Union Aotearoa sold, but line denies Asian deal

Press, 22 August 1978, Page 1

Union Aotearoa sold, but line denies Asian deal

Another New Zealand ship — the 6302-ton Union Aotearoa — has been sold to a Singapore shipping company, according to shipping industry sources. But the assistant general manager of the Union Steam Ship Company (Mr David Jury) denied this yesterday. Mr Jury was asked whether the Union Aotearoa had been sold within the last week to the Guam Guam Shipping Company, of Singapore, and renamed Golden Harvest. The Union Aotearoa has been

laid up in Singapore since March 20, 1977. Asked whether the Union Aotearoa had been sold at all, Mr Jury replied: “Well, no, not to Guam Guam. But I would like to know where, you got your information. Anyway. it could be incorrect.” Mr Jury declined to elaborate on whether there was any significance in the suggested replacement name, Golden Harvest. Most of the Guam Guam Shipping Company’s vessels’ names begin with “golden.” According to Lloyd’s

Register of Shipping, the two companies have had dealings over a number.of years. * Many of them concern Holm Shipping Company vessels taken over with the Union Company merger. Mr Jury said the report of a sale was interesting and he was more interested in knowing where it had come from. “All I can say is that Union Aotearoa has not been sold to Guam Guam Shipping.” The Union Aotearoa was one of four vessels owned by Maritime Carriers, N.Z., Ltd, run by a Belgian shipping millionaire, Mr V. Rosenfeld. He chartered three Camit-class ships — Union Trans-Tasman, Union Australia, and Union New Zealand — for the Union Company for 10 years, the Union Company having the option of discontinuing the charter after five years.

Waitaki N.Z. Refrigerating, Ltd, bought into Maritime Carriers and two of the three Japanese built Camit-class vessels were renamed Waitaki and Dunedin. The Union Company exercised its option to discontinue the charter and the two vessels are now on the Tasman trade in opposition to the union company. After charters were discontinued on the three smaller vessels, the Union Company exercised its right under the charter agreement to buy the Union Aotearoa.

Lloyd’s Register of Shipping lists 21 ships owned by Guam Guam in Singapore. Most have the prefix “golden,” but several are also prefixed with “kirn” and “king.” The wide-ranging business has subsidiaries in Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Singapore, According to Lloyd’s Register the Union Company has sold many ships to the company. They include the presently named King Horse (formerly the Union Company’s Nabua), the King Luck (Karemo), Golden Summer, (Holmburn), the Kingfish (Holmwood), King Lake (Parera), and the former Union Company vessel Koonya. The reported sale of the Aotearoa follows official announcement two weeks ago of the sale of the Nev/ Zealand Waitangi by the New Zealand Shipping Corporation and the corporation’s Lorenaj laid up in Auckland last week, which is now also for sale. It is believed that the Seamen’s Union is deeply concerned about the sale of the vessels and is considering action. During inquiries last evening about the Union Aotearoa a Union Company spokesman confirmed that the Westport-to-Portland coal vessel Karepu is about to be laid up at Nelson for at least six weeks. Crew members received telegrams yesterday advising them of this and the Union Company spokesman said it was definite the ship would be laid up.