Rowing shells held in port

Press, 24 October 1978, Page 6

Rowing shells held in port

PA Wellington Attempts to get 11 Russian and Japanese rowing shells quickly off the Shipping Corporation’s flagship New Zealand Pacific, which arrived at Wellington yesterday, have been delayed by the late arrival of another container ship. The 10 Russian shells, and one from Japan, are bound for the world rowing championships, which will start at Lake Karapiro next week. They were put on board the New Zealand Pacific on its maiden voyage, but it was then found that the ship would arrive in Auckland too 1 late for the championships. Plans were then made for the shells to be unloaded as soon as possible after it berthed in Wellington. Russian officials came to the capital to seek the shells’ re-j lease, and Rowing Associa- i tio T officials had hoped to ] have them on a truck by early today. However, it appears that| the first of the 700 containers | from the New Zealand Pacific i might not be taken off until] tomorrow morning. The cause of the delay is apparently the P and O ves-|

sei, Moreton Bay, which was due in port on Sunday evening but arrived just before the New Zealand Pacific yesterday morning. The port’s two container cranes then began removing some of its cargo, delaying the unloading of the 44.100 tonne New Zealand Pacific. Container terminal officials said yesterday that it could now be early tomorrow morning before the first of the containers was removed. However, the rowing shells, some of which are in a container, could be taken off some time today if one of the cranes is handed over to the New Zealand Pacific. The New Zealand Pacific , left its mark pasing through the Panama Canal on its maiden vovage. The giant vessel arrived in Wellington with a long scratch along one side of its bright orange hull. It had to edge, through the Panama Canal with only a metre to spare, and at one point it went too close. According to the vessel’s master, Captain Roger Tindall, such a scrane was bound to happen in the tight space. Apart from the canal incident and a brief period when the radar system malfunctioned leaving Rotterdam, the

maiden voyage to Wellington w’as uneventful, Captain Tindall said. He is not overawed at the task of being master of such a large, new ship, which

brought in a full load of 2255 tonnes of cargo when it berthed.

“It’s just another job,” he said. The New Zealand Pacific, which will be on a container run between New Zealand, Australia, and Europe, can carry three times as much cargo as a conventional ship. The keel of the S9OM vessel was laid at Bremen in West Germany in January, and the completed ship was handed over to New Zealand officials on September 20. Captain Tindall, who is 45, has been with the Shipping Corporation since it was formed in 1974 and has sailed in most of its vessels. He left New Zealand in June and travelled to West Germany while the New Zealand Pacific was completed and underwent sea trials. After the crew of 44 joined it last month, the ship made calls at Hamburg, Tilbury, and Rotterdam to collect a full cargo on its way to New Zealand.