Shipping Corp, to man bulk carrier

Press, 25 October 1982, Page 6

Shipping Corp, to man bulk carrier

PA Wellington The Shipping Corporation will enter a New Zealandmanned and New Zealandmanaged ship in the international bulk-carrying trade.

The announcement comes after more than a year of investigation into the feasibility of the move and many months of private discussions with the unions involved in manning the ship. All details of the agreement between the corporation and the combined maritime unions — the cooks and stewards, marine and power engineers. Merchant Service Guild, and the seamen - have been worked out. It needs only the expected final ratification by the membership of the unions to complete the deal. A New Zealand crew will go to Japan next month to

join the 35.000-ton bulk carrier Eastern Alliance.

The vessel, which is part of the Jebsen Group of Norway will be chartered and be renamed the New Zealand Alliance. The vessel will still work in with Jebsen's international pool of about 40 vessels, one of the biggest bulk ship businesses in the world.

In a statement detailing the agreement, the Shipping Corporation said it represented a big step forward into international trading. A spokesman said the corporation had always been keen' to get into the bulkcarrying trade and the opportunity to join one of the biggest and most experienced groups in the world was a first-class chance worth taking.

He said the venture would offer New Zealand a presence in the bulk-carrying market and help to establish experience in handling world-wide bulk tonnage. The ship is not expected to carry solely New Zealand cargo but will be involved with Jebsen Group commitments carrying grain, salt, fertiliser, coal and alumina, and other bulk cargoes. The manning level in the ship is expected to be 26. compared with crews of 34 or 35 common in Australasian vessels of similar size.

The manning scale issue is believed to have been the main- stumbling block in negotiations, but the unions had accepted the lower crewnumbers in return for the work opportunities provided bv the venture.