Export service

Press, 4 October 1977, Page 3

Export service

PA Wellington The Shipping Corporation will establish a new service for exporters and importers to cater for cargoes which cannot be moved by the existing Conference Line services.

The corporation’s general manager, Mr C. Speight, announced this in Dunedin last evening. He said the corporation intended to provide an efficient and professional new service in broking and chartering.

The broking and chartering service would be available to exporters and importers to charter ships or space for either individual cargoes or combined cargoes, he said. In this way both large and small shipments, unsuitable for the normal liner trade, or difficult to handle, could receive the benefits of competitive freight rates. Mr Speight said it was hoped that the new sendee would enable New Zealand exporters to compete more effectively with overseas traders.

“Importers and exporters

faced with problem cargoes will be encouraged to avail themselves of this new service through the local offices of the Shipping Corporation,” he said. Mr Speight said the corporation had improved its services to Tahiti, the Cook Islands, and Niue, and was investigating the possibility of expanding into South-East Asia and central America.

Negotiations had finalised entry into the European trade from this month.

He said the corporation’s trade would grow when a 50,000 tonne container ship, now under construction in West Germany, was delivered.

“It will be able to carry 1223 refrigerated containers below decks and 780 gen-eral-purpose containers on the decks. It will be scheduled for just under five round trips between New Zealand and Britain and the Continent each year,” Mr Speight said. He said the corporation would handle about 8 per cent of the cargo at present on the run to the United Kingdom and return in the coming year.