru, Japan, July 5 (Bulk). Poyang Tauranga, July 6 (semicontainer). Hamilton, Bluff, July < (tanker). Japan Totara. Dunedin, July 7. Tasman Career, Korea, July 9 (Bulk). VESSELS IN PORT Mare Caribico, No. 1 Cashin Quay. Strathloyal, No. 2 Cashin Quay. Sydney Tide, G.P. Holmdale, No. 3 East. Straat Chatham, No. S Weat. Rosario Maru, NO. 4 Eaat.