Union Co. raises shipping charges

Press, 2 January 1979, Page 14

Union Co. raises shipping charges

PA Wellington Shippers will have to pay 10 per cent more to have goods carried between Wellington and Lyttelton from next January. This is one of five freight rate increases announced by the Union Steam Ship Company. Mr D, C. Jury, the assistant general manager, said the increases were to cover higher costs over recent months. The rates would apply for the next year unless “unforseen circumstances” called for an earlier review. The Wellington-Lyttelton service has the biggest increase, 10 per cent. Mr Jury said cargo levels were very low, partly because of the Christmas season. Levels had not risen much since the Union Com= pany took over the service in February. The Coastal Ranger, which used to sail from Lyttelton to Wellington, was laid up because of a fail in cargoes. It had been subsidised by

the Government for S2M a year. The Union Company rear-; ranged the schedules of two! of its Tasman freighters to, continue the link. Freight from New Zealand to Australia will cost 9 per cent more to send after January 1, as will conventional coastal cargoes. The Pacific Island and One-hunga-Nelson freight rates will rise 7.5 per cent.