Port L.P.G. plans ‘badly handled’

Press, 3 June 1982, Page 6

Port L.P.G. plans ‘badly handled’

The Lyttelton Harbour Board had handled plans to transport liquefied petroleum gas through the port "very badly." said some board members yesterday. The discussion arose when members heard that the Merchant Services' Guild, on behalf of the port’s pilots, had written to the board criticising plans to use the oil wharf as an L.P.G. terminal. - The pilots said that the plans were "unacceptable and dangerous." and they also criticised the board for not consulting them about the planned use of the oil wharf. "I think the board has handled it very badly." said Captain R. Fast. “We should have consulted these people early in the piece; we ■ are going to suffer from it." Another board member. Mr M. J. Dobson, said earlier that he was "extremely disappointed" the pilots had had to write to the board. "If we have not consulted these and other groups. I think we. have fallen down." he said. Pilots and members of

r both waterside unions, who o- would work on or close to i L.P.G. tankers, should have > r been consulted, he said. 1 If L.P.G. tankers do come to port, the pilots will be i involved in bringing them ’ into the terminal and also i have to manouevre other . ships near the terminal. I The board's chairman. ? Captain A. R. Champion, said the board had earlier resolved that the oil wharf f could be used as an L.P.G. i terminal. The oil wharf was the dangerous goods wharf. However, this approval was subject to the planned use of the wharf's being included in the terms of reference of the forthcoming Commission of Inquiry into the Lyttelton L.P.G. pipeline, to begin on June 28. Any organisation, such as the Merchant Services' Guild, could bring evidence to the commission which would then make a decision binding on all parties. "I think the board's decision is the right one," Captain Champion said. Mr Dobson had moved that the board start discussions with groups whose members

would be involved on or near L.P.G. tankers at port. Board members rejected this and voted to only receive the le.ter from the Merchant Services' Guild. Deputy manager Mr I. H. Brokenshire has been appointed deputy general manager of the board. He will now spend 11 months as understudy of the board's general manager. Mr J. A. McPhail, w'ho will retire in May next year. Mr Brokenshire has been secretarv of the board since 1971. Cargo down Cargo handled at port in April was down almost 31,000 tonnes on April. 1981, said the board's general manager, Mr J. A. McPhail. In April this year. 147.862 tonnes of cargo was handled, compared with 178,608 tonnes for April last year. However, total cargo handled for the first seven months of the 1981-82 year was almost 1,108.000 tonnes, up 109.000 tonnes on the same time in the 1980-81 year.