Plans for ship have changed

Press, 15 March 1978, Page 2

Plans for ship have changed

Plans to send the Coastal Ranger to the Pacific Islands as New Zealand’s contribution to the fledgling Pacific Forum Line appear to have fallen through. In February the line said “it was probable” New Zealand’s contribution would be either the former inter-island roll-on ship Coastal Ranger, or the Toa Moana, at present on the Islands run from Auckland.

But yesterday the Forum Line’s commercial manager (Mr F. Hong Tiy) said in a letter from Apia that the line had not been able to obtain the Coastal Ranger. Mr Tiy said the charter party had been fixed on the Toa Moana on what is known as the “banana run” between New Zealand, Fiji, Samoa, and Tonga.

However the New Zealand Shipping Corporation, owners of the Toa Moana, could not confirm that any agreement had been reached. The corporation’s assistant general manager (Mr R. Shea) said in Wellington that he would be “highly surprised” if anything had been finalised between the New Zealand Government and the Forum Line. Mr Shea said the Toa Moana was “certainly on offer” and was probably most likely to go to the line but the information from Apia was “not valid” as things stood yesterday. Nor could Mr Shea give anything definite on the Coastal Ranger although he did suggest she might be sold.