Cargo handled at a good rate

Press, 3 February 1979, Page 5

Cargo handled at a good rate

A good cargo-handling rate was achieved during the week on the fruit ship Balkan Reefer at Cashin Quay in spite of a watersiders’ labour shortage at Lyttelton. Two gangs worked on the day shift and two at night. On Tuesday, the first day, 21,833 cases of bananas and 4073 cases of oranges were unloaded.

The discharge was completed the next day with the discharge of 4408 cases of bananas and 18,989 cases of citrus fruits. The Balkan Reefer has since been loading meat and cheese, with 204 tonnes on Thursday and 182 tonnes of meat and 80 tonnes of cheese yesterday before the ship’s scheduled departure at 6 p.m. The size of the Balkan Reefer will enable her to load more meat at Bluff afte Lyttelton, further cargoes at either Napier or New Plymouth, with Auckland the final port to load 4000 tonnes of onions.

A former South Island Port Safety Officer with the New Zealand Port Employers’ Association at Lyttelton (Mr Ron Palmer) has been appointed assistant to the general secretary of the association at the head office in Wellington. Mr Palmer was a former master with the Holm Shipping Company. He came ashore at Lyttelton in 1969 to join the Port Employers and eight months later went to Bkin where he eventually became secretary of. the Bluff branch. In 1976 he was appointed secretary of the Wellington branch of the association and the present move to the head office is believed to be in preparation for a major reshuffle of executive positions in May.

ARRIVALS H.M.N.Z.S. Pukaki (8 a.m.), fisheries patrol. departures Smolny (4 p.m.), 5736, Newcastle, Capt. A. Tamborski (Kinsey). Balkan Reefer (6 p.nt,), 8874, Bluff, Capt. C. Jakobsen (Scales). Toa Moana (6 p.m.), 1191, Auckland, Capt. J. McFarlane (S.C.N.Z.). EXPECTED ARRIVALS Union Lyttelton, Wellington, today. Tauloto 11, Nelson, today. Star Castor, Vancouver, February 4. Coastal Trader, Auckland, February 5. PROJECTED DEPARTURES Tauloto 11. Gisborne. February 3. Union Hobart, Wellington, February 6. VESSELS IN PORT Coastal Ranger, No. 2 West. I-I.M.N.Z.S. Pukaki. No. 3 East.